Cleveland delivers a winner with CBX Full-Face Wedges

Wedges with expanded toe regions and more pronounced scoring lines have become increasingly popular in recent years with players of all ability levels.

To call this a new trend, however, wouldn’t be completely accurate either, as PING was well ahead of the curve years ago with its iconic Eye Two wedges.

That said, PING’s new Eye2 models, Callaway’s PM Grind options, and TaylorMade’s Hi-Toe offerings have been highly successful of late in this ever-expanding category by giving golfers added forgiveness and versatility.

Joining the party in 2020 is Cleveland, which is set to release its new CBX Full-Face wedges. And while this represents the company’s first foray into this type of design, Cleveland has been a dominant force in the wedge space for decades now.

Cleveland also has been an industry leader in providing unique wedges to meet the needs of different types of players, from touring pros to beginners, and it believes the new CBX Full-Face will be an ideal addition to its current wedge line.

“Our new Cleveland CBX Full-Face is a perfect way to complete our wedge lineup,” said Brian Schielke, Cleveland Golf Director of Marketing. “It helps golfers execute the most demanding shots they’ll encounter thanks to a larger striking surface with extended grooves running across the face. It does this while maintaining great feel and the signature forgiveness golfers have come to expect in every CBX wedge.”

As mentioned, this isn’t a new concept, and the CBX Full-Face wedges will offer similar traits to other options on the market, most notably an expanded toe region, which makes it easier to hit shots with an open face, and scoring lines that span the entire clubface to provide maximum spin regardless of strike location.

Also part of the technology package with the CBX Full-Face wedges are laser milled Tour Zip grooves and a unique half-cavity construction that positions the CG directly behind the center of the clubface to improve feel and create optimal control.

And finally, each CBX Full-Face wedge offers a C-Shaped sole design that provides heel and toe relief, making it easier for players to open and close the clubface to hit any type of shot.

The big question, of course, is whether or not these new wedges deliver on their promise of providing golfers with an incredible combination of forgiveness and versatility.

To find out, I did some testing with 58- and 60-degree CBX Full-Face wedges over the course of the last couple of weeks at my home course, Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

I’ll start by addressing how these wedges look, and Cleveland has done an excellent job in this regard. This style of wedge poses a unique look, to say the least, but the CBX Full-Face wedges maintain a fairly traditional shape.

For those who might be familiar with other options on the market, the CBX Full-Face would most closely resemble the TaylorMade Hi-Toe both in terms of its overall size and shaping, including a more rounded toe, and it’s far less aggressive looking than the Callaway PM Grind.

Additionally, the dark finish looks sharp and held up well after hitting numerous shots, including several bunker shots, and it also provides the appearance of a more compact profile at address.

In terms of performance, the CBX Full-Face wedges exceeded my expectations. That’s not, however, because I lack faith in Cleveland. In fact, I currently game Cleveland RTX 4 wedges and have long been a fan of Cleveland wedges.

But I have a very shallow angle of attack and typically play wedges with narrow soles and limited bounce, and I was concerned about how I would fare with the wider sole of the CBX Full-Face, especially given that at this time of year I would be testing primarily from wet, dormant Bermuda grass, which requires precise contact.

That said, I had no issues playing delicate shots around the green with a square clubface and the C-Shaped sole was absolutely magical when I wanted to open the face regardless of the trajectory I intended to produce, be it a high flop shot or a low checking shot.

Also noteworthy was just how much spin I could generate on short shots around the green, as well on those ‘tweener 50-60 yard shots that can sometimes make it tough to spin the ball as much as needed depending on the pin location or wind conditions.

Full shots stopped quickly as well on my home course’s firmer Bermuda greens, and the feel on full shots was only slightly firmer than what I’m used to with my RTX 4 wedges. I was also able to control trajectory as desired when hitting a full shot and I noticed that shots that weren’t hit out of the center of the face flew very straight as well.

Where the CBX Full-Face wedges were at their absolute best, however, was from the sand, as I executed one solid bunker shot after another with these wedges, which isn’t always a strength of my game, especially from softer sand. Certainly, there are a number of great wedge options on the market today for players who really struggle from greenside bunkers, but after testing the CBX Full-Face, I would put it up against anything out there in that regard.

Needless to say, any concerns I had about how the CBX Full-Face wedges would fit my game have been erased after testing them.

While the CBX franchise was originally created to provide specialty wedges for cavity back iron players and has been labeled by most as a game-improvement line, there’s no question in my mind that any golfer could benefit from playing a CBX Full-Face wedge.

As a low-handicapper, I’m confident that I could easily add one of these wedges to my bag, and I will continue to explore that option in the weeks ahead in advance of the new golf season.

CBX Full-Face wedges are available in lofts of 56, 58, 60, and 64 degrees. I did my testing with the stock Dynamic Gold 115 steel wedge shaft that is offered, but there’s a graphite stock shaft available as well for those looking for a lighter profile.

If you’re in the market for new wedges this year and would like to add more versatility to your short game, CBX Full-Face wedges are definitely worth a look. They will be available for pre-order starting February 17 and will be available at retail on February 28.