Review - Cleveland CG15 56* Sand Wedge

I recently became the owner of a Cleveland CG15 wedge. Specifically the 56* non-DSG version with 14* bounce in the Oil-Can finish.

Cleveland’s classic wedges of the 588 and 900 series were magnificent….my all time favourites were the 900BRZ's which delivered the most beautiful of soft feelings at impact. Sadly, more recent offerings have been less well received in the Davis golf bag….perhaps the simple CG10's and 12's being the pick so far of the recent range. I was interested to see if Cleveland had raised their game and if the CG15 would restore the reputation of this fine wedge brand.

I took it down the range last night for its first "session". Note I say range...so I was hitting range balls....those at my local range are of decent quality (Srixons) but I have no doubt that they still do not perform near what a normal balls does.

Firstly let us deal with the looks. The Oil-Can finish is undeniably attractive and the classic curved head shape pleasing to my eye. I'm not totally convinced by the curved leading edge but the effect isn’t as displeasing as it is on the 58* version of this wedge…you can take it that I prefer a wedge with a straighter leading edge.

On close inspection the face looks "busy" with its laser milled lines between each groove and the "vertical" writing either side of the impact area. Happily at address neither of these things causes any distraction to this golfer. In fact the vertical writing saying “laser milled” either side of the impact zone actually seems to offer some alignment assistance

So….how does it perform??? Well….you’re not going to find me quoting any "spin rate" figures in this review…all my observations are very subjective.

My key criteria for choosing a wedge is primarily "feel"….how does it feel at impact…is it hard, soft, clicky etc etc. recent Cleveland offerings have, in my opinion, been decidedly on the hard side of this particular equation when viewed in isolation. I can happily report that the CG15, certainly the Oil-Can version, is a lot more accomplished in this respect, delivering a strike that feels soft but solid at the same time. However….that’s when reviewed in isolation.

My current wedges of choice are Vega RAFW-05's, hitting them side by side with the CG15's demonstrates just how lush feeling the Vegas are…the CG15's were an order of magnitude harder…when the Vegas hit the ball its almost as if you can feel the ball marrying into the clubface before it is released off into the air….its a magical feeling that you only truly remember is there when you hit another wedge next to it in comparison. So….the CG15’s are soft but not as soft feeling as others….”muted” is perhaps as good a word to describe the feel at impact…certainly there is no hard clickiness.

I know, I know….stuff the feel you are all saying…what about the spin….do the grooves really work….do you get that magical drop, stop and spin back 20ft performance?

No.

Well….I don’t.

But then, let’s put this into context…I’m not a huge spinner of approach shots anyway….the greens where I play my golf are not overly receptive to large amounts of spin…sure you can punch a ball in to the green, have it hop once, then have a little hop, stop and maybe come back a couple of feet….but none of this bounce, bounce, stop and back up 20ft like you see on the telly.

I don’t get this sort of backspin with my Vegas so wasn’t really expecting it with the CG15’s. Hitting side by side with my current wedges revealed that perhaps I am getting a bit more action on the ball with the Vegas…a couple of hard hit, crisp strikes showed a greater tendency to grab and come back a little….the CG15’s landed, bounced and stopped.

To my mind this is no bad thing TBH…the vast majority of amateurs leave their approach shots short so why on Earth do they want to suck the ball back 20ft??? Oh yeah….it looks good. Well…I’ve got a message for you…Golf isn’t about looking good….it’s about scoring low.

I did then try some shorter shots….chips of around 15 yards or so….the CG15’s delivered some impressive results here with the ball grabbing and stopping quickly and was much closer to my Vegas in terms of performance in this area. Coupled with the soft muted feel of impact I reckon that a 52* GAP wedge with a bounce of around 6-8 degrees could become a real killer of a scoring weapon around the greens.

Obviously all this testing was on a cold winters evening at a range with less than optimal balls….however I did have a reference to compare the CG15’s with in my current Vegas. I’ll have a better clearer understanding of the CG15’s capabilities in the real world once all this bloody snow disappears and I can take it out on the course and hit real balls from real lies into real greens.

But for now I’d have to conclude that the CG15 is the best wedge Cleveland have produced since perhaps the CG10. It’s very good….but it’s not fantastic.

To be updated.