Cleveland RTX-4 Wedges

[JDax]

Here is my review of the RTX-4 Wedges, since there are a lot of lurkers out there, let me give you some background.
About me:
Handicap- GHIN 1.2
Swing Speed- 108-110 MPH (Driver Average)
Normal Ball Flight- Mid-High
Wedges that I've Gamed in the Past- Cleveland 588 (original), then all Volkey wedges for years, most recently the Volkey SM7 wedges

Looks: This wedge is very good in the looks department, the way a wedge looks at address is very important for me to have the confidence that I will be able to hit the different types of shots that I attempt to hit during the course of a round. I have never been a fan of the raw finish on wedges, preferring a more tradition chrome finish on my wedges. The RTX-4 raw finish has totally changed my mind, the more rusted out these wedges get the more I like the look. If you are looking to try a raw finish, I would highly recommend trying the raw finish on these wedges.

Distance/Forgiveness: Like any blade style wedges, mishits can be punitive, that is no different than any other wedge. Well struck shots feel really good, and shots not stuck as well give feedback so you know where you missed. Full swing distances have more “pop” than what I have come to expect from my previous SM7 wedges. Partial swing distances are also showing a little more “pop” too. The one area that I would rate these wedges better than my previous wedges is in the area of turf interaction. That is not saying the SM7 doesn’t do a good job at turf interaction, I just think that the V-sole on the RTX-4 wedges make them a little stronger in this area. The turf interaction of the RTX-4 is crisp, and they rip through lies in the rough. My set of wedges are bent 1 degree strong to further dial in the full swing distances that I am looking for, and there were no issues with bending them and the wedges holding that desired loft.

Feel/Spin: Feel is relative, but the feel of these is great. The leading edge of these wedges sits a little lower than I was accustom to, and that took some getting used to. Because of the before mentioned extra “pop”, dialing in distances has also taken an adjustment period. The spin that these wedges produce has been a welcomed surprise. You can get aggressive with these wedges on pitches and chips and not have to worry about the ball not biting or too much run out (this could also be related to the SERM Spin Skin). You can open the face and thrown it close to the hole if needed, or hit a low runner. The key thing that I have seen in this area is the feel is perfect for shots around the green, not too soft. You can put a nice smooth swing or pitch on it and have the confidence that ball is going to do exactly what you expected it to do. Even if I can’t prove it, I believe that rusted finish adds to the spin that I have been experiencing. As stated in my Z-Star XV review, that ball performs extremely well related to green side spin, so the ball/wedge combo also could be a factor in what I have been seeing too. The RTX-4 and the Z-Star XV is a great ball/wedge combo for my game.

Versatility: In the RTX-4 wedges, I have a 52 2 dot, 56 1 dot, and a 60 1 dot. They are all very versatile. The 1 Dot grind makes it easier to open the face and hit open faced chips and pitches. The 2 Dot has the right amount of bounce for standard types of shots.

Bunker Play: These wedges perform very well out of bunkers and out of sandy waste areas that we played out of at the TPC Vegas during the Srixon Event. I hit some very good shots during that event out of all sorts of different sandy lies.

Conclusion: As evident in this thread these wedges are very popular with the THP community, as they should be, they are great wedges. The fact that you can get real aggressive with chips from around the green, takes a lot of guess work out of wedge play, and that is what makes these wedges a winner in my opinion. I haven’t played a Cleveland wedge since the original 588 line of wedges, and these wedges have brought me back to Cleveland wedges. These wedges check all of the boxes that I look for in a wedge, and the most important thing for me is the confidence that I have standing over the ball with these wedges in my hand. I have the confidence that the ball is going react exactly how I expect the ball to react, no matter what type of shot that I’m attempting to hit. That really all you can ask for in a wedge.

Really good info here...


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[Big SoIL]

The rust is getting on point.

Today was more confirmation that the Mid grind in the 58* is just right for me. That little bit of extra bounce on the bottom of the club makes such a big difference for me, especially when my ball striking isn’t on point and it can save me from a slightly heavy strike.

Highlight of the day happened around the green with the 58. Went long with my approach and found some thick rough that my ball nestled down into. It’s a really small green and the flag right in the middle, but the green slopes from back to front and I was in the rough...had to take it upstairs. Opened the face up and took a big swipe at it, the ball landed a little short of the flag and rolled about 8’ by. From the situation I had put myself in this was the best result I could have hoped for.

I still find the 50 and 54 to be great extensions of my iron set and extremely versatile around the green too. These wedges are going nowhere...


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[JDax]

With @BigSoil & @HuddieJ providing an update on the Raw finish... I thought that I would take a moment to update on the Black Satin Finish.

This is about 50 rounds of wear... I think that it has held up extremely well, with all of the rounds and multiple range sessions.


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[Jman]

Someone said rust?

 

[DNice26]

Jones'in a little for new wedges and just realized these com stock with S400 TIs. My local PGA SS also has some uncut raw setups, so I can get them built a little long. Ponders engaged…

 

[chefkritter]

Im digging these RTX 4's so much, want to get a 60* now and give it a whirl knowing what kind of spin/fun these can have.

 

[usaf_giles]

I've been think about upgrading from the RTX'3 I have but I'm not sure if I can justify it.

 

[Jman]

I've been think about upgrading from the RTX'3 I have but I'm not sure if I can justify it.

Fwiw, they feel better, the profile is smaller, and they may actually be more versatile.

I bet that helps hahaha

 

[2BFAST]

the profile is smaller

Think so?

 

[dduarte85]

I just wish I could find a grass range demo day with these wedges... hitting into nets is useless.

 

[Jman]

Think so?

Absolutely, having played both sets.

Was part of the release info too. Smaller head, less offset visually.

 

[2BFAST]

Absolutely, having played both sets.

Was part of the release info too. Smaller head, less offset visually.

Interesting. Iv played both too and I guess im neutral. Or I didn't pay as much attention.....that's probably the case

 

[Jman]

Interesting. Iv played both too and I guess im neutral. Or I didn't pay as much attention.....that's probably the case

Was a key feature of the design and release, a lot of Tour feedback lead to that change and it was a big effort to help get them into more tour bags.

 

[usaf_giles]

Yea I’ve always like their wedges but I’ve never been 100% sold on the rtx3. I need to give these a shot.


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[Big SoIL]

Yea I’ve always like their wedges but I’ve never been 100% sold on the rtx3. I need to give these a shot.


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Definitely give them a shot in that case. I’ve said from the start that this iteration has some substantial improvements. Those that thought the RTX3 was the gold standard in wedges might not love these, but I’m a huge fan.

 

[NoShanks]

Still loving these wedges. Almost had a hole in one with my 50 from 125. It spun too hard and hit the pin. I think it helps that I have the nippon modus wedge shaft in them.


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[chefkritter]

Played a course yesterday where the greens are very receptive. Green side pitches with 1 hop and stop. Full swings on a string, out of the sand, these wedges are a ton of fun and check all the boxes for me personally. The rust.......@jman would approve of the rustiness thus far. I’m still looking at trying out a 60* even though its been 20 years since I’ve gamed one, but I’m getting that itch to hit one with these wedges knowing I’m not going to be digging trenches with them every time i try to hit it.

Does anyone have a 60* that they game, and have thoughts on it?

 

[Snickerdog]

^^^^^^^^^^^ Nice ball striking!!!

 

[Jman]

Tomorrow will be interesting.

Fixed all the lie angles on my three (they were all standard, even though they were ordered two up, but that was a LONG time ago now, lots of rounds and practice on these), but more than that I'm going to do a little experiment. Took the 48 to 46.5 and the 54 to 53 to see what that does to my gaps from my full PW. The irons either need to go weak or the wedges strong, so I went wedges strong.

 

[TheDoctor]

Saturday was a tough round to gauge how these perform compared to my old RTX 2.0 wedges as the greens were basically like concrete with nothing stopping at all, even full wedge shots would bounce through the greens

Yesterday at my home course I was able to get a better idea and I am getting more and more impressed with how these perform, plenty of spin on partial shots to get the ball to check and now that I am expecting it I can be more aggressive around the greens to leave myself shorter putts

On the 16th I misjudged my approach and finished at the back of the green on a downhill lie to a green sloping slightly away from me - I hit my 54 and landed it about halfway to the pin and it checked nicely before rolling out to a foot from the hole and a tap-in par

 

[BigDill]

These are some sexy wedges. Plus they play well in the rain.

 

[Jman]

These are some sexy wedges. Plus they play well in the rain.

Those look great, I like the gold finish behind the rust. I coked it off mine when I stamped them.

 

[Big SoIL]

Rust game is getting !

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[BigDill]

Rust game is getting !

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I love your loft set up. I having been thinking of adding a 60/mid to my bag. I have a love/hate relationship with the 56/low. I love it in tight lies, but I just can’t play it consistently out of the sand, especially when green side.

 

[Jman]

The 46.5 (48M head), 53 (54M head), and 60XL setup experiment has gone really really well so far. Much better blend into my Apex PW distance gap and they gap perfectly for me and what I like to do with my wedges.