Cleveland Smart Sole 4 Black Satin Wedges

[ddec]

Cleveland Golf has a storied history of making some of the most well-regarded wedges in the game. While they have made plenty of designs geared towards the more skilled or tour player, they also have not forgotten about the golfer who needs a little extra assistance with their short game. For those players, the Smart Sole line has been an attractive option. Even though the Smart Sole 4 series has been out for some time now, the designs remain very effective. Therefore, Cleveland hasn’t needed to rush in a revamped design. With no significant renovations planned, they are announcing a simple upgrade the looks of the Smart Sole 4 wedges. ...

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[hedley_lamarr08]

Personally I’m not a fan of the look but hard to argue with the design and it accomplishing it’s goals.

 

[JB]

I am glad they added the black finish to this line. I know people that enjoy both the CBX and the S line from Cleveland.

 

[hedley_lamarr08]

I am glad they added the black finish to this line. I know people that enjoy both the CBX and the S line from Cleveland.

I was just about to ask about these vs the CBX Zipcore. Obvious differences but do you see any real over lapping?

 

[JB]

I was just about to ask about these vs the CBX Zipcore. Obvious differences but do you see any real over lapping?

None at all. Very different.

 

[hedley_lamarr08]

None at all. Very different.

I’ve only seen the S in the Smart Sole. Maybe I should buy one for practice so I don’t dig up my yard so bad. I do like the black finish.

 

[DataDude]

Good write up Dean! I really like this lineup. I could use that 50* right now in our Ohio Valley muck. It might be wide soled enough to not dig LOL!

 

[russtopher]

These look really sharp. My only real gripe with this line is that they are definitely a one trick pony for the most part in my experience. They can definitely be of help to some golfers, but the S sole for instance is really only good out of the sand.

 

[hadi05]

I personality like the black finish on these. A darker or matte finish on wedges is something I like.

 

[Daluteh]

I like the finish, it looks good. While I like the traditional chrome I also think black looks very nice. They are just sharp looking clubs. If they run into the one trick pony like @russtopher is saying, then maybe only needing one of them would be great. I think the SS4 is a big help to those of us who need a little bit of help as we get closer with our scoring clubs, I could see myself with a G in the 50* and S in the 58* as replacements, though they are different than what I currently utilize they would fit their description well in my bag.

 

[ddec]

One thing I’ve always saw with these clubs is that that are made with a certain task in mind. And when they are in play, they handle that shot situation so damn well.

 

[JB]

One thing I’ve always saw with these clubs is that that are made with a certain task in mind. And when they are in play, they handle that shot situation so damn well.

While at the same time, have more versatility than is expected. Sure they are not going to handle face manipulation and flighting of the ball like a thin soled muscle back wedge, but they add easy launch, a sole designed for just about any terrain and a ton of forgiveness.

 

[camden_kid]

I like the look of those. Nice review.

 

[TJRyska]

Yeah those just don’t do it for me. I’m sure they work well as designed but I just can’t get past the look.

 

[just8abug]

I've had one for a few years now and will use it on most courses with good sand in the bunkers. It handles most fluffy lies with ease and kind of idiot proof out of the sand. I don't use it on tight lies.

 

[will]

I need to look at these for my wife and maybe my niece, now that she's playing. I think these would work well for them. Nice writeup!

 

[ddec]

While at the same time, have more versatility than is expected. Sure they are not going to handle face manipulation and flighting of the ball like a thin soled muscle back wedge, but they add easy launch, a sole designed for just about any terrain and a ton of forgiveness.

back in the day the niblick worked so well on pitch shots, even 3/4 swings. There is some versatility there, but definitely built to simplify the short game and eliminate some of those extra thoughts that can complicate and lead to not so stellar shots.

 

[Scorp]

Those look nice.

And while I can see the difference in forgiveness between my RTX4 and my CBX2, I think the Smart Soles would help me even more. I might have to pick these up.

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

As a guy who struggles in bunkers, the Smart sole wedge has really helped. I’m glad they brought out a dark finish to match the other wedges. If I had the dark CBX2 wedges, I would grab one of these to keep the look consistent. I’m curious if the dark finish can hide some of the mass a little. Great write up @ddec !

 

[Scooby45]

Good write up Dean! I really like this lineup. I could use that 50* right now in our Ohio Valley muck. It might be wide soled enough to not dig LOL!

Right? After playing in the muck the past week the C has kinda caught my eye. I struggle a bit with playing the low chip with a 9 iron with my current irons, this could be an interesting play in the bag. Ponder mode engaged into how I could create a spot for it…

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

These look really sharp. My only real gripe with this line is that they are definitely a one trick pony for the most part in my experience. They can definitely be of help to some golfers, but the S sole for instance is really only good out of the sand.

One thing I’ve always saw with these clubs is that that are made with a certain task in mind. And when they are in play, they handle that shot situation so damn well.

While at the same time, have more versatility than is expected. Sure they are not going to handle face manipulation and flighting of the ball like a thin soled muscle back wedge, but they add easy launch, a sole designed for just about any terrain and a ton of forgiveness.

I have found the S smart sole wedge pretty adaptable. It’s designed for bunker shots with a closed face yes, but you can open it up a little, you can chip/pitch with it, I’ve hit full swing shots with it, but one place it really shines is a “mock flop” shot. You get a ball sitting up around the green a little, play the ball up in your stance, leave the face square, accelerate through, ball pops up high and drops. I almost slam dunked one last week doing this.

 

[TxAggie2018]

+1 on the "mock flop" shot... I cleared a night golf light doing that with the Smart Sole S. It has a 58* face, play that forward in your stance and it can get vertical quickly even with a square face.

The part I don't like about it that the leading edge sits up, which causes it to thin everything off hardpan if you try the "use the bounce" technique. Making ball-first contact cures all ills, but that's not really super game improvement, is it....

It's filthy out of sand and plays out of rough like the rough doesn't even exist. Basically, if you need a lot of bounce for a shot, there isn't a wedge in the universe that offers more effective bounce than the Smart Sole's dinner plate. The tradeoff for that though, is that you can't open the face without bringing that dinner plate up.

I really like the gap wedge though. It's got pretty much the same ridonkulous bounce as the sand wedge, but the leading edge sits more flush, and there's a lot less concern about manipulating a GW face vs manipulating a SW.

 

[sabig27]

People misjudge these clubs in versatility. Yes it’s not meant to open/close the face, but you can get the same results with ball position/stance/club release. I love them

 

[rlb4]

@Jman The article mentions "no significant renovations planned". I know you said to wait a little bit. But since your seem to be in the know , does that mean no Smart Sole 5 this spring/summer/year?

 

[Jman]

People misjudge these clubs in versatility. Yes it’s not meant to open/close the face, but you can get the same results with ball position/stance/club release. I love them

There is a TON of truth to this.