Over the last few years, Cleveland Golf has settled into a predictable January release schedule for their wedges. While 12 lucky THP forum members had already had them in play for a couple months, in early 2024 we reviewed their most recent set of cavity back wedges, the CBX4. 2025 should be the year for an update to Cleveland’s blade wedge lineup, and rumor has it that their Tour staff will be introduced to their latest and greatest this week in Las Vegas. Seeking comment from the company, we were told that we can refer to them as CG Proto wedges for now and that full details will be following in the coming weeks and months.
Many will remember 2023’s RTX 6 ZipCore wedges, which it appears these new CG Proto wedges will be replacing. RTX 6 built further on Cleveland’s ZipCore technology, a design feature that moves weight from the hosel to refine the wedge’s center of gravity. This results in a number of benefits for golfers, whether it be added MOI, consistent spin, or more control. In addition, this was our first look at HydraZip, a face treatment that creates extremely consistent spin performance in both dry and wet conditions. This is a piece of technology that deserves far more attention than it gets. Our testing showed an amazing 500rpm more spin in wet conditions with HydraZip when compared to wedges without it, and an impressive 45% tighter dispersion pattern.
It goes without saying that Cleveland’s last two wedge releases were right at the top of the class when it comes to performance, versatility, looks, and feel. Knowing that, it’s very difficult to restrain our excitement over the possibilities of this CG Proto line.
At first glance, this may be the cleanest looking wedge Cleveland has produced in a long time and maybe ever. We’ve grown accustomed to seeing quite a bit of visible technology on the cavity side of the company’s wedges and these CG Protos almost seem to be a complete reversal in design ideology. Instead, we’re seeing (at last on the Tour Rack versions making their way to the Tour) some sort of raw or brushed finish with minimal flair. A simple Cleveland script logo is paired with the initials RTZ instead of the familiar RTX, indicating the company is setting off a new direction with their wedge design.
We will assume that the Tour Rack version of the CG Proto wedges will be available with all of Cleveland’s sole grinds and leading-edge shaping. We wouldn’t be surprised if they added some new options, though we don’t have any firm details to share yet. The finish seems to be similar to what we’ve seen with Tour Rack wedges in the past, but there’s something just a little different about it that we can’t quite put our fingers on yet. Being the golf nerds we are, we couldn’t help but zoom all the way in on the picture below, and though it’s blurry it seems like the hosel has something like “Z Alloy” engraved into it. If so, we may be looking at a completely new material from Cleveland, which could open an entirely new range of possibilities from a technological standpoint.
A comparison to the RTX 6 line does reveal some shaping changes that appear subtle on the surface. Still, subtle changes in shaping can produce wildly different performance. This is purely speculation of course, but it seems like the CG Protos have distributed weight quite a bit higher in the club head, which would indicate a lower launching and possibly higher spinning profile. This is a design trend that we’re huge fans of, as it tends to produce a much more controllable shot when it comes to trajectory and distance control. If this is truly something we’ll see from the CG Protos, we anticipate them being extremely popular with both Tour players and our readers.
Stay tuned to THP as we learn more about Cleveland’s newest wedge release. If past trends hold true, we should have full details around the beginning of 2025. In addition, if past trends hold true, we’ll have them in the bag shortly afterwards and for the rest of the season.
The post CG Proto Wedges Hit the PGA Tour appeared first on The Hackers Paradise.