Cleveland RTZ Wedges

Cleveland launches RTZ wedges

Cleveland has launched its new RTZ Wedges, featuring the brand’s new steel formula – Z-Alloy.

The material has been created to offer golfers a new combination of feel, forgiveness and greenside control. Unlike conventional materials, Z-Alloy boasts a lower density, allowing for unlimited design possibilities. The innovative steel is also one of the few metals exclusively engineered for the benefit of golf clubs.

“When we first started working with Z-Alloy, we learned quickly it was going to allow us more flexibility in our wedge design and we wouldn’t be limited on what we wanted to create,” said Patrick Ripp, tour engineering manager at Cleveland Golf. “The enhancements this new material offers shows up in every area that matters. The feel is pure, the aesthetic is cleaner, and the consistency golfers will see around the greens is improved. From top to bottom, this is our most complete wedge to date.”

Extensive testing by the Cleveland R&D team has shown RTZ Wedges (RRP from £159) are 10% softer than the RTX 6 ZipCore Wedges. To optimise feel and performance further, six additional grams of discretionary mass was moved into more optimal areas of the clubhead. Working in tandem with ZipCore technology, these weight changes allowed engineers to shift the centre of gravity towards the centre of the clubhead and put the sweet spot right where it was intended.

Due to Z-Alloy’s unique anti-rust properties, golfers can also rely on raw RTZ Tour Rack Wedges to maintain their performance and appearance for longer periods of time. According to R&D testing, rusted grooves on an RTX 6 ZipCore Tour Rack Wedge face can deteriorate, on average, 87% faster than a raw RTZ Z-Alloy Wedge. Additionally, RTZ Tour Rack Wedges retain up to 15% more spin over time.

RTZ Wedges come in four sole grind options. New for this generation is the RTZ ADAPT grind. Featuring its own face shape, this unique grind is suited to sand and lob wedge lofts due to its full-face grooves and added leading edge bounce chamfer for players who like to tackle open face shots. LOW, MID and FULL grinds round out the available options.

“To ensure optimal turf interaction, we tailored each leading-edge radii to work in unison with the sole’s shape and bounce profile. For the first time, each RTZ leading edge is precision milled for the most accurate and consistent edge shape possible, creating more consistency and precision around the greens,” added Patrick.

The new range can be customised with preferred sole grinds and leading-edge radii as well as engraving, paintfill, and custom ferrules.

Each wedge also draws on Cleveland technologies, including HydraZip – a unique system of face blasts and laser-milled lines formulated to maximise spin performance in wet conditions; and ZipCore – low-density core technology which replaces heavier material in the heel and hosel area with a lightweight, low-density, vibration-dampening material. They also feature UltiZip grooves which cut through grass and debris at contact, while deeper grooves help make space for grass, sand, dirt, or water to clear the impact zone. The dual-pass Rotex milling pattern meanwhile increases friction and is directionally configured to accommodate shot type. The straighter portion of the milled pattern works well for full swing shots with central contact, while contact on the toe strikes the more angled portion of the pattern for optimal spin on open face shots.