CG15 chrome wedge
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With the game's governing bodies gnashing their teeth at the sneaky practice by Tour pros of bombing drives with impunity and gouging wedges onto the green, new rules on those razor-sharp grooves will come into force on the first day of January next year. The hope is that the world's best players will be forcibly reminded of the value of finding the fairway, with control from the rough being much harder to come by with shallower grooves.
Will it work? We'll see.
The good news is that the rules won't apply to most of the rest of us (apart from elite amateurs and club pros) until 2024.
A strange twist in this tale is the fact that by submitting their new wedges to the authorities now, manufacturers are allowed to produce wedges with 'illegal' grooves until the end of 2010. And as long as the wedges are shipped from the makers by January 1, 2011 - any retailer can sell them to you indefinitely. You can then use them for at least 14 years, irrespective of whether the grooves conform to these new regulations.
(Hands up those who are still using clubs that are at least 14 years old! ED)
All this administration confusion makes it all the more puzzling that so many manufacturers have chosen to switch to new conforming grooves when they are not compelled to do so until the start of 2011. Cleveland, thankfully, has done no such thing.
Abrasive grooves on the CG15 Oil Quench wedge
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The new Cleveland Golf CG15 wedge, the newest addition to a line that is fast becoming something of a dynasty for Cleveland Golf, has lovely deep, sharp and spinny grooves (and just to recap, if you buy a pre-2011 wedge you can use it until 2024). Expect plenty of stockpiling!
As if Cleveland's brilliant Zip Grooves aren't enough, Cleveland engineers have examined the impact of surface roughness on spin levels and conclude that a certain level of abrasiveness (not too high, mind) adds even more bite. But rather than just simply sandblasting - a process that eventually wears away - they have developed Laser Milling, a series of tiny, perfectly calibrated lines lasered between the main grooves. Spin levels, as a result, are higher than ever before.
Out on the course, the benefits are clearly there for all to see. Whether it''s full shots, knock-downs, flops, chips or pitches, spin is just not a problem. With a soft ball and a decent contact, the rewards are shots that stop in their tracks.
But there's more to the Cleveland CG15 wedge than generating spin. A new grind that has shaved some metal from the toe, has improved the sole-turf interaction, allowing loft to be opened up a little easier. The aesthetics too, are high class, with a lovely selection of finishes and a classic design.
In my opinion, the Cleveland CG15 wedge are the perfect short-game weapon. With more than 20 loft and bounce options, three different finishes and even an ultra-low bounce DSG grind to create even more loft if necessary. There''s a wedge for everybody.
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