[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":18},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article-cleveland-golf-clubs-a-full-cleveland-short-game-setup-at-three-budgets":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"subtitle":6,"image":7,"imageAlt":8,"category":9,"html":12,"wordCount":13,"prev":14,"next":17},"a-full-cleveland-short-game-setup-at-three-budgets","A Full Cleveland Short Game Setup at Three Budgets","What to buy at three spending levels, and what to skip at each.","\u002Fimg\u002Fcleveland-golf-clubs\u002Fa-full-cleveland-short-game-setup-at-three-budgets_short-game-budgets.png","A Full Cleveland Short Game Setup at Three Budgets illustration",{"slug":10,"title":11},"cleveland-golf-clubs","Cleveland Golf Clubs","\u003Ch3>The lowest budget: one club\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Buy a used CBX ZipCore or CBX2 sand wedge at around 56 degrees with mid bounce. Check the grooves carefully, fit a new grip, and use it for every shot inside 90 yards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One wedge you trust beats three you rotate at random. Golfers below about 15 handicap gain more from repetition with a single club than from having options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Skip:\u003C\u002Fstrong> a lob wedge, a specialist chipper, anything with a specific grind you cannot explain the purpose of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>The middle budget: two or three clubs\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>A previous-generation RTX 6 ZipCore sand wedge, a CBX4 gap wedge, and either a 58-degree RTX or a Smart Sole depending on whether your problem is versatility or contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Set the lofts off your actual pitching wedge, not off convention. Get the sand wedge fitted for bounce if you can — it is the single most valuable fitting in the short game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Skip:\u003C\u002Fstrong> the newest generation. Put the difference toward the third wedge or a fitting session.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>The full budget: fitted current range\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Three RTZ wedges, fitted for loft, bounce and grind, with shafts matched to your irons. Add RTX Full-Face 2 in the highest loft if you open the face regularly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this level you are buying precision, and precision only pays if the fitting is done properly. An unfitted set of premium wedges is worse value than a fitted set of previous-generation ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Spend the last of the budget on measurement\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Whichever level you buy at, the setup is only right if the distances step evenly and stay that way. FocusGolf tracks your swings and distances automatically from a Wear OS, Apple Watch or Garmin watch, with no sensors on the clubs, and keeps a session history you can look back through. Check the wedge gaps when you buy, then again in three months — grooves wear, technique drifts, and the trend over a season tells you when something has moved before it costs you on the course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>What matters most, in order\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Groove condition. Bounce. Grind. Even loft gaps. Shaft. Model generation, last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most golfers reverse that list entirely, and it is why so many well-equipped bags produce a poor short game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Buying tip:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Whatever the budget, leave enough of it to replace your sand wedge in two years. Wedges are consumables, and planning for that beats buying the best one once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Model names current as of September 2026.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",405,{"slug":15,"title":16},"buying-cleveland-wedges-used-what-to-check","Buying Cleveland Wedges Used: What to Check",null,1788299816270]