[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":20},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article-cleveland-golf-clubs-cleveland-for-beginners-and-high-handicappers":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"subtitle":6,"image":7,"imageAlt":8,"category":9,"html":12,"wordCount":13,"prev":14,"next":17},"cleveland-for-beginners-and-high-handicappers","Cleveland for Beginners and High Handicappers","Where the money goes furthest when you are starting out or scoring in the nineties.","\u002Fimg\u002Fcleveland-golf-clubs\u002Fcleveland-for-beginners-and-high-handicappers_cleveland-beginners.png","Cleveland for Beginners and High Handicappers illustration",{"slug":10,"title":11},"cleveland-golf-clubs","Cleveland Golf Clubs","\u003Ch3>The short game is where your shots are\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>A golfer shooting 100 does not lose most strokes off the tee. They lose them within 60 yards of the green — duffed chips, bladed pitches, three shots to get out of a bunker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is exactly the area Cleveland specialises in, which makes it an unusually good brand for this player. Most manufacturers put their effort into the clubs that matter to a scratch golfer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>The single best purchase\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>A Smart Sole wedge. It is a specialised club with one job — stopping you duffing chips — and it does that job better than practically anything else you can buy at the price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you currently lose three or four shots a round around the green, this one club will change your scores more than a new driver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>The sensible second purchase\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>CBX4 ZipCore or Halo XL Full-Face as a sand wedge. Forgiving enough to work with an inconsistent strike, versatile enough to hit full shots as well as greenside ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Avoid tour-shaped wedges at this stage. They are less forgiving by design, and the versatility they offer is not accessible until your contact is more repeatable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Full sets\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Launcher XL Halo irons and hybrids are a reasonable game-improvement set at a sensible price, and they pair naturally with the wedges. If you are buying a complete bag, this is a coherent route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>What not to buy\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>A 60-degree lob wedge. It is the hardest club in golf to hit and it is bought by beginners far more often than it should be. A 56-degree sand wedge with plenty of bounce covers almost every greenside shot you face and is much easier to use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>The used option\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Cleveland wedges are widely available second hand because so many are sold. A previous-generation RTX or CBX in good condition is excellent value — just check groove wear, which matters more than model year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Coach’s tip:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Learn one reliable chip shot with one club before adding options. Golfers with three wedges and no technique score worse than golfers with one wedge and a repeatable stroke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Model names current as of September 2026.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",361,{"slug":15,"title":16},"pairing-cleveland-wedges-with-any-brand-of-irons","Pairing Cleveland Wedges with Any Brand of Irons",{"slug":18,"title":19},"cleveland-for-low-handicappers-and-better-players","Cleveland for Low Handicappers and Better Players",1788299816266]