Cavity-back wedges, explained

The quick answer

If you play game-improvement irons and mostly hit full and partial shots with a square face, a cavity-back wedge may suit you. If you like to open the face around the greens, or want to choose bounce and grind for yourself, a traditional wedge gives you more options.

A cavity-back wedge applies the idea behind a game-improvement iron to a wedge: weight moves from the center of the back out toward the edges, so off-center strikes lose less. Cleveland’s CBZ and Cobra’s KING-X are both cavity backs, and both makers position them as game-improvement wedges. They also start at higher bounce than the traditional wedges here and offer fewer sole choices, with the bounce set by loft rather than chosen separately.

Who this is for

Golfers who play game-improvement irons and wonder whether their wedges should match, and golfers who find it hard to make consistent contact with their wedges.

What a cavity-back wedge is

Many wedges are built with a solid back, with much of the weight sitting behind the middle of the face. These are often called blade-style or traditional wedges. A cavity-back wedge takes some of that weight out of the back and places it around the edges of the head, the same way a cavity-back iron does.

The makers of the two cavity backs here describe them in game-improvement terms. Cleveland calls the CBZ “our greatest achievement in game improvement Wedges to date.” Cobra says the KING-X is “the ultimate game improvement wedge.”

Cleveland’s Smart Sole Full-Face takes a different route to the same goal. It is a set of four specialist clubs: a 42° chipper, a 50° gap wedge, a 58° sand wedge and a 64° lob wedge. Cleveland calls them “simply the biggest, most forgiving Wedges we’ve ever made.” Cleveland does not publish a bounce angle for it, saying only that “each Wedge is given increased bounce at its leading edge to resist digging.” This guide does not count it as a cavity back, but it is aimed at the same golfers.

How they differ from traditional wedges

Higher bounce. The CBZ and the KING-X are each offered with 10°, 12° and 14° of bounce. Every traditional wedge here offers an option at 6° or less. More bounce generally helps the club skim through soft turf and sand instead of digging, and many golfers with a steep swing find it helpful. Less bounce generally suits firm ground, tight lies and opening the face.

Bounce and grind set by loft. On both cavity backs, the maker sets the bounce for each loft. Cobra, for example, lists 10° of bounce at 48° to 54°, 14° at 56°, and 12° at 58° and 60°. Cleveland also pre-selects the CBZ’s sole grind by loft, and Cobra describes a single “progressive teardrop grind.” Most of the traditional wedges here list three to six grinds or bounce profiles, and you choose the combination. Wilson sells each Staff Model ZM bounce as a separate product instead.

Lofts. The CBZ starts at 44° and the KING-X at 48°, and both go up to 60°. A low-lofted wedge from a cavity-back range may be useful for filling the gap below a strong-lofted pitching wedge. The highest lofts here, 62° and 64°, come from the traditional ranges and from the Smart Sole’s lob wedge.

Full-face grooves. Grooves that run across the whole face are generally intended for strikes toward the toe, which tend to be more common when the face is open. Cleveland lists Full-Face groove versions of the CBZ at 50° to 60°, and sells the Smart Sole as a Full-Face model. Full-face grooves are not only on game-improvement wedges: Cleveland’s ADAPT grind on the traditional RTZ 2 has them too.

Shafts. Cleveland labels the CBZ’s stock shaft as mid-high launch and the RTZ 2’s as low launch. The stock shaft is one reason two wedges of the same loft can fly differently, so check it against the shafts in your irons.

Three game-improvement wedges

• 

  Cleveland Golf

  CBZ

  Cleveland calls the cavity-back CBZ “our greatest achievement in game improvement Wedges to date.”

  Lofts

  44°, 46°, 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°

  Bounce

  10°, 12°, 14°

  Grinds

  V-Shaped, S-Shaped, C-Shaped

  $179.99

  Evidence: Research-based · . DICK'S Sporting Goods

  See at DICK'S Sporting Goods: Cleveland Golf CBZ⁠Affiliate link
• 

  Cobra

  KING-X

  Cobra says the cavity-back KING-X, with its progressive teardrop grind, is “the ultimate game improvement wedge.”

  Lofts

  48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°

  Bounce

  10°, 12°, 14°

  Grinds

  Teardrop

  $169

  With a steel shaft; graphite shafts are $181

  Evidence: Research-based · . Cobra Golf

  See at Cobra Golf: Cobra KING-X⁠Affiliate link
• 

  Cleveland Golf

  Smart Sole Full-Face

  Cleveland says the Smart Sole Full-Face is “simply the biggest, most forgiving Wedges we’ve ever made.”

  Lofts

  42°, 50°, 58°, 64°

  Bounce

  Not published

  Grinds

  Not recorded

  $99.98

  With a KBS Hi-Rev Max 105 steel shaft

  Evidence: Research-based · . PGA TOUR Superstore

  See at PGA TOUR Superstore: Cleveland Golf Smart Sole Full-Face⁠

At our last price checks, the 3 game-improvement wedges ranged from about $100 to about $180.

The Smart Sole’s lofts are its four separate clubs, not a range of lofts for one model.

Seven traditional wedges

None of these makers positions its wedge as game improvement. They talk instead about spin, precision, feel, contact or a Tour-preferred look. Some offer more forgiving options within the range: Titleist, for example, describes its F Grind as often considered the most forgiving SM11 grind.

At our last price checks, the 7 traditional wedges ranged from about $120 to about $200.

The table lists every loft, bounce and grind each maker offers. Not every combination exists, so check each product page for which bounce comes with which loft. Tour Edge calls its three options bounce profiles rather than grinds.

Two cavity backs compared

The two cavity backs offer the same three bounce figures. The CBZ adds lower lofts and three sole grinds where the KING-X has one.

Cleveland’s three approaches

Cleveland sells a traditional wedge, a cavity back and the Smart Sole, which makes it a useful way to see the difference within one maker.

Moving from the RTZ 2 to the CBZ, the bounce options move higher and the grind choice moves from yours to Cleveland’s. The Smart Sole goes further still, with one club for each job rather than a range of lofts. Titleist Vokey SM11 vs Cleveland RTZ 2 compares the RTZ 2 with another traditional wedge.

Mixing the two

Some golfers use a cavity-back gap wedge to match their game-improvement irons, and a traditional sand or lob wedge for shots around the green where they open the face. Others use cavity backs throughout. The same bounce and grind can behave differently depending on how steep your swing is and how you open the face, and cavity backs are often larger at address. A short session hitting both from the lies you usually face is the quickest way to see which you prefer.

New or used

Because grooves wear, a used wedge is a bigger gamble than most used clubs. The used listings we have found are under Used prices on each product page. If you buy used:

• Look closely at the grooves where the ball is struck. Sharp, clean edges suggest light use.
• Check the loft and bounce stamped on the club, and that they match the listing.
• Lofts may have been bent by a previous owner, which also changes the bounce. A club fitter can check.
• Counterfeit clubs exist. Buy from a seller who will take the wedge back.

Where to go next

• Wedge bounce and grinds, explained, for loft gapping, bounce and worn grooves.
• What makes an iron forgiving, for the same ideas in your irons.
• Game-improvement or players irons?, since your pitching wedge loft comes from your iron set.
• All wedges we have researched, with their latest price checks.
• How we research, including what our evidence labels mean.