Alright, so my short game, man, it was in the toilet. Seriously. I was either chunking it five feet or skulling it clean over the green. My buddies? They were having a field day, let me tell you. I’d stand over a simple chip and just freeze. It was bad, real bad.
Finding the Cleveland ZipCore
I’d been using the same old wedges for years, probably should’ve replaced them ages ago. They just felt dead. No confidence, you know? I was moaning about it at the range one day, and some guy mentioned these Cleveland ZipCore wedges. Said they were pretty forgiving and had decent spin. I just nodded, thinking, “Yeah, yeah, another marketing gimmick.” I’m always skeptical about new gear, feels like they just change the paint job and call it revolutionary.
But things got so desperate, I actually started looking into them. Watched a few videos, read some stuff online. The “ZipCore” tech sounded like a bunch of jargon to me – something about a low-density core. Whatever, I thought. If it stops me from looking like a total beginner around the greens, I’ll try anything.
Taking the Plunge and First Swings
So, I went to the local golf shop. Picked up a 56-degree. The guy in the shop was going on about the grooves and the bounce options. I mostly just tuned him out, just wanted to get it on the course. First impressions holding it? It felt alright, nothing magical. Looked pretty standard, which I guess is a good thing. Not too flashy.
My first session with it was at the practice green. And honestly? The first dozen balls weren’t great. Still a few duffs, a thin one here and there. I was thinking, “Great, wasted my money.” I almost put it back in the bag and went home. I was properly frustrated, thinking maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m just a terrible chipper, full stop.
The “Aha!” Moment and Getting Dialed In
But then I decided to just relax and hit some really simple, short pitches. Not trying to do anything fancy. And one of them, it just… it just felt different. The ball came off clean, a nice little hop, and then it actually checked up near the pin! I hit another. Same thing. And another. It was like a lightbulb went on.
I spent a good hour just hitting little shots, then slightly longer ones. What I started to notice was the feel through impact. With my old wedges, it was kind of clunky. With this ZipCore, when I caught it right, it was smoother. And the consistency on decent strikes was way better. Even my not-so-great shots weren’t as disastrous. They’d still get on the green, or close to it, instead of flying off into another postcode.
- Started with tiny little bump-and-runs.
- Moved to slightly longer pitch shots, maybe 30-40 yards.
- Focused on making clean contact, not scooping.
- Even tried a few bunker shots, and it cut through the sand pretty nicely.
On-Course Reality
Took it out for a proper round a few days later. And yeah, it wasn’t like I suddenly turned into Phil Mickelson. I still had a couple of iffy chips, especially under pressure. Old habits die hard, right? But the good shots? They were noticeably better. I stuck a couple really close from tricky spots. My playing partners even commented, which, believe me, is rare unless they’re making fun of me.
The biggest thing for me has been the confidence. I’m not dreading those little shots around the green anymore. I actually feel like I have a chance of getting it close. It’s not a magic wand – you still gotta put a decent swing on it. But this wedge, for whatever reason, seems to help me do that more often. Maybe it’s that “core” thing, maybe it’s the grooves, maybe it’s just in my head. Who knows?
Bottom line: My short game still needs work, always will. Golf, eh? But since I switched to this ZipCore wedge, things are definitely looking up. Fewer blow-up holes caused by a terrible chip, and that’s a win in my book. It took a bit of practice to get the feel for it, it wasn’t instant magic, but I’m glad I stuck with it.
