Equipment

Cleveland Golf's Smart Sole 3 wedges a cure for short-game ills

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Cleveland Golf today introduced its new line of Smart Sole 3 S and C wedges with one goal in mind: make it as easy as possible for players to hit adequate shots out of the sand and around the green.

As with, well, almost everything, the first step toward help is admitting you have a problem. For most everyday golfers, that’s bunker play. Statistics from Game Golf reveal that 90s shooters get up-and-down from the sand one in 10 times. Those shooting in the hundreds about half that and those firing scores north of 110 have almost no chance (less than one in 100 times).

It is with those players in mind that Cleveland Golf introduced the Smart Sole 3 wedges ($120). The “S” version is a 58-degree model with an extra-wide, triple-tiered sole meant to prevent excess digging in the sand. The design also encourages an easier, square setup. Cleveland engineers also redistributed weight from the hosel towards the toe to get the center of gravity more in line with the center of the face.

The new line also includes a 42-degree club for chipping, called the Smart Sole “C.” Perhaps a chipper is a tough pill for your personal integrity to swallow, but again, help is only available if you admit you have a problem.