RTX or CBX For Gap Wedge?

[Kleriq]

Upgrading to a set of Z 585s, 5–PW (44°). I currently play Hot Launch 2 irons, and hit my 46° PW around 110–115 yards. I have a 52° RTX4 that I can take about 100 yards on a full swing, and with the stronger lofts and newer materials I’m expecting to need to fill the gap between the new PW and my 52°.

I’m a high handicapper, but from good lies I feel much more confident with the RTX than my CBX sand wedge, whose bounce I always fear will make me blade the ball. From the bunker and the rough, I appreciate the reassurance of the CBX’s bigger face, and the higher bounce is helpful rather than intimidating.

Should I trust my gut and go with an RTX for an approach wedge (48–50°), or am I likely better off learning how to work the higher bounce on a CBX?

[tehuti]

Can't speak for you, but I am also a high handicapper and I opted for the CBX2. I will pick it up today. But the ones I tried at my fitting and wedge clinic were really easy to hit and control.

[onthehunt526]

1 hour ago, Kleriq said:

Upgrading to a set of Z 585s, 5–PW (44°). I currently play Hot Launch 2 irons, and hit my 46° PW around 110–115 yards. I have a 52° RTX4 that I can take about 100 yards on a full swing, and with the stronger lofts and newer materials I’m expecting to need to fill the gap between the new PW and my 52°.

I’m a high handicapper, but from good lies I feel much more confident with the RTX than my CBX sand wedge, whose bounce I always fear will make me blade the ball. From the bunker and the rough, I appreciate the reassurance of the CBX’s bigger face, and the higher bounce is helpful rather than intimidating.

Should I trust my gut and go with an RTX for an approach wedge (48–50°), or am I likely better off learning how to work the higher bounce on a CBX?

I’m going to go a different route, I’m the case of the Z 585 irons... get the set Approach wedge. They’re hard to come by but I think there is at least one or two on eBay. 

[Sean_D]

To me this question revolves around how you use your GW. If your GW is a full swing club and you never use it for finesse shots around the green, then go CBX or set wedge. If you use you GW for a lot of bump and runs and other short shots around the green, then go RTX. 

[onthehunt526]

33 minutes ago, Sean_D said:

To me this question revolves around how you use your GW. If your GW is a full swing club and you never use it for finesse shots around the green, then go CBX or set wedge. If you use you GW for a lot of bump and runs and other short shots around the green, then go RTX. 

I play the set gap wedge, and I’m about a 3 handicap (I play the Z 585s cousin the Z 785 but that plays more like a speciality wedge) I chip with mine more than my RTX-4 54° and 58° around the green. 

The CBX is kind of the best of both worlds, you can play it like a speciality wedge or a set wedge. It’s pretty versatile. I had a 56° of the original CBX and I could hit full and partial shots, and little chips and pitches around the green. (Bunker shots are pitches, just ask @iacas).

[Kleriq]

2 hours ago, Sean_D said:

To me this question revolves around how you use your GW. If your GW is a full swing club and you never use it for finesse shots around the green, then go CBX or set wedge. If you use you GW for a lot of bump and runs and other short shots around the green, then go RTX. 

So I do currently use my existing gap wedge (52°) for finesse shots. I’m expecting that any new wedge would be for full shots that I currently take with my pitching wedge.

[Kleriq]

3 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

I’m going to go a different route, I’m the case of the Z 585 irons... get the set Approach wedge. They’re hard to come by but I think there is at least one or two on eBay. 

What might be even more difficult is finding it in the same shaft. The 585s I bought are shafted in NS Pro Modus3 Tour 130. I demoed the 105s at the store and did not like how the lightweight shaft “disappeared”. I very much rely on knowing the shaft’s position and orientation in order to know what my wrists and arms are doing.

[onthehunt526]

24 minutes ago, Kleriq said:

What might be even more difficult is finding it in the same shaft. The 585s I bought are shafted in NS Pro Modus3 Tour 130. I demoed the 105s at the store and did not like how the lightweight shaft “disappeared”. I very much rely on knowing the shaft’s position and orientation in order to know what my wrists and arms are doing.

You might be able to procure a head and a shaft separately... I know what you mean by the shaft disappearing. I play the KBS C-Taper in my 785s and it’s like swinging a goddamn telephone pole. 

I hit it well, but the swing weight is a little heavy for me. I’m actually toying with going to graphite in the spring (probably Recoils or MMT Kuro Kage... which I can get pretty cheap).

If your 48°-50° wedge is going to be mainly for full shots, I’d go with something closer to the set Gap Wedge even if it means getting a 565 instead. (How Srixon ran out of Z 585 and Z 785 irons three months before the new series was released I’ll never know). 
 

If you want to get rid of the HL2s let me know via PM.

[Kleriq]

35 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

You might be able to procure a head and a shaft separately...

Yeah, I’ll find out soon enough whether the 130s were a mistake. I was fitted into a 65g Tensei Blue S flex for my driver, so I made this purchase under the assumption that I can handle higher than standard shaft weight. Worst case scenario I’ll get them reshafted in something more like DG S300.

[onthehunt526]

Nippon does make a 120... they typically put them in the 785/ZX7 though.

[phillyk]

Stay consistent, either gap wedge it through the set or get the cbx2. You don’t want the feel to be too drastically different. Regarding the set vs cbx2, it would depend on how many short game shots you plan to use it versus full/mostly full swing. 

[Kleriq]

I’m already inconsistent in that I have an RTX4 52° and a CBX2 56°. I so prefer the feel of the RTX4 that I hit it from any lie I am able.

[onthehunt526]

3 minutes ago, Kleriq said:

I’m already inconsistent in that I have an RTX4 52° and a CBX2 56°. I so prefer the feel of the RTX4 that I hit it from any lie I am able.

Do you play any other wedges besides the 52° and 56° (obviously you have the PW but that doesn’t count). What does the rest of your set make-up look like?

[Kleriq]

1 hour ago, onthehunt526 said:

Do you play any other wedges besides the 52° and 56° (obviously you have the PW but that doesn’t count). What does the rest of your set make-up look like?

52° and 56° are the only wedges I carry. And honestly I should probably see if I can make do with partial swings on the new PW for a few rounds before jumping the gun on a new wedge. 😆

[onthehunt526]

1 hour ago, Kleriq said:

52° and 56° are the only wedges I carry. And honestly I should probably see if I can make do with partial swings on the new PW for a few rounds before jumping the gun on a new wedge. 😆

The reason I asked was, I was wondering if you had room for the 48°-50° wedge. 
 

I’ve been toying with getting a 52° wedge and dropping my Z785 AW and my 54°.

I think you’ll pick up 5-10 yards with a full swing PW. However a three-quarter swing PW might cut fill the gap, it just depends on how well you are with partial shots. 
 

There are times when I will actually have say 120 yards in and I’ll hit a 9-iron (120 is in my AW window). Just to hit different shots. I can hit my PW 135 yards and I can hit it 100 yards or 90 yards, it’s mostly a trajectory thing. (That damn PW is the only wedge I am comfortable with partial shots with).

I think when all is said and done you’ll find that you’ll probably need the extra gap wedge, but maybe not it depends on how you feel about partial shots with your PW. If I find a Z585 AW on eBay I’ll PM you the link.

Oh, BTW welcome to The Sand Trap.

[Sean_D]

16 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

play the set gap wedge, and I’m about a 3 handicap (I play the Z 585s cousin the Z 785 but that plays more like a speciality wedge) I chip with mine more than my RTX-4 54° and 58° around the green. 

The CBX is kind of the best of both worlds, you can play it like a speciality wedge or a set wedge. It’s pretty versatile. I had a 56° of the original CBX and I could hit full and partial shots, and little chips and pitches around the green.

This is what makes golf a great game, multiple solutions to every problem. I just switched from my set GW to an RTX Zipcore 50* to be better able to flight shots lower, have better spin control, and to have better control around the green. I also switched from the CBX to the RTX-4 54 & 60* for similar reasons. I still think the CBX is better in the sand than pretty much anything else. I use my wedges for so much more than bunker shots.