Cleveland – Syndication Server

Cleveland Launcher Halo XL fairway woods

These are built for consistency and distance.

Gear: Cleveland Launcher Halo XL fairway woods
Price: $249.99 each with Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grip
Spec: Stainless steel head and face. Available as 3- (15 degrees), 5- (18 degrees), 7- (21 degrees) and 9-wood (24 degrees)

Who It’s For: Mid- and high-handicap golfers who want a forgiving fairway wood that also helps to provide more distance.

The Skinny: The Launcher Halo XL fairway woods are bigger than most fairway woods and have a lower profile to make them easy to hit, while the railed sole helps golfers increase consistency and avoid digging.

The Deep Dive: The Cleveland Launcher XL2 drivers are designed to be forgiving and help golfers generate more ball speed and distance off the tee, and the players who like that type of club are precisely who Cleveland is targeting with the Launcher Halo XL fairway woods.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cleveland Launcher Halo XL fairway wood” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/baJE5x”]

Cleveland Halo XL fairway woods — The Halo XL fairways have a large, reassuring look. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Golfers who routinely shoot in the high 80s, 90s or low 100s tend to lack consistency with their long clubs, which is a problem because they often need fairway woods on long par 4s and nearly all par 5s. So, Cleveland made the Launcher Halo XL fairway woods bigger, with larger hitting areas from heel to toe while maintaining a lower profile. Standing over the ball, it’s a confidence-inspiring look.

Like the Launcher XL2 drivers, the Launcher Halo XL fairway woods have been designed with Rebound Frame, which adds a flexible region behind the rigid topline and seam where the face meets the chassis. The result is the whole hitting area flexes back at the moment of impact, broadening the sweet spot on the variable-thickness face and helping to protect ball speed on off-center hits.

Cleveland designers added a pair of rails on the bottom of each Launcher Halo XL fairway wood. They help the club slide through the turf more efficiently and maintain speed through the hitting zone, reducing the effects of ground-first contact and helping players get more distance.

The Launcher Halo XL fairway woods do not have an adjustable hosel system, but they are offered in four lofts ranging from a 15-degree 3-wood up to a 24-degree 9-wood, so players and fitters should be able to find the combination of clubs that logically fills distance gaps.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cleveland Launcher Halo XL fairway wood” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/baJE5x”]

Maddy Westbeld makes watch list for Women’s College All-Star Game

Way to go, Maddy!

[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] still will have college eligibility left after this season, but will she use it? That question has to be burning even more after the 6-foot-3 Notre Dame forward was named to the watch list for the Women’s College All-Star Game, a hotbed for future WNBA players.

Westbeld was one of about 60 players selected, but only 20 will get to participate in the April 6 event in Cleveland. Among the most prominent names on the list are Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese and Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley. Westbeld and Kitley are two of 10 ACC players who made the list.

Westbeld is having a great season, averaging career highs in scoring (23.2) and rebounds (15.4). She might often be overlooked because of the phenomenal season [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has had. But make no mistake about the fact that Westbeld is just as important, giving the Irish an imposing presence down low more than anyone else. She will be key in however this season turns out.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Cleveland RTX Full-Face 2 wedges

Cleveland RTX Full-Face 2 wedges combine versatility and spin to help golfers performance better around the greens.

Gear: Cleveland RTX Full-Face 2 wedges
Price: $179.99 each (Tour Satin) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Spinner shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips; $199.99 (Tour Rack)
Specs: Cast stainless steel heads in even lofts from 50-60 degrees (and 64 degrees) in two sole grinds
Available: NOW

Who It’s For: Golfers who want versatility on open-face shots around the green.

The Skinny: The RTX Full-Face 2 wedges have a high-toe design and unique weighting system that combine with sharp grooves and surface-roughening treatments to give players the ability to generate more spin and hit a wider variety of shots around the green.

The Deep Dive: No company has more pedigree in the wedge category or offers more short-game options than Cleveland Golf. From wedges designed specifically for high-handicap golfers who struggle with chipping and bunker play to instruments designed for elite players like Brooks Koepka, Keegan Bradley and Hideki Matsuyama, Cleveland’s stable of wedges has it all.

For 2024, Cleveland is expanding its wedge lineup further with the release of the RTX Full-Face 2, which will be available in even lofts from 50 to 60 degrees, along with a 64-degree option, and these wedges are designed specifically for the most delicate shots players hit around the green.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cleveland RTX Full-Face 2 wedges” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/g1k3og”]

When faced with a flop shot over a bunker, an escape from thick rough or a tricky pitch shot from an awkward lie, golfers often open the face of their wedge and swing from out to in, clipping the ball up instead of hitting it solidly from a square stance. With that in mind, Cleveland developed the RTX Full-Face 2 wedges with a higher toe to create extra usable hitting area. Weight was also removed from the hosel area by engineering it with a lighter, low-density material. Cleveland calls it ZipCore, and by reducing the weight of the hosel and making the toe area higher, the ideal hitting area and center of gravity are pulled more into the center of the face for better performance. ZipCore is not new, but the RTX Full-Face 2 has 96 percent more ZipCore material than previously released ZipCore wedges, so the effect is magnified.

To help golfers generate more spin, Cleveland gave the RTX Full-Face 2 grooves over the entire hitting area, along with HydraZip. This new surface roughening treatment combines laser-milled lines between the main grooves and a blasting treatment to increase friction.

The gap wedges (50 and 52 degrees) are designed with an S-shaped sole that has 8 degrees of bounce, making them play more like an extension of a player’s irons and ideally suited for full-swing shots from the fairway and greenside chips. The sand wedges (54 and 56 degrees) have soles with the same shape, but they come standard with 10 degrees of bounce. Lob wedges (56, 60 and 64 degrees) have extra material removed from the heel and toe areas and feature a C-shaped sole that has 8 degrees of bounce.

In addition to the Tour Satin finish, Cleveland is making the RTX Full-Face 2 wedges available in a raw-steel version the company calls Tour Rack.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cleveland RTX Full-Face Tour Satin Wedge” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/2194K0″]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cleveland RTX Full-Face Tour Rack Wedge” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/zN9Jj0″]

Now that 2024 equipment is launching, here are 10 great deals on recent iron sets

With all the new clubs being released, there are some GREAT deals on recent models of irons including Callaway, Ping, Cobra, Srixon and more.

At the start of every year, major equipment companies release their new gear. Last week, we published a list of some of the best older-generation drivers to take advantage of great sales from sites like World Wide Golf Shops and PGA TOUR Superstore.

This time around, we’ve scoured the internet for the best deals on older-generation iron sets from brands like TaylorMade, Callaway, Cobra, Srixon, Mizuno and more.

Even though technology in golf equipment gets better every year, if the piece of gear is a year or two old, it still makes a great option for amateur golfers.

Check out the full list of iron sets below.

Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters

The Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters have classic looks and a budget-friendly price.

Gear: Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters
Price: $149.99
Specs: Cast stainless steel heads with grooved faces and counterbalanced shaft
Available: January 24, but available via pre-order NOW

Who It’s For: Golfers who want a classic-looking putter with a soft feel at impact and budget-friendly price.

The Skinny: The nine HB Soft 2 putters are designed for players with specific stroke types — straight or arched — and feature speed-normalizing grooves in the face for better distance control.

The Deep Dive: At a time when the golf market is filled with drivers that cost about $600, iron sets that are over $1,000 and putters that will run over $350, Cleveland has updated its HB Soft line of putters and dropped the price $50.

The original HB Soft putters that were released in 2022 were made with classic shapes and retailed for $199, but the nine new HB Soft 2 putters are $149 and still retain the timeless looks. Heel-toe weighted blades, fang-style mallets and compact mid-mallets, they’re all here.

The HB Soft 2 putters are divided into clubs designed for two different stroke types, straight and slight arc. The putters designed for straight-stroke players are face-balanced and come standard with an oversized pistol grip that should help golfers use their hands and wrists less when they putt. Putters made for golfers who have a slight arc in their stroke have some toe hang and come with a standard-size pistol grip.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/Jzd11Q”]

All nine HB Soft 2 putters, however, have been given a grooved face that has a tight groove pattern. Cleveland refers to it Speed Optimized Face Technology (SOFT). The pattern is tighter in the center, but in the heel and toe, it is open. As most golfers know, when you mis-hit a putt in the heel or toe, putts lose energy and do not roll out as far as center-struck putts. According to Cleveland, the tight groove pattern in the center slows the ball slightly as it comes off the face, so golfers can expect the ball to roll out to nearly the same distance across a more significant portion of the hitting area.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/Jzd11Q”]

Below are several close-up photos of the Cleveland HB Soft 2 putters.

Cleveland ZipCore XL irons

Cleveland ZipCore XL irons are designed to create more ball speed and more spin consistency.

Gear: Cleveland ZipCore XL irons.
Price: $899.88 (7 clubs) with KBS Tour Lite steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips; $999.99 with UST Mamiya Helium Nanocore 60 graphite shafts.
Specs: Cavity-back designed stainless steel heads with stainless steel faces. Available 4-iron through sand wedge.
Available: January 19, but available via pre-order NOW

Who It’s For: Golfers with a handicap ranging from eight to 18 who want a traditional cavity-back iron designed to deliver more distance and consistency.

The Skinny: A unique face design combined with a surface-roughening treatment that changes throughout the set helps the Cleveland ZipCore XL irons produce more ball speed and more spin consistency through the bag.

The Deep Dive: One of Cleveland Golf’s sister brands under the Dunlop Sports umbrella, Srixon, makes several different cavity-back irons, including last season’s ZX4 Mk II, ZX5 MkII and the ZX7 Mk II, but if you perused Cleveland’s website recently you would not find clubs like those. Instead, the brand focused on hollow-bodied game-improvement irons like the Launcher XL and the Launcher Halo XL that dropped two years ago.

Cleveland used to make several irons for mid-handicap and even low-handicap golfers (Vijay Singh and David Toms won majors using Cleveland irons) and for 2024 Cleveland is re-entering the game-improvement category with the ZipCore XL.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop new Cleveland ZipCore XL irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/daJg2j”]

In the address position, the ZipCore XL showcases a moderately-thin topline. However, the extra length in the blade and the offset hint that this club is made to help golfers overcome shortcomings in their swing and reduce the penalty for mis-hits.

To help golfers generate more ball speed and distance, engineers gave the ZipCore XL irons a MainFrame face. It is a series of channels that are milled into the inner-facing side of the face of the 4-iron through 7-iron. They allow the hitting area to flex more efficiently, while weight pads help to lower the center of gravity location and encourage higher-flying shots.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop new Cleveland ZipCore XL irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/daJg2j”]

The ZipCore XL irons also feature the same ZipCore design found in many of Cleveland’s popular wedges. Instead of steel, designers fill the lower portion of the hosel area with a lighter material. This is the first time Cleveland is bringing the technology to an iron, and it helps to make the heel area lighter, so the ideal hitting area shifts in the center of the face.

To help players get consistent spin, Cleveland has added a face-blast treatment called HydraZip that changes throughout the set. In the long irons (4-7), the HydraZip face-roughening treatment is rougher to reduce spin and encourage more carry. In the short irons and wedges (8-SW), the HydraZip treatment is less aggressive to help golfers get more spin and stopping power on the greens.

The V-shaped sole should help golfers who have a steep angle of attack work the ZipCore XL irons through the turf more efficiently. Golfers will also benefit from an 8-gram weight Cleveland adds under the top of the grip. Referred to as Action Mass CB, the weight counterbalances the head of the club and makes it feel lighter when you swing.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop new Cleveland ZipCore XL irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/daJg2j”]

Cleveland Halo XL Full Face irons

These massive hollow-bodied irons were designed to help high-handicap golfers.

Gear: Cleveland Halo XL Full Face irons.
Price: $899.88 (7 clubs) with KBS Tour Lite steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips; $999.99 with UST Mamiya Helium Nanocore 60 graphite shafts.
Specs: Hollow-bodied stainless steel heads with stainless steel faces. Available 4-iron through sand wedge.
Available: January 19, but available via pre-order NOW

Who It’s For: High-handicap and moderate clubhead speed players who want an easy-to-hit iron loaded with forgiveness.

The Skinny: These massive hollow-bodied irons have railed soles in the long irons, a low center of gravity and were designed to help high-handicap golfers get more distance, more height and more enjoyment on the course.

The Deep Dive: Grab a better-player’s iron, like a Srixon Z-Forged II or a ZX7 MkII, sole it behind a ball and then look down. What you will see is a super-compact blade length, a narrow topline and almost no offset. At this point, experienced golfers who routinely shoot in the 70s might be drooling, while golfers who are new to the game or who struggle to make consistent contact might be thinking about giving Pickleball a try. Those irons can be intimidating and offer almost no features to compensate for mis-hits or slow swings.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop new Cleveland XL Halo irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/QydLao”]

Cleveland Halo XL Full Face irons — The Halo XL Full Face irons look like miniature hybrids in the address position. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Cleveland, which is one of Srixon’s sister brands under the Dunlop Sports umbrella, specializes in clubs that are made to be easy to hit, fun and affordable, and for 2024, it has a new super game-improvement iron, the Halo XL Full Face.

The Halo XL Full Face irons are enormous, which should immediately give confidence to players who routinely shoot in the 90s and 100s. They are designed like small hybrids, so each club is hollow and made to allow the faces to flex easily at the moment of impact for increased ball speed. As the name implies, the entire hitting area is also covered by the groove pattern, which also features two white grooves on the bottom. The lowest, shortest white groove is there to help position the ball in the center of the face, while the wider groove can help players align more easily with their target.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop new Cleveland XL Halo irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/QydLao”]

The large head size and sloped HiBore crown design helped Cleveland designers shift the center of gravity location down and back, away from the hitting area, to encourage a higher launch angle.

Many golfers who struggle with inconsistent contact also have trouble working the club through the strike without hitting the ground first. To help golfers who tend to hit the ball fat, Cleveland gave the Halo XL Full Face long irons (4-7) rails to help the sole skim over the turf. The short irons (8-9) have been designed with a V-sole that adds extra bounce in the center of the sole.

To help players get consistent results, Cleveland has added a face-blast treatment called HydraZip. In the long irons (4-7), it is rougher to slightly reduce spin and encourage more carry, but in the short irons and wedges (8-SW), it is somewhat smoother to help golfers get more spin and stopping power on the greens.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop new Cleveland XL Halo irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/QydLao”]

Now that 2024 equipment is launching, here are 10 great deals on 2023 drivers

With all the new clubs being released, there are some GREAT deals on 2023 golf clubs including Callaway, TaylorMade, Cobra, Ping and more.

January is release season for many of golf’s biggest brands including TaylorMade’s new Qi10 driver, Callaway’s new Paradym Ai Smoke driver, Cobra’s new Darkspeed driver, Ping’s new G430 Max 10K driver and more. We’ve seen some of this new equipment on the PGA Tour already and most of it is now available for pre-order.

However, if you’re looking to save some money on your new equipment, this time of year is a great time to be looking.

Vendors like World Wide Golf Shops and PGA TOUR Superstore offer sales on equipment maker’s old gear, even just the models from last year.

For example, TaylorMade’s Stealth 2, released in 2023, is now available for $499.99 at Worldwide Golf Shops.

Check out our full list of great deals below.

Cleveland Launcher XL 2, Launcher XL 2 Draw drivers

Cleveland Launcher XL 2 drivers are for recreational golfers who want to maximize forgiveness and forgiveness.

Gear: Cleveland Launcher XL 2, Launcher XL 2 Draw drivers
Price: $449.99 with Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue or Aldila Ascent PL shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grip
Specs: Titanium face and body with adjustable hosel. Lofts: 9, 105. and 12 degrees
Available: Jan. 19, but available NOW via pre-sale

Who It’s For: Recreational golfers who want to maximize forgiveness and forgiveness.

The Skinny: The Cleveland Launcher XL 2 drivers were made with faces and a weight system designed to counteract many recreational golfers’ most common problems and to help them hit more fairways.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cleveland Launcher XL 2 drivers” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/NkyzgV”]

The Deep Dive: Cleveland’s newest generation of Launcher drivers will not be spotted on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour or the LPGA. Srixon, Cleveland’s sister brand under the Dunlop Sports umbrella, offers plenty of driver options for elite players, so Cleveland designers are free to focus on woods that will specifically help recreational golfers and weekend players. As a result, different aspects of performance are emphasized when they sit at the virtual drawing boards, and in the Launcher XL 2 family, that means extra forgiveness.

Cleveland has invested in computing power and it helped designers engineer the hitting area of the Launcher XL 2 drivers. The system developed new variable thickness titanium faces that deliver better ball speed protection on mis-hit drives, which should be especially helpful in a driver designed for weekend players and recreational golfers, not tour pros.

Cleveland Launcher XL 2 driver — The MainFrame XL faces are designed with the help of supercomputers. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The MainFrame XL faces are complemented by the addition of second-generation Rebound Frame, a technology that debuted in 2020 in Srixon’s ZX driver family. Cleveland designers made a more-flexible area behind the stiff area behind the leading edge, where the face meets the chassis. Behind the flexible area, the body of the club gets stiff again. This system acts like a spring at impact, allowing the entire face to flex back before rebounding forward. The resulting trampoline effect helps the Launcher XL 2 drivers generate more ball speed over an even larger area.

In addition to using computer simulations to design the hitting areas, Cleveland harnessed computing power to test thousands of different internal weight pads. After identifying the most common mis-hit locations for recreational golfers, Cleveland instructed the system to study how changes in weight distribution could improve performance. This exercise allowed designers to fine-tune the spin and launch characteristics and suit how weekend players, not tour pros, tend to hit their drives.

Cleveland added a network of internal ribs to improve the acoustics of the head and make the sound of impact more pleasing.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Cleveland Launcher XL 2 drivers” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/NkyzgV”]

The Launcher XL 2 drivers come standard with an 8-gram weight inside the top portion of the shaft. It acts as a counterbalance and should make the clubs feel easier to swing, especially on the takeaway.

The Launcher XL 2 drivers look big and reassuring in the address position. Hideki Matsuyama and Brooks Koepka will not play these drivers, so Cleveland engineers could make the clubs larger from front to back and appear easier to hit.

There are two versions of the Launcher XL 2, a standard model and a Draw version. While the standard XL 2 has a slight draw bias, the Draw model has a face that appears more-closed in the address position, which should help to provide more slice-fitting assistance. The Draw version also produces more spin and a higher ball flight, with a more considerable draw bias.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Launcher XL 2 – Standard” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/4PnJ3n”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Launcher XL 2 – Draw” link=”https://globalgolfcreator.pxf.io/LXdnJM”]

Below are several close-up images of the Launcher XL 2 and Launcher XL 2 Draw drivers.

Best affordable putters for 2023

Shave strokes off your score while keeping some extra cash in your wallet with our list of best affordable putters.

Your putter is the only club you use on every hole — unless you hole a chip or approach shot, and in that case, good for you. But because it’s used so much, the retail prices of premium flat sticks can be outrageously high. And since no one wants to pay an arm and a leg for a putter, many amateur golfers hold onto old putters for way too long.

Technology gets better over the years and modern putters are better designed to help the average golfer make more putts. If you’re still using a putter from 10, 20, or 30 years ago, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage.

So, we thought it’d be a good idea to put together a list of some of the best affordable putters we could find from brands like Ping, TaylorMade, Odyssey and more.

Every putter on this list is less than $200.

Plus, check out some of our other equipment lists: Best golf gloves for 2023, best affordable wedges for 2023 and best affordable drivers for 2023.