If you’re one of those rare units who plays golf “just for fun” and we told you some clubs could make it more fun than others, would you be interested? If the answer to that question is “hell yes”, we’ll let you in on a secret: the new Cleveland XL iron line-up offers such clubs.
They’re big, easy to hit, and super-forgiving. And they come in two configurations: ZipCore XL, a traditional-looking game-improvement iron, and the chunky, hollow-bodied, wide-soled Halo XL Full-Face irons. They may look wildly different, but both will guarantee your irons will be straighter, higher and longer than ever before.
CLEVELAND ZIPCORE XL IRONS
Game improvement irons generally don’t look or perform quite like the new Cleveland ZipCore XL irons. The XL cavity back design is so inviting that even the long irons will seem easy to hit high and long. And with the highest MOI of any Cleveland game-improvement iron, the performance more than backs it up.
ZIPCORE XL TECH
MAINFRAME DESIGN
The 4-7 irons in the ZipCore XL set have been given the MainFrame treatment. It’s the same technology seen in Srixon and XXIO irons (Cleveland belongs to the same parent company) and the sharing of intellectual property has been a win for the new ZipCore XL irons. So what is MainFrame?
Cleveland turned to artificial intelligence to create a variable thickness pattern on the back of the XL irons’ face cup, which maximises face flex and skyrockets both speed and distance. The MainFrame concept also includes weight pads in the sole that concentrates mass low and deep in the clubhead, enhancing MOI and forgiveness by optimising the centre of gravity. And that is a well-tried recipe for an excellent day of ball-striking out on the links.
BUT WHAT ABOUT ZIPCORE?
You’ve no doubt heard of ZipCore before. It appears in Cleveland’s wedge range. And it’s been such a stunning success that Cleveland have decided to replicate it on the Zipcore XL irons’ 8-PW.
What is ZipCore? The mass of heavyweight steel normally located in the ‘deadzone’ that is the hosel has been replaced with something much more effective: a lightweight, vibration-damping material called ZipCore. It shifts the centre of gravity closer to where you actually hit the ball, offering more consistent launch, spin and distance, along with a spike in MOI that has to be felt to fully appreciate what ZipCore can accomplish.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT HYDRAZIP
Spin is crucial to controlling iron performance: too much of it in the long irons and it’ll sap distance; not enough of it in the short irons and you can say sayonara to holding the greens. And when it’s wet, you can throw any consistency of spin out the window.
To alleviate the gnawing problem of spin consistency, especially in damp conditions, Cleveland have added a progressive HydraZip groove pattern in between the grooves of every ZipCore XL iron. In the 4-7 irons, a rough texture and flatter grooves reduces the unwanted spin that can chew up distance. Meanwhile, the shorter irons (8-SW) feature a smoother texture and thinner, deeper grooves that increase spin on approach shots. And the ZipCore XL wedges also receive a laser milled groove that produces greater consistency of spin in the wet.
V-SHAPED SOLE AND ACTION MASS CB
Striking the ball crisply and cleanly is easy with the ZipCore XL’s V-shaped sole and counterbalanced grip. The sole’s higher leading edge glides through the turf unrestricted to maintain clubhead speed and a lower trailing edge on the back half of the sole offers a degree of workability to aid ball flight shaping.
Meanwhile, an 8g weight fitted into the end of the grip provides a useful bit of counterweighting up near the hands. It helps produce a lighter feel on the takeaway and helps pull the club into the right position on the backswing. And on the downswing, it promotes a squarer face through impact via a swing path that should start more inside the line.
ZIPCORE XL IRON SPECS
- Hand: Right/Left
- Shaft Options: KBS Tour Lite (steel - r,s); UST Helium Nanocore 60 (graphite – s,r,a); UST Helium Nanocore 50 (graphite – l)
- Grip: Lamkin Crossline 360, Lamkin ST Soft (Women’s)
- Cleveland Zipcore XL Iron Lofts: 4: 20°, 5: 23°, 6: 26°, 7: 29°, 8: 33°, 9: 38°, PW: 43°, GW: 48°, SW: 54°
- Cleveland Zipcore XL Women’s Iron Lofts: 4: 20°, 5: 23°, 6: 26°, 7: 29°, 8: 33°, 9: 38°, PW: 43°, GW: 48°, SW: 54°
CLEVELAND HALO XL FULL-FACE IRONS
Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face irons might look more like hybrids than irons, but that’s the whole point. Bigger is better in the Halo XL world. The name Halo might suggest heavenly performance but it’s actually an acronym that stands for High Angle Lift Off. And that’s a more-than-adequate way to describe how the new Halo XL Face-Face irons perform.
HALO XL FULL FACE TECH
MAINFRAME
Just like their ZipCore XL counterparts, Halo XL Full-Face irons feature Cleveland’s MainFrame architecture, HydraZip groove pattern and counterbalanced grip. As explained in detail previously, MainFrame uses an A.I.-designed face and weight pads in the sole to expand the sweet spot and produce speed, distance and forgiveness gains across the board.
HYDRAZIP
HydraZip improves the consistency of spin across the entire set. The grooves-between-the-grooves in the long irons reduce spin to improve distance while the design etched into the short irons ramps up spin rates for optimal distance and flight control, especially in wet conditions.
FULL-FACE GROOVES
Full-Face grooves have been done on wedges before but have never appeared on a full iron set. Until now, that is.
Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face irons have grooves that run the entire width and depth of the face, from hosel to toe. It means that now, no matter where you hit it on the Halo XL’s face, the grooves will do their thing and help launch your ball high in the air.
NEW ALIGNMENT LINES
It doesn’t matter how well you strike it: the fact is, if you’re not lined up correctly to your target, you probably won’t get the result you were hoping for. To help you aim straight, Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face irons have a two-groove alignment system that appears on the lower part of the face.
The short, white groove that appears on the very bottom of the Halo XL’s face, is intended to get the club centred correctly behind the ball. And the longer white groove immediately above it will aid alignment of the face at address. It’s a double-pronged assault on better aim and alignment to ensure your good shots are good shots.
XL HEAD
If you thought the ZipCore XL head was big, the Halo XL Full-Face will seem massive. Everything about the Halo XL is big but it’s the hybrid-like, hollow-bodied performance that makes it tick. It shifts the centre of gravity low to boost MOI but there’s a consistency of size through the set that makes the transition between the long irons and short irons feel seamless.
THREE SOLE TRANSITION
Cleveland know that not all shots are created equal. Long, mid and short irons all present unique challenges but to smooth things out, the Halo XL Full-Face irons feature three different soles across the set.
The long irons (4-7) have a GlideRail sole, which encourages a sweeping turf interaction for solid contact, while the 8 and 9 irons have a V-shaped sole that cuts through grass without digging in, to prevent fat and chunky contact. The PW and SW features a three-tiered bounce profile that offers maximum forgiveness out of the bunker and around the green.
CLEVELAND XL IRON SHAFTS
A choice of steel or graphite shafts makes the Cleveland XL iron line-up extremely versatile. A KBS Tour Lite steel shaft or UST Helium Nanocore 60 graphite is standard in both the ZipCore XL and Halo XL Full-Face, with stiff, regular and senior flex to select from. The Cleveland Women’s ZipCore XL and Women’s Halo XL Full-Face irons are installed with a UST Nanocore 50 shaft in a ladies flex.
Halo XL Full-Face irons also feature a counterbalanced weight in the grip that makes the clubhead feel lighter on the backswing and helps square the face at impact on the downswing.
HALO XL IRON SPECS
- Hand: Right/Left
- Shaft Options: KBS Tour Lite (steel - r,s); UST Helium Nanocore 60 (graphite - s,r,a); UST Helium Nanocore 50 (graphite – l)
- Grip: Lamkin Crossline 360, Lamkin ST Soft (Women’s)
- Cleveland Halo XL Iron Lofts: 4: 20°, 5: 23°, 6: 26°, 7: 29°, 8: 33°, 9: 38°, PW: 43°, GW: 48°, SW: 54°
- Cleveland Halo XL Women’s Iron Lofts: 4: 20°, 5: 23°, 6: 26°, 7: 29°, 8: 33°, 9: 38°, PW: 43°, GW: 48°, SW: 54°