I was given the confidence to lead the design development of the RTX4 wedge, which is the flagship product line at Cleveland Golf. Working closely with the engineering team and Cleveland Golf / Srixon sponsored PGA tour players we established very specific center of gravity (CG) targets for the entire wedge lineup (21 SKU's)
Weight Moving Design Concepts
Designs that shifted weight away from the heel and towards the toe were quickly brought into CAD for evaluation of CG location.
The task of designing a transitioning wedge lineup was simplified by targeting a few key SKU's and creating a universal yet adjustable design. Parametric CAD modeling (using Siemens NX) played a major role in the development and allowed me to design the weight shift into a few key adjustable parameters.
From a marketing perspective the wedge had to communicate the weight shift, look more valuable than its predecessor while retaining the classic clean look of traditional Cleveland Golf wedges. To simplify and lead the conversation with the marketing team I created visual charts where I placed the various design team concepts one a scale from conventional to radical with reference to the current market and competitor offerings.
Redesigned the face shape in collaboration with PGA tour players and with the purpose to help redistribute weight and moving the center of gravity closer to the center of the club face. The face shape summary was created to compare, in detail, the RTX3 to the RTX4 wedge in order to make main stakeholders more comfortable with the changes.
Final Design
The final design features a sculpted muscle feature highlighted by a step in mirror polish. The step itself is not seen at address and does not effect ground interaction, which was verified by CAD simulations as well as tour testing. The step highlights the technology, is easily manufactured and gives the wedge a unique look. Other subtle design features such as the convex and converging muscle and the tilted flange all contributed to the desired weight shift. The convex muscle pays tribute to classic Cleveland Golf wedges, which gives these highly engineered tools a slightly softer handcrafted vibe.
Shenzhen, China
CMF inspections and approvals. Signed off on polishing and finishing masters while overseeing the execution of cosmetic sample trials.
Along the process of development I established new tracking documents that improved the flow of information between teams. The "Design Handoff Document" between the design and the CAD team and the "Finishing Master Document" between the RND and the manufacturing plant in China. These documents are now part of the official development process at Cleveland Golf, aiding in current development.
