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You could file this under one of the worst-kept secrets in golf but now it is official, MyGolfSpy has learned.
Cleveland Golf is exiting the metalwoods and irons market and will be focusing exclusively on wedges and putters.
There’s been no formal announcement but the folks at Srixon-Cleveland-XXIO have confirmed the news to MyGolfSpy.
There’s a lot to unpack here but before we get to it, let’s lay a few things on the table.
First, while this move can be framed in many different ways, it really says more about Srixon’s success than about any shortcomings with the Cleveland brand.
Second, anyone with any business experience can tell you that in a narrow market like golf clubs, the multi-brand approach is ultimately counterproductive. Competing against yourself as well as the rest of the market doesn’t make much sense.
Third, and maybe most important, when you do have multiple brands, it’s best to have each one focus on its strengths. That makes each brand stronger.
OK, with that said, let’s break this down.
A brand-based decision
Cleveland has been part of the Sumitomo Rubber Industries (the SRI in Srixon) sports umbrella since 2007. Sumitomo’s sports division, Dunlop Sports, has been balancing the Cleveland, Srixon and XXIO lines ever since.
From a brand and business standpoint, Dunlop’s decision is entirely logical given the growing strength of the Srixon brand. When Cleveland returned to the full-line market in 2016 (more on that later), it did so as a game-improvement brand. Since that time, Srixon has grown in sales and in stature.
This past December, Srixon released the intriguing ZXiR and ZXiR HL irons, the brand’s first offerings in the game-improvement and super game-improvement categories. That category had been Cleveland’s full-club line wheelhouse.
Having two of your own brands serving the same category tends to confuse the market and underserve both brands. Srixon has developed to the point where it made no sense to duplicate efforts. The move frees Cleveland, which just last year welcomed founder and legendary wedge designer Roger Cleveland back to the family, to focus where it’s strongest: wedges and putters.
The fact that Cleveland wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire in its given category makes the move even more logical.
Srixon is no longer a challenger brand
Over the past decade, Srixon has grown from a fringe brand to the point where it’s now on the verge of joining PING, Titleist, Callaway and TaylorMade as the final member of the new Big Five. Also over that time, Cleveland has established itself in the low- to mid-priced putter market. It has consistently released outstanding performing putters that offer tremendous value for the price.
Additionally, Srixon-Cleveland-XXIO has also invested in new materials and an in-house metallurgy team here in the U.S. That team is responsible for inventing Z-Alloy, a durable, rust-proof new material used in Cleveland’s current RTZ wedges.
The new Srixon ZXiR lineup is huge for Dunlop as it instantly makes Srixon a player in golf’s biggest market segment. The Srixon brand has the juice to compete with Callaway, PING and TaylorMade in the game-improvement and super game-improvement battle. Cleveland, despite offering solid products, never could quite gain traction.
The simple message here is that the brand that’s strong and getting stronger is the horse you want to ride.
Conversely, Cleveland is building considerable momentum in the wedge market. Bringing Roger Cleveland back is more than symbolic; he brings a gravitas to Cleveland’s wedge offering that had been missing. We can expect some interesting new stuff in the coming months that will definitely be attention-grabbing.
Where do the brands go from here?
This is a bit of déjà vu all over again for the Cleveland brand. SRI/Dunlop Sports did the exact same thing with Cleveland back in 2014, mothballing its full line offering to focus on putters and wedges.
That move was also strategic. Cleveland was a full-line company at the time and overlapped with Srixon’s better-player offerings. Srixon was still a fledgling brand in North America in 2014. Cleveland, however, was on the decline. Not long after that announcement, Srixon debuted its most aggressive product launch to date: the Z 545 and 575 irons and metalwoods. Two years later, the Z 565 driver would win MyGolfSpy’s Most Wanted Driver testing. The Z-series irons would also begin their 10-year run at or near the top of the leaderboard in player’s and player’s distance iron testing.
It was also about this time that Dunlop’s North American division underwent a leadership overhaul. A culture change and new attitude followed.
In late 2016, the Cleveland line returned as a full line, focusing on game-improvement and super game-improvement gear. While it never threatened the Big Five, Cleveland did fill a void, especially with its popular Halo hybrid irons.
Now, in 2026, Srixon is a clear powerhouse in irons. Its metalwoods don’t share the same popularity but the line has made considerable progress in performance and sales over the past decade. Additionally, Srixon has built an impressive PGA Tour staff, featuring major winners Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry, Hideki Matsuyama, J.J. Spaun and Keegan Bradley.
For the record, they all play Cleveland wedges.
Will a full-line Cleveland come back again?
It’s doubtful for one simple reason: SRI/Dunlop doesn’t need it to. Srixon is strong enough and, with the addition of the ZXiR irons, broad enough to cover the irons market from super game-improvement all the way to better players’ irons. Srixon added a Max forgiveness driver to its stable last year, making Cleveland’s offerings essentially redundant.
As for the Halo hybrid irons, a portion of the game-improvement market will miss them. When it comes to forgiveness, the Halo was awfully hard to beat. However, the ZXiR HL (for High Launching) irons are remarkably forgiving and, for what it’s worth, much better looking. They should be able to fill that niche adequately. Besides, competitors such as Tour Edge and MacGregor offer hybrid-style irons at competitive prices.
The move also allows Srixon-Cleveland-XXIO to deploy its resources more strategically. As mentioned, Cleveland is planning an aggressive attack on the wedge market over the next several months. We should also see a new putter line at some point this year. Considering Cleveland’s track record, it should be another solid-performing and value-laden lineup.
On a personal note, I will miss – and fondly remember – the very last driver Cleveland ever released: my beloved HiBore XL. I don’t care what anybody says. That Dorito-looking beast was one sweet driver.
Final thoughts
While it’s easy to say that Cleveland’s full-line efforts failed, it’s not entirely accurate. If you consider the Srixon-Cleveland-XXIO group as a single entity, it’s more accurate to say the group has succeeded wildly and that Cleveland did its job. In 2015 and into 2016, the SRI/Dunlop group was not doing well at all in North America. In less than 10 years, it has moved from a moribund challenger brand to, arguably, the newest member of the Big Five.
In an industry where the status quo is stubborn and unforgiving, that kind of growth is difficult and worthy of acknowledgement. As a full-line offering, Cleveland served its purpose in its second go-round. Repositioning the brand to focus on its strengths while unleashing Srixon is simply sound business.
The post It’s Official: Cleveland Golf Is Getting Out Of The Woods and Irons Business appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
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