Tag: 588

Cleveland 588 RTX Wedges – First Look

Cleveland Golf has been a leader in wedges for a long time. While the basic design of a wedge has remained more or less the same since Gene Sarazen invented the modern sand wedge, many new technologies have hit the market to help players get the most out of their wedges. CNC milling is one of those innovations that allowed manufacturers to make deeper and sharper grooves, and eventually led to the USGA’s adoption of a new groove rule to combat the technology.

Cleveland 588 RTX

Now there is a new version of the timeless Cleveland 588 wedges, with a few technologies that will help players spin the ball. This new wedge is called the 588 RTX, and features their new Rotex Face. Not only have they increased the groove volume by 16%, but they have made their laser milling marks more durable, and added a directionally milled face pattern that adds roughness and imparts maximum spin on open-face wedge shots where impact tends to be closer to the toe.

I have hit a number of balls with the new wedges and my initial impressions are good. The Rotex face certainly does produce more spin initially than a wedge who’s grooves are simply stamped into the face. The feel is the same classic Cleveland 588 feel as always; Solid impact and a mid-soft feel. The sole grind has been modified a bit from last year’s model to allow the wedge to perform better with an open face.

Long term testing will probably reinforce my initial feelings, that this is just another solid, playable and reliable wedge from Cleveland Golf. There are no less than 7 models to choose from in the 588 line. There are satin and black pearl finishes available, blade or cavity back styles, forged or cast heads, a special RTG grind and even the option to create your own custom wedge at http://www.clevelandgolf.com/mycustomwedge/ All told, there are well over 100 different head, finish, loft, bounce and grind options available.

We’ll have a more detailed look at the 588 wedges soon. In the mean time, check them out at your local retailer or online at Cleveland Golf.

April 1, 2013
Cleveland Wedge Fitting App & Fitting System

As long as I’ve been playing golf seriously I have known the importance of custom fitting. Yet to this day, the vast majority of golfers buy their clubs off the rack, especially the most important clubs in the bag – wedges. If you are playing with wedges that aren’t properly fit you are throwing away strokes. Golfers tend to hang on to wedges too long also. Drivers are flashy and sexy and people tend to buy drivers more often than any other club, which is why most of the big companies introduce new models every year or sooner. What you should be doing is buying new wedges every few seasons instead of that driver that promises 20 more yards. You can only hit a driver about fourteen times in a typical round of golf, so unless you are holing out most of your iron shots, your score will still be largely determined by your play inside 125 yards. To help people get set up with wedges that will most help their game, Cleveland Golf has come up with their new wedge fitting system and a cool wedge fitting application. Here’s the scoop:

CLEVELAND® GOLF INTRODUCES REVOLUTIONARY WEDGE FITTING APPLICATION AND FITTING SYSTEM

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – March 5, 2013 – Cleveland® Golf has been proud to set the standard for wedges over the last 25 years. In that time, no other manufacturer has devoted as much passion and effort to wedge design, technology and performance.

This year, Cleveland® Golf has already introduced the groundbreaking RotexTM Face. Featured on new 588® RTXTM and 588® RTXTM CB wedges, RotexTM is an unprecedented combination of three technologies that promote maximum spin and control from all lies.

Today, Cleveland® Golf is excited to announce two innovations that revolutionize wedge fitting.

First is the online Wedge Fitting Application. Part of the redesigned Cleveland® Golf website, this Application allows anyone – especially club fitters and golf shop employees – to quickly select a proper wedge set with more confidence than ever before. Once the correct models, lofts, and bounces have been determined, wedges can be customized for lie angle, shaft and grip. Ordering a full wedge set from the Application is easy and safe.

The second innovation is the Cleveland® Golf Fitting System, which features interchangeable wedges – an industry-first. Available on new Fitting Carts and Fitting Displays, these interchangeable wedge heads are available in a multitude of loft, bounce, lie angle and model options, and are accompanied by a variety of interchangeable wedge shafts.

Changing wedge heads and shafts is done in a matter of seconds. Plus, interchangeable wedges feature identical specifications to the wedges a player will use on the course.

Wedge fitting has never been more accessible and comprehensive. Any laptop, smartphone or tablet can be used to conduct a quick and accurate fit. Plus, the most sophisticated wedge fit on the market is available at authorized Cleveland® Golf Fitting System dealers.

“It’s no secret that a player’s wedge game is critical to scoring and performance,” said Todd Harman, President of Cleveland® Golf/Srixon – U.S.A. “We’ve raised the bar with wedge innovations over the years such as multiple bounce options, ZipTM Grooves, cool finishes and now RotexTM technology. With the introduction of our new Fitting System and Fitting Application, we’ve made it easier than ever for any player to use the right set of wedges and get the correct loft gapping throughout their entire set. This is a game-changer for us and the equipment industry. The way that golf professionals and retailers are now able to comprehensively fit a golfer for a wedge set is truly a breakthrough.”

To use the Cleveland® Golf Wedge Fitting Application, please visit wedgefitting.clevelandgolf.com. To locate an authorized Cleveland® Golf Fitting System dealer, please visit clevelandgolf.com.

For more information on Cleveland® Golf/Srixon® and Never Compromise® products or staff players, please visit www.clevelandgolf.com, www.srixon.com and www.nevercompromise.com.

March 6, 2013
Cleveland Golf Introduces 588 Forged Wedges

Cleveland Golf is bringing back one of the most popular and widely played wedges in the history of golf – The Cleveland 588 Wedge. The new 588 will be forged from soft 1025 carbon steel and I’m sure it will be a leader in performance and feel, surpassing even the newer CG14 and Cg15 model wedges that are widely played on the professional tours. Check out the press release and FABs below, and stay tuned for a complete review of these new wedges as soon as we can get our hands on them!

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA –August 29, 2011 – Cleveland® Golf, the winners of more than 335 PGA Tour championships, including 26 majors, is extremely pleased to introduce the new 588® Forged wedge. The 588®Forge wedge, which maintains the popular, tour-proven shape of Cleveland® Golf’s original 588® wedge, offers a series of technological breakthroughs to provide added performance benefits for players of all abilities.

Made from 1025 carbon steel, the 588® Forged wedge offers golfers an incredibly soft yet solid feel and less unwanted vibration. The advanced Precision Forging process ensures the highest level of part-to-part manufacturing consistency for supreme confidence and trust over every shot. The 588® Forged wedge’s Tour Zip Grooves™ and Laser Milled™ technology help to maximize spin in accordance with USGA regulations. Also, exclusive to the588® Forged wedge is the Tour Concept steel shaft, co-developed and engineered by Cleveland® Golf and industry leader True Temper. With a unique stiffness profile that features a less active tip, this shaft promotes a more penetrating ball flight, increased spin and optimal distance control along with superior feel.

“The confidence-inspiring shape of the original 588 wedge remains the standard by which all competitors’ wedges have been judged for more than 23 years, and attempting to build upon that benchmark is not a task we take lightly at Cleveland Golf,” said Todd Harman, President of Cleveland® Golf/Srixon® - U.S.A. “Our 588 wedge is the most popular wedge in the history of the game, and with sales in excess of 3 million units worldwide, it’s arguably the single most successful golf club ever brought to market. Our new 588® Forged wedge not only lives up to the 588® legacy, it takes Cleveland wedges to a whole new level.” The No. 1 wedge of all time is back – and better than ever. Cleveland Golf’s new 588 wedge maintains the popular, tour-proven shape of its predecessor with a series of technological breakthroughs to provide even more performance benefits for experienced players. Every wedge is formed from 1025 carbon steel for incredibly soft, solid feel and the highest level of manufacturing consistency for supreme confidence and trust over every shot. Tour Zip Grooves™ and Laser Milled™ technology maximize spin in accordance with USGA regulations. Exclusive to the 588 wedge is the Tour Concept Wedge steel shaft, co-developed and engineered by Cleveland Golf and industry leader True Temper. With a unique stiffness profile that features a less active tip, this shaft promotes a more penetrating ball flight, increased spin and optimal distance control along with superior feel.
Features, Advantages, Benefits: 1. F- Original, Tour-Proven 588 Wedge Shape A- Remake of the most successful and preferred wedge shape ever, revered by golfers of all skill levels for its confidence-inspiring look. This is the standard by which all competitors’ wedges have been judged. B- Timeless beauty, versatile design for all-around wedge performance no matter what shot is required. Summary: For more than 20 years, the tour-proven shape of the original 588 wedge has been the standard by which all competitors’ wedges have been judged. The new 588 wedge maintains this confidence-inspiring look, which golfers of all skill levels can appreciate for its timeless beauty and versatile design. It offers the highest level of all-around performance no matter what shot is required. 2. F- Forged 1025 Carbon Steel Construction A- Softer metal, highest level of manufacturing consistency. B- Incredibly soft, yet solid feel sought by experienced players. Supreme confidence and trust over every wedge shot from premium manufacturing. Summary: Forging means quality – the incredibly soft feel and highest level of manufacturing consistency is immediately recognized and appreciated by experienced players. That’s the same quality found in the 588 wedge, which is forged from high-grade 1025 carbon steel for solid feel and constructed with a premium process to inspire supreme confidence and trust over every shot. 3. F- Laser Milled™ Technology A- More precise and consistent surface roughness than alternative methods. B- Optimal surface roughness to maximize spin. Summary: Using the precision accuracy of a laser, four perfectly calibrated texture lines are milled between each groove of a 588 wedge exactly to the conforming roughness limit. This breakthrough surface roughness application optimizes ball-to-face friction, maximizing spin under the rules of golf. 4. F- Tour Zip Grooves™ A- Precise milling technology preserves groove edges and maintains perfect groove consistency. B- Maximizes allowable groove dimensions while conforming to USGA groove requirements. Summary: The 588 wedge features Tour Zip Grooves™, which are crafted with precise milling technology that preserves groove edges and maintains perfect groove consistency. These grooves have the maximum allowable dimensions in accordance with USGA requirements. 5. F- Tour Concept Wedge Shaft co-developed and engineered by True Temper and Cleveland Golf A- Exclusive stiffness profile with a less active tip. B- More penetrating ball flight, increased spin and optimal distance control – along with superior feel. Summary: Exclusive to the 588 wedge is the Tour Concept Wedge shaft, co-developed and engineered by Cleveland Golf and industry leader True Temper. With a unique stiffness profile that features a less active tip, this shaft promotes a more penetrating ball flight, increased spin and optimal distance control – along with the superior feel expected from True Temper. 6. F- Multiple Bounce and Finish Options A- Two different finishes: Satin and Chrome. Three different bounces: Low, Standard, and High. B- Allows players to select wedges best suited to aesthetic preferences and course conditions. Summary: In addition to 10 different loft options, two different finishes are available in the 588 line – Satin and Chrome. There also are low, standard and high bounce options to allow players to select wedges best suited to their aesthetic preferences and conditions of the courses they play. 7. F- Automated Polishing Process (APP) A- New process further removes shape inconsistencies often found after manual polishing. B- Precise shape consistency for a premium product. Summary: Further enhancing the consistency of the 588 wedge is the new Automated Polishing Process (APP). This finely-tuned process is more diligent than ever before with removing the shape inconsistencies often left over after manual polishing. The result of APP is precise shape consistency for a premium product. Available in Chrome and Satin finishes, Cleveland® Golf’s 588® Forged wedges will begin shipping in November 2011 with a listed minimum advertised price (MAP) of $139.99. Available in a variety of loft and bounce options, the 588® Forged wedge can also be personalized at MyCustomWedge.com with an array of color, logo, shaft and grind options. For more information on Cleveland® Golf/Srixon® and their products, please visit www.clevelandgolf.com and www.srixon.com.

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August 30, 2011