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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I visited the driving range and putting green yesterday at Disney’s Palm and Magnolia courses to snap some pictures and peer into a few golf bags to see what’s new and hot out on tour. The resort is hosting the tour’s final event – the Children’s Miracle Network Classic. I also stopped by the Cleveland Tour Van to snoop around a bit. Cleveland has been very generous in sending us clubs to test out and has granted me a level of access to their products that is normally reserved for tour players and staff and the benefit is passed on to our readers! Let’s take a rare look inside the tour van and see what’s going on…
The photo at the right shows an open drawer filled with wedge heads of different models and lofts. There is something for everyone, and if not, the bending machine can be used to quickly make adjustments. The staff in the tour van can assemble a playable wedge in a matter of minutes, and the fast set epoxy they use sets fully in about an hour. There are several other drawers like this one that hold iron heads also. The CG7 Tour heads I saw are similar to the current offerings available to the public, but they have a different color scheme and smaller blade profile combined with less offset and a thinner top line, and of course the new USGA conforming grooves. Check out the pic of the CG7 Tour irons from the bag of PGA Tour star and major winner David Toms below:
[caption id="attachment_1077" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="CG7 Tour irons in the bag of David Toms"]
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I want to quickly disclose that intothegrain.com is in no way affiliated with or being paid to promote Cleveland/Srixon Golf and its products. We strive to provide unbiased and accurate information and reviews, and we always send back all the demo clubs we receive, as required by the manufacturers.
Cleveland's new CG15 Wedges are offered in 3 distinct finishes - Chrome, Oil Quenched and Black Pearl. The chrome finish is the classic treatment that we are all used to seeing in a wedge or forged iron. The Black Pearl finish is a dark matte finish similar to Cleveland's gunmetal finish. This dark finish has become familiar to Cleveland fans. The other finish being offered with the CG15 wedges is called Oil Quenched. This finish has a beautiful reddish brown tint to it, and like other non-chromed clubs, it will rust over time. Many players have come to prefer a rusty style wedge, one for the glare resistance, and two because many players believe a lack of polish makes the clubs softer. Either way, a choice of three finishes certainly is more than most companies can offer.
Cleveland's Zip Grooves have been augmented with a new feature called Laser Etched grooves, introduced for the CG15 wedge. Using a laser, 4 texture lines are milled between each groove exactly to the conforming roughness limit. This roughness application optimizes ball-to-face friction and maximizes spin under the rules of golf. In my experience, the ability to produce spin depends less on the club or grooves, and more on the golfer's ability and the golf ball used. Having said that, these wedges can put some serious spin on the ball. From a fairway lie the spin produced is similar to most other wedges. On chip shots executed with proper technique, the ball skids and grabs hard, trickling the rest of the way to the hole. From the rough is where the modern box grooves really shine. Because of the increased groove volume and shape, more grass and dirt is trapped by the grooves and balls hit from the rough spin much more than when hit with wedges with more traditional V grooves. I had no problem stopping the ball reasonably quickly from lies in all but the thickest rough.
I found that the initial finish on the face of the Black Pearl and Oil Quenched wedges wears quickly, but this is normal and unavoidable, just as with any other wedges. The face of the chrome wedges also wears just as fast, but because of the finish its not as noticeable. The grooves and even the laser etched grooves micro grooves held up well in my 4 days of testing, and I predict they will wear well for at least a season for most golfers. It remains to be seen how long the laser etched grooves last under normal use. I always recommend new wedges every year for serious golfers. These wedges are very well balanced, and in the hands of a skilled golfer they become deadly scoring weapons. I was able to hit low spinning shots and high flops alike with ease. The multiple bounce and loft options ensure that they have a wedge for everyone's needs or wants. Another option that has been in Cleveland's arsenal for a few years is the DSG wedge, which stands for "Dynamic Sole Grind". These wedges have a sole that is beveled to allow the leading edge to sit closer to the ground when the face is opened. This allows for more versatility for a variety of lies and turf conditions.
