In the winning bag at multiple Major championships, Tour events and selling over 3.8 million units worldwide, the 588 became synonymous with the Cleveland brand as a whole, and now it is back: shame shape, same 1025 carbon steel, but now forged manufactured, and with Cleveland’s latest groove technology.
Cleveland promises the new 588 Forged wedge will provide golfers with a soft yet solid feel, with less unwanted vibrations. The laser-milled clubface features Cleveland’s conforming Tour Zip Grooves, and between each of the grooves lie a series of four precision calibrated texture lines, as first seen on Cleveland’s CG15 wedges two years ago.
The 588 Forged also comes fitted with a new Tour Concept steel shaft that has been developed in collaboration with True Temper. The stiffness profile of the shaft features a less active tip than other wedge shafts, which should encourage a penetrating flight and increased spin.
Remake of a classic
“The Cleveland 588’s have always been the best wedges ever made, and they continue to improve,” says Graeme McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion. “The new 588s are precision wedges with great aesthetics and the classic Cleveland lines, and they have an improved feel and spin control. I use the 48, 52 and 58, and I first had these in my bag at the Dunhill Links where I finished 3rd. They have been in my bag ever since. The best wedges just got better.”
The 588 Forged wedges come in chrome or stain finishes, and with a broad range of loft and bounce options. Shipping of the new clubs begins in February and they come with an RRP of £119.99 per club.
“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,” says Todd Harman, president of Cleveland Golf and Srixon in the USA. “Attempting to build upon that benchmark is not a task we take lightly at Cleveland Golf. Our 588 wedge is the most popular wedge in the history of the game, and with sales in excess of three 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.”
Like the original, the new 588 promises to make a real impact on Tour. Already McDowell and David Toms are among the world’s leading golfers playing the clubs, and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano had the 53° and 58° models in his bag when he won the recent Barclays Singapore Open on the European Tour.
