Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 – Range Review

Cleveland Classics, as it was originally called in 1979 by founder Roger Cleveland, was a company known for producing exquisite replicas of classic golf clubs.  Over the years they migrated to researching and developing their own original lineup of golf clubs.  In the 1980’s their reputation for producing high quality clubs caused golfers to take notice, especially among their wedges.  One of their most played wedges was the brand’s fifth design released in 1988 – the 588. To this day, the 588 wedge is one of the best-selling golf clubs of all time.

Recently, our good friends at Cleveland Golf set us up with their newest 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin 56 and 60 degree wedges to hit the range and see what our crew of golf junkies could do with the new clubs.  Wedges are often an overlooked piece of equipment as golfers focus their money into better drivers or expensive putters but from 150 yards in, is where anyone can find strokes to reduce their score card.

Take a look at the embedded video below, displaying the intricate development process that Cleveland undertook to ensure that their consumers were getting the best technology and best performing wedges on the market.

Design:

Listening to the design team of Cleveland Golf there is a key theme that comes across with the development of the 588 RTX 2.0 lineup; Versatility.  Cleveland wanted to keep the legendary performance of the 588 brand and update it with their most advanced spin technology and add more control. The 588 RTX 2.0’s progressively varied sole designs make the club more versatile than ever.  Each wedge, ranging from 46 degrees to 64 degrees can be ordered in either a blade or a cavity back head design.  In addition to two options on the head design, you can choose from three different sole designs.  The full sole (3 dot) is ideal for softer conditions and/or players with a steep attack angle. The 2 dot sole, which is considered the standard bounce grind is ideal for a wide variety of conditions and/or players with a neutral attack angle. Finally, the 1 dot is the low bounce grind which is ideal for firm conditions and/or players with a more shallow attack angle.

For our review we focused on the 56 and 60 degree 2 dot sole system with a blade head design.  The 56 and 60 will be among the most common of wedges that you will put in your bag.  In addition to what we listed above about the 2-dot system, it is also designed to provide a mid effective bounce, offering players a wedge that performs well in most conditions. The combination of a trailing edge grind and moderate relief from the heel and toe is designed to give players more versatility and forgiveness.  If you are newer to golf, the 1-dot system might work a little better to get you started while the 3-dot system is ideal for those low handicap golfers to really help shape and spin those shots around the green. On the face of the club, the 588 RTX 2.0 also features a rougher, milled face that should create more spin on your wedge shots than a traditional, smoother club face could.

The 56 degree wedge measured in length at 36.25 inches while the 60 degree came in at 35.125 inches.  Both clubs feature a swing weight of D6.  Swing weight is the defined by the relation of weight between the head end of the golf club and the grip end a golfer can manipulate either end of the golf club to adjust his or her swing weight. Swing weights are measured on a alpha-numeric scale, ranging from A0 (lightest) to G10 (heaviest). Overall, Cleveland designed and spent hundreds of hours gathering data from their top golfers to try to make the 588 RTX 2.0 better than ever and needless to say, they did not disappoint!

Feel:

When first settling into your grip with the 56 or 60 degree 588 RTX 2.0 you will really notice the weight of the club head.  The shaft itself is nice and light but with D6 swing weight you definitely feel the heaviness of the head.  The swing weight of the club really allows you to drive through the ball with that open face and create the nice loft you are looking for on those shots from 125 yards in.  On full shots struck in the center of the face, the feel is incredibly soft and you can really feel the compression of the ball on the face. The feel is incredibly smooth and soft and when you hit the perfect shot you will know it.

Spin:

For most golfers producing spin on the ball that rolls beautifully back towards the pin seems like just a myth that you only ever watch the pros do.  Spin does require skill, but the 588 RTX 2.0 wedges are more than willing to do their fair share of the work.  The Rotex 2.0 face features very some very distinct milling and grooves.  The grooves are as sharp as the USGA will allow and you will notice that the milling between the grooves that is left on the face is now more advanced than previous models.  With an open club face we were able to create quite a bit of spin on both the 56 and 60 degree wedges, especially on the 60 degree.  If you are having trouble creating spin on your shots then we suggest taking a look at the 588 RTX 2.0 wedge lineup.

Value:

Both the 56 and 60 degree 588 RTX 2.0 wedges retail for $129.99 and offer tremendous value.  As we previously mentioned the scoring zone from 150 yards is often the most neglected part of your game.  No matter how far you hit your drives and how consistent you are with your putter, any golfer that puts in time from this range can instantly be a competitive player.  Instead of buying that new $400 driver every year, invest in your short game and get some of the best technology on the market in the Cleveland wedge lineup.  The development team of Cleveland spent hundreds of hours researching and speaking to their pros about what they wanted to see out of their wedges on the course and the result is nothing short of impressive.

Buy now for $129.99 or visit ClevelandGolf.com for more information