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Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Wedges Review
Rotex on the Remix
Cleveland continues to push forward with the 588 moniker which I believe is an excellent move for their wedge line.
It just makes sense to offer their most famous wedge name each year. It creates comfort with the user that their replacement wedge will be just as good if not better than their past one.
The 588 RTX 2.0 is an improved remix of prior 1.0 wedges.
The 2.0 key points of improvement are the increased number of options and the Rotex 2.0 face.
The arrival of my Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 wedges was rather interesting since typically I would use a set of different lofted wedges to fill my bag, but instead a 56* one dot, 56* two dot and a 60* CB three dot arrived.
I decided to use them as sent to see which ones I liked best and now after playing them for 5 weeks, I’m going to bend one 56* to 54* and the other to 58* so I can keep them in the bag.
The 60* will go in and out of the bag depending on the course and needs.
Let’s talk about the variety.
This may be Cleveland’s biggest variety of wedges ever offered in 2 basic heads, Regular and Cavity Back.
There are 3 different sole grinds and with each loft there are multiple dot options (bounce) plus a couple different finishes.
This totals 120 different wedges. If you can’t find a wedge for your game, you might need to look into a different hobby.
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I dropped the 56* 1 dot (8*bounce) and 60* CB 3 dot (14* bounce) into the bag immediately upon arrival.
While I hadn’t played those lofts for a while, I found the 5 yard difference wasn’t a big deal. I was able to really test the spin of the new RTX 2.0 face.
The grooves are as sharp as allowed but the milling between the grooves that is left on the face is now more aggressive than previous models.
I really found good spin numbers with both the 56* and the 60*.
The 56* 1 dot became my 100 yard club as well as my Sand Wedge.
Since I’ve been tracking sand saves with GAME GOLF I noticed a rather high success rate with this club in the bag.
The grind is the main reason I put this club in the bag. It has a C-grind which works exceptionally well in thumping the sand and lifting the ball softly towards the hole.
I was just as impressed with the full fairway shots that had great holding power, yet really controllable spin.
The 56* 2 dot didn’t get as much play from the bunkers because of the fuller grind, but was really great from the softer fairways and rough.
The additional sole created more stability through those shots. The extra bounce also helped in the softer fall condtions.
I have to say the real surprise was the 60* CB.
I haven’t played a 60* wedge in a while and have never liked CB wedges, but this one blew me away.
It got me up and down and tight from all over the place. I think I actually noticed the forgiveness of this style of wedge.
The real shocker was that it felt good too. Usually they get hollow feeling, but this one had the “meat” in the right places so that it still offered a solid, crisp feel at impact.
The head shape is still very clean and similar to past 588 heads without getting too round or having a weird transition from hosel to leading edge.
Cleveland did the 2.0 version of the RTX wedges just right.
Good head shape, improved grooves, and so many bounce and grind options to fit basically any golfer.
Check them out and find the right loft, dot, head style and finish for you. Rotex on the Remix turned out great.
For more information: https://us.dunlopsports.com/cleveland-golf
Quick Hits
+2.0 Rotex grooves are better
+So many grind options
+Excellent headshape and style choices
+Good feel for cast wedges
+120 fitting options
+Great spin without shredding
Cleveland RTX 588 1.0 Wedge Review (Original Version)
The RTX 588 is really a combination of the best Cleveland has offered. Basically take a 588 shaped head, make it a cavity back like the CG16s, put a new face on it with the Rotex grooves and you have the newest Cleveland wedge the 588 – RTX.
Let’s start with the Rotex grooves. They claim to be 16% bigger. Without a microscope, I can’t really prove that claim. They also claim to have a rougher surface area, which I think this one I did noticed with a little more spin than the 588 wedges I have. Finally they have milling in the un-grooved area which is there to help create a little extra spin on delicate, open faced shots. I think this too was noticeable. On course I think that these did just what they said they would do. They offered a slight increase in spin over last years 588 forged wedges. It wasn’t drastically different, a couple feet tops. But sometimes that little extra stopping power can mean the difference between on the green and off the green. The Rotex face offered just slightly more spin on regular shots, but on the creative touch shots, it offered noticeably more. I actually found I liked the spin on these wedges more than my CG15 wedges which had non-conforming grooves. The control and results were just plain better.
The head shape is another nice feature of these clubs. As I noted in my review of the 588 forged wedges, I thought that this is Cleveland’s best shaped head. It isn’t too round, or have too much offset, but is about the cleanest shape they make at address. The big change on this wedge is the cavity back. It offers some improved forgiveness on off-center hits. Wedges probably need the least amount of forgiveness, a little is still helpful. It is kind of hard to judge forgiveness on a wedge, but I did find shots that weren’t hit dead in the center of the face still resulted as good shots.
The finishing touches on this wedge are very nice. The stock shaft is DG wedge shaft. I appreciate this over a proprietary “made for” shaft. The True Temper shaft offers a consistent feel and trajectory that you can count on. I never had any spinners or weird results due to the shaft. The standard Tour Velvet Cleveland grip works well. The Black Pearl finish is still on of my favorite finishes Cleveland offers. It is a matte black that eliminates reflection and seems to hold up quite well, even with moderate bunker play. A nice little touch on this one too, was the laser engraved name on the hosel. It is always fun to have a little personalization on your wedges.
While the 588 RTX included many of the best of Clevend’s wedges, the only area where another Cleveland wedge is superior is the feel. The 588 forged are still their best feeling wedges. The 588 RTX is a close second. The cavity back design is still pretty solid feeling on center hits and not bad on off center shots, but just not quite as pure as the forged 588. I think I did see a pic somewhere of a forged 588 with Rotex grooves. That would be the winner for me in terms of feel and spin. Yet we all know the cast is going to be more durable in the long run too so it really depends on your needs. The 588 RTX will spin more and offer more forgiveness with just a slightly harsher feel.
I like were Cleveland is going with with their wedges in 2013. They are using the best of what they have made in the past to create a new really nice wedge.; the 588 RTX
For more information: www.clevelandgolf.com
Quick Hits
+Classic 588 shape
+Cavity-back forgiveness
+Rotex grooves offer more spin
+Nice Black Pearl finish
–Slightly firmer feel