Cleveland 588 RTG wedges

[gdgolf123]

i am thinking about buying the cleveland 588 RTG wedges, i was wondering what the 'RTG' stands for and your opinion on how they play and feel around the greens.

[mat562]

Raw Tour Grind.

 

Excellent in every regard.

[gdgolf123]

lol short and to the point. thanks :good:

[Burns]

To add a few more details...

These are unplated, untreated. They will rust. I have also noticed (in personal experience w/ 3 RTGs) that they will wear quickly. That means be ready to re-cut/sharpen your grooves from time to time.

 

Are they playable? Absolutely. Do they feel good? Nothing unexpected, and certainly not a forged feel.

 

On the design front... soles are fairly narrow, comparitively.

 

I would play them again, and I'm going to pull out one of my old wedges to do a little experimental grinding and finishing.

[mat562]

To put a bit more meat on the bones, the 588 is basically the benchmark for modern wedges. They were introduced in 1988 and were the fifth model produced by Cleveland - hence the 588 monicker.

 

Produced initially as a chromed and beryllium copper model, they were a mainstay of professional and amateur's bags for years and are arguably the best selling wedge of all time, being offered in a variety of lofts from 45 degrees to 64. The steel models are cast from 8620 steel.

 

The RTG model was launched in 1997 or so and is essentially the stock 588 design with a slight grind (that's almost imperceptable) and a raw, unplated finish that rusts over time.

 

The wedges have square grooves which are less aggressive than most of the modern designs, but which offer plenty of spin. The raw finish cuts down on glare and gives a softer feel than the plated versions.

 

The wedges have medium width soles and bounce angles that are suited to a variety of different conditions. The raw finish means they are easy to grind and regroove without detriment to the look of the club. The most popular lofts (56 and 60) have 13 and 3 degrees of bounce respectively. The 53 degree 'Diadic' wedge is also popular as a gap wedge/strong sand wedge choice.

 

Due to the influx of modern wedge designs, the venerable old 588 is being offered for a song at the moment and is a fantastic buy IMO. They are still a mainstay of many bags on Tour and amongst amateurs worldwide, and the RTG is about the best of the bunch.

 

Sorry to sound like a Cleveland Rep. :good:

[rattler917]

What does "diadic" mean?

[mat562]

What does "diadic" mean?

 

No idea.

 

I assume it's some sort of manufactured word that Cleveland dreamed up for 'dual purpose'

[SadTrombone]

What does "diadic" mean?

It's either greek or latin. I forget. I'm pretty sure, as was said, it means dual purpose. Or something close. I pulled it up on the web when I bought the wedge, this was back in 2002.

 

I had a 53 degree diadic in the gunmetal finish. It was..just alright.

 

-mini

[Spydaz]

I love mine and i have tried everything from Cleveland CG series etc... and i just liked these, plus they were CHEAP! I want to try out some forged Titleists and see how they compare.

 

You cannot go wrong with these 588's they are however the Bench mark for all the "Players Wedges". Heck.. look at the new Callaway X's, funny how they are identical to the 588's.... Hmmm i guess they are paying Mr. Cleveland a hefty penny over there!

[wakenwae]

RTG= Rust till gooooooooooood!!!!!

 

I hurried up my rusting with a wet salt soaked rage left on the club face overnight. Did the trick and followed up with some oil to help stop rusting from that point forward. I use mine for a PW and found out that it just "works" for my PW yardages. The sole is narrower than some otherr wedges but in the PW format that is not as critical. I would buy another anytime and agree that the 588 is a classic that seems underpriced.

[stage1350]

Cleveland 588 wedges are like Dynamic Gold is to shafts:

 

The standard by which all others will be judged.

[gdgolf123]

thanks guys, by the way though, does rusting help the performance of the clubs or make it worse (or neither, is it just the astetics to make it look "customized"?)

[wint_O_green]

i'm looking for a new wedge myself and the 588 sits nicely for me. did anyone try the 588 rtg dsg??

is it even better?

[krutoi]

Rusted wedges adds spin on the ball according to the Golf magazines.

[gdgolf123]

has anyone ever tested that, that u know? cause if the magazine is wrong...well i will have to get new wedges :good: