Cleveland 588 CB Forged Irons

I went to the range for a couple hours yesterday. One thing I wanted to do was compare the 588's to my newly re-shafted W/S FG Tour V2's. Two key differences between the two are that the 588's are 2° stronger and the lie angles. The 588's are about 1.5° flatter than the V2's. I hit five 7 irons at time and alternated between the two for about 30 balls.

Honestly, there wasn't much comparison at all. I don't know if it was the shaft or the lie angle, but I was far more accurate, hitting the ball more solidly, and longer with the 588's. The V2's felt very head-heavy while the 588's seemed much more balanced. Ball height wasn't that much different on well struck shots, but there were far more well-struck shots with the 588's.

Always fun to experiment, but the 588's stay in the bag going forward.
 
I went to the range for a couple hours yesterday. One thing I wanted to do was compare the 588's to my newly re-shafted W/S FG Tour V2's. Two key differences between the two are that the 588's are 2° stronger and the lie angles. The 588's are about 1.5° flatter than the V2's. I hit five 7 irons at time and alternated between the two for about 30 balls.

Honestly, there wasn't much comparison at all. I don't know if it was the shaft or the lie angle, but I was far more accurate, hitting the ball more solidly, and longer with the 588's. The V2's felt very head-heavy while the 588's seemed much more balanced. Ball height wasn't that much different on well struck shots, but there were far more well-struck shots with the 588's.

Always fun to experiment, but the 588's stay in the bag going forward.

Glad to hear this, you hit the 588s very well
 
Thanks buddy. I hit them pretty well yesterday. Maybe my best range session since before the MC. I sort of thought the wider sole on the V2's would be beneficial, but it didn't come into play at all. I'm not a big divot taker though.
 
Thanks buddy. I hit them pretty well yesterday. Maybe my best range session since before the MC. I sort of thought the wider sole on the V2's would be beneficial, but it didn't come into play at all. I'm not a big divot taker though.

That line sorta sums up the past few weeks of my experiences with the 588's vs a lot of other irons I've tried. I've been looking for another set for a little project I want to do and after demoing countless sets I've found that I much prefer the narrower sole on the 588. Of course this flies in the face of conventional thinking, but then again I've never been conventional.

There is something about the thin sole that even for me, a guy who can fling a beaver pelt sized divot, doesn't find them to dig or get caught up in the soil. I was using some wider soled irons a week ago on the practice range and it really felt a little abrupt right after impact with how the club interacted with the ground. Almost like it stopped momentarily, now of course that isn't what happened but it's what I felt. I would describe it as feeling similar to when you dropped a wedge right on the back of a ball around the green, that sharp thud when the club hits the ground. In the interest of inquisitiveness I grabbed my 588 7 iron, I didn't notice that stopping at all. I'm not sure if it is something with the leading edge or a combination of factors but I certainly could feel a definite difference from one iron to another.
 
It really surprised me too, SW. Not just that I liked them better, but how much better I liked them. I'm not really trying to replace these irons, but I did have the chance to really find out how they performed in a head-to-head comparison. I'm glad I did it too. Gives me even more confidence over the ball.
 
I really need to take these out for a solid spin, I hit a couple of them on the range at True Blue and hit them pretty good.
 
Drive on up, Tim. I let you hit them as much as you want :)
 
Drive on up, Tim. I let you hit them as much as you want :)

LOL, you know that I have been know to make ridiculous road trips!
 
These clubs are on my short list, the choice will be 588's or Mizuno MP 53's / 64's, I have to hit these first tough. Or maybe I'll get to MC, and Cleve will be my OEM, or should I buy a lottery ticket. Maybe I hit these first.

No, seriously, I was looking at these in a store, and they look really nice, but they don't carry them left-handed, so I'll have to try to find some place where I get to hit them.
 
Still loving my 588's. Shot 79 yesterday and hit 13 GIR's which is good for me. Too bad my putting sucks! 3 - 3 putts.
 
Got the chance to hit these yesterday, I didn't hit them at all during The Morgan Cup and they are definitely an iron that appeals to me. They definitely live up to the hype, a great looking iron, thin topline, and a nice soft face that feels very hot on a nicely struck shot. I could definitely go for a combo set of these.
 
Wish I could hit these again. Hit them at the AC event but it was too wet to get a good feel for them off the soaked turf.

Tapped out on my EVO 4G LTE
 
I like seeing all the interest, guys! These irons will always be a favorite of mine. Some of that may be that they are the first set actually fit for me, but I'm a huge fan of the looks too. Also, they are holding up really well for me compared to the V2's. Not sure what the difference is there.
 
These clubs are on my short list, the choice will be 588's or Mizuno MP 53's / 64's, I have to hit these first tough. Or maybe I'll get to MC, and Cleve will be my OEM, or should I buy a lottery ticket. Maybe I hit these first.

No, seriously, I was looking at these in a store, and they look really nice, but they don't carry them left-handed, so I'll have to try to find some place where I get to hit them.

That's a heck of a short list man. Sucks about about the lack of left handed demos though.
 
Why's the 588 thread slowing down? I sure do miss mine. But in the end they bought me an iPad so I'm happy. Both are buttery forged so its all good.


I let Siri do my THP'ing on my iPhone 5
 
These were some of the most special and classic irons that have been released in years. I can't wait to see what comes next from Cleveland and I really hope they keep to the clean, simple, classic looks. I love my Srixon's but I dream of having these irons almost daily.
 
Why's the 588 thread slowing down? I sure do miss mine. But in the end they bought me an iPad so I'm happy. Both are buttery forged so its all good.


I let Siri do my THP'ing on my iPhone 5

Same reason most equipment threads slow down. Cycles man.
 
I have come to love combo sets is anyone going cb/mb and how do you like the set up?
 
JB played a combo set in the Morgan Cup. Not really his normal setup, but he played very well with them there.

I'm honestly just out of things I can say about these for the most part. My practice session yesterday was pretty good and I spent a lot of it with the 588 CB 7, 8, & 9 irons. The ball flight I'm getting with the KBS Tours is just about exactly what I want. High enough to maximize carry and drop softly. Distance isn't my strong suit, but they are performing accepatably for me there as well (compared to other irons I've played).

One of my favorite aspects continues to be that I can use the scoring irons similar to the way I play my wedges, which has given me reliable distances and accuracy from 115 yards and in.

This is by far my favorite set of irons I've owned. Not to say they won't be replaced, but they offer a great mix of looks and performance that seems to work for me. I've put up the lowest scores of my short golfing 'career' with them in the bag.
 
I think that post sums them up nicely for you Hawk. I'm still flip flopping back and forth with mine. It's about to drive me nuts.
 
I had visions of an iron battle with the V2's, but that didn't pan out at all. There really wasn't one thing I liked better about the V2's, which surprised me a bit. I might have them bent flat one day to see if that makes a difference, but I don't really see them making another appearance in the bag.
 
I had visions of an iron battle with the V2's, but that didn't pan out at all. There really wasn't one thing I liked better about the V2's, which surprised me a bit. I might have them bent flat one day to see if that makes a difference, but I don't really see them making another appearance in the bag.

Interesting. I know how fond you were/are of them. I really did enjoy being in this thread talking about these irons with you over the past few months. It's been fun sharing the ups and downs for both of us and it's been a real treat for me watching your game progress both here and then seeing it in person. Good job dude!
 
Thanks! It was a good time and I think the fact that almost every Cleveland staffer put these in the bag (and was successful with them) shows how good they really are.

I do believe that having the right lie angles and getting a shaft that I could work with was a big part of my success and I think that's actually documented right here. That's pretty much what was said all along. If you are comfortable with the head shape and make sure to get the right fit, you can be successful with them in the bag.
 
I've really been working on my swing over the last month and it's been paying off at the range and on the course with the 588's. Went back to the basics I learned in lessons. I think just taking the time to practice really paid off. Not seeing a lot more distance (maybe a little), but I'm hitting the ball solidly and it's going towards the target with more frequency. Even hitting the 6 iron high and as far as I expect, which took some work to accomplish.

Had a very successful day with them yesterday by my standards. I didn't hit every green, but I did hit most of them and the biggest miss still had the distance I expected and gave me a shot at an up and down. The one thing that really stood out to me was that none of the shots I took were from a flat lie, but every one was hit solidly. I had uphill, downhill, and a shot with the ball far above my feet. Just makes me think that the sole is versatile and can deliver results in a number of situtions.

Condition of the irons is still very good as well. I'll say again that they've held up better than the V2's when I'd had them for a similar time frame. Not sure why, but they are still in very good shape.
 
Now that you mention the condition of your irons that made me think about how good mine look still. I noticed that the other evening while giving them a bath, just a few little nicks here and there on the sole but they look surprisingly good for as much as they've been used since in 6 months.

The white grips though, well...not my brightest idea.
 
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