Review: Cleveland 588 Forged irons

Key technology

A classic shallow-cavity design is forged from high-grade carbon steel to provide a soft-yet-solid feel. The progressive cavity provides added forgiveness in the longer clubs and a slightly longer blade length helps improve control. Precise milling helps preserve the groove edges for better consistency. Laser-milled technology between the grooves helps to maximise spin.

Will suit: consistent ball-strikers who want more forgiveness.

GM verdict:

The shallow cavity iron is difficult to get spot on - those playing with a set like this tend to know exactly what they want. Cleveland clearly understand this with the launch of the new 588 Forged irons. These clubs look classy both in the bag and on the shelf with their clean shape and lack of fussy graphics. The forged head combined with Zip Grooves helps to produce some extremely consistent results with excellent spin control in the short irons. These aren't designed to offer added distance or forgiveness but provide great feel out of the middle and a consistent flight.

However... players looking for a set of irons to help their game rather than complement it would be better off seeking a set with a deeper cavity design. PGA pro verdict

PGA pro verdict:

Cleveland's 588 Forged irons are really smart looking and look good from all angles. I'm a big fan of the square wedge shape and the overall finish was of very high quality. I would happily put these in the bag as they are a top performer. These irons would be a perfect choice for someone who wants the performance of a blade, but also desires some added forgiveness. The ball flight was strong throughout the set.  

Test Team Rating Performance ★★★★★ Visual appeal ★★★★★ Innovation ★★★★★ Value ★★★★★ Overall ★★★★★