HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., – Cleveland Golf is bringing back one of the most influential wedges ever designed with the release of the Limited Edition 588 Tour Action Wedge. Originally introduced in May 1988, the 588 set the standard for tour-caliber wedge design. Now, that legendary shape returns, crafted once again to original specifications and enhanced with Cleveland Golf’s most advanced wedge technologies.

“From the very beginning, the 588 was built around feedback from the best players in the world,” said Roger Cleveland. “For this release, we stayed true to the original shaping and turf interaction that made it special, while integrating modern materials and technologies inside the club. It’s the same trusted look and performance, refined for today’s game.”

Few club designers have shaped the short game like Roger Cleveland. The 588 established a new standard for shaping, turf interaction, and control, going on to earn hundreds of professional victories and dozens of major championships. More than a successful product, the 588 became the blueprint for tour-caliber wedge design that still influences the category today.

Combining heritage craftsmanship with modern precision, the Limited Edition 588 Tour Action Wedges are built with Cleveland Golf’s proprietary Z-Alloy and equipped with ZipCore, HydraZip, UltiZip grooves, and Rotex Face Milling, blending the soul of the original with the best Cleveland Golf technology available today. The result is a wedge that honors the past while delivering the consistency, spin, and control demanded by today’s players.

The Limited Edition 588 Tour Action Wedge is offered as a three-club set: Gap (52°), Sand (56°), and Lob (60°), each ground to Roger Cleveland’s original specifications. Finished in a classic chrome, every set is presented in a premium collector’s box and includes a brushed brass plaque. Only 588 sets will be available nationwide.

“The 588 has always meant something special to me because of how golfers embraced it,” Cleveland continued. “Seeing players build real trust in that wedge, leaning on it in the moments that matter most was unforgettable. And now a new generation will have a chance to experience that too.”

The Limited Edition 588 Tour Action Wedge stands as a tribute to one of the biggest pioneers in golf history Roger Cleveland and faithfully recreated with modern performance technology for today’s player.

To shop for the limited edition release, visit us.dunlopsports.com/cleveland-golf.

Pricing & Availability

Pricing: Limited Edition 588 Tour Action 3-pack box set: $588.00

Availability:

Loft/Bounce: 52°/10°, 56°/12°, 60°/8°

Shaft: Limited Edition True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Grip: Limited Edition Golf Pride Victory

Finish: Classic Chrome

Availability: Limited to 588 sets nationwide

Packaging: Premium collector’s box with brushed brass plaque

ABOUT Dunlop Sports Americas:

Based in Huntington Beach, CA and Greenville, SC, Dunlop Sports Americas (DSA) is the North American subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. We manufacture and sell premium golf and racket sports equipment to players of all skill levels under a portfolio of brands: Dunlop, Srixon, Cleveland Golf, and XXIO. DSA is also a licensed exclusive distributor of ASICS golf footwear. Our unique global sales network and infrastructure in R&D, manufacturing, and material science elevates our brands onto a global stage where we encourage players from around the world to experience our incredible products. For more information, please contact Noelle Zavaleta at noellezavaleta@srixon.com.

 
CONTACT INFORMATION:
DUNLOP SPORTS AMERICAS
Noelle Zavaleta
noellezavaleta@srixon.com

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History was made at Portrush as Fujikura made it a clean sweep of winners across all four Major Championships in 2025.

In a season of unprecedented glory and worldwide wins, the position of Fujikura as the consistent choice of champions and the global leader in shaft innovation was confirmed with all four Major winners using VENTUS shafts in their driver – the first time a specialist driver shaft brand has achieved such a feat*.

Fujikura registered its first Major win in 2001, and over the last five years has become the most used driver shaft on the PGA Tour with countless more victories across golf’s biggest tournaments.

The 2025 Major Championship at Portrush demanded the very best in power and accuracy, due to the course’s tight and dog-legging fairways, and greens protected by devilish pot-bunkers and viscous run-off areas.

Ultimately, an ability to control the trajectory of the ball from the tee – as well as being able to attack the par 5s with confidence from the fairway – ensured the winner, Scottie Scheffler, remained in control over the closing two rounds after topping the leaderboard following Friday’s second round.

The win in Portrush was the second Major success of the year for Scheffler, following another runaway victory in the 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. On both occasions, he was able to play with great control from the tee, utilizing the consistency in his long game with a VENTUS Black 7-X in his driver.

The American also trusted VENTUS in his wood shafts, using a VENTUS Black 8-X in his 3-wood (Royal Portrush and Quail Hollow), and VENTUS Black 9-X in his 7-wood (Quail Hollow). It was a shaft line-up that proved critical in delivering two of the most dominant wins of the season across two vastly different layouts.

Fujikura’s journey to making history began in April, with Master’s Champion Rory McIlroy showcasing the ultimate levels of power from the tee and fairway.

Before overcoming the pressure of a play-off, McIlroy had been able to stay in contention and control during regulation play by hitting fairway after fairway with a VENTUS Black 6-X in his driver. The Northern Irishman’s wood shaft line-up included VENTUS Black 8-X and VENTUS Black 9-X (3-wood and 5-wood respectively).

Of all the Major wins in 2025, there was none more thrilling than the third of the year in Pennsylvania, where JJ Spaun claimed the US Open at one of the toughest courses in Major Championship history at Oakmont.

Under the most intense pressure as players struggled with the course’s defences over the back nine on Sunday, Spaun was able to close out victory using the new VENTUS Black 6-X shaft in his driver with tournament-winning birdies at the 71st and 72nd holes, which included driving the green on the 314-yard par-4 17th.

Designed with advanced VeloCore+ technology – Spaun’s victory at Oakmont was the first Major win registered for the new line of VENTUS with VeloCore+ – the VENTUS Black 6-X shaft would provide the stability, accuracy and distance needed to overcome one of the most gruelling tests in golf.

Fujikura also backed up its position as the most used driver and wood shaft among the world’s best players. At the final Major of the year in Northern Ireland, an impressive 43.9% of the field chose the brand’s shafts in their driver (69 out of 157), with 39.3% of players trusting Fujikura in their wood shaft line-up.**

However, across all four Majors, the numbers prove even more impressive, with 44.9% trusting the brand’s shafts in their driver (255 players out of 568), and 40.7% playing Fujikura in their wood line-up.**

Eric Recher, Director of Marketing at Fujikura, said: “We are proud to have made history by supporting the winners of all four Major Championships in 2025.

“It is testament to the innovation and technology that goes into our driver and wood shafts that so many of the world’s best players rely on the consistency of VENTUS when the pressure is at its most intense.

“Fujikura’s success across the 2025 Majors only adds to our storied history of powering global victories across the professional tours. But we believe the innovation that goes into every product we make will ensure there is a VENTUS shaft option for every level of player throughout their woods and utility clubs.

“Whether you are chasing a Major or your best round at your local course, VENTUS and Fujikura’s full line-up of shafts are designed to elevate every player’s game.”

Purchase Fujikura driver shafts from authorized distributor ValueGolf.com

*Records taken from Darrell Survey

**All figures taken from Darrell Survey

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Like most sports, there’s far more than meets the eye when it comes to golf. There are so many interesting golf facts that are far from common knowledge, and others that serve as benchmarks for understanding and loving the sport.

Here, we’ll go through some of the top facts about golf you may never have heard of before. Because there’s no such thing as knowing too much about golf.

Keep these in mind next time you head out for a round. These facts might just impress your friends and playing partners.

Scotland: golf’s homeland

First things first, golf has been played for a really, really long time. The oldest professional golf competition, The Open Championship, was founded at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland in 1860. This was some 11 years before the first FA Cup, won by the now-defunct Wanderers FC. Golf’s origins go back even further than that, though.

It was in the 15th century that golf – or a game which resembled it – was first played in Scotland in any kind of organised capacity. Of course, it looked rather different from the game we know now. There were no metal clubs, nor rubber-filled golf balls. Instead, wooden clubs were used to hit leather balls.

Around 300 years later, in 1744, the Gentlemen Golfers of Edinburgh devised the first official rules for golf, and the sport blossomed and ballooned in popularity from then on.

There’d be no Tiger Woods nor Rory McIlroy had it not been for the Scottish influence on the game’s foundations – even if the sport was banned in its homeland on multiple occasions. Most notable of these was perhaps the earliest instance, when King James II banned golf due to concerns that it was harming military service.

Alas, and indeed testament to the endearing nature of golf, each ban was short-lived. Phew.

Golf’s spread across the world

Unsurprisingly, the next country to become enamoured with golf was England. The Royal Blackheath Golf Club was the first to be founded in Scotland’s neighbouring country back in 1766. And there’s evidence of golf beginning to spread globally throughout the rest of the 18th century, sometimes through unsavoury means – the first African golf club, set up in Sierra Leone in 1770, was done so by slave traders.

There are records of golfing activity in the USA dating back to the 17th century, and clubs were established in France and India in the early 19th century.

It was in this Victorian era that golf truly began to take off outside the British Isles, culminating in the foundation of the second of the four majors we know today, in the form of the US Open’s inception in 1895. The PGA Championship and the Masters tournament followed suit in 1916 and 1934, respectively.

As of 2020, golf was played in 206 countries, and a 2023 participation report from the R&A found that over 60 million people worldwide actively play.

The evolution of equipment

Golf balls, as mentioned earlier, used to be leather and stuffed with feathers. Looking at today’s modern, rubber-filled balls, it really is quite hard to imagine. Of course, like all sports, golf’s technology and equipment have come on leaps and bounds since the sport’s inception.

Rubber golf balls first appeared right at the end of the 19th century, and it was around this time that the first dimpled golf balls entered the market, too.

Then there are the clubs, which once resembled big wooden sticks, yet are now full of modern innovations. Even the use of metals such as steel is a significant improvement to what was used in the sport’s infancy, and indeed, much of its history.

Still, some traditions live on. Woods are still named after the material from which they were initially made, even if they’re now more commonly constructed from composite materials.

Many old products are collectors’ items now, too, and can fetch a pretty penny. An Andrew Dickinson putter from the 18th century sold for $181,000 at auction. So if acquiring a piece of history is up your street, make sure you’ve got deep pockets to fork out for one of the world’s most expensive golf clubs.

New clubs and equipment can also make a sizeable dent in your bank account. Tiger Woods’ ‘Tiger Slam’ clubs sold for over $5 million in 2022, which just goes to show that golf, just like any sport, has its celebrity appeal.

Who are the best ever golfers?

Everyone has heard of Tiger Woods. For people of a certain generation, his dominance has become utterly synonymous with the sport. Eighty-two PGA Tour wins and 15 major championship titles make up the CV of one of golf’s most talented and prolific winners.

From other eras, Jack Nicklaus has an enviable trophy cabinet. His first major title came in 1962, and his last in 1986. Now that’s longevity. His tally of 18 major titles makes him the most decorated golfer of all time in that respect, though his 73 PGA Tour wins put him third in that list behind Woods (of course) and Sam Snead.

Snead himself is joint-first with Woods for PGA Tour wins, with 82, and managed to win seven major titles, though the US Open always eluded him.

Rory McIlroy is probably the defining British golfer of the modern era with five major titles to his name, including one of each of the big four. But Sir Nick Faldo was the big name for previous generations, with six majors under his belt.

As for women’s golf, it’s hard to look past Dame Laura Davies as far as Brits are concerned, as she has the most ever Ladies European Tour wins with 45, and has four major titles. With 15 major titles, though, the USA’s Patty Berg still reigns supreme.

Miscellaneous golf facts

What is the 90% rule?

The 90% rule, as enforced on many courses, stipulates that your cart must spend at least 90% of the time on the cart path.

You can drive onto the fairway, but only for 10% of the time you’re playing. If your ball is a sizeable distance away, you can drive there and only there. No cruising.

As you might imagine, the 90% rule exists to protect the surface while recognising that a cart is a useful way to speed up the pace of play.

What are the three Ps in golf?

When it comes to putting, there are three Ps to bear in mind:

• Planning – when you assess terrain and establish your line.
• Prepare – when you practice your swing, gauging just how far the ball might break and how hard you need to hit it.
• Putt – put it all into practice.

This is a fairly rudimentary system, and there are far more caveats to putting than that, but it’s a good place to start as a general rule of thumb.

Why are there 18 holes in golf?

The answer to this takes us right back where we started. Scotland, and St. Andrews specifically. The club had only enough land for 18 holes, and, as a hugely significant golf course, the rest of the world eventually followed suit and copied it.

It was in 1857 that St. Andrews officially began using 18 holes, and in 1950, the rule book specified that this was to be the length of a course. As with many of these interesting facts about golf, we have Scotland to thank for the golfing landscape we know today.

Specialist golf insurance through Golf Care

Before your next round of golf, you may want to consider getting specialist golf insurance.

Through Golf Care, policies include Equipment Cover up to £7,500, Public Liability of up to £10m, and Personal Accident Cover up to £50,000. Get a quote online today.

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