x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
Why Roger Cleveland’s return to Cleveland Golf is a big deal
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

InsideGOLF: +$140 value for $39.99

Join Today
Gear

Why Roger Cleveland’s return to Cleveland Golf is a big deal

By: Johnny Wunder
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Instagram
March 27, 2025
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Roger Cleveland at his home office

Roger Cleveland is returning to Cleveland Golf.

Cleveland Golf

I first met legendary club designer Roger Cleveland about seven years ago.

As a gear reporter and junky, I long had had Cleveland on my Mt. Rushmore of people to meet, and I still recall my extreme nervousness on that day in the winter of 2018.

You know what they about your heroes disappointing you? In this case, the result was the polar opposite. Roger not only maintained his hero status but also became a dear friend — one of the relationships I’ve made in this racket that I will cherish forever.

My admiration for Roger was rooted in his talent: He designed what I think is the greatest-ever wedge — the 588 — and one I had played religiously for more than two decades before I met him. There are four designs whose DNA still lives in a staggering number of clubs you see on the shelves. The Ping Anser and Anser 2, and the Cleveland 588 and 485.

Roger Cleveland holds several Cleveland wedges.
Roger Cleveland designed many iconic wedges in his career. Cleveland Golf

Back when I got into this game in 1994, Cleveland was to wedges what Titleist is to golf balls today. They dominated the market, because the 588, in particular, seemed to work for any type of player. It was a clean, versatile design that allowed all players to hit a number of shots around the greens. The club didn’t come in countless grinds or options, because they weren’t necessary.

Keep in mind that the 588 was launched in 1988! The design lived and succeeded for 12 years before a successor (the 900) was introduced to the market. Think about that with today’s launch cadence. Can you think of a modern-day club that hasn’t changed in a dozen years?

The list of players who had Cleveland wedges back in the day was insane.

Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Payne Stewart, David Toms, Ernie Els, Jose Marie Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie, David Duval, Lee Janzen, Nick Price, Corey Pavin, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and on and on. In 1996, Roger moved to Callaway, where he transformed the company’s wedge and iron program and his work landed in the bags of countless other brand-name pros.

If you know the 588 design well, you would know that most of what you see on the shelves these days samples Roger’s work, in the same way that musicians might sample classic tunes from the 70s or 80s. I love that this happens; it’s an acknowledgment of Roger’s greatness than anything else. Sometimes designs are so good they stand the test of time.

Much like the reputation of this great man.

Johnny Wunder and Roger Cleveland in 2018.
The author, left, talking shop with Roger Cleveland. Johnny Wunder/GOLF

RC, as I call him, more or less took me under his wing from that first meet-up.

He gave me his number. We spoke periodically if I had a question. He was always available for interviews and quotes for an article. When I joined Callaway, he looked after me in almost a fatherly way. He would always want to know how I was adjusting to the travel, to being on Tour, etc. I loved our chats and checking in on one another whether things were good or bad. He always was home base for me.

I love the man deeply, and selfishly I always wanted him to return to where it all started for him. That time has come.

On Wednesday, Cleveland officially announced that Roger is coming home to consult on its wedge program, opening the opportunity for one more 588 run.

I’m writing this to congratulate my friend and to express my excitement. When I first heard whispers of his return to Cleveland, it kinda felt like Ken Griffey Jr. playing his last games in a Mariners uniform. One last run on the team he helped define.

For that I’m grateful.

More to come.

Cleveland RTZ Custom Wedge

All-new RTZ Wedges are made with Z-Alloy, a completely new steel formula that enables a zero-compromise design approach for incredible feel, better durability, and more consistency for our best performing tour Wedges yet. Plus, there’s an all-new ADAPT grind featuring full-face grooves, to give RTZ Wedges more versatility than ever before.  Z-Alloy  Z-Alloy is a brand-new steel with better feel. It’s softer, lighter, and remarkably durable. It gives RTZ Wedges superior feel, better forgiveness, and more consistency. On RTZ Tour Rack Wedges, Z-Alloy’s rust-resistant properties ensure longer-lasting, like-new performance.  HydraZip HydraZip is a unique system of face blasts and laser-milled lines formulated to maximize spin performance under wet conditions. This technology is dynamically configured by loft groupings, which helps balance spin across lofts, while maximizing spin in adverse conditions.  ZipCore This low-density core technology replaces heavier material in the heel and hosel area with a lightweight, low-density, vibration-dampening material. This proprietary core allows us to shift the Center of Gravity closer to where you strike the ball, while simultaneously adding MOI.  UltiZip UltiZip’s sharper grooves cut through grass and debris at contact, while deeper grooves help make space for grass, sand, dirt, or water to clear the impact zone, giving RTZ Wedges stronger, more consistent spin from the fairway, rough, or bunker. 
View Product

ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Cleveland Golf

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

Latest In Gear

5 hours ago

What golf ball will teams use at the Zurich? The defending champs have a loophole

11 hours ago

Why Newton Motion shafts are taking over the Champions Tour 

11 hours ago

The spin comeback: Why Tour pros are putting it back in the bag

1 day ago

How the pros get dialed for their drivers, according to an expert Ping fitter

Johnny Wunder

Golf.com Editor

Johnny currently serves as the Director of Equipment at Golf.com, contributing to platforms like Fully Equipped Golf. Prior to this role, he was the Content Marketing Manager at Callaway Golf, where he led “Callaway Golf’s World of Wunder,” a platform dedicated to in-depth golf equipment content. Before joining Callaway, he was the Director of Original Content and host of “The Gear Dive” podcast at GolfWRX.com. Beyond his professional endeavors, Johnny is an avid golfer with a deep passion for the game, having played since his youth in Seattle, Washington.

  • Author Twitter Account
  • Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

Gear
Justin Rose with his putter and Bryson DeChambeau with a wedge at the Masters.

The clubs used by the Masters stats leaders through 36 holes

By: Jack Hirsh
Wedges
Wilson Golf Infinite Wedges aranged on grey background.

Wilson Golf Infinite wedges | What you need to know

By: Jack Hirsh
Wedges
PGA Tour pro Charles Howell III plays a shot at LIV Hong Kong.

How a tour pro figures out the best wedge setup | Fully Equipped

Gear
Xander Schauffeles Vokey Proto Wedges

The wedge setups of the top players in the world (and what you can learn)

By: Johnny Wunder
Wedges
ping chipr and ping bunkr

I tested these Ping specialty clubs. They're like short-game cheat codes  

By: Kris McCormack
Wedges
rust-covered wedges

Do rusty wedges actually add spin?

By: Kris McCormack
Wedges
Akshay Bhatia hits a wedge at Players Championship

Akshay Bhatia made a wedge finish adjustment at the Players — and it's paid off

By: Johnny Wunder
Short Game
Parker McLaughlin holds two wedges

How to decide which wedge bounce is right for your game

By: Parker McLachlin, GOLF Teacher to Watch
Wedges
Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks 44F

Vokey’s latest WedgeWorks release solves a modern gapping issue

By: Jack Hirsh
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.