Notwithstanding any exotic shaft upgrades, you’re looking at $800 and $850 respectively for a 7-club set. The XF in PXG's 0311 XF irons stands for (e)Xtreme Forgiveness - and everything in our results suggests the iron offers exactly that. By: David Strege. In my opinion, the company doesnt seem that concerned about it either. Q: How are the irons in the test fit to each golfer? We want you to get the most out of your While changes to spin and launch and spin differences are rarely massive, shaft changes frequently lead to improved accuracy, tighter dispersion, and greater overall consistency. Q: How is the Most Wanted Game Improvement Iron Determined. Though the average shaft weight has come down in recent years (especially in game improvement designs), steel shafts typically the heavier than graphite offerings. 14 Disliked 0 humor. It’s not intuitive, it’s not easy to explain, but we know it’s a far superior approach to just looking at averages. ), but not all change is for the better. If you don’t hit the center of the clubface nearly every time, chances are you need some help from your clubs. So if I were to upgrade I would go with the variable length Cobra F9 irons. Basically, we have to account for the fact that the jacked lofts on an Atomic will invariably produce longer shots than something like a Hot Metal which is appreciably less jacked. I can play hybrids okay,, but I am a traditionalist and I enjoy playing my long irons up to a 4 iron (now that they come in stronger lofts than my 22 degree 3 iron. I’ve been using WordPress on a number of websites for about a year and am concerned about switching to another platform. Instead of asking for a 7 iron, can we ask for a 33 degree club (or whatever is closest)? Since we buy our irons in sets, you probably won’t find many guys out there mixing Srixon long irons with Mizuno mid irons and Callaway short irons. I most certainly will make sure to don’t forget this site and give it a glance regularly. Keep in mind that some sets don’t offer 4-irons while others may not include a gap wedge. da.. at 26 degre loft , it has the strongest loft of the group. The process is the same for short, middle and long irons. Ana Suarez for Hearst Newspapers. Q: How much does subjective feedback like looks, sound, and feel factor into your rankings? Have you ever considered doing tracking of late model clubs? TOMMY ARMOUR ATOMIC best distance !! While I agree with you that consistency is king in an iron set, the second most important thing is equal gapping. But he’s tryiong none the less. Testers said the irons felt. The 7 iron is 0.5 degrees stronger than my 5 iron. The reality is that it doesn’t work like that and without deeper analysis, they don’t mean much of anything. That means there’s going to be change if for no other reason than change’s sake. It was the best in subjective feedback; meaning testers like the looks and feel but it did not perform the best. Released to the world just a few years ago, the Code 11.59 was welcomed by many and disliked by others. as well as honest reporting on the latest issues affecting the game …and the AP1 doesn’t even get an honorable mention??? It would be foolish to try and make a direct comparison between Bob and Steve, and more foolish still to directly compare Bob to Steve and the other 18 golfers in this test. Smaller numbers mean better consistency, which will usually mean more than an extra yard or two on the golf course. We are 100% independent and unbiased, and we always put the #ConsumerFirst. Thank you for all the work MGS! I wonder what the TAs would look like consistancy wise if you compared a TA 8 iron with a Mizuno 7 iron. As our name suggests, it’s the percentage at which any given club lands in the statistically reliable top group across the entire testing pool. The most popular type of pork is lechĂłn, a special dish in Puerto Rico that entails spit-roasting a whole pig with a blend of sauces and also seasonings. So much for most wanted, they lasted about 3 months in my bag. Every dollar will help. The brain map, often referred to as a qEEG, is one of the most vital diagnostic tools available in the field of neurofeedback for use with people who have brain-based conditions. I do think that they probably want to try and improve, and likely think they’re making the product better (who doesn’t want to think they’re doing a good job at work? Granted its one guy doing the reviews but it still is interesting to see the difference in stats. i noticed the srixon outperformed the mizuno for mid and long irons for overall distance, distance from center and distance to hole. Get your blood pumping with a trip to the Toro Verde Theme park in central Puerto Rico. To avoid having short irons disproportionately contribute to the overall rankings, we normalize the Top Group Percentages such that long, middle, and short irons contribute the same amount to the overall rankings. Great point. Today, The United States has more millionaires and billionaires than any other nation. Every year, golf companies promise more yards, and sometimes they deliver. 0-to-500 scale that goes from least to most hazardous (15) Gesturer's emphasis (9) Coast-to-coast competition (7) Temper tantrum during a flight (7) Attack from on high (7) Battle of Britain attacks (8) London refuge, 1940 (14) Pellet propeller (8) Assignment from a controller (8) Puts on TV (4) Lung compartment (6) Alveoli (7) If you’re in the market for irons in 2019, this test is for you. With that out of the way, let me explain how we arrive at our overall rankings. Epon is the premier forging house in the world. torn between P790 vs 919HM, they seem to have similar overall forgiveness (400-415) even though they r very diff in size? ... Shopping Golfers, rejoice! First time cobra buyer and all I can say is you CAN teach a old dog new tricks with single length irons. It was no shock, then, that Flynt faced many legal fights over obscenity laws or that he was intensely disliked by the religious right and feminist groups. I am enjoying having a 4 iron in my bag and knowing i can hit it 200 yards like I used to hit my 3 iron when first playing oversized irons gives me the confidence I need when standing at the tee or in the fairway. Please keep full methodology “in reach” each time do another super datacratic article. Mention Mizuno’s to me now and I’ll run the other way. DID YOU KNOW: If only 1% of MyGolfSpy readers donated $25, we would be able to become completely independent in 12-months. But if the specs are the same, pick the head you like the look of the best and get the right shaft. The iron with the highest aggregated Top Group Percentage is our Most Wanted. Performance should be your primary concern when buying new irons, but there are some additional considerations you may want to think about before you make your purchasing decision. I know it’s what the manufacturer sends, but comparing these 7 irons with crazy differences in loft is hard. Distance is not king. It’s between a 4I and 5I in my 2006 Wilson Staff Fi5’s and goes about the same distance as my 6I. I repeat miserably. Another excellent report and one that we all can trust! We are here to help educate and empower golfers. I recently purchased the Mizuno JPX 919 HM Pro’s, Awesome, looks great, Good Distance, and good distance on off center hits. Then the other shoe Dropped, I remembered why I went to other Brand, Yup rust on the face after 2 rounds of golf, now have 3 rounds under my belt and 3 rusty clubs. The four par 5’s are routed to bring more angles and strategy into play with the exception of the sixteenth hole which is on the most cramped land on the entire course but with a very silly green added to it to likely make it the most disliked hole on the golf course. Has there been any consideration to matching tester clubs based on loft and the numbered iron. Mizuno completely screwed up all the lie angles little pain in the ass when it came to them fixing them. The Callaway Apex irons were a total disappointment for me. Once we’ve calculated top group percentages across the entire test pool, we need to aggregate long, middle, and short irons. Even within the game improvement category, prices can exceed $1000. Again, I need to reiterate that we’re just talking about Bob here. It’s no wonder that the Tommy Armour 7I whad the best distance….it has 6I loft when compared to the other irons tested. If you’re looking for forgiveness – the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal is a good pick. Recently purchased the a combo set of Srixon Z 585/785’s. Though they have made these irons slightly smaller than the previous model in the line but it still remains as one of the most … Why aren’t you more consistent now? so are those 2 very similar in overall foregivness or r the 919HM more forgiving since they r bigger and in game improvement catagory? After a few rounds, I couldn’t get any consistency and the feel and sound was ”hard” They are actually small heel to toe. It may also present you with valuable reaches to produce your keep there more pleasing. He previously served as a co-anchor of the "FOX 29 News at Five" and "FOX 29 News at Ten". The massive plus for me is the feel and sound which for me is the best I have ever used. *visit For The Win: https://www.ftw.usatoday.com Patrick Reed has widely been known as one of PGA’s most disliked golfers.He won the Masters in 2018, and golf fans continued to dislike him. No one golfer requires the same specs and measurements in every club. You might want to check out Rick Shiels Golf Youtube channel. Before determining our rankings, we identify and remove outliers using a proprietary detection methodology. Love the way they look at address. You almost need a statistic that shows yardage per degree of launch angle to get a real comparison. The consumers couldn’t handle it. What we’re effectively saying is that, based on the results of our test, we believe it’s the club (or set of clubs) that has the highest probability of being among the best for any given golfer. Consequently, Bob’s top group contains 5 clubs. You guys even mentioned on your podcast that these GI irons can be hard to hit for many players. When comparing the Srixon 585 to the Mizuno, Srixon had higher ball speed, more spin, higher apex, longer distance, less of center, and closer to hole. We believe in always putting #ConsumerFirst. Don’t know that my data analysis is on point, but I definitely found it interesting! Thanks for asking this question, I was confused by this too. Also, after playing with numerous different brands, I now realize that unless you are a low single figure handicap, you best choice is game improvement irons. This serves as the basis for what we call the Top Group Percentage. 2204 Liked! At the end, no other iron came close in total distance to the Ping G410. So, I did that – for the 5-iron. Would it be possible to compare the “Most Wanted” from previous years to determine whether this generation of irons is actually and upgrade over previous years? As with most things in the golf equipment industry, there is no universal standard for set composition. A 2015 ESPN players poll named him the second most-disliked man on tour (behind Bubba … I had crossed the TA Atomics off my list because of consistancy. Let’s say Bob hits an ‘average’ 7-iron 130 and Steve hits an ‘average’ 7-iron 160. Hi, need new irons due to needing graphite. The New York Times praises Kerner’s “cool sense of humor and an obsessive desire to inform,” as he “encourages men through an act that many find mystifying.” Typically how many rounds does it t are wear out a set of irons etc…..I play 230 rounds a year ( I live in Florida). @TONY the info in your comment is great. They were 8 yards longer than any other brand. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory and his legendary ball-striking ability. We also solicit feedback from our testers. Tim, I have worked in the golf department of a major sporting goods chain for the last 4 years, fitting , repairing, and selling clubs.. Titleist hasnt shaken the stigma that they are for better players only, even with the great strides theyve made with forgiveness, and different shaft options. The most talented player on the team got cut for issues with the coach and the general feeling was the kid was the coolest guy in the ninth grade; … Jack the lofts strong and lengthen the shafts, and a 7 is now a 6 and is going to reflect those launch/spin and dispersion properties. Played blades for years but age is catching up and decided to try an easier club. Our pool of testers consists of 20 golfers with handicaps ranging from plus to the mid-teens. And PING has done the same with G410 Irons set. ”Bought and sold within 2 weeks!” Probably, a little too demanding for a mi HC? A comparison of the lofts tells the story. Fellow golfers if you want a more consistent iron play SL are the answer, ask yourself if it’s easier to hit a short iron or long iron? that confuses me, is that true? While it is meant to highlight some of the feedback obtained during the test, it’s important to note that none of it is directly related to the actual performance of the club, and as such, does not factor in the overall rankings. First, we calculate a strokes gained value for each shot. Something important left out on those Tommy Armour Atomics, they have a FORGED TITANIUM FACE! thank u 4 any help deciding, really torn…. The stats on the PW were interesting too. But at what cost? it has the loft of a traditional 5 iron !! Thin or fat all shots will still fly 95% of the distance. So what we do is look at how (using Strokes Gained as our metric) Bob’s performance with the Hot Metal compared to Bob’s performance with the Atomic and all of the other irons Bob tested. Soooo, the AP1 was the top rated (best performing overall) but the 919 was the ‘most wanted’? Our rankings are based purely on launch monitor data and quantifiable performance metrics. A: ZERO. Thomas Drayton is an American Emmy award-winning anchor and correspondent. While we all understand that accuracy and consistency are the most essential elements of competent iron play, almost inexplicably, distance is still what moves the needle in the iron category. When will this end? Among the top rated irons for feel in this year’s game improvement test were the Srixon Z585 (2018 Winner); and a newcomer – the Tommy Armour Atomic. Justin Thomas came excruciatingly close to making history during his win at The Players, Lee Westwood's fiancée/caddie gave Justin Thomas a sweet keepsake moments after his win, Justin Thomas took a playful jab at Tiger Woods after winning The Players Championship, This year's NCAA tournament is really going to miss Duke, Loyola Chicago is back in the NCAA tournament, which means Sister Jean is too, Pelicans' Jaxson Hayes delivered the posterization of the year over Reggie Jackson, Drew Brees pens retirement letter, shares touching advice for 'all the Young Dreamers'. Distance literally means nothing. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Clubs like the Cleveland Launcher CBX, PING G410, and our Most Wanted Winner – the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal – were among the top-rated for slower swing speed golfers. All the average guy cares about is how far he hits his 7 iron. Both club and head data are captured using Foresight GCQuad launch monitors. One thing I hate about face flex is the hot shot that goes over the back on a middle pin. While game improvement irons as a whole are not designed to be the most workable (based on the placement of mass), there are still some irons from the 2019 Most Wanted Game Improvement Iron Test that offer shorter blade lengths, thinner soles, and less perimeter weighting. This year we put 17 of the top game-improvement models to the test. *like FTW on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usatodayftw, Bill Belichick pulled a Bill Belichick on Monday and it was beautiful, Kyle Kuzma airballed a technical foul free throw and the Warriors' bench went nuts, NBA insider Shams Charania broke Jameis Winston NFL news, to the chagrin of one NFL insider, The Bachelor Season Finale live stream, 'After the Final Rose', TV channel, start time, preview, how to watch, Texas Rangers had someone break mask rules in their own ad about opening the stadium, Patrick Mahomes was very happy to see the Chiefs are signing a former Patriots offensive lineman, ESPN's Adam Schefter reveals Chris Mortensen just followed him on Twitter for first time, Hilarious video breaks down how a Pirates player struck out and got hit by the same pitch, Watch: Tarpon leaps over boat, narrowly missing captain’s head, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. While there are no irons in our testing that feature adjustability, we fit to flex for each tester in the pool. If you’re looking for max distance, the Tommy Armour Atomic irons are a definite favorite from our test, though it’s important to remember that stronger lofts are an easy way to generate extra yards. A: To determine the Most Forgiving Game Improvement Iron, we focus on a narrower set of metrics that includes: Shot Area (dispersion), Radial Distance,  Accuracy, and the average standard deviation for ball speed and carry yards. This advanced technology utilizes gyroscopes and strain gauges to measure things like club speed, tempo, and how much the shaft is flexing at impact. What’s different this year is we’ve leveled things out a bit. A: To determine the Most Wanted Game Improvement Iron, we collect performance metrics with Foresight GCQuad Launch Monitors. The ping G410 is still 3 degrees stronger than my set, so then I need a Gap gap wedge to fit between PW and GW. Players irons typically buck the trend. Just put degrees of loft on the irons and then we can finally start comparing apples to apples. Also the first time I’ve gone to graphite shafts. As a group, they span a broad range of swing characteristics (head speed, attack angle, etc.). We want to reemphasize that, while we do collect and share noteworthy portions of this subjective feedback, it does not factor in our rankings. Would you be willing to help by giving a donation? For many golfers, a heavier (and often stiffer relative to flex) offering can result in lower launch and spin with more consistency delivering the club. Watch: Nice catch by osprey, excellent steal by pelican, Teeth-baring brown bear chases ski instructor in 3 minutes of ‘horror’. The answer to the best performing shaft question stretches well beyond graphite vs. steel. Over the course of several sessions, each golfer is required to hit 10-12 "good" shots with each club. First, be realistic about your skill level, if your handicap is above 10 and ball-striking is not a legitimate strength, consider game improvement or super game improvement. It’s important is that you make sure your iron set can fill every spot in the bag you need it to fill and that you’re not forced to buy additional clubs you don’t want or need. Another Aside: What’s interesting is that there are occasions where a middle iron might perform really well for an individual tester, while the long iron or wedge might not. Occasionally manufacturers will send multiple sets with different stock shafts that we can utilize to improve launch conditions. #PowerToThePlayer. We don’t want to favor longer just because it’s longer. Some years they might move back. Mizuno in top, Tommy armour showing very well, as did Cobra and Srixon. ... Robinson first became involved with TGA, his camps are responsible for developing hundreds of single-digit handicap golfers. He did testing of 5 year’s worth of Taylormade Drivers to compare their stats, for instance. The most preferred sort of pork is lechĂłn, a special dish in Puerto Rico that involves spit-roasting an entire pig with a mix of sauces as well as flavors. I can’t imagine their opinion would differ much from the others we’ve spoken with. So it comes down to somewhat of a personal taste regarding appearance and feel. Of course, if you want new irons because you want new irons, that’s fine too. May be hard to explain sure, but still worthwhile. The Best Game Improvement Irons of 2019 Have Been Announced! Also you can have stiff steel in one name brand and regular steel in another name brand. For our overall winner we look at Strokes Gained, and more to the point, what matters is that an iron produces a statistically reliable difference across the 3 irons tested from each set. The MYX Plus, On sale $1,399 (Normally $1,499) at MYX Fitness. Can you hit the irons consistently, accurately and manage distance. Yeah well Ben Hogan Golf Company tried the loft on iron thing and failed miserably. I was fitted for Mizuno JPX 800 Pro’s way back (when had proper lofts and got a positive sticker shock when fitter said “and by the way that is the cheapest option out of the shortlist”. Tony, the one caveat I would add is this is a test based on neutral results, but the results that might show up with each amateur golfer allows for a difference in results. One of the easiest (and frequently employed) methods to increase distance is to decrease loft; essentially turning yesterday's 6-iron into today's 7-iron. Game Improvement clubs are designed to offer more forgiveness across the clubface, and even give you a little bit of the extra distance you’ve always wanted (or used to have). That being said, consistency always matter. NOTHING we do here, club tests, ball tests, any test, happens without direct consultation with experts on the other side of the industry. It could be the years have skewed the memory. I don’t like it, but it’s a bit of a compromise between what we think is right and what our readers want to see. Was fit into some 919 hot metals a couple weeks ago. This laugh is on the house…. That might give us more apples to apples comparisons. * denotes measured value vs. manufacturer’s stated spec. He is a FOX 29 News co-anchor of the 4-6 a.m. hours of "Good Day Philadelphia". I can’t wait for Tony Covey to respond to this with some absurd rationale as to how that is not better! America is the richest nation in the world. If you’re in the market for a workable, yet still forgiving head, consider the Srixon Z585, a 2018 Most Wanted Winner. When is the gap wedge going to be like a 9 iron and we need 5 wedges to climb up to a lob wedge? As always, it's essential to get properly fitted to ensure the most consistent and accurate results. If the 0311 XF falls in your price range, there's little reason not to take them into the fitting bay when presented with the opportunity. I understand why MGS has categorized the Z585 in the GI iron category (as it’s the most forgiving offering in their lineup) but IMO it’s definitely the most compact /sleek looking head in this testing. Most people have a minimum of one place they dream about planing a trip to. We always recommend taking the time to go through a professional fitting, but if you don’t have the resources, ask your local golf shop if they have a Mizuno Shaft Optimizer. Tony: One thing that’d be really interesting in an iron test is a “gap chart” across the 3 iron types. Please do stick with it. This infusion process leads to a uniquely sweet and satisfying coffee flavor that's rich beyond measure. And of top of that, they’re cheaper than their competition. It can be challenging to navigate the different models, weights, and flexes to find the shaft that’s right for you. Can’t seem to get the rankings in the data chart from best to worst, just in alphabetical order. The ultimate coffee infusion by Drew Estate.Drew Estate Tabak Especial is a fantastic infusion of Nicaragua’s best coffee beans and aged, Esteli-grown long-fillers. 51 Disliked 0 humor. Quick Aside: We name a LONGEST IRON because golfers still fixate on that. You state “The best rated overall for the 2019 Game Improvement Iron Test was Titleist AP1. Jeff, it’s been like that since I switched from hard to consistently hit blades to oversized (now game improvement) irons. %link% That’s not misleading, that just physics. It’s incredibly disappointing and unnerving that as someone who claims to work for a golf company you would need me to explain that there’s not much to be learned by looking at averages across a pool of 20 disparate testers and how the performance of the highest swing speed/longest golfers skews the averages. Is the Atomic longer BECAUSE it’s jacked. If you find the fact that we don’t put much stock in averages without consideration for statistical reliability absurd, so be it, but you might want to talk to your R&D team first. I have not seen one on line review from TXG, Shiels, Newton, Crossfield, The Average Golfer, James Robinson, etc that shows a substantial if any improvement in distance or overall performance with this years drivers. 15 of 20 16 of 20 FILE - "Hustler" magazine publisher Larry Flynt reads his Christmas statement to the press on Dec. 18, 1977, in New York. It’s not really an upgrade if my 13 year old clubs perform the same or better than current technology. I think they are all good and its a matter of personal preference. First Reason- Golf is the most difficult sport! Is anybody going to call this BS and say that length is irrelevant from iron testing. While added distance can be enticing, be aware of the implications it can have on trajectory and accuracy – remember that precision is much more important than distance in your irons. Key Audemars Piguet Watch Models. While the top performing irons in our test are in that range, the Cobra F9 SpeedBack and TaylorMade M5 irons can be considered a relative bargain. I’ve been gaming the 919 Hot Metal Pros for over a month now. Unless you happen to swing exactly like the person authoring the review, it lacks any real benefit. I usually go through wedges once a year. Hell yes, it is. I was fitted for irons about 2 months ago. I believe you had clubs ranked top to bottom in previous years? Testers on average rated this club highest in all three categories of looks, feel and alignment.” Can you elaborate on why it wasn’t then designated “The Most Wanted”? How can the Srixon 585 fall so far from 1st place last year? She's also a YouTube star.…” With over 10,000 shots hit, this is the most comprehensive and independent iron test in the world.