Players Distance

performance

★★★★ ½

innovation

★★★★ ½

look • sound • feel

★★★★ ½

demand player comment “The feel is crisp. No vibration through impact. Plenty of distance. The ball felt spring-loaded coming off the face.”

performance

innovation

look • sound • feel

demand

★★★ ½

player comment “It feels solid and light. You can really work the ball. They’ve made a club that diff erentiates itself from other models.”

honma

TR21X RRP AED 6,825

▶ Sometimes you can be a victim of your own success. For Honma, this means having to make a players-distance iron that brings plenty of heat in the same highly attractive clubhead the company is famous for. The TR21X irons accomplish this. They might look like single-piece forged irons at fi rst glance, but they’re actually hollow construction with an unsupported Carpenter steel L-face insert (in which the bottom of the face wraps around part of the sole). A U-shape wedge of tungsten is positioned low and near the sole with portions raised in the heel and toe to maximise performance on shots struck in those areas. The tungsten—which ranges from 50 to 89 grams depending on the iron—is also set back from the face, allowing it to fl ex more easily at impact. To deliver the proper sound, a foam is used inside the head to dampen unwanted vibrations. Those seeking a lightweight shaft can choose from the company’s proprietary Vizard graphite shafts in 65 or 85 grams (the lighter version is about half the weight of a typical steel shaft). Oh, and don’t scratch your head when you see a 10- and 11-iron. Those are Honma’s pitching and gap wedges.

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mizuno

JPX921 FORGED RRP AED 5,075

▶ To create a players-distance iron, you need a face material strong enough to create the thin, fast-fl exing faces required in this category—perhaps something like the chromoly steel alloy used in the roll cages of race cars or M16 rifl es. That’s exactly the kind of steel Mizuno uses here. The alloy allows Mizuno to create a thinner, hotter face in a relatively compact, better-player shape. This also created new opportunities for designers to produce a face that’s 16 percent thinner in the centre. The face also has a 45 percent larger area that yields the fastest ball speeds since the JPX 919 Forged, Mizuno’s previous model in this category. Making the face thinner has benefi ts other than just adding ball speed. A thinner face equals weight savings, which allowed Mizuno’s designers to create a lower, deeper centre of gravity, especially on the long irons, to help get shots airborne without sacrificing forgiveness. In terms of shape, this iron trends back toward better-player preferences, including a thinner topline and a beveled, narrower sole for improved shot-making opportunities. Plus, there might not be enough o’s in smooth to describe the sweet-feeling experience at impact.

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performance

innovation

look • sound • feel

★★★★ ½

demand

★★★ ½

player comment “There’s an indescribable joy seeing the ball leap off the face and storm down the fairway with authority. A commanding trajectory.”

performance

★★★★ ½

innovation

★★★★ ½

look • sound • feel

★★★★ ½

demand

★★★ ½

player comment “Thin topline and sleek back. Everything felt and sounded crisp, even if you didn’t hit it that way. High launch and fl ight lets shots stop.”

mizuno

JPX921 HOT METAL PRO RRP AED 5,075

▶ Despite a devoted following among highly skilled golfers for its forged-iron creations, Mizuno’s cast irons remain among its most successful in the market. Expect the JPX921 Hot Metal Pro to continue that trend. The combination of a unique steel alloy and a smart design allowed Mizuno to make a forgiving, powerful iron in a relatively compact package. Helping achieve this is the use of high-strength chromoly steel to make the thinnest face in company history at 2.2 millimeters in the centre and as thin as 1.9 millimeters in some spots. Sometimes design features can go unnoticed even though they are valuable. That’s the case with the variable-thickness-sole design with a thin area at the leading edge that behaves like a hinge, allowing the already fl exible face to rebound even more, particularly on shots struck low on the face. After studying vibration patterns, Mizuno’s designers updated the perimeter undercut cavity, adding three ribs to further support the frame of the iron for better sound and feel. The lofts have been bumped down a degree to keep consistent loft gaps for those mixing these irons with the standard Hot Metal model.

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ping

i500 RRP AED 6,150

▶ How do you squeeze every yard of distance out of an iron while maintaining a relatively classic shape? For Ping the answer is by using a hollow structure with a forged, heat-treated maraging-steel face insert. This combination allows for fi ve times the bending of the face at impact compared to a standard cast iron. It’s a technology the company first used in its Crossover utility irons to create a distance boost with a higher launch angle. Increasing the launch is especially important. The i500 irons have lofts that are 2.5 degrees stronger than Ping’s i210 players iron, but the i500 produces the same apex farther downrange. The result is more carry with plenty of shotstopping ability. (Also, a “Power Spec” version with lofts that are 1 and 1.5 degrees stronger is available for golfers who want even more distance.) One benefi t of the thinner face insert is weight savings, some of which is used for a tungsten slug in the toe that helps to minimise the loss of distance on mis-hits. Finally, don’t overlook the HydroPearl Chrome 2.0 fi nish. It repels water, providing more consistency out of the rough or for those playing early morning dew-sweeper rounds.

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performance

innovation

★★★★ ½

look • sound • feel

★★★★ ½

demand

★★ ½

player comment “A crisp, hot face produces distance in a workman, industrial look— the work being dropping dimes near the cup. ”

performance

★★★★ ½

innovation

look • sound • feel

demand player comment “Light and fast. It rips through the ball. A high ball fl ight, and the spin allows you to yank the string on short-iron shots.”

pxg

0311 P GEN3 RRP AED 12,950

▶ One can surmise from just looking at the outside of this iron that it’s an intricate piece of engineering. How intricate, however, is unseen. The body geometry is so unique it requires fi ve sets of tools to create the fi nal 8620 carbon-steel clubhead. Computer milling is used for the back portion to create a body with thin walls. Although the thin face is designed for distance, it needs room to fl ex. To make this happen, PXG has made a signifi cant change from its Gen2 models, which used a polymer that enhanced feel but did not increase speed. PXG’s designers took inspiration from golf-ball technology in which multilayer balls have a soft, responsive core covered by a firm mantle layer. PXG calls its version of this the “Impact Reactor.” Inside the hollow clubheads, a dual core features a soft-polymer core to help the face load, storing energy instead of having it dissipate. Meanwhile, the fi rmpolymer outer core provides ample stability for the extremely thin (1.5 millimeter) face that generates plenty of giddy-up and a morethan-pleasant feel. The lofts are traditional, providing plenty of height without having to work for it. The slightly friendlier price for a PXG players-distance iron is welcome, too.

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srixon

ZX5 RRP AED 5,195

▶ This is a players-distance iron with a lot of players iron in it. The quality of turf interaction is noticeable because of an updated Tour VT sole that features a higher bounce angle toward the leading edge that progressively tapers to less bounce on the trailing edge. Not that the club is lacking in the kind of distance technology that lets you hit one club less than those in your foursome. Using artifi cial intelligence to produce thousands of face designs, the fi nal product is a multipiece iron that features a high-strength steel face insert (SUP 10) supported by a soft 1020 carbon-steel body and hosel. The backside of each face is milled in a variable-thickness pattern comprising grooves, channels and cavities to provide extra ball speed. To increase forgiveness, tungsten is placed in the toe of the long and middle irons (up to the 7-iron), and the grooves on those irons are wider and deeper. In the 8-iron through pitching wedge the grooves are closer together to get more of the groove edges on the ball for maximum grab. The stock shafts are Nippon’s N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour. They have a rigid high-tip section that helps keep the clubhead square at impact and minimises unwanted extra spin.

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performance

★★★★ ½

innovation

look • sound • feel

demand player comment “The low, gentle sound at impact mirrors the feel in your hands, even on thin shots hit off the bottom of the club.”

performance

innovation

look • sound • feel

★★★★ ½

demand player comment “Love the soft lines. Has a timeless look anyone can appreciate. The consistency on off -centre shots will save strokes.”

taylormade

P•770 RRP AED 5,795

▶ The new P•770 iron might have tour-pro looks, but it’s built to be highly eff ective for golfers who don’t play for pay. The hollowbody construction is made from 8620 soft-carbon steel with a thin 4140 steel face that’s forged to promote red-hot ball speeds. The P•770 also borrows the injected “SpeedFoam” from the P•790 iron for an extra-distance boost. Tungsten weighting (as much as 46 grams in the 3- through 7-irons) helps increase forgiveness and makes those pesky long irons easier to hit. Protecting ball speed on mis-hits is always a design goal, and the company’s cone-shaped variable-thickness pattern on the inside of the face helps TaylorMade achieve this. The pattern is positioned diff erently within each iron—behind the centre of the face on the middle irons and toward the toe on the long irons to deliver performance where golfers need it most. Not to be forgotten is the speed-pocket slot on the sole that can make a shot hit a little thin behave close to a centre strike. A high-buff polish and tour-satin fi nish deliver a unifi ed look across the P-Series irons, allowing the company to better address the growing demand among consumers to have the option to create combo sets.

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taylormade

P•790 RRP AED 5,795

▶ TaylorMade’s original version sold more than a million sticks to golfers of all skill levels—single-digit players as well as middlehandicappers. It makes sense then that TaylorMade didn’t want to stray too far from what made the original successful even as it worked to design meaningful enhancements. The outside of the iron hasn’t changed much, but inside there are several key design alterations, starting with a 7 percent thinner forged 4140 steel face insert cut in the same L-shape as the original. The thinner face (as thin as 1.6 millimeters, or barely thicker than a penny) fl exes more for increased ball speeds. To maintain a cushioned feel, TaylorMade engineers used a urethane-foam fi lling inside the clubhead that has the benefi t of generating more rebound, too. In addition, an internal tungsten bar is positioned low and runs from the heel to the toe—across the impact zone—creating a higher launch for the long irons. As has been the custom in many of TaylorMade’s irons since the introduction of its RocketBladez model, a cut-through slot in the sole allows the face to fl ex even more at impact, providing a distance boost any player would happily take.

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performance

innovation

look • sound • feel

★★★★ ½

demand

★★★★ ½

player comment “A rising ball fl ight delivers consistent results with the bonus of pin-holding backspin. Elegant look, too.”

performance

innovation

★★★★ ½

look • sound • feel

demand

★★ ½

player comment “A high, arcing trajectory. The buttery softness at impact diff erentiates this club from the pack. It feels cozy in your hands.”

titleist

T200 RRP AED 6,195

▶ Whether you’re an aspiring tour pro or just trying to break 90, Titleist has provided irons for each in recent years. The T200 iron straddles the line between those extremes. It has an appearance that appeals to better players and performance features average golfers will love. The T200 is without question technologically ambitious. A forged, high-strength steel L-face wraps around a portion of the sole to create more rebound. To assist off -centre hits and to create more air under shots, an average of 90 grams of tungsten is placed in the heel and toe of the middle and long irons. However, collaboration between Titleist’s club R&D team and its ball R&D team led to the technological hero of this iron. A spherical structure called “Max Impact,” a lightweight silicone polymer that is positioned directly behind the face’s impact area, allows for a super-thin face. Furthermore, the support improves the way the face gives across a broader area, allowing for more consistency from shot to shot. For those seeking a more rebellious look, the company off ers the irons in clubheads with a high-polish black PVD fi nish with black shafts and grips, too, that give you a 1-up advantage at the bag drop.

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mizuno

MP-20 HMB RRP AED 5,915

▶ It used to be that consumers would see a muscle-back blade and instantly shy away. No more. The fact is, golfers now realise some blade-like shapes house hollow-body-construction performance with loads of playability and forgiveness. The MP-20 HMB is one such iron. The 2- through 7-irons are hollow. The face and neck are forged, and a pair of 12-gram tungsten weights are placed low in the heel and toe sections to lower the centre of gravity and foster forgiveness. The 8-iron, as a transition iron to the scoring clubs, has the hollow construction but no tungsten, and the 9-iron and pitching wedge have a partial hollow body. An underlayer of copper is used to enhance feel from the usual double-nickel-chrome plating. Although some irons in this category jack lofts or chase ball speed in a specifi c area, this iron has traditional lofts and a re-engineered face to deliver more consistent distances across a larger portion of the face—or exactly what most golfers want in clubs designed for approach shots to the green. An aggressive sole bevel helps the wider soles glide through the turf more easily, and a chamfered topline provides the sleek look at address better players crave.

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players-distance irons ride a hot streak

This fast-growing category appeals to a variety of golfers

▶ it’s not that the exquisitely shaped, sufficiently spicy playersdistance irons are the iron form perfected. But this category is the fastest-growing iron segment in the game. With sleek looks, subtle forgiveness and extreme playability, they appeal to a variety of players. As an example, TaylorMade says a quarter of the sales of its P790 players-distance irons are to golfers with handicaps of 12 or higher. What’s the appeal? Simple. They give you the distance a playersiron lacks without sacrificing trajectory. They also offer some golfers distance approaching that of super-game-improvement irons with no change in height. We had a low-handicapper hit every players iron and players-distance iron on the Hot List. The results are meaningful: perhaps the difference between landing in a bunker or on the green. Players-distance irons simply provide many golfers with the iron shape they lust for and the distance, trajectory and spin they need. —MS

performance

innovation

look • sound • feel

★★★ ½

demand

★½ player comment “Cushioned power exploding off the face and carrying forever. The trajectory just pierces through the air.”

titleist

CNCPT CP-03 RRP: TBC

▶ When a single iron in a set costs about as much as the monthly payment on a luxury automobile, it’s OK to question its presence on this list. The technology stuff ed within this iron, however, is too intriguing to ignore. Designed to fi t between the Titleist CP-02 and CP-04, the CP-03 is a slightly larger playersshape blade with minimal off set. The company uses a material it refers to as “super metal” that is nearly twice as strong as 17-4 stainless steel to create a multi-material hollow body that is similar in size to the AP2 iron that was popular on the PGA Tour. Unlike the AP2, however, this club features an ultra-thin L-shape face that wraps around part of the sole to deliver extra distance. Perhaps just as impressive is the amount of highdensity tungsten in the relatively compact head. Each iron in the series uses about the same amount of tungsten inside the heel and toe (an average of 104 grams in the long and middle irons) that is found in the company’s hollow-body utility irons. That all adds up to an incredibly fast face in a players-iron shape with the off -centre-hit stability of a game-improvement iron. If cost isn’t a consideration, then these irons are worth a look.

Coming soon to eGolf Megastore, visit egolfmegastore.ae

iron launch angle ball speed spin peak height (yds) landing angle

carry distance

players 18.9 120.9 6,468 36 48.5 170

players distance 17.1 124.9 6,466 35 47.7 177

Updating your favourite pro’s logo

Because we can all use a branding refresh

BY COLEMAN BENTLEY & ALEX MYERS