In The Mail: Acer XF Irons

Just received in the mail for review: a set of Acer XF Irons from Hireko.Com

The 2009 Edition of the Acer XF Irons were Golf Digest’s Best Value Iron, but groove rules from the USGA forced Hireko to change the set (including, as it turns out, requiring new Medallions for easier identification). So rather than just make groove and cosmetic changes,  Hireko set off to improve the clubs.

Unfortunately, with temperatures in the low 20s and the evil white stuff on the ground, I can’t do a full review, so I’ll just give a few impressions:

They’re a handsome looking set, with nicely chiseled lines and an appealing look at address. For a game improvement iron, they’re positively sleek. I like the medallion design on the back. They’re also balanced nicely, and felt good in my garage swings.

As with everything I’ve seen from Hireko, the build quality is top rate. The ferules are done well (a sign of care in clubmaking, because its easy to skip the turning phase) and the grips properly aligned (another sign of build quality).

I’ll do a full review as soon as weather permits.

The official literature on the set is below:

It Doesn’t Get Better Than This
The sizzling new Acer XF Irons bring the latest in technology to every type of player.

Available Friday, December 17, 2010!

The Acer XF iron represents our newest generation of game improvement irons to fit the mass majority of golfers today. I am going to boldly state that the Acer XF takes over where the current Acer XK iron left off. You are probably asking why change what was Golf Digest’s 2009 Best Value Iron in 2009? To be honest, my bosses were thinking the same thing.

Well a funny thing happened on the way to the drawing board – the USGA changed the rule about the shape of the groove that you might have heard a thing or two about. The easy thing would have been to retool the Acer XK model with new grooves and some sort of engraving or a different medallion to distinguish the new from the old version (yes, the USGA requires that). Well we just decided to take the more adventurous route and create a better version.

As the name implies, the XF stands for extra forgiving and here is the reason. We were actually able carve out a little more weight and reposition it lower and further back away from the face to make the penalty for miss-hitting the ball a thing of the past. We also did a few things to the appearance to make it more appealing. One was to bevel the topline so it was less chunky looking at address. Plus we made the rear flange a little manlier looking.

What didn’t change though were all the things that made the Acer XK our most popular iron including the versatility or comprehensive line that was able to fit golfers of all skill levels and regardless if they were right or left handed.

This week the standard RH version will be available with the reduced offset Pro and the HT (High Trajectory) models following soon along with maybe a hidden surprise that will come at a later time.

Acer XF Standard Irons
The standard XF is designed to fit the broadest range of golfers with ample offset to help the player square up the face at impact enabling the player to hit both straight and solid shots as well as instill confidence in their game. The non-glare topline has been beveled to provide a less chunky appearance at address.

Acer XF Pro Irons
The XF Pro is a more compact, reduced offset version for players who don’t struggle with pushing or fading the ball, but want some added forgiveness but not so much that can’t work the ball when the shot is called for.

Acer XF HT Irons
Lastly there is a higher launching, wider soled XF HT version with the same amount of offset and extra forgiveness as the standard model.