Cobra S9 2008 Men’s Iron Set

The 2008 version of Cobra’s S9 irons feature an expanded 3 piece polymer topline and a urethane sole insert. This is designed to create a lower Center of Gravity and a higher Moment of Intertia than the original model. The result is higher launch, more distance and greater accuracy. That’s a good result for a club that already was a 2007 Golf Digest Editor’s Choice.

I find these multi-materials clubs fascinating. It surely takes an incredible amount of metals and plastics engineering to get it all to hold together.

Mizuno MX-950 Men’s Iron Set

I used to think that Mizuno clubs were just for “players,” probably because the guys who played them seemed to regularly kick my butt. Even so, when I went to try a Mizuno driver at a local demo day, I also spent some time with their irons.

As it turns out, there IS a Mizuno Iron for the rest of us. It’s the MX-950, a hybrid design set that features Mizuno’s grain flow forgings. The three and four irons are pure hybrids with tungsten weighting. The five, six and seven are hybrid irons, with hollow core forged steel. Meanwhile, the eight through LW are forged steel cavity backs, with wide soles. The entire set is designed to transition seamlessly from club to club.

I hit these and was really excited about the results. They were easily the most consistent set I’ve played, in terms of hitting good shot after good shot after good shot.  I’d be really interested in seeing how these play out for me over the course of a round.

If I ever had the money to get a new set of irons, these would be a top choice.

Power Play System Q Dual Iron

The Power Play System Q Dual Irons offer customized weighting in an iron. The heel and toe ports accept 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 gram weight screws to enable you to customize your ball flight. The irons also feature an oversized face and a wide sole with reduced bounce to enhance forgiveness.

This isn’t a bad idea. I tend to hook my short irons and slice the long ones. A set like this could help to straighten them all out.

P2 Deep Cavity Irons

New for 2008 are GigaGolf’s P2 Deep Cavity Iron. With a deep cavity that allows precision weight redistribution, these irons are designed to offer the higher handicapper distance, control and forgiveness.

Interestingly, the set offers an optional 2 iron—something you just don’t find today. GigaGolf says that’s a measure of how confident they are in the playability of their clubs. Or, you can add matching P2 Hybrids.

You can customize these clubs to your heart’s content, changing grips, shafts, flex, length and lie. As with all GigaGolf products, these come with a playability guarantee.

TaylorMade Tour Burner Men’s Iron Set

I have iron envy. These new TaylorMade Tour irons look like they were designed just for me. The race car styling just screams “Buy Me! I’m FAST.”

TaylorMade says that these are designed for a wide variety of player abilities—from the tour level to mid-handicappers. The club starts with a thin 2.2 milimeter face that’s designed to deliver a high coefficient of restitution (rebound effect). Thinner = more rebound. And that means more ball speed and distance. It’s also got the TaylorMade Inverted Cone Technology, which is designed to enlarge the sweet spot on the clubs.

I have that on my TaylorMade clubs, and can testify that it works. As inconsistent as I am in striking the ball, my distances stay consistent.

Other technologies include “distinct heel and toe weighting” for increased moment of inertia (resistance to twisting), and a large “multifunctional sole” that’s beveled to make it perform better from a variety of lies. The design also is supposed to promote a low and deep center of gravity for higher launch.

The best part for me though, is that it has the look of a better player’s club. I long to play with a sleek clubhead, but know that—realistically—I need to play with a game improvement iron. The look of the Tour Burners is designed for just such a player.

Envy is a terrible thing. It’s one of those seven deadly sins, you know.