A week or so ago, I reviewed the Callaway Big Bertha Irons that I tried at my club’s demo day. I liked them, and a reader pointed out that, even though they are marketed as clubs for higher handicapers, they hit so straight that the pros are using them.

Now it seems that they are making their way into the pipeline of Callaway’s Pre Owned clubs store. With the way that the big manufacturers set their prices, this is about the only way you’re going to get a deal on a set.

Big Bertha(2004) Iron Set Mens Graphite Shaft

From Pinemeadow golf comes the Pinemeadow Matrix Hybrid Iron Set. I’ve replaced all of my long irons with hybrids, and have really improved my game. So perhaps the thing to do is to go to a complete hybrid set.

At the price these are offered ($169), I don’t think that I could do better even if I built them myself. And with a 30-day guarentee, Pinemeadow seems to be pretty confident that you’re going to like the clubs

I may give these a try.

Here’s Pinemeadow’s ad copy:

Forgiving consistent and great playability! The Pinemeadow Matrix irons employ the latest trend in easy to play iron sets. They feature three distinct head styles for each facet of play guaranteeing to make your iron game more enjoyable to play. The 3 4 and 5 irons have been replaced with ultra forgiving hybrid woods for golfers who have difficulty hitting longer irons but than again who doesn’t? The hybrid shape and wide sole makes the clubs very long and easy to hit. The unique sole design helps the club sit properly improving proper setup. The 6 and 7 irons feature a deep hollow muscle which pushes the weight down and back for a low center of gravity and high moment of inertia resulting in helping you get under the ball at impact and increased distance without having to sacrifice accuracy. The 8 9 PW and SW have a wider sole and traditional cavity back with a low deep weight for superior accuracy and control keeping consistency with the forgiving quality of the set. Set includes 3-PW with an option to add the SW for an additional cost. If you are considering this ultra forgiving set the [doublewall.1] is the most forgiving driver on the market making a perfect compliment. This club is available in custom lengths and flexes. Click for more info.

The Callaway Rep came around to the club last week, and I spent about an hour an a half hitting every club he had. I’m sure he was tired of me by the end.

The Big Bertha irons turned out to be the easiest clubs I’ve ever hit. Every shot got up in the air, and flew almost perfectly straight. Even the ones that I knew I hit off the toe flew straight (though not as long). I tried to hit my usual fade: the ball flew straight. I hit it fat, and the ball flew up and straight. I hit it thin and .... well, you get the idea.

Callaway has built a number of player friendly systems into their clubs, including a notch weighting system that repositions weight toward the heel and toe. This gives the club a very high moment of intertia (resistance to twisting) that keeps the ball online. Weight toward the bottom and a wide sole help to reduce the fat and thin shots.

As for distance, they seemed to give me about my usual distance: 155 or so for a six iron. (Though its a little hard to tell: my club’s driving range goes uphill from the tees, so everything tends to be short.)

The feel also was good—although not nearly as buttery as my forged irons on graphite shafts.  The clubs I tried all had the standard steel shafts.

Clearly, if you’re a single digit handicapper, these clubs aren’t for you. But for the rest of us, they’re a good choice.

You can get them at Golfsmith.

The Callaway X Tour Irons—apparently played by the likes of Phil Mickelson and Charles Howell—are now ready for pre-order. Ironically, they’ll be available on April 15—so you can use your expected tax returns to buy them. You’re going to need a big return, though. They retail for $999

Here’s the official blurb:

Forged 1020 Carbon Steel Body: The X-Tour’s advanced two-piece design features a forged 1020 carbon steel body, with a forged 1020 carbon steel face welded in 360 degree undercut channel, which enlarges the sweet spot and provides perimeter weighting previously unavailable on a performance iron.

Extreme Notch Weighting: Extreme notch weighting focuses the perimeter weight to the extreme heel and toe helping to raise the Moments of Inertia for resistance to twisting on off-center hits.

Traditional Size and Shape: In designing a performance iron with a traditional size and shape, many new design features were incorporated into Callaway’s X-Tour irons. The X-Tour blade length is shorter from heel to toe, while the toe has been raised and squared. A thin, understated, pared-off top line and straight leading edge provide the look “traditional” players prefer, while reduced hosel offset and a beveled, narrower sole combine to add workability from all types of conditions.

New Blind-Bore Hosel Technology: A hosel design longer than the patented S2H2 design of past Callaway irons moves the center of gravity towards the heel and higher in the face. This repositioning of the center of gravity provides enhanced workability, and the increased trajectory control more accomplished players seek.

This is Callaway’s first attempt at forged clubs.  You can read the full blown press release in the extended text.

 
I’m interested in what you have to say. Add you own review by clicking on the comments link below.

I did a demo with the Callaway Fusion Irons the other day at a local golf shop. And although I (obviously) didn’t play a round with them, I’ll give my first impressions.

When I first picked them up, the clubs felt light to me. I suppose that the graphite shafts and the composite parts of the head were responsible for that. However, with a couple of practice swings, the light feeling went away. They felt fine. Better than fine. I thought that I could “feel” the clubhead extremely well.

Unlike many previous offerings from Callaway, these clubs have a nice, precise look at setup. The topline is much thinner-looking than the bloated Big Bertha irons. I’ve never bought into the idea that a larger topline inspires confidence. They just look like bricks on sticks.

I was able to cleanly pick the ball off the astroturf from the very first swing. Ball flight was about what I wanted—not too high, with good distance (for me, about 155 with a 6 iron). The feel at impact also was very nice—every bit as nice as my graphite shafted forged irons.

Now, being very hard of hearing, I can’t accurately tell you what they sounded like, but the proshop guy asked me what I thought of the sound. So I have to assume that they either sound perfectly normal, or that there’s something weird going on that I couldn’t hear.

All in all, I think that these clubs bear looking into. If you’re gong to get a new set this year, you should take a look at these.