NIKE Ignite 3 Iron Set 4-AW with Steel Shafts

The Nike Ignites are $100 off at GolfSmith right now.

These are designed to be a playable club with more classic looks.

CALLAWAY RAZR XF 4H, 5H, 6-AW Combo Iron Set with Steel Shafts

The RAZR XF is Callaway’s super-premium iron set, clocking in at a cool $1,200.

What do you get for that? From the Callaway site:

Multi Material Construction
Forged 1025 Carbon Steel Body is perimeter weighted for a higher MOI and increased forgiveness, and provides a soft, responsive feedback at impact. The 455 Carpenter Steel Face is stronger than traditional stainless steel, generating faster ball speeds for added distance.  The Multi-Material Medallion is constructed of aluminum and injection-molded plastic to fine-tune sound and enhance feel off the clubface

Aggressive VFT Technology
Precision shaping of the face thickness in each club increases the size of the sweet spot. This technology generates hotter ball speeds for longer distance.

Zero Roll/Inertia Driven Design
Clubface with zero roll produces a higher launch angle on shots hit low on the face, increasing distance with softer landings. The increased head size and added offset makes this our most forgiving hybrid. These designs produce shots that fly higher, longer and straighter.

Black PVD Finish
Physical Vapor Deposition Finish comes from a high-tech process that produces a distinctive stealth look for reduced glare and a jewelry-like appearance.

Lightweight Shaft/Winn Gripps
Featured on both irons and hybrids.

They’re impressive looking, but no way can I shell out $1,200 for a set of irons.

TAYLORMADE R11 Iron Set 3-PW with Steel Shafts

The new TaylorMade R11 irons pack a lot of technology, with “precision center-of-gravity (CG) placements, ultra-thin faces, a Tour sole design, and Inverted Cone Technology.”

One interesting note about this set is that TaylorMade claims to have created weights to ensure a constant swingweight while positioning the center of gravity between toe and heel. This is said to solve the clubmakers’ problem of adding weight to a port in the hosel, which evens out swingweight, but shifts the COG.

The Inverted Cone Technology, which TaylorMade has been using for the better part of a decade now, is designed to create faster ball speed on off center hits. The thin face promotes higher ball speeds.

It all sounds good. I’d appreciate it if anyone who has tried them could leave their impressions in the comments below:

MIZUNO JPX- 800 HD 4H-5H, 6-GW Combo Iron Set with Graphite Shafts

In my golfing fantasies, I wake up one morning with a scratch player’s swing and immediately head to Miles of Golf to purchase a set of Mizuno forged blades. I don’t know why, but for many years (perhaps as long as I’ve been playing), Mizuno has in my mind represented the player’s club.

Mizuno has branched out in recent years to more player friendly clubs, such as the new JPX-800HD Combo Iron Set. It’s a hybrid set with the four and five irons replaced with Mizuno’s “Hybrid Direct Long Iron Replacement.” The six to gap wedge freature a low COG, with low heel, high toe weighting for a large sweet spot.

Those are Mizunos I might be able to play.

PowerMax GX922

I got a sample iron from this set and like the way it plays. It’s just as long as any other iron I own and plays nicely out of a variety of lies. Here’s what GigaGolf says about the PowerMax GX22:

The PowerMax GX922 is the next generation of cavity-backed game improvement clubs. This versatile iron design combines a forgiving notched cavity back with a sleek profile that allows increased shot making. The notched cavity provides stability and an increased MOI resulting in longer straighter golf shots even when the ball is struck off center. A moderate sole width and a playable bounce angle do not limit the golfer to a single flight pattern. These irons will grow with your game, allowing you to play shots that may require a draw or fade as your skill allows and your ball position dictates.

The best part is the price. You can get a 4-SW set with True Temper Featherflight shafts for $150. How do they do it? There are probably a lot of reasons. The big one is that GigaGolf is a follower, not a leader. What you’re getting is technology that was developed and tested a couple of years ago by the name brand companies. The notch is a Callaway thing, for example. But there’s no shame in that—that’s how Dell got its start years ago. IBM and Intel developed the technology and Dell put together clones. And there probably are other reasons: Direct sales. No sponsorships. Little advertising. And no markup for the logo.

You can also try them with little risk. GigaGolf offers a 30 day guarantee.

MIZUNO JPX 800 Iron Set 4-GW

A 2011 Golf Digest gold medalist, Mizuno’s JPX 800 irons are a game improvement club from the legendary manufacturer of forged blades. They feature “Hot Metal” construction—what Mizuno says is a “new manufacturing process that increases the material’s natural strength to create an ultra-thin and multi-thickness face for maximum, consistent ball speed.” A pocket cavity with a power bar design is designed to improve forgiveness. Meanwhile, the “triple cut sole” helps with ball striking from all lies.

High handicappers rejoice.

I want to try a set.

Command Q Titanium Irons

An interesting design that uses a variety of technologies. I like the idea. From the Pinemeadow site:

Description

Introducing the Command Titanium irons, the latest in our best-selling line. Unifying titanium iron technology with the wider soles of more modern irons creates a larger sweet spot for a more forgiving iron, perfect for all players looking to improve their iron game.

Titanium Face

The 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 irons merge a 6-4 titanium face into a 431 stainless steel body to provide an increased rebound for superior distance. By having a lighter and thinner titanium face in the irons it allows the weight of the club be pushed to the perimeter of the club maximizing the sweet spot. Since a softer feel is important when you are playing around the greens, the PW, AW and SW do not include a titanium face. We also want the extra weight to improve the launch angle, which is normal for all iron sets.

Perimeter Weighting

When you strike a golf ball, contact is made at the sole of the club. To increase the sweet spot, and create a more forgiving club, we want to move the weight closer to where the ball is at impact. Towards this end, we have incorporated the one-two punch of a mid-size sole and lighter, titanium, face. The mid-size sole of the club helps most golfers hit the ball cleaner. This has really helped improve iron play for all golfers.

The titanium face is lighter, allowing the weight to be distributed where it is more effective. This increases the MOI and creates a larger, more forgiving, hitting surface throughout the entire face.