Callaway RAZR X HL 3H, 4H, 5-PW Combo Iron Set with Steel Shafts

This new hybrid-iron set from Callaway is designed with a low center of gravity to help golfers get the ball in the air quickly with a soft landing, even with a typical amateur miss low on the face. A redesigned “Solid Impact Sole” is supposed to generate better turf interaction for distance, accuracy and consistency—again, for better flight from lower impact locations where most amateurs hit the ball. There’s also Callaway’s ubiquitous VFT (Variable Face Thickness) technology, which again allows Callaway to reposition the sweet spot to benefit more players. Finally, a Multi-Material Medallion of aluminum & thermoplastic polyurethane, fine-tunes sound & enhances feel of the clubface

Dynacraft Prophet Tour CNC Forged Irons

Grade: A
Teacher’s Comments: My testers loved these clubs

I think that it must be the aspiration of every serious golfer to play a set of forged irons. There is absolutely nothing as sweet as striking the sweet spot of a forged blade.Two things, however, typically stand in the way of this dream: forged irons typically are hard to hit and they’re expensive.

The Dynacraft Prophet Tour irons tackle both these objections. Dynacraft has managed to include some game improvement functions such as a cavity back and undercut stablity slot, while keeping the price to half that of similar clubs.

Realizing that I don’t have the game to fully appreciate these beauties, I passed the set on to two single-digit handicapper friends of mine. Their regular sets include Mizuno blades, so I was confident they could offer informed opinions. One tried them this past summer, the other, a retired gentleman, took them to his fall and winter golf escapes.

I’ve just gotten the set back from the second player, and the combined verdict is in: the Dynacraft Prophet Tours are at least as good as their regular Mizuno forgings. They’re just as long and just as accurate as anything they’ve played. The feel also is substantially the same.

That’s high praise for a set that comes in at around $450. Similar irons from Mizuno, Nike, Titleist and Callaway run at least $900.

In addition to offering a better price, Hireko/Dynacraft offer better technology. Unlike most standard forgings, the Dynacraft Prophets feature a shallow cavity and an undercut stability slot to add forgiveness. These are added to the club after forging through a CNC milling process. Dynacraft also has shortened the hosel to shift weight forward for a more centered sweet spot. This, they claim, solves the heel-bias of most forgings.

From a mid handicapper’s point of view, I found the clubs not nearly as difficult handle as I expected. I still get much better results from my game improvement sticks, but the Prophet Tour Forged clubs were not a handicap killer. With more practice, they might have found their way into my bag. But I frankly don’t have time for that practice.

Better players looking for a set of forgings owe it to their pocketbooks to try these Prophet Tour Forgings. Hireko has a 60 day playability guarantee, so you’ll have ample time to see if they fit your game.

More photos follow:

Nike VR S Iron Set 4-PW, GW with Graphite Shafts

Here’s Nike’s latest:

Cobra Amp Irons

Golfsmith is taking preorders on Cobra Golf’s new AMP club line.

AMP stands for Advanced Material Placement (I wonder if companies like this have entire departments who do nothing but sit around and think up cute names), a nod to the clubs’ multi alloy design. As with so much in club design, the goal is to position weight to achieve the desired ball flight. The clubs also have a full cavity TPU layer to dampen vibration and uses Cobra’s previously established E9 Face Technology.

What gets me about the clubs though, are the striking orange graphics. I think you’re either going to love them or hate them.

The latest set of clubs in my mailbox are these Dynacraft Avatar Hybrid Irons from Hireko Golf. From the promotional literature.

Part hollow-bodied iron, part hybrid, the Dynacraft Avatar Evolution set takes on a progressive appearance throughout the set. For the weekend warrior who wants to improve their game this set perfectly integrates all the necessary tools to help them achieve that goal.

The #3 and 4 irons have a more a typical hybrid footprint that has an increased breadth and a shallow face to position the center of gravity much lower and more rearward within the design to allow even less skilled players added confidence with the ability to easily get the ball airborne and increase the solidness of contact.

The mid-irons progressively become narrower as less game improvement is required and bridge the gap between conventional iron appearances.

The scoring clubs starting with the #8 look traditional at address as the additional loft beautifully hides the hollow-body but still to help increase the moment of inertia. These have the rounded top line to provide plenty of face area and help to raise the center of gravity enough to control the trajectory. The inclusion of three wedges provide for better course management by eliminating distance gaps.

Unlike most hybrids on the market, the Evolution are designed to be direct replacement in terms of distance and club length to irons where accuracy is at a premium. That way customers don’t have to ask which hybrid replaces what iron.

Winter being what it is here in Michigan, it’s unlikely I’ll be able to give these a worthwhile test until March or April. But from a few swings in the sunroom I like the feel of these things.

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.