The hardest clubs to design in golf? You’re looking at them. These irons have the classic compact shape that better players prefer, but with technology for forgiveness (multiple materials) and distance (thin-face inserts) that make them playable for the rest of us. This marriage of old and new technology has caught the attention of the world’s best: about nine in 10 players on the US PGA Tour use some form of cavity-back or hollow iron for at least part of their iron set. “We’re still going to chock it full of as much technology as we can,” Mizuno’s Chris Voshall says. “But the priority is the package it’s in, not just the technology it offers.”
Here are four new irons that might make us look better than we are.
– Mike Stachura
Mizuno
MP-18 SC
(Above: far left)
Mizuno’s forging process yields a tight grain structure for optimal feel on these cavity-backs. The slightly larger size and lower centre of gravity of the middle and long irons make these a natural to mix and match with Mizuno’s MP-18 blades.
Titleist
AP3
(Above: middle left)
Three different constructions within the set are designed to optimise your needs. High-strength steel face inserts wrap around the soles of the hollow long and middle irons. High-density tungsten-weights in the heel and toe improve stability.
Taylormade
p790
(Above: middle right)
The hollow construction uses a high-strength steel face that wraps around the sole and is about as thick as a 10-cent piece. It’s supported by an injected foam that allows the face to flex while controlling sound and feel. A sole slot enhances flexing low on the face.
Miura
CB 2008
(Above: far right)
On the long and middle irons, the face and neck are forged from carbon steel. A stainless-steel composite piece on the back forms Miura’s widest iron sole, keeping the weight low for high launch and smooth turf interaction.
