SGI Irons

super-game—improvement IRONS

▶ these irons make the game easier and more fun. and isn’t that the point of playing? we considered 17 models; 12 made the list.

performance ★★★★ ½ innovation ★★★★ ½ look • sound • feel ★★★★ ½ demand ★★★★

callaway big bertha

RRP AED 5,250

verdict A longtime darling of higher-handicappers, Bertha, with its oversize clubhead, thick topline and generous sole, continues to perform well in an increasingly competitive category. Despite the venerable name, this iron has the modern power of a wraparound cupface that provides a distance boost for players who often need one. Tungsten weighting positioned low in the cavity lowers the centre of gravity, making it easier to get shots airborne.

comment “Overall proportions of the head are nicely balanced. Distance is impressive and consistent.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance ★★★★★ innovation ★★★★ ½ look • sound • feel ★★★★★ demand ★★★★★

callaway mavrik max

RRP AED 4,165

verdict Technologies found in drivers eventually make their way into irons. In this case, that meant using artificial intelligence and the “flash face” cupface idea from the company’s Epic Flash and Mavrik drivers for this set of irons. That led to unique face designs for each iron that produce flex in just the right spot. The use of tungsten suspended within urethane infused with tiny air bubbles delivers the feel players of any ability can appreciate.

comment “Compared to other clubs, this hides the technology well. The face feels soft on all kinds of hits.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance ★★★★ ½ innovation ★★★★★ look • sound • feel ★★★★ demand ★★★★

cleveland launcher hb turbo

RRP AED 3,095

verdict When a study shows average golfers hit the green from 150 to 200 yards one-fifth of the time, it’s an indication those players need help. Cleveland’s solution is a full hybrid-like set designed for high launch and forgiveness. Though the irons don’t lack for speed— thanks to a high-strength steel face—distance wasn’t the main goal. Instead, the focus was on ease of use through a centre of gravity that’s six millimeters lower than a typical cavity-back iron.

Photograph by First Lastname in association with

performance ★★★★★ innovation ★★★★ ½ look • sound • feel ★★★★★ demand ★★★ ½

cobra f-max airspeed

verdict The players using irons in this category typically swing a little slower than average. That makes generating speed imperative. The F-Max irons address that through a lighter overall club weight (including a lighter midsize grip) that’s designed to make shots fly faster, farther and higher. An undercut cavity puts the iron’s weight low and wide across the sole, assisting launch in the long irons. Higher lofts throughout further help get the ball up.

comment “The clubhead appears in alignment when looking down on it. Less weight lets you swing really fast.”

performance ★★★★ ½ innovation ★★★★★ look • sound • feel ★★★★ demand ★★★

cobra t-rail

RRP AED 3,995

verdict Cobra has a tradition of producing helpful equipment for those who need it most. The company builds on that legacy in a meaningful fashion by using one of its most proven design features: The Baffler rails on the sole assist launch while plowing through the turf. The 4-iron is a conventional hybrid design, and the 5-iron through pitching wedge use a hollow, hybrid-like body with a forged face insert made from a springy 455 steel.

comment “The rails and proportion of the club make it one that works in any lie. The face felt taut like a trampoline.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance ★★★★★ innovation ★★★★ ½ look • sound • feel ★★★★★ demand ★★★★★

taylormade sim max os

RRP AED 3,995

verdict This iron is proof you can offer higher-handicappers plenty of help while avoiding a club that looks like it belongs in a carpenter’s toolbox. Though the head is oversize and the sole is wide, the overall shape is pleasing. TaylorMade continues its use of a sole slot to boost ball speed on shots hit low on the face, but the neat feature is the “speed bridge” structure supporting the topline of the iron, providing needed stability for the fast-flexing face.

comment “The sole slot is a stand-out feature. It will entice players who don’t want a clunky club to try it.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance ★★★★ ½ innovation ★★★★ ½ look • sound • feel ★★★★ demand ★ ★ ½

tour edge hl4 triple combo

verdict Golfers using irons in this category often have a single requirement: Get the ball in the air. Tour Edge’s Triple Combo set addresses that need. The set starts with the 4- and 5-iron slots filled with matching HL4 hybrids, the 6- and 7-iron are HL4 ironwoods and the 8-iron through pitching wedge are cavity-back HL4 irons. For those who have a second requirement, such as cost, the company’s focus on affordability is appealing.

performance ★★★★ ½ innovation ★★★★★ look • sound • feel ★★★★ demand ★ ★ ½

wilson launch pad

verdict User error is a common problem among highhandicappers, and Wilson makes a strong effort here to mitigate that and build some player confidence. To do that, the hollow, hybrid-like irons focus on the bottom of the club. Specifically, a progressively wide sole is designed to make turf interaction feel like hitting off a mat, thus reducing the number of chunked shots. A slightly raised leading edge also helps you from hitting shots fat.

comment “The clubhead wanted to get down and stay down through the shot. As such, turf interaction was great.”

performance ★★★★ ½ innovation ★★★★ ½ look • sound • feel ★★★★ demand ★ ★ ½

xxio eleven

RRP AED 5,995

verdict Most sets in this category tout reduced weight, this one talks about adding it—or at least redistributing it. Though the overall club weight doesn’t increase, engineers reduced the weight of the shaft by four grams and moved it to the butt end. Doing so raises the balance point of the shaft, bringing it closer to the hands. This is to help the hands get in the proper position at the top of the backswing, promoting a more efficient swing.

comment “It’s explosive off the face. Not completely effortless, but noticeably lighter and easy to swing.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

performance ★★★★ innovation ★★★★ look • sound • feel ★★★ ½ demand ★ ★

tour edge exotics exs 220h

verdict Hybrid-like iron sets are Tour Edge’s specialty, and the company plays to its strengths here. The completely hollowbody-construction set is made from 17-4 steel. It’s built for max forgiveness with a high moment of inertia and low, deep centre of gravity thanks to significant perimeter weighting and a wide sole that also helps improve turf interaction. It’s a set that can turn a super chopper into a serviceable member-member partner.

comment “Looks and performs like a beast. Long, straight and easy to hit. The sound is like a low growl.”

performance ★★★★ innovation ★★★★ look • sound • feel ★★★★ demand ★ ★

wilson d7

verdict Eschewing hybrids for all irons, Wilson produced a set that can help the high-handicapper and the player trending toward a sub-20-handicapper. The company’s “power holes”—slots with polymer that promote face flex—remain, but some were removed from the topline to improve aesthetics and a third row was added on the 4- through 7-irons. The thinnest face ever on a Wilson supergame-improvement iron provides extra pop.

comment “A good, firm feel to the face. The progressive offset provided confidence at address.” warren little/r&a via getty images

performance ★★★★ innovation ★★★★ ½ look • sound • feel ★★★★ demand ★ ★

xxio x (2020)

RRP AED 6,419

verdict Primarily known as a premium brand, XXIO also excels at producing clubs that help the less skilled. In this instance, it does so by using a springy, high-strength steel face insert. That insert goes all the way to the lower portion of the face to provide more punch where most iron impacts occur. A channel around the inner perimeter of the face fosters additional flex. A feathery 59-gram graphite shaft helps golfers who need more clubhead speed.

comment “Like the shape and finish—classy. It has the muted sound of a more traditional blade.”

Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae

tour talk : sgi irons

webb simpson’s pro-am lessons

Less shaft weight, larger heads can improve your results, he says

▶ webb simpson plays a lot of golf with everyday golfers in proams. When asked what he believes is the biggest mistake amateurs routinely make, Simpson doesn’t hesitate. “They use clubs that are too heavy,” he says. “It’s not that they’re weak, but most don’t have the proper golf muscles to swing the clubs they’re using.” The folks at Cobra Golf agree. In conducting some tests to guide the design of its latest lightweight super-game-improvement irons, Cobra found that by reducing the graphite shaft weight from 60 grams to 55 grams, players swung the clubs about one mile per hour faster, which equates to a distance gain of roughly two yards. In addition to lighter shafts, Simpson is in favor of everyday players using larger clubheads. “I see a lot of mid- to highhandicappers using very smallheaded irons,” he says. “They need to realise they’re going to miss a lot more shots than those hit solid. I mean, there are plenty of days I’m missing shots, too.” —emj