Don’t let the two hybrids fool you. The Adams Idea Pro Gold Irons are intended for better players of all ages. Adams has taken it upon themselves to do you a favor and remove the temptation of those 3- and 4-irons by replacing them with easy-to-hit hybrids. Chances are, after you play these clubs for a little while, you won’t even miss the long irons.
Adams Golf has been making some great equipment for years, though at times the general golfing public has seemed oblivious to their efforts. Adams is out to change that. While Champions Tour star and PGA Tour legend Tom Watson is probably the best known Adams staffer, the company is beginning to get some exposure with PGA Tour players.
Last year, Adams signed Aaron Baddeley and Rory Sabbatini to endorsement deals (not to mention Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey from Golf Channel’s Big Break). There are Adams staffers on the LPGA and Nationwide tours, as well as on the Long Drivers of America circuit. All of which should help convince more “Joe Golfers” to give Adams clubs a try, and they’d be well advised to at least take a look.
The Idea Pro Gold irons are the latest player irons from Adams. The company has positioned the Idea Pro Gold irons to complement, not necessarily replace, the Idea Pros – the company’s previous entry into the “better players” market. The Pro Golds offer a tad more forgiveness through the set with slightly offset irons, while the Idea Pros feature more workable hybrids and no offset in the irons.
Adams mixes hybrids and irons in a player’s set.
I’ve never really played Adams clubs before trying out the Pro Golds for this review. I had hit the Idea Pro hybrid and the Redline driver in a simulator to see what the buzz was about, but I’d never used them on a course. Let’s just say I’m glad I got the opportunity to put the Pro Golds into play.
Design and Technology
Integrating hybrids and irons in a set has been a staple of some game improvement sets for several years now. Adams has now brought the mixed set to the players category. Adams blends forged 5-PW irons with a thin topline and sole with a pair of Idea Pro Gold Boxer hybrids.
The irons are made of 8620 carbon steel with a mirror-chrome plating. The irons feature a constant offset designed to allow the golfer to work the ball. A 14% volume increase in the face grooves is intended to deliver better accuracy and feel (while such grooves are still legal).
The 20° and 23° hybrids are the designed to improve on Adams’ very popular Idea Pro hybrids. They feature “Boxer Technology” that uses a geometrically shaped clubhead to create higher MOI and 5% more forgiveness on off-center hits according to the company. The improved maraging steel face is supposed to add a 10% hotter ball flight compared to the Idea Pro. These hybrids are the same Idea Pro Gold hybrids you can buy ala carte in lofts from 16° to 26°.
The relatively thin toplines and the Adams-classic “boxy” hybrid should appeal to the better golfer.
Esthetics
The irons in the set are a good looking player’s iron. The compact size and thin topline will fit the eyes of most better players at address.
The irons are chromed, giving them a nice polished look that should hold up reasonably well even with minimal care. In short, they look like players’ irons. The only thing that I could possibly knock the clubs for (and I’m reaching here) is that there is a little bit more (in terms of decorative ridges and lettering) on the back of the clubhead than I’d really prefer. I like a fairly clean looking club without the badges and paint fill that manufacturers seem to feel is necessary these days. You don’t see the back of the club at address. All and all, the Pro Gold irons are a good looking set of irons.
Get your deeper U grooves while you still can: these are 14% deeper than the prior model.
The hybrids at address may rub staunch traditionalists the wrong way; mainly because Adams has applied to the hybrid the square-ish geometry we’ve previously seen applied to drivers. If you can get past the boxiness, these are fairly attractive clubs. They feature a relatively compact clubhead, and the black paint on the crown also helps soften the geometry. With the blue Mitsubishi Javlin shafts, the total package is quite attractive.
Performance
True story… I shot my lowest score to date with the Idea Pro Golds. Now in all honesty, my putter had as much to do with my score that day as anything else, but these were the irons of record.
As you might have guessed by now, I like the Idea Pro Gold irons. They are very easy to get in the air and on line. It’s been said that my usual ball flight could castrate a groundhog. While that’s a bit of an overstatement, I do play a lower trajectory than a lot of people. The Pro Golds consistently flight the ball higher than my usual set (Mizuno MP-60s with True Temper DG S300 shafts). It’s not night and day, but enough that I easily noticed the change. An added bonus of the higher flight: I found that I hit the Idea Pro Golds about a half club farther on average than my usual set.
For a player’s iron, these still have a fair amount of forgiveness. Slight mishits usually lose only a little distance, but drift a little horizontally. Hit it in the sweetspot, and you’re rewarded with a soft, solid feeling shot that flies high and true. These have a soft feeling that is short of the buttery feel of perfect shots struck with some forged irons, but they also lack a harsh feel on mishits. You can tell where you’ve made contact, but poor hits don’t shock the hands the way some clubs do. I truly enjoyed hitting the ball with these clubs.
The irons were easy to work. My typical swing resulted in a straight shot or slight draw. By simply holding off my finish, I could easily cut the ball.
The small amount of offset should allow better players to work the ball either direction.
I found the longest iron – the 5-iron – so easy to hit, that I did sometimes wished that Adams included a 4-iron with the set. But honestly, the 3- and 4-hybrids are probably better for my game. I hit them higher than I have ever hit long irons. Unless you have a very high swing speed (my driver clubhead speed is around 100), chances are you’ll find the hybrids easier to play, too. Still, it’s hard to make a case that a 4-iron would be more versatile or easier to hit consistently than a 4-H. The only shot that I imagine would be better accomplished with a long iron than with a hybrid is a low punch under tree branches.
The Idea Pro Gold hybrids are workable, but really seem to want to hit it straight. Apparently, that’s the “Boxer” Technology at work. If you struggle with hooking hybrids, these might be the answer for you. Still, with just a little more adjustment than the irons require, the hybrids will also let you hit fades and draws at will. If you can move it both ways with your current set, you shouldn’t have any problem with these.
These Idea Pro Gold forged irons have simple soles. I’d prefer less ridges, but that’s being picky.
At first, I felt like the Boxer hybrids might be a bit of a step back from the Idea Pro hybrids, but after more play I wasn’t so sure. Yes, the Idea Pros are a little more workable, but I had a kind of an epiphany while playing the Boxers… Hitting it straight is not a bad thing.
Specifications
The Idea Pro Gold Boxer Hybrid comes stock with the Mitsubishi Rayon JAVLN FX 80-gram graphite shaft. The irons sport the Precision Rifle Project X Flighted steel shaft. In addition, there is a wealth of custom shaft options available from Adams. The set comes with Golf Pride DD2 grips, and the hybrid headcovers are old school and cool – gold and black striped knit socks from Rocket Tour. The eight-piece sets have a suggested retail price of $1,099 for graphite and $899 for steel.
A look at the stock shafts.
The MSRP for the individual Pro Gold Hybrids is $219.
Model Loft Lie Length ----- ---- --- ------ 3H 20° 59.5° 40" 4H 23° 60.5° 39" 5I 27° 61.5° 38" 6I 30° 62° 37.5" 7I 34° 62.5° 37" 8I 38° 63° 36.5" 9I 42° 63.5° 36" PW 46° 64° 35.5"
The full set is available right-handed at the time of writing. The hybrids are available in both left and right-handed versions.
Conclusion
I was surprised by how much I ended up liking this set. They provide a great combination of workability and forgiveness. Mid to low handicappers looking for irons that let them move the ball without being overly penal will find a good candidate in the Idea Pro Golds. Golfers looking for a hybrid that isn’t draw-biased may find that the Idea Pro Gold hybrid meets their needs and then some.
If you’ve never tried Adams clubs or haven’t tried them recently, maybe it’s high time you did.
George, your description of the mishit vs sweet-spot feelings and results is absolutely exact. I have been looking for these irons since many years and bought them first for the sole design…they slide through the turf and should help to protect my wrists for many years.
I do not like irons with any degree of offset but these ones are so good that I had to buy them. True, the distance is surprising ! Forgiveness and workability are also as you describe.
Thanks for the review !
I carry a 12.8 index and although I liked the feel of these irons I am hesitant to buy as I they may be over my head. I don’t have the consistency to play a ‘players’ iron.
When are you going to the review their new tech a3 forged irons? Just saw those this week and they seem to be more forgiving than the gold. Maybe a little more playable?
AM
Anthony –
I just switched to the Idea Tech a4 forged irons and thus far I’m in love. I’m around a 6 handicap, but have been looking for a club that’s a bit more forgiving to install more confidence and hit more greens. I was previously hitting Titleist 755’s and was having trouble with GIR (posted some good scores due to bombing drives and having an improved short-game, but no question my iron play was the weakest part of my game).
As background, I’ve been investigating Irons for about 6 months now, reading every magazine, website and blog I could get my hands on looking for advice (this website is among the best out there btw!). There is certainly an ongoing debate (with no clear winners from what I can tell) of whether folks should play “players” irons vs. “game improvement” irons. There’s certainly a group of people who feel that everyone who wants to become a better golfer should play “players” clubs/blades in the purist belief that, even though harder to hit, they will force you to learn how to find the sweet spot, give you more feedback (subconsciously teaching you to have a better swing) etc. etc. Personally, I disagree with this line of thinking. There are plenty of Tour Pros (nearly half I believe) and low to mid handicapper amateurs that hit a more forgiving club. Ultimately, it comes down to selecting a club that will give you the best chance to get the ball in the hole in the fewest amount of strokes.
So, in terms of getting new irons, my opinion is fairly simple … go to the range and demo clubs until you find one that looks good to your eye and works well with your swing (e.g. produces the best, most consistent results). My “hunch” if you’re a 12 is that you should really lean towards the Idea Tech A4 as you’ll probably see a very noticeable difference in the forgiveness you’ll get on slight on mishits vs. the Pro Gold’s.
When I was trying out clubs (I was at the range for literally 4-5 hours, so have patience) … I hit Ping i10s, Mizuno MP-52s, Callaway X-22s (tour and GI), TaylorMade Burners, Titleist AP2s etc. etc. Pretty much a cross-section of all the latest clubs out there whether “GI” or “players” irons. Ironically, I was not originally looking at Adams as a “front runner” for my new clubs (kind of had my heart set on Mizuno’s or Pings), but the pro who was working with me tossed them in there. Ultimately, the results didn’t lie … I just flat out hit the Idea Tech a4s more consistently than all the other clubs out there. I found them to not only be forgiving, but also very pleasant visually at set up (e.g. not “clunky” like many GI sets). I also had no trouble working the ball either direction. Ultimately, I could not be happier with my purchase and I’ve very confident that the Tech a4 irons will help me shave additional strokes off my handicap in the next year or so.
So, in summary, I highly recommend you try the Idea Tech a4’s! But ultimately, my recommendation is to go with the iron that gives you the most confidence and consistency.
I recently got a set of pro golds and i love em. Up to now only played 3 rounds. I traded in both the hybrids for a 4 iron and gap wedge. Adams fitted them 1/2 inch longer and 2 degrees upright. i agree entirely with the review. I play off 7.3 handicap. I also hit the A4’s and have recommended these to several friends playing off slightly higher handicaps who may be intimidated hitting smaller heads. Also agree with a statement made that smaller heads make you hit the sweet spot. i slowed my swing a little and found the sweet spot a lot. These irons fly high and long. Highly recommend . Kudos to Adams golf.
After playing the Nickent 3DX hybrid set for two years as my first real set of clubs, I felt I was ready to move up to a set that might allow me to learn to work the ball. I came to love the Nickent hybrids, and knew that it was in my best interest at age 55 to keep 3&4 hybrids in the bag. I also wanted a smaller club face in order to focus on sharper ball-striking…. After practicing with a set of old Titleist D-90 irons for a few months, I learned about the ProGold Hybrid set. After hitting Adams Idea A7s at a demo, (the Adams rep said they were phasing out the ProGold set in 2010, so he did not have them on site) I was stoked with the feel and distance of Adams irons. I kept my eye out and when I saw a set of ProGolds for about half off the MSRP, I couldn’t resist. I must say that I am absolutely thrilled with the irons. As stated in the review and echoed by others, they provide a fantastic feel when struck in the sweet post, and when not – are quite forgiving for a forged club. I now have a club allows me to learn how to shape shots consistently. The hybrids are taking a little longer to transition to from the Nickents, which were long and straight, but they are, in my view, clearly more workable. So if you are in my age bracket, or like me have been playing about 6 years and are looking to move up to set that will certainly give you the capability to become a better shot maker and ball striker, while retaining some forgiveness in the irons and easy to hit 3&4 Hs, I highly recommend that you consider this set. Hurry – though – there are not many out there anymore and Adams has not announced its replacement set yet to the best of my knowledge.
Abe, you hit the nail on the head. I also hit every top players club on the market and became a range rat in the process. I hit all of the Mizuno MP’s, TM’s, Titleist, Callaway, etc, etc, etc. None of them made me want to give up my R7’s. But just as I was walking out of the store, the Adams Pro Gold caught my eye. I picked them up and immediately liked the way looked and set up. With renewed energy, I went right back to the range with the Pro Gold irons and a bucket of balls and tried them out against the clubs I mentioned above. After several shots with each club, I found myself totally content with just ripping the Adams six iron at the blue range flag, about 175 yards away, shot after shot after shot. I’m a 6.7 handicap and wound up purchasing the Pro Gold’s with the project X 6.0 shaft and the two hybrids that come with the set. I would have preferred the 4 iron instead of the 4 hybrid, but the hybrid really is easy to hit. I just love this set of clubs. I never thought I would own a set of adams because they just never really seem to come to mind. I’m glad I gave them a try. They’re good clubs!
Took a couple of lessons and went to get fitted. Hit the Adams a4, Mizuno’s and TM’s. Came down to the a4’s and TM Burner 09 but I hit the a4’s straighter and longer plus I was standard for the a4’s (no fitting adjustment needed). with regular flex. Since they are hard to find I saw a great deal on the Pro Golds and decided to buy them as they were only .5 degrees off on the lie of the a4’s. I am a mid handicapper and was reluctant to buy a players club . Went to the range today and hit them great and can’t wait to try them on the course. With the hybrids the ball flew off the club. I still need to hit all of them more as working them for me wasn’t as easy but probably because they have a lot less offset than I am use too.
They are beautiful clubs, the ball jumps off the club face. I am so glad I bought them. I worked hard over the winter on my swing. I have always been an arm swinger….no rotation and weight shift. With my new swing and these clubs I know my handicap is ready to come down. I only wish Adams kept their best clubs IMO on the market longer (a4’s and Pro Golds)…..but because they didn’t I was able to score the clubs at more than 50% off. I really thought I would have to go to Muzuno’s to find a club with a thin topline and not such a Game Improvement club. To sum it up……awesome clubs….you won’t be disappointed with either the a4’s or pro golds.
i have these but lost the 3 iron.
if you know anyone with the 3 iron let me know!