Reviews from a mid-capper

[CrazyHorsePete]

Went to a demo day today in St. Louis.  I tried out a few iron sets and a fairway wood before my hands started to hurt (forgot my glove).  A little background - I am a mid-handicapper and a good ball striker.  Figured I'd post a few brief reviews of clubs I tried.

Callaway X-Forged Irons - Project X PXI 6.0 shaft

Very nice irons.  Quite forgiving, in my opinion the most forgiving X-Forged irons Callaway has ever made.  Easy to get the ball up in the air.  Very nice looking sticks, very easy to hit sticks.  They give you a little bit of help, but not too much help.  I would consider them a solid choice for anyone looking for a forged game improvement club.

I give them a 9 out of 10.

Cleveland 588 Forged CB Irons - Dynamic Gold S300 & X100 shafts

These were a pleasant surprise to me.  I've never so much as swing a Cleveland iron in my life, so I figured today I'd give these a try.  These are very attractive forged game improvement clubs, and are very, very easy to hit.  A beginner could use this sticks.  I got a trajectory a little higher than I'd like with the S300s, so I grabbed an X100 and that brought the trajectory down a little.  Great feeling irons.

I give them a 9 out of 10.

Mizuno MP-H4 Irons - Dynamic Gold S300 shaft

I don't understand these irons.  I don't quite know what Mizuno was going for when they designed this set.  I think they're trying to go for the "I want to say I play MP irons" corner of the market, but I could be wrong.  These irons are over $1000 and get great reviews.  I must have missed something.  These irons are all hollow body but Grain Flow Forged.  Where's the buttery smooth feeling?  It wasn't there.

I give them a 2 out of 10.

Mizuno MP-64 Irons - Dynamic Gold S300 & KBS Tour stiff shafts

Now we're back to buttery-smooth!  These seemed very forgiving for a players' iron.  They were a pleasure to hit.  I spent the most time with these since I couldn't put them down.  I tried them in S300 and KBS Tour, with KBS Tour giving me a slightly higher ball flight as I expected.  Beautiful irons.  I don't think I need to say more as these have been reviewed multiple times on this forum.

I give them a 10 out of 10.

Tour Edge Exotics XCG-6 3 Wood - stock shaft (didn't get the model) - stiff flex

This thing is hot.  Seriously.  It's very easy to hit and produced a low, piercing ball flight with a slight draw.  Great sound and great feeling at impact.  If you have a couple extra hundred dollars laying around and want a new fairway wood, this would be a great option.

I give it a 9 out of 10.

Tour Edge Exotics XCG-6 Irons - X-Lite 90 steel shaft - stiff flex

As you can probably tell my looking at my signature page, I am a big fan of Tour Edge products.  However, these did not do it for me.  I've hit every Exotics iron in the XCG series, and for whatever reason, with each new iteration they get a big more chunky and a bit more offset.  Pronounced cavity visible at impact in the 6 iron, very reminiscent of Callaway SGI.  Feel hot off the face and the ball just flies.  They are very forgiving, but hard for me to look at.

I give them a 6 out of 10.

Tour Edge Exotics CU Irons - Dynalite 90 shaft - stiff flex

Absolutely loved these!  Very cool looking irons.  Definitely a game improvement iron but thinner sole and less chunky than the XCG-6 irons.  Very pleasing to the eyes at address and not loaded with offset.  Also very easy to hit, and produced a mid-high trajectory for me as a naturally high ball hitter.  Feeling is excellent, especially for a cast club!  These actually felt better to me than the CB Forged (reviewed below).  I wish they had different shafts to try out, but the Dynalite 90 worked fine for me.

I give them a 10 out of 10.

Tour Edge Exotics CB Forged Irons - Dynamic Gold S300 shaft

I was a little disappointed in these.  If you look at Tour Edge's website, you will see that Tour Edge says these are for low handicappers.  I totally disagree.  A beginner could use these without a problem.  They may be forged, but they have a pretty wide sole and a low center of gravity.  These really throw the ball up high, even with S300 shafts.  Feeling was decent, but if you are used to buttery-smooth Mizuno or Titleist, you will be disappointed.  For the money Tour Edge wants for these, you could get a set of Titleist or Mizuno forged.

I give them a 6 out of 10 stars.

Anyway, there you have a completely unscientific review of a few sticks by a mid-handicapper.  Hope you enjoyed!

[Bo the Golfer]

Great reviews...thanks for sharing.

[WUTiger]

Pete,

We must have been walking past each other. I was there too. I hit some of the same clubs, and others. (I was mainly there for FWs and hybrids)

Callaway XForged. PXi 5.5 (about 108 grams), and PX 95 5.5 Flighted (about 101 grams).  Haven't had very good luck on test-hits of previous generations of XForged. For this version, I actually hit solid shots with the 6 iron with these lighter weight shafts. Ball went about same distance as my X20 Tours with PX 5.0. The PX95 felt a little smoother (less weight).

After dumping stiff shafts back in 2008, I'm finding I can hit firm (5.5) or actual stiffs (NS Pro 950) if the shafts are lighter. Still, I think the regulars would be better if I had to play two or three days in a row.

Tour Edge Exotics XCG-6 3 Wood .

• Graphite Design Tour AD 40 (43 gr.) mid-high launch
• Exotics Matrix Ozik 6.1 (64 gr. stiff) mid-high launch

Pete had hit the stiff version(s). I hit the regulars for both shafts. Hit some good shots, but also some misses. A super club for player with better swing. I seemed to get a smoother swing with the heavier Matrix Ozik shaft. For better players, highly recommended.

Tour Edge Exotics XRail Fairway Woods. Graphite Design G60 (60 gram, 3.9 torque). XRail was on my "to do" list for the day. Clubhead has a slight boathull sole under the face, a less pronounced version of what the TM Raylor had back circa 2008. This head has both heel and toe weighting to help keep ball straighter, and a solid sole to get the ball up.

I was interested in a 3+5 or a 4+7 combo. Got same distance with 4W as with 3W, and slightly better ball flight. 5W and 7W both flew well. Distance not as much as with XCG-6, but launch and dispersion much more consistent. I'll be getting the 4W plus 7W.

Want consistency for $175? This is your club. (and the stock shaft is solid)

Tour Edge hybrids: Decent offerings also. For some reason, I hit the XRail 4H (one degree less loft) longer than the XCG-6 4H.

Wilson D100 Series. Wilson driver and hybrids proved to be the surprise of the demo. For driver:

• Stock shaft. Matrix Ozik HD 4.1 (45 gram A, R, S flexes)
• Also: Aldila Phenom 4.2 (Rflex, 60 gr.)

Started with 12* loft, A flex: Very high flight, but sprayed ball a lot

Next was 12* loft, R flex: Good high flight, minor tails

Next was 10.5* loft, R Flex: Hotter shot, got about 10 yds. more distance

Next was 10.5 loft, Aldila R.flex 60 gram: Left-right dispersion less, and ball had more roll. I got out my RazrFit driver and hit several comparison shots, and it was pretty much a tie. It would have been fun to buy the D100 and have an on-course comparison, but that's too much of my golf budget to spend on a lark.

(The Wilson Staff van was there, and they'll build clubs on spot for you if they have the right components)

D100 fairway woods were OK, but  I liked Callaway and Tour Edge better.

Also hit the D100 hybrids. A decent club model worth trying.

[tristanhilton85]

I wrote full reviews of both the MP-H4 and MP-64 irons for the main site and I found both to be very good. I disagree with the statement about the feel of the H4's... I thought that they felt very good.... maybe not quite as good as the MP-64s, but still very smooth. To me, the MP-H4s are aimed at an improving mid capper. Somebody who wants the MP look and feel but still needs the forgiveness of a GI iron. I also liked that they had lofts that were in line with clubs aimed at the better player, instead of the jacked up lofts that is common on GI clubs now.

[CrazyHorsePete]

Different strokes for different folks!  Some people must love the MP-H4s since they seem popular, get good reviews, and cost north of $1000.  I made a quarter-sized mark right on the sweet spot, and they just didn't do it for me.

WUTiger, we certainly must have been!  I didn't make it to Wilson Staff since I got there fairly late, but I'm glad you were able to try out some of their stuff.  I was there to play with irons more than anything else though since I'm not planning to change any of my woods or hybrids anytime soon.