Barclay J

G’day Golfers,
First off a huge thanks for MyGolfSpy and Vice Golf for this huge opportunity.
Vice Golf products always have a certain personality and swagger to them and these irons are no different!!
About me
I go by the handle Splatt on here, which is a combination of my first initial and my surname.
A lucky coincidence is that it’s also the sound my golf ball makes when I slice one into the water hazard!

I’ve been playing golf for around 6 years now ever since getting hooked when I had to attend a corporate golf day for work.
Over that time I’ve had 2 sets of irons (soon to be 3), the first set I borrowed from a friend the week after getting hooked so I could get straight back out on to the course. I can’t remember the brand of them now, but what I can tell you is that they would have been old when my dad was a kid and they were so thin you could easily julienne a carrot with a few whacks.
My next set of irons, and the ones I will be comparing the Vice Irons to, are Callaway Warbirds which are about as basic, no-frills, beginner set of irons as you can get. They came as a set with a Warbird driver, wood, hybrid, 4 to SW, putter, and a bag all for a very low and reasonable price. Over time everything in that bag has been upgraded except the irons.
Now it’s time to say goodbye to those and welcome some new irons into the bag.

How I plan to test the irons
Hit balls, balls, and more balls.
Volume will be the name of the game here. I plan on hitting the driving range with both sets for a direct comparison, both my local outdoor grass range and also the indoor sim for some numerical data.
As well as that, I will be playing as much golf as I can possibly fit in over a variety of courses and time of day. I’ve already pre-warned the wife that the opportunity to test these irons is one I do not take lightly and I need to get in as much time on the course as possible.
With great irons to test comes great responsibility
 
The remote fitting
Last Friday night I had the pleasure of jumping onto a video call with Benny and Alex from Vice Golf for a virtual fitting. I’ve never had a fitting before so I had no idea what to expect, but the guys ran through everything like professionals.
We talked through my golf game in detail with Benny asking questions that, through his years of fitting experience, could guide him to the info he requires to ensure my irons will fit perfectly for my game.
Benny was very knowledgeable, and we left no stone unturned even touching on lie angle, shaft length, and grip type.
The irons:
·         Vice Golf VGI02 irons (I need all the help I can get) 5I to SW

·         Whiz Steel 90g by True Temper – Regular Flex

·         Lamkin UTX Cord Grip in Green

·         Lime green ferrule to bring it all together

It is still to be seen how well the remote fitting has worked compared to an in-person fitting, but Benny has me very confident that I’m going to get a set of irons well suited to me.
Now the long wait for the postage to Australia.
The Arrival and Unboxing
My phone went *ping* at around 6.30am one morning, I checked it wiping the sleep from my eyes and saw a shipping notification that the clubs were out for delivery. And so began one of the longest days of my life.
Around 3.30pm, after a whole day pacing around, there was a knock at the door and long slender package (big enough to fit a set of golf clubs inside) was there waiting for me. 
Everything was boxed perfectly and it made it all the way from Europe to Australia without a scratch. There was only one problem, I had only received box 1 of 2.
Fedex's issue, not Vice.


The bag looked pretty lonely with only wedges, a hybrid, driver and a putter. Kinda looks like a set-up DeChambeau would use.


Not to worry, the remaining box arrived the next day.
 
Initial thoughts
It's hard to do these irons justice in photos, they look amazing in real life.
Very classic looking with muscle back vibes. The topography detail in the slight cavity on the back of the club head is incredibly unique looking and give the clubs a modern feel.

I went for the Lamkin UTX Corded grips and they feel amazing. Super tacky and comfortable, they almost make me feel like I could play without a glove.
Before hitting my first ball with them, I had a loose swing with them in the back garden.
The head felt much lighter than I was anticipating, a huge contrast to the cheapy irons I had previously, but not in a bad way.
They feel light but controllable and turn over quite nicely. I did some keepy-ups with an old golf ball in the back yard and the face feels lightning quick. Thin, and trampolining the ball much more than my old set.
I can't wait to get these onto the course!!
Quick note, as I was getting used to the feel in the backyard, I noticed there was something about the 5-iron that looked far more intimidating down at address than the rest of the irons. 
It is the same blade length as the rest of the set, but it is much narrower.
I know irons get narrower was the loft decreases, but it didn't seem this pronounced in my previous set.
Time to get out the tape measure.
You'll see below both SW from the old set to the vice measure 60mm at the widest point, however my old 5-iron only went down to 55mm, however the Vice 5-iron goes down to 50mm. 
It feels far more blade-y at address than the rest of the clubs. But, that's not the end of the world, lets see how they perform.


 
First round
Now, some would say it's not smart to put a whole new set of irons into the bag for your social clubs first championship round, clubs that, since I hadn't had a chance to get to the range, I had absolutely zero idea how far they went!
Nay sayers be damned! Let's give it a red hot crack!


Immediately, I noticed that these irons are very easy to launch. 
Height on a golf shot is something I have struggled with and on the first hole I had an 8 iron (my old 8-iron distance) into the first green with a tree in my way around half way to the green; I grabbed the Vice 9-iron and launched the ball clearing the tree that was in my way and landed pin high-ish just off the right of the green.
Tiger Woods wouldn't be happy, but I was thrilled! With my old set I would have clipped that tree for certain!

 
The next thing I noticed, and also something my playing partners noticed, was the sound of these irons.
They have a powerful 'THUD' to them despite the hollow interior and a well hit strike gives off a sound that makes it sound like the ball will never stop flying. Quite genuinely, after the first couple of decent contact strikes it actually made me concentrate more over the ball because I wanted to hear that sweet sound again.

I'm going to say I did this on purpose, but of course I had to try them out of the bunker.
Again, the sound of a well clipped shot was music to my ears. In fact, the only bunker that took me 2 shots to clear was one where I was using my old 58 degree wedge which is still in the bag.
By the end of the round I was thrilled with the irons and I can't wait to get to the range to hit them some more.
My confidence with them grew over the round as I hit some far from perfect shots but still ended up with a decent result. 
Oh, and that 5-iron I was intimidated by is an absolute rocket off the tee. My driver had better watch it's back!
Next up is many trips to the range and also a trip to my local simulator with my old irons in tow to get some comparison data.
Be back soon.
 
Small update (few range sessions and 9 holes)

I've had a fair few range sessions now with these irons and the biggest thing that impresses me was one of the first thing I noticed during the initial round; these irons are seriously easy to launch!
This has really surprised me, because they're marketed as 'Players Distance' Irons, which means lower lofts (more on that in a moment), so before I'd actually hit them I was worried the lower lofts would mean I wouldn't get as much height on the shot, which is something I already struggled with.

Another thing I've noticed, especially at the range, is a tighter dispersion pattern that my old clubs. I'll put that to a real test at the indoor sim soon!! One of the things I practice at the range is picking a distance, say a flag at 100m out, and hitting 10 shots at it. I then count how many are on target and how many are too far off-line. Not super scientific, but I generally gauge it by if it would be fairway or bush.
I hit 10 Approach Wedges to a target around 110m away and there was only 1 that was a bit sketchy, the other 9 I would take any day of the week out on the course.
The other wedges performed the same with the dispersion raising as the lofts went lower.

Quick note from my 9-hole game. 
Like my first game, the irons were the best performing clubs in the bag. My driver was being naughty and kept putting me into the bush (pictured above), but luckily the irons are also great at low lofted punch and chip shots. 
I've still not dialed in the distances on these, so I flew a few greens where I probably should have clubbed down; but boy let me tell you, the flight on those shots as they sailed over the greens were beautiful!
Let's talk about lofts
The VGI02 irons are marketed more towards the player that needs a game improvement iron, although these clubs certainly have a more traditional look to them than clunky game improvement irons.
They're more a players game improvement iron, if you will.
And with that comes lower lofted clubs with a higher MOI for forgiveness.
When I first looked through the lofts of these clubs they intimidated me slightly.
The Vice 6 iron was the same loft as my old 4 iron!
The Vice 7 iron was the same loft as my old 5 iron!
ECT, ECT
It's only when you get to the PW that the lofts start to line up.
As I said, this intimidated me because I've struggled with getting height onto my golf shots, especially as the lofts get lower.
So will that mean that if my current 'go-to' club the 7-iron is now a 5-iron loft am I going to struggle to get this into the air?
No
Even though the lofts are the same, it doesn't mean the Vice 7 is going to go as far as my old 5 iron as the shaft lengths are different, the lie angles are different, ect.
But one thing is it is certainly as easy, if not easier, to get into the air as my old 'higher lofted' 7 iron.
In fact, and we'll test this at the indoor sim, the lower lofted Vice 7 iron launches higher than my old higher lofted 7 iron!
This is thanks to the design of the iron with a high MOI and a low center of gravity, these irons just pop into the air with ease.
 
The Data
The weather here has been beyond awful the last few weeks, it's rained so much I'm surprised I haven't seen Noah's ark floating down the street.
So, this is a perfect time to book some time on my local indoor sim and get some comparison data between my old set of Callaway irons and the new Vice irons.
Shout out to my local indoor sim centre, X-Golf, the sims are great fun and give you a very accurate ball flight.


I booked myself an hour and a half which should be plenty of time to get a good comparison between the 2 sets of clubs.
My plan was simple:
Set up on the driving range 10 shots with each club Record average carry distance For the record, I started with the Callaway and did each club in order, so Callaway SW to Vice SW, Callaway PW to Vice PW, and so on.
The loft between the wedges were pretty similar, it's only when we get to the irons where things start to differ, I'm very interested to see how this translates to distance.
The first 10 shots with the Callaway SW were as expected, around 100m carry distance. This is a tried and tested club for me so I kinda knew what to expect.
What I didn't expect was my first shot with the Vice SW.

It's not getting better than that, I should have gone home 😅
The two sand wedges were identical lofts and they performed pretty close, the vice ended up going a few meters further but more impressive was the consistency of the Vice iron.
I'll admit, I'm no Tiger Woods, so my strikes tend to be all over the face, generally more towards the toe side, but the Vice iron performed beautifully and I didn't see any major compromise on distance or shot shape.

Centre shot purists avert your eyes!!


An example of the data you get at X-Golf:

 
I worked through 10 shots with each club and boy was I a sweaty mess after I was finished, but I got it done and some pretty decent distance data. I think the sim distance's are juiced a little bit, I would honestly not pull out an 8-iron if I have 160m to the green on an actual course, but this serves as a great comparison between the sets.
The wedges performed fairly close as the lofts were the same, but when we get to the irons there's a noticeable change.
Practically, each iron is a club up from my old set, EG: the Vice 9-iron goes my old 8-iron distance ect.

These clubs are absolute monsters when it comes to distance, but as far as I can tell so far, with minimal effect to the accuracy of the club.
Another championship round this weekend, so another chance to win with the new irons. I'll report back soon.
Quick update - another round
Another round in the books with the Vice irons and another round where the Vice irons performed admirably.
This round I focused on hitting different types of shots with the irons to see how they perform, like half-shots, punch shots, higher flighted shots with the wedges, and especially chip shots around the greens.
To be fair, low punch shots were not a conscious choice and more a direct result of how my driver was performing from the tee 😂
The feel from the irons is amazing, I know straight away where on the face I have struck the ball and the face is so responsive and fast. This gives me a lot of confidence with the delicate chip shots around the green.
When chipping with my previous irons I felt I had to strike the ball quite hard to get it up and over the rough and then roll once it hit the green, however I do not feel this with the Vice which gives me much more control. The pre-worn leading edge also helps with these delicate shots.
 
 
For the around-the-green chipping, I mainly favoured the SW and AW. Both felt great and popped the ball high into the air without too much effort.

 
Another shot which I'm finding much easier to pull off with the Vice irons is the bump and run. Previously I found it very difficult to gauge the distance and would often end up embarrassingly short or exceptionally long (sometimes having to yell 'FORE').
The consistency from the Vice have made this shot much more comfortable to go to despite where on the face I strike it.
There were at least one or two from the round which looked like they would run all the way into the hole.

 
     
Back soon with the scores and final thoughts.
Final Review
G’day guys, it’s final review time!!
I’ve had an absolute blast testing these irons, but will they stay in the bag?? Let’s see….
Let’s judge a book by its cover (Aesthetics) – 10/10
With a range of colours options available in the VGI02 range (Black, White, Lime Green, & Pink) Vice have gone for the ‘There’s something for everyone approach’. Personally, I went for the Lime Green detail which is a Vice Golf classic option and a colour I was obsessed with on the Vice range of golf bags (I spent many an hour admiring the Lime Green and Grey stand bag)

The irons look great in the photo’s online, but far better in real life, in my humble opinion.
The Lime Green really pops and the simple addition of a green line, writing, and iron number add much more character to the iron that I was anticipating. I also went for the Lime Green ferrule which ties into everything perfectly.

The back of the iron has this topography detail on it that give it the most unique look I’ve seen on an iron and it looks amazing to boot!
The irons also have a good bit of meat to them at the bottom, which fills me with confidence just looking at them.


Vice claims a visible sweet spot on their website which I’m not so sure about as the actual face looks very similar to my old set. There’s nothing that stands out or highlights anything about the sweet spot on the face, however, I will agree that there’s a noticeable difference when you hit the sweet spot.

Another note about hitting the sweet spot: they sound absolutely incredible!
A powerful, penetrating thump that lets me know the ball is currently cutting its way through the air. The sound has almost helped to improve my golf swing as I don’t need to rush up to look at the ball flight, that sound is all I need, baby.
All in all, it’s 10 out of 10 for me in this department. I imagine the bright looks aren’t going to be for everyone, but for me they’re perfect.
I honestly can’t think of anything I would improve on outside of Vice making them sound just as amazing out of the toe or heel.
 
Data is for nerds and those who want to play good golf (The Numbers) 18/20
Just looking at the lofts, I knew the Vice irons were going to fly further than my current set if comparing numbered iron to numbered iron, what I wasn’t prepared for was the consistency and ease of strike of the Vice irons.

The wedges, which were similar lofts, went similar distances but when we get to the numbered irons we really start to see a difference in distances. The numbered irons were around a club more in distance across the board, so Vice 7 is my old 6 ect.
This may not sound like much, but for someone of my skill level where the shorter the iron the tighter the dispersion and the greater my confidence, this is HUGE.
I’d much rather have a 7-iron into a green than a 6-iron, and I’d definitely prefer a 9-iron into a green over an 8-iron.
The games I’ve played has really highlighted this to me, where previously I’ve still gone for the full 6-iron into the green (but really in the back of my head I’m thinking, yeah right, buddy!), but that difference of having a higher lofted 7-iron in my hand really makes a difference.
This next part is purely on me and my skill level, I would imagine most players could probably ignore my slight point deduction, but the shape and more blade-y look of the 5 and 6 iron make them far more difficult to hit cleanly…. For me.
And I stress, this is purely me, but I’ve only had one or two decent shots with the 5-iron (which is a rocket when you strike it), but there’s a huge difference between the look of the 5 and 6 iron in the set to the more comfortable and forgiving look of the rest of the set.
Again, completely on me and my golfing ability, but it didn’t feel right to give them a perfect score because I can strike everything else purely but really struggle when I get to the 5 and 6-iron.
See above for size comparison.
 
Where it matters most (on course) 20/20 (includes first impressions 10/10)
My first game with these irons was my social clubs first championship round.
Had I tested them previously? No
Did I know how far they go? No
Is it smart to put a completely new and untested set of irons into the bag for the first round of championships? No, but we did it anyway!
My very first swing of these irons were on the driving range about 45 minutes before my social clubs tee time for our first championship round. It was cold, I was rusty, I felt the pressure of the championship round, but I had an undeserved amount of confidence thanks to these shiny brightly coloured irons in my golf bag.

My score that day was awful.
However, that was solely thanks to the driver and an unforgiving course, and not the irons. If anything, the irons helped salvage a round than contribute to it.
My best drive of the day was on the first hole and I had around 140m to the green with a shortish tree in the way to the green. From the limited distance data I had from the driving range, I selected the 8-iron and not only cleared the tree, but put it pin high just to the right.
That was the typical example of how the irons performed that day. Whenever I gave them the opportunity to perform at their best (IE: not in the thick rough, behind a tree, or have a limited stroke) they performed beautifully.
Something I mentioned quite a few times above and probably my biggest take away from these irons on course is how remarkable easy they are to launch. I was launching a PW over a tree with ease and the flight on a properly struck 7-iron is much higher and more penetrating than my previous set.
Around the green, the wedges in this set are also fantastic. Like I said, the irons helped my salvage a round my driver was trying to destroy.
I genuinely can’t think of any negatives that are the irons fault and not the dodgy swing I put on it.
 
*Cowboy noises* (The good, the bad, and the ugly) 17/20
Lets start with the good.
These irons look great, feel great, and genuinely make me want to play more golf. The Lamkin grips are tackey and grippy and give me complete control over the club and clubface and the green also match brilliantly to the Lime Green details I selected.
I’ve gone on about the sound of a well struck strike, but the feel of it is otherworldly as well. The only was I can describe it is that it feels FAST, which is confidently backed up by a penetrating ball flight that rises like it’s going to leave the Earths atmosphere before landing softly on the turf.
I love these irons and when I’m not on the course hitting them, I’m thinking about being on the course and hitting them.
And now onto the bad and ugly.
This is something that I only noticed recently when giving the irons a well deserved clean after a fair few rounds and driving range sessions.
The ferrules on 3 of the 8 irons are completely loose.


I know this is a completely cosmetic feature on the irons, has no performance implications and a relatively easy fix, but it’s still very annoying.
Understandable if they’ve had years worth of rounds and taken a battering, but these I would still consider ‘as new’ and when it’s a direct-to-consumer product where simply going back into the store where you purchased them isn’t an option, it adds to the annoyance.
That’s not to even mention that the price point (in Australia at least) puts these Vice Irons in direct competition to the top of the line Taylormade and Callaway range of which I’ve never seen a loose ferrule on a brand new set.
I deducted 1 point for each loose ferrule.
 
Can I have them, or you keeping ‘em? (play it or trade it) 20/20
As much as the recent ferrule issue annoyed me a bit, I still love these irons and it would take something game changing and once in a lifetime to get them out of the bag at this point.

I cannot express the joy I get hearing a well struck shot and seeing that penetrating ball flight, it’s something I imagine Scotty Scheffler experiences with every shot. Not that there wasn’t a difference when I struck my old budget Callaway irons in the sweet spot, but the difference in sound is like going from listening to a song on a crackly speaking to surround sound, and the difference in ball flight is like I’ve gone from hitting half shots my whole like to full shots.
 
So no, you can’t have them, they’re going to help me get to a single digit handicap.
 
TL;DR (conclusion)
These irons are insanely forgiving, easy to hit, and stupidly powerful even when the strike is less than perfect.
I would recommend to any of my friends and have the confidence that it’s not going to bite me in the ass.
Final score 95/100
Aside from one issue that is on me (which I'll work on) and another issue that's on Vice, I can't be more positive about these irons.
As I get used to them I'll comment and let you know how I get on with the 5-iron and 6-iron.
 
SPLATT

Introduction:
First of all, I would like to thank both MGS and Vice for selecting me for this test.  I have been drooling over these clubs for a while now and have a feeling I will continue to do so when they arrive.
 
My name is Ryan, I play out of Bristol UK.  My favorite club to play is coincidentally the one I work at on the weekends, Woodlands golf and country club in Bradley Stoke.  I have been playing properly for almost 2 years now and have found that no matter what, no two rounds of golf are the same.  I have managed to get my handicap to 21.4 so far this playing season, and hope to get it lower (down to 18/19 if I can) by the end of the year.  I play as often as I can, I tend to do Sundays most weeks and if I can I tend to get out once or twice a week in the evening after work.  I am one of those fortunate guys whose wife also enjoys playing golf, so I am never alone when I go and can always rely on her to keep me company and caddy for me.
 
●             What are your plans for the review and comparisons?
So I currently use a set of Cobra F8 irons.  They were my second set of clubs after my little Slazenger set that I used to use for knock abouts on the local pitch and putt or down the range.  I have found them to be a really good set of clubs for starting out.  I have 5-GW in the F8’s and use a set of Rife wedges for SW and LW.  I guess the main thing I am looking for out of these clubs is to see how I do with them, will they perform better than my Cobras? The Vice clubs certainly use different tech to the cobras, opting for a 2-piece cast head instead of the hollow back of the Cobras.

●             How do you want to test this product?
For the first week of having the clubs I will be putting some time in at the range to get used to the feel of the clubs.  I will be aiming so see how the do for average distances compared my existing clubs.  I will also be trying so see how they do for distance control. Can I modify my shots with them to get better height/softer drops/lower longer shots? I will hopefully also be able to get some time in the simulator near me to see how they compare on generating spin compared to the Cobra F8’s. 
After the first week I will be heading straight to the course for the real hands-on testing.  Already have dispensation from management (the wife) to go and play golf as much as I can to test them fully, and boy howdy do I intend to!!
●             What will make this product stay with you after testing?
For me it will mostly come down to how they feel on the course.  Vice offers a virtual fitting service so you can tailor the clubs to your individual needs so I look forward to seeing if there are any adjustments that need to be made for my play.  Of course, we all know that looks will come into it as well, and to be fair, they are some sexy looking clubs, largely customizable through the options as well as looking good on their own.
 
●             Why are you excited about testing this product?
I have never had a set of clubs that look half as decent as the Vice VGI02’s.  I love the faux map contour pattern on the back of the club, it has a sleek design, and it just looks so good.  I have seen some reviews on these clubs online already and they are just spanking it! Five-star reviews on so many sites have built up my expectations and hopes so high!
Here is a snap of the green clubs, I like them the most as that little splash of colour gives them an edge.
 
You are able to properly customise the clubs as well, from coloured rubber grips to coloured corded grips for the firmer hand, you can even choose the colour of your ferrule too for that little additional touch.  They offer flexible different coloured carbon shafts, or stiffer steel shafts. You can even modify how may layers of grip tape you need to adjust the width of the grip!
●             What do you know about the product already?
So, I have been trawling the website since I saw the initial call for testers and have found a fair bit out about them, they are a two-piece cast head, weighted slightly more towards the back of the club to keep the fact a little more closed. The website offers different weighted shafts depending on your needs, and a lighter head to help up the speed through the swing.  The website also offers modifications to the loft and lie, so if the basic set up doesn’t quite suit your requirements, you can change it.
As a comparison I grabbed the standard lofts/lies from the website as you can see, they don’t vary massively to the Cobra F8’s but there is more of a difference in the lie.  I look forward to seeing how they compare especially considering my slight proclivity towards a fade (vice on the left cobra on the right):
 
●             What are your expectations?
So here we go folks, looking forward to getting these ordered and shipped.  The website says 4 weeks for estimated delivery times so there may be a little radio silence until then.  We have all yet to order the clubs as we are waiting so see if it is going to be 5-PW or if it will be 5-SW.  Once everything is ordered I’ll let you all know.
If you’ve got any questions or things you would like to see during the test cycle please give me a holler!!
 
Speak soon folks
 
Ryan Gardiner
 
The Fitting Session
 
Good Evening Folks,
 
Was lucky enough to have my virtual fitting this evening.  Was a really nice call with Jamie from the forum, Alex and Wade from Vice.  I have never had a fitting before so it was a new experience.  We went over my state of play, how often i play, what my flaws are, where i tend to send the ball most (off to the right if you were wondering).  You could clearly see how much passion Alex has for the brand and the clubs throughout the call.  
Once we had gone over the questions to determine what would suit my current state of play Alex went through what would likely work best. We started by going over what clubs would be better for my current skill level and state of play.  As i am a higher handicap golfer they leaned to the VGI02 which works well for me as i think they are the prettier of the two styles, and also the ones that have been described as better for someone with a higher handicap or is newer to golf.  They very generously allowed me to go for the lime green backed clubs which will go with my new golf bag perfectly!!!

The team advised that the graphite shafts would be the best for my swing speed as it means i might be able to have a bit more control over the swing.  He believes that this might also help me close the face a little and reduce the chances of sending the ball off to the right (advice that i would take any day of the week!!).  I also had to provide my height and the distance from my wrist crease to the ground when my arm hangs loosely down.  This will aid them in deciding the right club length. When it came to choosing my shaft i thought, "definitely got to make these look unique".  So I have followed up with the lime green 95g graphite shaft.

 
We then went over what grip would be best by getting me to put my hand up by my head, asking what size glove i tend to use, and what size of grip i currently use.  All of this lead us down the road of a standard grip, and in order to balance out the bright colours i have gone for the black grip.  I think the black along with the bright green will work really well.

And the final customisation is the ferrule, I have gone for a nice dark green one which i hope will fit with the rest of the colour options nicely.

So there is a rough idea of what the clubs are going to look like on arrival.  I'm not saying i am super excited but i don't know how i am going to sleep in between now and when the clubs arrive.  Delivery times are probably going to be in between 2-4 weeks so if i have not succumbed to excitement driven sleep deprivation I will be ready to roll then!!
Some great advice from Jamie on the call was to make sure i spend a good amount of time at the range when the clubs turn up in order to get used to them.  Because i am going to be going from the steel shafts of my Cobra King F8's to the graphite shafts on the Vice VGI02's it may take me a little time to get used to the change.  So expect to see some good dispersion patterns adn feedback from the driving range when they arrive.
 
The next step will be the unboxing on arrival, so sleep tight folks and see you then!!
 
Unboxing Review
 
The Packaging
First impressions of the packaging are good.  The box build is very sturdy, it has a clever design pattern built of contour lines to create a pattern of hills with the “Wunderkind” front and center.  The graphics inside the box are also nice, and tie in well to the multitude of adverts for the clubs that have been popping up on my YouTube feed over the past few weeks :D. The packaging around the clubs is minimal but robust and very fit for purpose.  Each of the clubs are secured with a frame of cardboard, and the heads are protected by a sheath of bubble wrap. One thing that I like is that apart from the bubble wrap cover, all of the packaging is recyclable so nothing is needlessly thrown away!

Club Aesthetics
As I opened the box the bright color of the shafts pop out at the eye, lime green was definitely the way to go.  I chose the dark green ferrule to add a little contrast to the bright green of the shafts and club backs.  Once the protective covers come off of the heads the backs show their colors wonderfully.  The design on the back is really clever as well, mirroring the box’s use of contour lines to create a really unique look.

 
The overall shape of the club head is one that is nicely rounded and of soft edges.  One thing I noticed is that the hosel is slightly shorter on the wedges but longer on the irons than the ones on my existing clubs (I used my sand wedges to give an idea below).
  
 
I also noticed that the sand wedge doesn’t seem to have the same rounded backing on the foot as my Rife wedges. The design seems slightly more squared off.  It will be interesting to see how this will work in the sand traps.
 

 
The shafts of the club are also longer than my existing ones.  As I have never been fitted for clubs before, I am excited to see how the change affects my game.
 

 
Weight-wise I found the approach wedge was a total of 16g lighter than my existing Cobra King F8’s.  I am hoping that the lighter shaft combined with the weight of the head helps keep the head down on the swing.
I put the two approach wedges next to each other and could see at rest that the Vice wedge was slightly more open than the Cobra.  It’s a bit more noticeable to the eye than in the picture.  I look forward to seeing if that will help get the ball up and get it stopping any quicker than when I use the Cobras.

 
The Flaws
I had to look really hard to find any problems with the clubs but I spotted a couple of minor flaws on a couple of the club heads.  On the approach wedge I spotted a small chunk missing from the back along one of the edges, and on another club there looked like some discoloration in one of the contour lines on the design section of the back.  But these are two minute blemishes on an otherwise beautiful set of clubs:
 

 
How does the overall look come together?
Overall, the look is one that is bound to turn some heads at the course and get people asking about the clubs. The bright design, the unique heads, and the overall sleek design is going to cause a flare up of the old green-eyed monster in a few golfers.
 

 
I am heading to the driving range tomorrow (have been very restrained and have not rushed out this evening to start hitting balls).  Will give you all the first impressions tomorrow evening or Wednesday evening depending on how long I end up staying up there :D.
 
Have a great evening everyone, speak soon.

 
Final Review
When I was selected to test the VGI02’s I was over the moon.  Every step of the way I felt a highly maintained anticipation.  I read about the clubs, I watched videos of reviews online, I read about them and found myself looking at the website daily for news on the clubs.  These clubs have been such a great boon to my game that I have seen some significant improvements to my game.  Since I received them, I have done multiple rounds with them, I have been up to the range with them, I have practiced my short game, become more comfortable with the longer irons for my mid game, and found that I have had so much fun with them.  I have taken them into the golf course where I work on the weekends and showed them off to a lot of the regulars that come through.  I could not be prouder of owning a set of Vice VGI02’s.
Grading:
Initial impressions 19/20:
Obviously, we did the unboxing sessions etc. at the start of the test, only thing that cost a point here were the one or two minor defects on the clubs.
 
Aesthetics: 10/10
Graphics/Badging
The boxing was distinctive, fully recyclable, and well presented.  The black writing on the bright lime green stands out and clearly says “These are Vice Irons, jealous yet?”.
How does the overall look come together?
It looks like a set of clubs that inspire conversation.  When I have been seen with them on the clubs people have asked about them.  The lime green, the etching, the feel.  All talking points that give me a chance to discuss the clubs.
 
How does the appearance compare to other clubs in the same category?
Price wise (£1200) you’d be looking around the TaylorMade P790 graphite irons, or the Titleist T350 Steel shaft irons.  And looks wise Vice VGI02’s (and the pictures I have seen of the 01’s), absolutely wipe the floor with the others.  Again, the etching of contour lines, the vibrant colours, all make the clubs stand out more than any others out there.
 
Other unique details (i.e. alignment aids, colouring, swing blur, etc.)
The clubs look good from above, I went for standard loft and lie.  When I give them a full swing, they sound great as they come through.  The sound of the balls off the face are so much better than my old Cobra King F8’s.
 
Are they flashy? Do other players notice them in your bag without being prompted?
They are the flashiest clubs I have owned so far.  If I take them into the shop in order to do a couple of holes after work people notice them.  A lot of people have asked me about them and it brings me genuine happiness to be able to show them off.
 
Describe how the club sounds and feels
Does it sound: loud, quiet, harsh, smooth, or other?
Flushing an iron shot always sounds great, but these have such a distinctive *snick* sound when I hit that it feels like I could pick it out of a sound bank. 
 
Does it feel soft, crisp, dull, clicky?
I have used a few different balls in order to get a good feel for how they sound off the face/play.  The Vice Pro Airs felt great, and even using Nitro White Out balls I got off of amazon (these felt like hitting a stone off the face) the clubs felt responsive and sounded better than off of the face of my Cobras.
 
Does it feel consistent across the face, or are mis-hits noticeably pronounced?
I found that whilst mis-hits still happened they were more forgiving.  Short of really going wild and shooting it off of the toe or the hozzle the shots generally went where I was aiming.  The only thing that really sucked was when I thinned the 5 iron a couple of times.  Even so, because of the flexibility and forgiveness of the graphite shaft I didn’t end up with a case of the thinnies 😄
 
 
The Numbers: 10/10
 
Accuracy – Are you able to consistently hit your target?  What’s the dispersion like?
Accuracy was so much better with these clubs than my Cobra’s.  With the set up that I was fitted for I have been able to turn my wrists over easier and reduce the number of shots that go off right.
 
Distance – Raw distance regardless of direction
The times I went to the driving range showed a distinct increase in stock yardage.  On the course though I seemed to find myself coming up short a lot of the time.  This is not down to the club but more to the difference of playing off of a mat to off of the grass.
 
Trajectory – High, low, or somewhere in between?
The 7 iron, the golden club in everyone’s bag was a good example of gaining height.  These clubs are absolutely great for slinging the ball up high but on line.  Even on my 5 iron I am able to get the ball up to a height that the only things likely to disturb it are birds and breezes. But on the other hand i am able to keep it low when i need to. 
 
Forgiveness
So, the clubs are fairly forgiving.  They are designed for the higher handicap golfer, and so seem to be able to help compensate for the bad shots.  They don’t fix them entirely, they can only do so much, but they do seem to generate a more consistent dispersion.  Whilst My driver is still a bit of an errant club, I have found that I am more and more eager to go with a long iron off the tee box if I am not having much luck.
 
Control – Do you have to work hard to hit your target or does it come easily?
As a higher handicap golfer, I am more than happy to shout from the rooftops when I hit a series of great shots in a row.  With these clubs I feel like I am shouting myself hoarse.
 
Workability – What’s the stock shot shape? Can you change it if required?
Surprisingly I have actually been able to get a little bit of a draw on some of my longer shots with the Vice VGI02’s.  My standard shot is either a fade, a power fade, and aggressive fade, and I think you get the idea.  But with the way the clubs were fitted I am able to achieve more straight shots, and unless it goes into a horrible duck hook left, a couple of shots I have tried to play as a draw have almost gone that way.
 
On the Course 20/20
 
What factors were you pleased with?
The overall feel of the clubs, the improvement to my game since getting used to these clubs.  I have found that my mid game has improved, as has my short game.  I feel comfortable hitting chip shots from 50 yards, I am more comfortable that up to 200 yards I am able to get it to either on the green or at least near enough that I am able to make a good up and down.  A feat that always seemed fairly far off with the Cobra’s.
 
What factors did you find lacking?
Not a damned thing. Any issues are a factor of my swing and play style not with the clubs.

Final Performance Comments:
Overall, how did it perform?
Did it help improve your scores? By how much?
Goodness me yes!  The best scramble round of my life occurred with these clubs.  3 over with a buddy who is a slightly higher handicap than me.  The next round 8 over for the round.  I am going to think about rechecking my handicap before the year is out.  Even when I have gone out and played on my own I have come in under my handicap a few times.  Started at 21.4 this season, but I am regularly coming in 17 or less over. 
 
How, if at all, did this product change your overall impression of Vice?
Not at all.  Having seen the efforts that have gone into the quality of their balls and clothes over the years I came into this test with high hopes.  If anything, these clubs have only reinforced my opinions of Vice as a quality manufacturer.
 
What features do you really like, and would most like to see continued or evolved in future models?
Gotta be the range of colours for the shafts and ferrules, and perhaps more colours for the highlights.  Whilst I love the contour design on the backs of the clubs I wonder how much they are going to be a pain to clean in the winter when I play in the wet ground.  I would like to see them expand more into the wedge field.  I love the sand wedge and approach wedge that they provided me with, and would love to see a lob wedge work it’s way into the mix in the future.
 
The Good, the bad, the in-between: 19/20
I found the virtual fitting to be an interesting experience, I wonder if there would be any wiggle room in the future to have face to face fittings.  I wonder if everyone would get the experience they require from such a session over a video call.  Whilst I works for me, I know that some of the older generation, or people who are not comfortable with video calls might not feel as happy with this medium.
 
Play it or trade it: 20/20
You can bet your cotton socks these clubs are going to become a permanent fixture of my golf bag.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, these clubs are sweet to look at, they feel great to play with, and they have helped my game so much!
If I were in the market to buy a set of clubs and I might look at the price and hesitate.  At £1200 for the set with the set up this went for they are at the high end of the price range for irons. But for that money you would end up with a set of graphite shafted irons that will last you for many, many years!
 
Conclusion:
With most clubs, looks are what draw you in; these do that.  Then the brand name; who hasn’t heard of Vice out there.  Then the price, which could be a stumping point for some, but the no hassle refund policy and trial period mean that you can return them if you don’t feel you’re getting your money’s worth. Then the feel of the clubs, the test swings feel well balanced and smooth.  Then the sound of the ball off the face makes a grown man smile.  Then the sight of your first 7 iron shot going dart straight 20 yards further than your existing clubs makes you say “Yes”!
Do I like these clubs?  You bet your beautiful behinds I do!
Would I recommend you get them?  If you are a mid to high handicapper, I would truly suggest you invest in a set of these.  If you’re a lower handicapper then look at the reviews of the VGI01’s those chaps have had a great time with theirs.
 
So with an absolutely huge thank you again to MGS and Vice for bringing this test to us, and for giving me such a huge opportunity.  And with most humble gratitude I am proud to give the clubs a firm final score of 98/100

Hello All! Couldn’t be more excited to be testing out these irons! I continue to be impressed in the opportunities that MGS offers and incredibly grateful to be selected for this one. Thank you MGS and Vice for the opportunity! I have been part of the forum for a few years now and have referenced My Golf Spy since I started getting into the game in 2021. I am a proud girl dad that loves to share my love for golf with my family and grateful they let me enjoy it. I am located in Michigan, so we are in peak golf season here and spoiled with the plethora of courses available at all price points and conditions.

 
I played sporadically growing up, always loved playing (lets be really, I enjoyed swing as hard as possible) but in 2021 my wife and I went to a simulator for date night and I forgot how much fun it was to play. One of my best friends works with the First Tee and after hearing I went to a sim informed me that the annual fall guys golf trip had an opening pop up and asked if I would join – this is where my journey with Vice begins. I dusted off my dad’s old hand me down clubs and wanting to look the part, I went to Marshall’s to buy a couple golf polos and googled cheap golf balls. Plenty of options popped up but right away vice jumped out – loved the branding and the price point seemed better that what I was seeing elsewhere. So, I ordered a hat, a box of Vice tours and their variety box. Proceeded to lose every ball that weekend but had a blast. Fast forward three years and Vice pro plus is my current ball of choice, the hat collection has grown and I rock a vice drip towel on the bag. We just finalized dates and location for this year’s golf trip and I can’t wait to come full circle by rocking some vgI01’s this fall.

The past 3 years have been a blast as I dove head first into the game. I created an 18birdies account and started off at a 28 handicap after my first few rounds and today my 18birdies handicap sits at a 7.7, but let’s be real, some of those scores are a bit generous. My GHIN index just hit my lowest ever handicap at 9.2. My biggest strength is off the tee and putting is my Achilles heel. I am a fairly highly launch, high spin player with my go-to shot shape being a draw, especially with my irons. I’ve worked hard over the past year to go from playing a power fade (let’s call it for what it was, a slice) to a draw. Driver shot shape is inconsistent but with my irons I’m pretty consistently a straight to moderate draw shot shape. My two common mishits are thin and the dreaded snaphook. But overall the garage practice sessions during the winter have been paying off and I have been in the market for a new set of irons. I have had my eyes on some takomo 101ts but both eyebrows raised when I saw vice entering the iron game. I have a random love for Adams golf (shoutout Stacked Golf on youtube) which led to me picking up some adams xtd irons on marketplace a couple years ago and have really enjoyed them – I like all the forgiveness tech built in while avoiding too chunky of a topline. As the game and ball striking have improved, I have been wanting to upgrade and I’m drawn to irons that maintain a sleeker, clean look while still having enough forgiveness. Brands such as takomo, Srixon and mizuno. I’m under no impression that I should be playing blades and consistent iron performance is something I have built my golf course strategy around. In general forgiveness > workability. Which leads me to what I am most curious about in this test:

Does the vgI01 have enough forgiveness for it to be my full-time gamer? I was torn on which one I would want to test but ultimately the looks of the I01 won out. I was reassured that it was a hollow body design and the increased face length. I have played a handful of rounds with a set of Callaway Apex Pros (2014s I think) when visiting one of my friends and have enjoyed them. Will I be able to find round in/round out performance and consistency with a club outside of the game improvement category. How do they look and sound? These are of course subjective but you want clubs that sound good and look good in the bag when someone else is taking a peak at what’s in your bag. Look good, feel good, play good. The pictures look great, love the pop of color than can be added but how do they look in person. What does my shot shape look like? I have not hit a ton of irons other than my gamers so there is some curiosity on if I have built my golf swing around the irons. I prefer a draw with my irons but honestly, I’m completely fine playing a cut/fade. As I said earlier, I’m a fairly high launch, high spin player and interested in seeing how much of that is my swing and how much is playing game improvement clubs that are designed to help with this. The minimal offset also intrigues me in potentially helping avoid some snaphooks. Spin Numbers. This is addressed in the above but I do have a garage set-up with a garmin r10 and really interested to see some side by side data. I know the r10 isn’t perfect but works well enough to see some trends. How do they play on different types of courses? I play a wide range of courses from walking the local munis to the occasional private course invite and everything in between. Michigan has a wide range of golf course styles and I want a club that handles different turfs and conditions well. Love that it has the sole grind similar to Srixon irons that I have rented on vacations. Gapping Between irons/wedges and irons/woods? I'm curious about gapping iron to iron as well but I'm already in a spot where I have a bigger gap that I would like between my 50 degree and PW. I'm glad these clubs aren't super loft-jacked but will be curious if I need to find something that gaps from pw to 50 degree    
Will they go in the bag? Probably the biggest question for me since I am looking for new irons. Going in the bag is the ultimate endorsement in my book. They look great and are from a brand I love but at the end of the day my goal is to enjoy my time on the golf course. Irons that perform well and consistently, and hopefully lead to good scores, is the most important factor. I am looking forward to getting these clubs ordered and testing out! My 4 year old has already given her preferences on her favorite color options and she had as much fun unboxing my clicgear as I did last year, hoping for more of the same this year!
 
Virtual Fitting and Club Selection
To start I've never had a true fitting. Two years ago I went to a demo day and they gave me some specs but my swing has changed a ton since. I have gone from a very out-to-in path to fairly in-to-out, particularly with my irons. So there was a lot of conversation around getting a good set-up to avoid the big right-to-left/snaphook miss. I am feeling as comfortable with my swing as ever, so it was nice to build the club around the swing rather than the other way. The team was great to talk with, super conversational and you can tell they know, love and have confidence in their product. Through the conversation, going with the VGI01 was confirmed and built from there. My overall aesthetic is far from flashy but I don't mind a bit of color, so after consulting my design expert (my 4 year old daughter), I knew I was going to go with the Lime Green accent. I think its the perfect pop of color.

Overall set-up will be 4-pw VGI01's with Steel 105g S flex, black midsize grip, black ferrule and bent a couple degrees flat to limit the big left miss. Pretty standard, clean set-up for me but thats what I want to see at set-up. I think these will look great in the bag and I will feel confident with how they look behind the ball. Alex talked highly about the 4 iron replacing his 3 iron which has me intrigued and thinking through what my overall bag set-up will be while testing them. I mentioned at the top too, but it will be interesting to track my shot shape. During the community call vice did and a decent amount of the messaging is about these clubs promoting a draw shot shape due to the light clubhead. I already tend to play this shot shape, particularly with my irons. How will the adjustments made to my set-up play on the course? I like playing a draw and usually my snaphook comes into play when I'm rushing through a swing or really trying to step on one. I'm hopeful the set-up (flatter lie, midsize grips) will give me the confidence and comfortability to play my shot with a smooth swing. The lofts are a touch stronger and the clubs are 10 years newer, so not too worried about distance and shouldn't feel like I need to force more. 

Now the wait begins. It should be the perfect amount of time for me to finish up a couple house projects I have to be able to use my garage hitting set-up again. Between my garmin r10 and shotscope data, I should be able to give a pretty good side-by-side comparison.  The service has been great so far and seems to be something the vice team prides themselves in. There are so many players in the golf equipment game that it's the extras that differentiate brands such as customization options and customer service.
 I have some pretty fun golf lined up in late July/early August.   Hope to have gotten the feel of these irons and see how they handle a variety of golf courses.
Unboxing, before taking any swings
The pictures show it better than I could describe but they look great. I’ve been looking to upgrade my irons and models like the takomo 101t/jpx tours/Srixon zx5 – irons with a thinner topline but enough weight and tech behind the club face to offer some forgiveness. The VGI01 absolutely falls in this same category and immediately caught my attention. I think the most impressive part of the tech for me is that it sets-up like a blade (only club I can see the cavity on is the 4 iron at 21 degrees) but enough of a cavity back and big enough clubhead to find a nice balance of looking sleek while still giving confidence.
Nevertheless, my first thoughts actually standing over them were conflicting – they look incredible behind the ball with the thin topline and minimal offset but at the same time had me nervous that my game wasn’t ready for them. However, two things kept me optimistic on forgiveness – they advertised increased face length and the low center of gravity. It’s a little hard to explain and maybe the pictures below can show it but the cavity back is not bulky yet feels substantial. The shape of the cavity, with how wide the middle section of the cavity is and extra material near the toe, allows the club to feel stable and give the confidence of having some forgiveness. I did notice that despite very different technology and being made 10 years apart, there are some common elements to the back of the club – this may be why I feel comfortable with the VGI01 despite the more compact design.

First Swings and Range
There were four primary adjustments going from my old adams xtd irons to the VGI01s.
·        Grip Change – through the fitting went from standard to midsize grips
·        Lighter clubheads
·        Clubs bent two degrees flat
·        The move from game improvement to players/players distance irons
I’m expecting their to be an acclimation period and I felt it my first range session. First range session was a mixed bag, it took sometime to get used to the feel of the clubs, both swinging them and feel off the face. The larger grip and lighter clubhead took some time to adust to and find the lowpoint. The club is definitely lighter than my adams irons and he distribution of the club felt different, not necessarily better or worse, just different. This led to some pretty thin shots out of the gate but also showed right away that a thinned shot is still going to have some help getting up in the air, it will be lower but generally fairly straight. Center contact felt good, though tough to fully judge with range balls. While there is some forgiveness to the clubs, mishits are going to see a performance drop-off – which was expected. The flipside being that I was able to feel what the mishit was much better than my game improvement irons. I prefer to play my stock draw shot whenever I can and that was still the ball flight I was seeing on normal swings. Other than massive chunked shots, I found the shot shape and height were more impacted than the distance – I can live with that as golf is so often about limiting variables. All-in-all I felt good but was definitely nervous about how they would translate over to the course.
Example of what a common miss looks like for me

On Course/First Impression (9/10)
The next day I went to a local 9 hole course while leaving my driver, 3 wood and hybrid at home. Shorter course but classic Michigan, through the woods golf. We had a group behind us so I didn’t get much chance to hit multiple shots but the round went well. Actually playing a round of golf and using non-range balls. Center strikes feel great and the ball pops off the club face. I found myself excited that I kept getting to hit long irons off the tee because almost every tee shot was a high, easy draw. I had one overdraw on me and one that was straight as an arrow leading to a right rough miss. Overall shot a 5 over round with 71% of fairways hit and 56% of greens in regulation. Fairway percentage was considerably higher than my average on the year and half the greens missed were more distance related which is to be expected with a new set of irons.


My Final Review
Vice has a really good set of irons here. I agree with the consensus of they are for that 5-15 handicap golfer but a lower handicap that wants that touch of extra forgiveness, these would fit the need. I have been looking for new irons after gaming my Adams xtd irons since I got into the game in 2021. They were a marketplace pickup and were the perfect clubs to get started. I was on the fence of sticking in the game improvement category or moving towards more of a forged players iron. A big part of my course management is knowing what my irons are going to do and getting consistent results. I don't work the ball a ton but do like to see a little draw on irons. The VGI01s have struck a great middle ground of moving towards a player's iron without sacrificing too much forgiveness, especially when it comes to getting the ball up in the air. My game has been trending a positively for a while but since putting these irons in play my handicap has dropped to the lowest I've ever had (7.5) and a big part of this has been these irons. They have changed my on-course approach to just get the ball to 160 yards or less out to put a 9i or less in hand. On the flip side the long irons are consistent off the tee, which allows me to be confident to take iron off the tee more to reach that 160 yard or less number.
Aesthetics- 9/10
Of course this is subjective and I think there are two routes for good looking irons. There are minimalist irons that hide the text/more subtle tech. And then there is the style of leaning into the tech and showing in flashy ways. Vice shows both of these, vgI01s the minimalist route and the vgI02s lean into the other route and add the flair of the topography lines at the top. In my opinion, the I01s find such a great balance between a minimalist design with a touch of flair. Or if you want even more you can customize the set to add that little bit of extra. The customizability is what pushes it to 10/10 for me. I love irons in the takomo/srixon design and I01s fall in this category but add the easy customization. They are eye-catching, I've had multiple times where people notice them in the bag and ask about them. (Shout out to both MGS and Vice for this opportunity, I've had 5 or 6 random playing partners join the forum after these conversations.) No better endorsement to an irons aesthetics that people noticing them as they walk by.
Feel and sound are inherently subjective, but these clubs feel and sound great. Playing nothing but game improvement irons there has been an adjustment period, as long as I hit the grooves on my Adams xtd irons it felt good, however i think I hit a bit of a wall for actually improving my ball striking bc of that. You feel exactly where the ball hits the face with the vg01s. But it’s not in a hurt your hands kind of way, it’s very literally you feel where the ball hits the face.

The Numbers (18/20)
Pretty much through the set I have seen 3-5 yard increase compared to my old set. I wasn’t looking for more distance but a couple more yards never hurts, there is a placebo effect that kicks in when you get step over the ball with a short iron or wedge. I’ve never felt more comfortable from 160 yards and in. Absolutely love the pw and 9 iron for attacking. While these irons aren't too loft-jacked, I was curious how the spin numbers would look and how well they would stick on a green. They definitely spin less, I haven't seen as much spin back, but a lot of one hop and stop when hitting the green. My old irons had a tendency to balloon, I haven't experienced that at all with these.

Biggest increase in distance has been a 13 yard increase in 5 iron distance which I think really speaks to the playability of these irons. They have done such a great job of weight dispersion that the ball gets in the air effortlessly. I do see inconsistency hitting the 5, 6 irons off turf. This was a concern of mine with this iron category. I’m currently sitting at a 7.5 index and was worried how my game would vary over to players cavity backs and this concern has been justified with the long irons. I don’t think the 4 iron will stay in the bag - just like the forgiveness of a hybrid (maybe a driving iron would make sense?).. but the 5 and 6 irons are sooo good off the tee. My tendency is to hit the ball thin, and that slight tee up helps negate. Tee up the 5/6 irons and it is a high-launch, baby draw just about every time. I'm working on a more in depth standalone post too but this 5 iron data from my shotscope is a perfect example of how the VGI01s have improved my game. More fairways hit and has close to eliminated the left miss off the tee. Now it has added a bit of a right miss but safe to assume that I have been overcorrecting my starting line and don't need to aim as far right off the tee anymore. Small data set for the adams xtd but also but I never pulled iron off the tee before because it usually didn't end well. More fairways, better distance, smaller miss; that's as good as it gets right there.

As can be seen in the distances below, the gapping is pretty darn good too, especially for a compressed sample size. Of note these are my performance averages for total distances and not carry number which would be a better true indicator of gapping. Either way gives me good data around on course numbers.

On Course (18/20)
Overall, these clubs launch fairly high and easy. Again, my mishit is a groove or two low and those shots still launched a moderate to high height and didn't see big drops in distance. It's been said in other sections of my review and posts throughout the review but these irons are defined by two things for me. I've never felt more comfortable attacking a pin with a short iron or hitting a long iron off the tee. It's been eye-opening to my course management too. I still don't work the ball a ton but I have started to play around more more shot shaping for my pw/9 iron and they have been responsive. The newest shot in my bag that I owe to the I01 pw, is the knock down approach into a green. The ability to take a little height off and guide the ball into the green more has been great. Exhibit A, I normally hit a full 50 degree into this green but that can lead to big pulls or spinning the ball off the green. I think a 90%, knock down pw is officially my new go-to shot on this hole.

I also brought up in my pre-testing concerns, how would these irons play with my tendency to overhook the ball. That miss is still there at times, less frequent and not as dramatic but still creeps in. In fairness to the irons, this miss would be present no matter what irons I was playing as it's my miss with every club and tends to pop up when I overswing or get to quick and armsy. Where these irons have helped, is know that the clubheads are lighter, I do think my swing in general has smoothed out and I don't feel the need to overswing with these irons. 
If I have one complaint with these irons on course it would be out of thick rough. Maybe it's a lighter clubhead thing, maybe its a technique, probably a bit of both. I have not found the ball pops out of a buried lie in deep rough quite as well as my older irons. Far from a dealbreaker as this will always be an unpredictable element but a consideration if youre go to courses pride themselves on the pga tour approach of overseed and grow the rough out. Most munis and local courses not as much of a problem, which takes me to my next point of I have not noticed as many jumpers/flyers. They are still there, can't change physics but the ball comes out really consistently out of low/thin rough. The beveled leading edge doing it's job in this scenario
The Good, the bad, the inbetween (17 out of 20)
The forged metal body is clearly on the softer side as the bottom of the club is a bit marked up from hitting objects through impact and a couple bag chatter dings. The faces still look great though and I don't have much concern from a long-term durability standpoint. Kind of comes with the territory of a forged club.
Grips are ok, I went with the midsized, black rubber grips. They have gotten the job done but I do notice they feel a bit more slick than my current grips when sweaty or wet. Haven't decided if it's enough of a factor to switch out, probably a decision for next season.
My fitting was done through a virtual call as the online fitting tool wasn't live yet. I have since gone through the online fitting tool and it kicked out pretty similar specs to my virtual call which was nice to see.
Shipping was on time and the clubs came in great shape. Customer service throughout the process was great as well.
Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20)
The signature has already been updated and the clubs (minus the 4 iron) will be finding a permanent residence in my bag. They look great and play great, can't ask for much more than that. I will most likely being swapping the 4 iron out for a hybrid or possibly a driving iron (maybe even an vgI02 4 iron instead?)
Conclusion - If you go back to my first impression post, that puts the score at 91/100. These clubs have been everything I hoped for in a set of irons and the game is in a good spot. If you have concerns with them being a DTC brand, I feel confident the online fitting tool will give you a better set-up than any off the rack set. My GHIN handicap has dropped almost 2 full points since I applied to this test and puts me comfortably at my 2024 goal of reaching and maintain a single digit handicap.. As a 7 handicap, these irons are a great fit but I also encourage people to error on the side of more forgiving irons and based on what the VGI02 testers have written those are some darn good irons too. 

Tom the Golf Nut checking in.
 First a special thank you to Vice Golf for affording this opportunity for testing. PS: I really like the Vice Logo. Total class right there. Thank you, MGS Forum Staff, for selecting me for testing, and the MGS logo is also top notch.
 I have a supportive family that lets me indulge in my passion. We live in middle South Carolina between Pinehurst and Myrtle Beach so golfing opportunities are abundant. Of my three children, two are still home, with my youngest about to enter her senior year of college. My son and daughter (when she is not away at school) work at my golf club and if things work out my wife will work there as well someday. I was just elected to the board of directors for the club, so it is turning into a family affair. I can’t sneak out to get away from the family when they all work there. LOL
Family fun time with my wife, son, daughter (front) and my son’s girlfriend.

I am pretty much a self-taught golfer and have been playing for over thirty-five years. I never stop building things or tinkering on golf related stuff to help improve my game.  I build most things at home. I’m the son of a carpenter and I was a machinist then an engineer in my early days. If I can dream it I can build it.  My biggest improvements in my game came from installing my simulator in conjunction with a MEVO several years ago. I got to see my swing path and ball flight info from the comfort of home. Which will come in handy for testing. I play a decent amount of golf. At least twice a week at my club, playing with customers when I’m on the road, as well as golf outings for charities. I am able to play year-round in my area of the country.
My GHIN handicap is currently 0.5, I have a mid-ball flight and a one hop and stop on the greens. I enjoy playing and do not get upset with a bad shot. Swing tempo is smooth with an average driver swing speed in the mid to upper 90’s. My average ball flight is straight with a middle flight trajectory. I am hoping to increase my iron trajectory a little bit more. Switching to graphite shafts in my irons has helped already. My strengths are finding the fairway with my drive and my short game.

I moved here about a year and a half ago and the courses are generally very different here than my hilly and mountainous courses of Northeast TN. Here it is flatter but requires more placement shots. Being in the sand belt region we have much softer fairways and approach areas (No bounce and roll out here) Lots of dog legs, streams, and waste areas that come into play. The rough is very playable but anything past that is in pine straw or unplayable.     
So, what do I want to accomplish during this test?  
I am hoping to gain a little more forgiveness with these irons. The King Tour's I was using last year has little room for error and I’m a decent ball striker. I have actually been moving them out of the bag one at a time and putting in my older irons which were a DTC brand. I plan on evaluating the data, and my on-course play. On course is where it matters most. If I can get a little more forgiveness on slightly off-center hits, maintain accuracy, and potentially get a little more ball height these will stay in the bag. A little more distance wouldn’t hurt either, but I don’t want to sound greedy. I have seen a lot of good things come from the direct-to-consumer brands and am looking forward to seeing what these clubs can do.
 
The Clubs:
I have been selected to test the VGI 01’s. Vice golf is getting with the times right off the bat with different head color trims, shaft, ferrule, and grip color options. So now we get the opportunity to customize the look. Make it yours.
I had my fitting this morning which was very pleasant and informative. I was probably the easiest to fit as I knew all my specs from previous fittings. After discussions with their team and Jamie on the call as well we decided to keep the same shaft weights, flex, lie angles, and length that I was already fit into.  Then it came to making them mine in terms of colors. 
Decisions, decisions, decisions. I went with the red trim which has the club numbers in red as well. I also selected a Whiz Graphite 60g Mitsubishi black shaft.
  

I added a black ferrule and went with the red Vice Mid-size grip. I was tempted to go with the gray but a little color in my life would be good. I wasn’t sure if they would be a distraction to me.  

I have been a fan of the GP CP2 Pro for years now. We will see how these grips go, but I have a set of the CP 2’s waiting in the wings if needed. 
Clubs are on order and now comes the hard part. Waiting for delivery. I'm sure everything will go according to plan. I'm super excited to test these out. The Vice team is top notch. They even asked for periodic check ins with the team to see if I have any issues, concerns, comments, and just to see how I like them. I'll be honest this is the first time a manufacturer really cared about the product and my relationship with the product once it shipped. They get a five-star rating on a scale of 1 to 5⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ 
Thinking about the testing:
I compared the lofts from my other sets of irons and there isn’t much difference. So really all in all they should compare quite nicely. With the scoring clubs a little weaker they should give me a little more height and stopping power. But we will find out. That’s what the testing is all about right.
The actual lofts are:

I’m interested in the sound and feel. Since these are hollow body and not filled with foam or neoprene, will they sound pingy, dull, or crisp? Without the fill material the clubs should have a little more rebound in the face as well. 
Key characteristic claims:
Developed with insights from millions of data sets from normal golfers; An Iron Set that delivers forgiveness without compromising on performance.
- Triple forged head + milled finish
·      Lighter head weight design to increase swing speed and improve shaft-head-balance
·      Low offset and thin topline with increased face length for improved forgiveness
·      2-piece hollow body construction to create one of the hottest faces in golf
I like to start my testing from the green and work backwards just like I would test a ball. Chipping, pitching, then move back to full shots and then longer irons. The chipping part will be a little harder to test. Most of my chipping is with a Gap Wedge and this set stops at the PW. I’m going to work on using the PW from now until the Vice clubs arrive. My goal is 10 shots per task and remove any outliers. I will use the Mevo to gather the data once I get into the full shots. Data is great for those data junkies out there but I’m more of a performance in the field kind of guy. Hitting off a mat in the simulator or at the range is different than playing conditions. How will these perform out of the rough, tight lies, normal lies, divots, and so on.
I will set up certain distances and hit into a green doing some head-to-head testing with a few different clubs. Distance variance, trajectory, and dispersion will be what I’m looking for. Then try off of different type of lies. (rough, tight lies, wet grass) 
We did get notified that our orders are getting ready to ship. So, the excitement is escalating.  
 
The clubs have arrived and here is a little unboxing for your viewing pleasure.
 



FINAL REVIEW
Vice VGI01 Irons
I spent a couple of days collecting data comparing sets against each other. I checked the lofts between sets, and they were similar, so I wasn’t worried about not knowing distances. I used a Flight Scope MEVO and my simulator to gather inside data. I tried for weeks to get data outside at my range but rain, more rain, and a hurricane caused flooding at the course closing the range. So, all that was left was on course play. I headed to the golf course with my new weapons.
I was playing the Sub 70 699 Pro’s for a few years with great results. Last season I gamed the Cobra King Tours. I’m not knocking the King Tours; they played well but there was little margin for error. The sweet spot was small and missing it I lost too much yardage. So midway through the season I had a split set. Then by the end of the season all that was left in the bag was the Gap Wedge.
I needed to get back to hitting perfectly straight, towering shots that would land softly at the target. Now with the Vice Irons in the bag and high hopes in my back pocket we were off to the proving grounds. The clubs on course performance started out well and never gave me cause for concern. Within the first few rounds I realized that I could just aim at the pin and fire away. My ball flight was higher and there was pretty much a one hop and stop. I also used the Vice Pro Air ball during play. I also would bring along an iron from my other sets to compare. Luckily, I’m allowed out on the course before the public, so I didn’t hold anyone up.
Round after round the performance factor was what I was looking for. The VGI01’s actually delivered more than I hoped for.
Grading:
Looks 9 out of 10
              Such a good-looking club with a satin finish. Not the chunky cavity backs with thick top lines you generally see. As a matter of fact, they are the thinnest top lines I have ever seen, and minimal clubface offset. A little intimidating a first look (-1 point). But all the lines are clean, and head shape is very good looking behind the ball. You also get the added feature of customizing your color details on the club head.
Look at that thin top line. 

Feel 10 out of 10
              You can feel off center hits, but the ball still goes on its target line with minimal distance loss and center strikes just go where you aimed effortlessly. The clubs feel very stable during impact, minimal twisting on off center hits. You do get good feedback upon impact. But on perfect strikes you hardly feel anything. So, you immediately know it was a pure strike. The club feels very well balanced in hand and during the swing. These are very light club heads so a lighter weight shaft will help you feel the club head more. The combined light weight automatically increased my swing speed.
Basic Characteristics 20 out of 20
              Trajectory is just under a high trajectory category with the Mitsubishi Wiz 60 shafts. This was exactly what I was looking for help with. I needed a little more height. Accuracy is spot on. It goes where you aim it. The trajectory and added swing speed increase distance by a full club. The landing of the ball was for the most part a hop and stop or just land and sit. The manufacturer claims that the low COG gives you high MOI. This is supposed to provide optimal ball flight and increased stability on off –center hits. Their claims are spot on regardless of the club selected. I was totally comfortable pin hunting with these irons. These clubs also sound very good.  
On-Course Performance 30 out of 30
My proximity to the pin has decreased. Trajectory has improved. All these factors are exactly what I had hoped to achieve. Truthfully, I was not sure what a company new to club manufacturing could produce right out of the gate, but I am impressed. The results speak for themselves. Right out of the box and onto the course there was no adjustment period required. If you close or open the face a bit the ball will draw or fade. I wipe my club face after each shot before putting them back in the bag. I noticed rather quickly that I am in the center of the clubface consistently and a couple grooves higher compared to my previous gamers.
So many of these types of approaches already.

Miscellaneous 8 out of 10
Packaging was superior, it was a box in a box so even though the outside box was slightly damaged the inside box was just fine. Plenty of protection inside the box as well. They also sent two dozen Vice Pro Air balls and a Vice Glove. Due to the demand of these clubs, they sent an email about being sorry for the shipping delay and gave me another free dozen balls. That was a nice gesture considering the clubs arrived right on time. Serious customer service.  I’m deducting a point here because the back sides of the club face will show bag chatter very easily. Another point for the grips. I went with the red grips to match the red details on the clubface. My rounds have left me with a pink hue on my golf glove. I’m sure that will stop over time.
Play it or trade it 20 out of 20
Even though we are still in the honeymoon stage these have earned a spot in the bag. Everything that I was looking to achieve has been delivered in the form of the VGI01 irons. The clubs were built to my specs, and they are spot on. I have been able to put myself in better position on the greens since putting them in play. I have already shot my career low round with an amazing 63 which beat my low by 4 strokes. Several other rounds in the 60’s as well. Granted my driver was spot on, but the VGI01 irons are what put me in position on the greens. Well done Vice. Looks, design, and performance!
Conclusion
If playing a big brand name is not important to you and if you are looking for a club that performs then this club is for you. Comparing the major manufactures pricing for clubs in this category, the Vice line of clubs has a very attractive price point and definitely worth consideration. They are less than the big brands but a little higher than the other DTC brands. For the performance you get it is well worth looking into.
The VGI01’s are a forged players iron but with forgiveness. I feel it is best suited for a person in the five to fifteen handicap range. Even though my handicap is lower these irons are working out very well for me. There is that extra bit of forgiveness built into these clubs. My proximity to the pin is less. My ball flight is higher than what it was, and there is some distance gain.
Final Score 97 out of 100

Team Sans Tuck!
With a father who was a Canadian golf pro, touring (Can) for a decade+ and having worked at another half a dozen courses over the years…and having been sent to private school (high school) - I have reached my Lifetime Tuck Quota.
I will remain untucked for the rest of my golfing days thank you!
That being said, if I’m lucky enough to be invited to a fancy private track, I will follow the lead of my host. I wouldn’t want my internal scaring to tarnish the image of another.
Golf has changed so much over the last 20years - I think the contemporary golfer doesn’t put that much stock into the more transitional appearance. Personally I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The newer styles are fresh and creative.
As long as people respect the course, staff and the other players - who cares what they look like. (IMO)

Team Sans Tuck!
With a father who was a Canadian golf pro, touring (Can) for a decade+ and having worked at another half a dozen courses over the years…and having been sent to private school (high school) - I have reached my Lifetime Tuck Quota.
I will remain untucked for the rest of my golfing days thank you!
That being said, if I’m lucky enough to be invited to a fancy private track, I will follow the lead of my host. I wouldn’t want my internal scaring to tarnish the image of another.
Golf has changed so much over the last 20years - I think the contemporary golfer doesn’t put that much stock into the more transitional appearance. Personally I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The newer styles are fresh and creative.
As long as people respect the course, staff and the other players - who cares what they look like. (IMO)

Team Sans Tuck!
With a father who was a Canadian golf pro, touring (Can) for a decade+ and having worked at another half a dozen courses over the years…and having been sent to private school (high school) - I have reached my Lifetime Tuck Quota.
I will remain untucked for the rest of my golfing days thank you!
That being said, if I’m lucky enough to be invited to a fancy private track, I will follow the lead of my host. I wouldn’t want my internal scaring to tarnish the image of another.
Golf has changed so much over the last 20years - I think the contemporary golfer doesn’t put that much stock into the more transitional appearance. Personally I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The newer styles are fresh and creative.
As long as people respect the course, staff and the other players - who cares what they look like. (IMO)

Team Sans Tuck!
With a father who was a Canadian golf pro, touring (Can) for a decade+ and having worked at another half a dozen courses over the years…and having been sent to private school (high school) - I have reached my Lifetime Tuck Quota.
I will remain untucked for the rest of my golfing days thank you!
That being said, if I’m lucky enough to be invited to a fancy private track, I will follow the lead of my host. I wouldn’t want my internal scaring to tarnish the image of another.
Golf has changed so much over the last 20years - I think the contemporary golfer doesn’t put that much stock into the more transitional appearance. Personally I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The newer styles are fresh and creative.
As long as people respect the course, staff and the other players - who cares what they look like. (IMO)