JudgeSmails

-Scott -Indiana -Bettinardi Queen B5 -Frontline 4.0 35" or Elevado slant neck 35" (It's a TOSS UP!)

@azstu324 Seems our findings were pretty similar.

Ctrl C + Ctrl V pretty shameless copy of the spider there

My stage 2 is UP!!!!

Should note that Lynx sent me a replacement 7 iron, but it still had the same hole in it. I'm not too worried about it, I don't think it will affect anything.

Tour Champ Winning Score = -15

Scott / Indiana Bettinardi QueenB 5 hcp 9

Thank You!!

My stage is 1 is up!

STAGE 2 Lynx Prowler VT Irons – Official MGS Forum Review by JudgeSmails Thank you to Lynx and MyGolfSpy for letting me put these irons through the ringer. I had a great time testing, as I always do checking out new equipment. 20 years ago when I started playing golf, I always wanted a set of Lynx irons, as time went by, they kind of fell off the map here in the U.S. They are trying to make a comeback and I welcome it. I’m a 9 handicapper, who considers my iron play the strength of my game. Get me within 150yds and I’m pretty decent (I think). Check out my Stage1 if you want to read up more about my game and golf history, I don’t want to get too repetitive here. My testing was done in 3 phases. An initial range session, a Trackman session and finally being used in play. On to the REVIEW Looks (10 out of 10 points) I like the simple, clean, classic look of these irons. The finish I chose is very shiny in the sun, but there is no glare at address. The Lynx logo is prominently displayed, I think they have a very cool logo, so I was happy to see it on these irons. They definitely have a classic blade look to them, but looking at address, gives you a little confidence that there may be some forgiveness there. Honestly, I’m not sure what could be improved upon here, they look great, and my score represents that. Sound & Feel (7 out of 10 points) Sound wise, the Lynx have a much more “clicky” sound than I’m used to. It’s not a bad sound but I can definitely tell the difference between them and the duller “thud” of my Mizuno Hot Metals. The video below should give you a pretty good idea, I got as close as I could to try and capture it. Feel wise, for me, comes down to 3 words; YOU WILL KNOW. When you hit a good one, YOU WILL KNOW, when you hit a bad one, YOU WILL KNOW. Immediately I could tell whether I hit the sweet spot or not swinging the Lynx Prowler VT’s. When you pure it, it’s a really great feeling. But when you don’t, you will be able to feel it in your hands/forearms. I will give them a decent score here for the feeling of a well struck shot, but take some points off for the slight mishits. Basic Characteristics (14 out of 20 points) RANGE: I was pretty excited when I peeled the plastic off and took these babies out to the range for the first time. I started out hitting the 7 iron. Again, as I mentioned in the feel, the good ones were good, the off center strikes were bad, some of them REAL bad. Had a little trouble getting them up in the air at first, but after a while got more comfortable. I switched to the PW, and had much better success with it. I was able to hit them high and straight, the mis hits were bad, but not as punishing as the 7 iron. I went through the rest of the irons, switching back and forth with similar results. The higher numbers I had much more trouble with, but had pretty good results w/ the lower numbers. I did get a 3 iron with this set, my Mizuno set actually stops at the 5 iron. So I spent some time trying to hit the almighty STINGER with it on the range, using it like a driving iron. Oddly enough, I had some pretty good success doing that, consider how I struggled with a few of the lower lofted irons. I was hitting a fairly consistent low draw from teeing the ball up just above the grass, and putting it a touch back in my stance. TRACKMAN: Here is a pic of the data from my Trackman testing. To avoid wearing myself out, I only compared my current 7iron & PW to the Lynx VT equivalent on the trackman. I also spent a little time w/ the 3 iron at the end. I’m also showing the Spec (including loft) comparison from the 2 sets in the first picture for reference. First off, on the results. EVERYTHING I hit, the Trackman was showing offline to the right. I must have not been setup in the correct spot, or aiming wrong. I am not generally that far offline, especially with a PW. These were not slices, the ball started in that direction. So I will not put a huge emphasis on those numbers, although it does show the Lynx as being further to the right, again, something was up there. The PW comparison is pretty close, had the Lynx at just a yard longer. Take out that terrible first shot w/ the Mizuno, and I imagine they are almost identical. A good showing for sure. The 7i was a little different story, although only 1* stronger, I was getting about 15 yards more distance. I believe this is mainly due to the forgiveness on the off center strikes the Mizuno provides, as opposed to the off center hits w/ the Lynx. To be fair, my first 7i w/ the Lynx was TERRIBLE, as you can see in the graph. If you take that out, the Lynx avg carry would come in at 151, only 7 yards behind the Hot Metals. With both the 7i and the PW, the Lynx was significantly further right offline, but again, everything was going right. The 3iron was as I expected, from my results at the range. Some good ones I’d love to have on a tight par 4, and some mishits that I’d like to forget. (I did remove one shot from the averages on the 3i that was a complete shank, my fault, not the clubs) On-Course Performance (15 out of 30 points) I was able to get several rounds in, using the Lynx Prowler VT irons alongside my Mizunos. Hitting extra balls with the same club in each set. A 7i approach w/ the Lynx, then the same with the Mizuno. I found the results to be pretty similar to the numbers you see above. With the shorter irons, I didn’t see much difference in performance. Maybe not as well on target, but that’s part of getting used to a new set. The biggest difference was with the longer irons. Usually coming up a little shorter, even on the good strikes, of where the Mizzy’s landed, and usually right of target. The bad strikes again, were punished much more severely. It became more evident, that as much as I think I’m a decent ball striker, I still have a lot of room for improvement. That being said, I did hit some beauties with these irons, and when you do hit that sweet spot, you are rewarded. At this point, though, on the course, my shots were longer and more on target w/ the Hot Metals. Miscellaneous (9 out of 10 points) For Misc, I will touch on customer service. Even though these irons were coming from overseas, they got them to us in a timely manner, and exactly as ordered. Also, a couple of us found an odd bored hole in the side of the 7 iron only, customer service jumped in w/ the GolfSpy staff and explained what was going on, and sent a replacement 7 iron (although mine still had the same exact hole, not sure why they didn’t check that). I don’t think it’s anything wrong with the iron, just odd it’s the only one that has it. Also, the fact that they joined the forum and jumped in this thread says a lot about them. That they care about the people using their clubs and want to be involved. I would like to see Lynx put up more shaft options (even as upgrades) than the single KBS shaft. Being able to use the same shaft as in my current set (that I was fit for), could have possibly helped. Play it or Trade it? (10 out of 20 points) TRADE. Don’t take that the wrong way, these are fine irons, but they are not for me. In the hands of a better better ball-striker, these could be fantastic weapons. I am not ready for a players iron, I still need that forgiveness of something in-between SGI and Players. My current irons fit that bill and will stay in the bag. I do love the look, and the feel when you catch one is great, I just couldn’t catch enough of them. I’m going to give it 10 points here though, because much of the fall back of these irons are due to the man swinging them, not the clubheads themselves. The 3 Iron I will probably keep around, if I can get more consistent with that, it will be a real asset on short/tight par 4's. Conclusion These are good players irons, but just not for me. I might be beyond needing Super Game Improvement irons, but I still need forgiveness. That would be where these lack. To be fair, they are probably not meant for me, and in hindsight, I would have been a better fit to test the Black Cats. But I have done my best to put these through the ringer. If you guys have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Thanks for reading. Final Score: 65/100

A HUGE thank you to MGS and Lynx for letting me in on this testing opportunity. Most of you know me as JudgeSmails, but my real name is Scott. I’ve been an active member on the forums for several years and have a done a few product tests in the past. I have lived in NorthEast Indiana my entire life, been married for 20 years and have 3 wonderful daughters (16/13/11). I took up golf after highschool, a little over 20 years ago, and have been in LOVE with the game ever since. In the last 5-6 years, I’ve gotten much more serious about improving and getting better every time I go out. I love that it’s a game you don’t have to be young and athletic, to be competitive in. You can be better at 40 than you were at 30. Current Handicap is about a 9. I don’t keep it officially or use it for any competitions, just for my own purpose to see how I’m improving. My swing tempo, I think is pretty quick, especially with the irons (video below) From 150, I’m pulling either the 9i or 8i….it’s a little between clubs for me. I’m probably grabbing the 9, because I’m much better at taking a hard cut than taking something off (usually ends up fat) Ball flight wise, I try to hit the ball nice and high with my irons. As far as left or right, I’m just trying to hit it straight, I don’t have a usual miss, it could be a little left or right on any given shot. Game Strengths: My iron play, especially 7i down, has always been the strenght of my game. Give me 150 in, and I’m pretty decent. I think I just naturally have always hit down on the ball, the way you are supposed to. If I have a big miss with an iron, it’s probably catching one fat Game Weakness: PUTTING...It has been a real struggle over the past year or so. I’m probably ok at lag putting, it’s the ones you are SUPPOSED to make that I struggle with. Some days I absolutely CANNOT make a 5 foot straight putt. It has really frustrated me, but I’m working on it. CURRENT IRONS Mizuno JPX900 Hot Metal I was fit for these, with Nippon Modus Pro Stiff 2*up I went to our local shop and tried out about 4 different sets of irons. It Came down to these and the Srixon 585. I liked them both the same, but the Mizzy’s were cheaper and my shafts were no charge upgrade. I am testing the LYNX Prowler VT set When I think of Lynx, I think of the Black Cat line. When I started playing golf 2 decades or so ago, I wanted a set of Black Cat’s so damn bad, but just couldn’t afford them. That being said, I actually opted for the Prowler VT. It’s a bit more of a ‘players’ iron than what I’m used to, but I wanted to give them a shot. My set makeup is 3-PW, KBS Tour 90 Stiff (KBS Tour was the only shaft option available). I ordered them 2* upright. I was pretty excited to open the box when they came. I will say, they are a very good looking iron. Very sleek and classy, not too busy on the design, but the Lynx logo is prominently displayed. A few things I noticed; There was nothing in the box stating that they were 2*upright as ordered, I will have to take their word for it on that one, I don’t personally have a way of checking them. Also, about ½ the set had plastic on the heads and the other ½ didn’t. Not sure why this is, they were no doubt all new, but only some of them had the plastic wrapper on them. Also, 7i has a small hole drilled in the side, like where some of the manufacturers are injecting or whatever, this is the only one in the set that had that. Beyond that, they are a very good looking iron, definitely have a thinner sole than my Mizzy’s, as would be expected from more of a players iron. It’s hard to find a lot of information on these irons. Lynx is based in the UK and doesn’t have the presence in the US like they used to. They are trying to make a comeback, and it’s welcome from me, the more competition the better for the average golfer. *(as I’m writing this, I was going to pull up some of the marketing info to see what Lynx says about the technology in these irons, but their website is down, for what it’s worth). I hope you all will stick with me for Stage 2….I’m really looking forward to getting these on the range and seeing if I can make something made for the better player, work for my game. I will also be comparing them side by side with my precious Mizzy Hot Metals…..Can LYNX make a comeback into the golf equipment industry in the US and kick my Mizzy’s out of the bag??? STAY TUNED FOR STAGE 2

I'd like to be back...sent PM

Tier5: Sungjae IM Winning Score: -9

congrats testers