deejaid

Shouldn’t it be what we are playing now? If not, why aren’t we playing them?

But for me it was a set of Dynacraft Pro Cavity irons circa 2003. I built them when I had just started club building and they were the easiest to play irons ever. Very little offset but the perfect sole width and grind.

Unfortunately vanity got me as I was playing “no name” clubs and my buddy bought a sweet new set of Mizuno MX-23’s, so I followed with my own set. Never played near as well with the Mizuno’s as the Dynacraft’s.


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Shouldn’t it be what we are playing now? If not, why aren’t we playing them?

But for me it was a set of Dynacraft Pro Cavity irons circa 2003. I built them when I had just started club building and they were the easiest to play irons ever. Very little offset but the perfect sole width and grind.

Unfortunately vanity got me as I was playing “no name” clubs and my buddy bought a sweet new set of Mizuno MX-23’s, so I followed with my own set. Never played near as well with the Mizuno’s as the Dynacraft’s.


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Traditional woodworking with only hand tools has taken over much of my free time. It's as relaxing as golf as you don't have loud, dangerous machinery, just simple tools.
 
I buy used vintage tools as I like to imagine who used them and what they built with the tool I now have in my hands.
 
This is my favorite tool I've acquired so far. It's a moving fillister plane circa 1857. It's used for cutting rabbet joints. Made of wood, brass and steel. Just really neat to use, works just as good as a powered router.
 

 

 
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Traditional woodworking with only hand tools has taken over much of my free time. It's as relaxing as golf as you don't have loud, dangerous machinery, just simple tools.
 
I buy used vintage tools as I like to imagine who used them and what they built with the tool I now have in my hands.
 
This is my favorite tool I've acquired so far. It's a moving fillister plane circa 1857. It's used for cutting rabbet joints. Made of wood, brass and steel. Just really neat to use, works just as good as a powered router.
 

 

 
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1954-57 Ben Hogan Precision’s and the follow-up 1958-59 Saber. The design is still copied today by blade manufacturers.






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I know I like zero offset.  I’ve spent the last two years playing classic irons from the 1950’s with literally onset face progression.    These Arias irons look to be the perfect modern iron for a traditional player, a more forgiving classic style club if you like.

@Shankster I have a set of these Arias True Zero Offset irons incoming.  Stay tuned for updates!

So has anyone here bought a set of these yet?

I really thought hard about it but after pricing out a build with DG R300’s it is $900 for a set. Pretty hard to pull the trigger on a set of irons from a new company with poor website photos at that price, especially since a set of Hogan PTx Pros can be had for under $800.




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A couple of pulls off the cannabis oil pen is all I need. One with a high CBD (cannabidiol) is great for relieving aches and pains and also relaxes me at the end of the day. I also believe it has helped keep my blood pressure low as well as my cholesterol.
 
 
 
And cold and rainy days call for tea with echinacea.
 
 
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Old thread but relevant to me these days.
 
I just recently decided to switch to a mallet putter but instead of buying a new one I decided to take back the Rife Legend Z I put in my wife’s bag after I tried it out a few years ago. I had shortened it a bit for her so I glued an extension in and prepared to regrip.
 
Unfortunately, I was out of putter grips so I began to think more about using a round putter grip. I have jumbo, arthritic, non-tapered grips on all my clubs already so I figured why not add it to the 14th club. All of the sudden that mallet that I couldn’t bond with is making every putt for me. First 9 out with it I had only 14 putts, and no 3 putts. It feels so natural to use a round grip I don’t think I’ll ever switch back to an actual flat putter grip.
 
I suggest everyone give it a try.
 
 
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Medallions. Redlines.  Channelbacks.   These were the clubs I grew up coveting.  Ben Hogan  irons were the pinnacle of forged goodness.  I grew up in the 1980’s beating balls with vintage blades out into the fields of my grandfather's farm in Pennsylvania.   Now in California I can enjoy the game year round and most of my rounds are 9-hole affairs with a set of forged blades and persimmon woods. 

 
I don’t carry an official handicap but average 38-43 shots per nine.  Many of my rounds are solo, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of manicured nature.  As for my game, I have a medium to quick tempo and a long backswing.  My ball flight is high, which I’ve always liked.  The new low spin era of shafts are not my thing.  My 150 yard club is an 8-iron and my typical miss is low and to the right.  I’ve always  been a pretty strong iron player and when I’m hitting greens I’m scoring well.  I really get in trouble if I miss a GIR and I’d say my chipping and bunker play is my biggest weakness.
Using the online HoganFit software it was recommended I use the KBS Tour V flex.  A recent Trackman fitting recommended a Project X 6.0 stiff shaft.   Since I have some nagging elbow pain, I figured graphite shafts would be the way to go.   Hogan shaft choice is quite limited and the only stiff flex graphite shaft was the Recoil 760.  While the graphite shafts definitely helped with the elbow pain, the light weight and active tip section meant I was hitting the toe constantly and it felt as if I had no control over the club head.   Tyler at Ben Hogan Golf was kind enough to have me send the irons back to be reshafted.   I decided to go with the good old fashioned Dynamic Gold X100’s.  I’d say after my experience only make the switch to graphite if you are fitted into them.  The weight difference and tip section torque are too much of a difference to switch to blindly.
 
 
 
First Impressions
With the Player’s Combo Set Irons, Ben Hogan has tried to build the perfect matched set of irons.   The PTx Pro 5-7 irons utilize a proprietary three-piece, multi-material, multi-step forging process featuring a soft 1025 carbon steel body with a forged MS300 face. Tungsten weight is placed in the toe to promote a straighter ball flight, and higher initial launch angles with more spin. The design retains the look of a better player’s iron while blending seamlessly with the Icon 8-PW, which are classic Hogan musclebacks.  
The Player’s Combo Set includes your choice of 4-iron; the set matching PTx Pro 4-iron, the UIHI 22* long iron replacement, or the VKTR+ hybrid. Opening the box of Hogan’s I was greeted by a familiar looking club. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Looks  (9 out of 10 Points)
The Icons may be the best looking irons on the market right now.   Upon first glance perhaps easily mistaken for the 1999 Hogan Apex, the Icon small size head and straight leading edge produce a very pleasing look at address. The design of the club is classic, with the Ben Hogan starburst logo and minimal distractions on the back, this is a design that should age well.  
 

 


 
 
 
The PTx Pro’s blend nicely with the Icons with only a slightly wider sole and a hair thicker top line while maintaining a similar overall shape at address.


 

 
 
 
 
The back of the club is a little busy though, the line around the perimeter mimicking a cavity back which is unnecessary.  While the Icons will still look fresh in a few years I feel the PTx Pro will look dated more quickly.

 
 
 
The overall look is a more classic look than most clubs on the market which for a traditionalist like myself is definitely a plus.  The look of a shiny set of Hogan’s in the bag is one that never gets old.
 

 
 
Sound & Feel (9 out of 10 Points)
Again, the Icons shine in the sound and feel department.   The feel off the face is very soft with a muted sound.   I’ve played forgings from Miura to Kyoei to Macgregor, and these Icons feel better than any of them save the Kyoei which they equal in every regard.  Mishits definitely effect feel negatively, but you immediately know where you missed on the face.
The PTx Pro’s were a pleasant surprise.  While they have the look of a hollow-head Player’s Distance iron, they are solid, and with the Tungsten weighting in the toe the feel was crisp and felt much more solid than  hollow head Player’s Distance irons.  Feedback was again superb, but the feel just could not match the high bar set by the Icon. 
Meanwhile, the UIHI has a hollow feel to it, similar to other manufacturers Player’s Distance irons and didn’t feel nearly as gratifying on a perfect strike.


( UIHI 4-iron on left, PTx Pro 5-iron on right.  Notice the very similar sole width)
 
 

(Top line comparison, left to Right- Icon, Ptx Pro, UIHI)
 
 
Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 Points)
If you want to hunt some pins, the Player’s Combo set are your clubs.   The Hogan V-Sole is great from any lie and makes the sole feel more compact than it is. A really nice design that I'm glad they carried over from the Ft. Worth.  
While I was pretty sure I’d get a nice high flight with hop n’ stop landings with the Icons, I was really surprised by the performance of the PTx Pro.   They launch effortlessly with good spin on a nice high trajectory and land softly.   Unsurprisingly, the Icons were very accurate and are just what I am looking for in the clubs covering the 125-155 yard range.  And while I’ll say I definitely added yards to my mid irons with the PTx Pro’s, it was their accuracy that had me smiling the most.  
Mishits with the Icons were as expected with a loss of 10 yards or so and a weak fade.  The PTx Pro’s miss resulted in low shots with a definite loss of spin.   The PTx Pro was also a bit tough to keep low.  They just want to fly high.
As for the UIHI, that is the club that let me down most.   The UIHI kept launching lower than the  PTX Pro 5-iron with much less spin.  I’m not sure if it was the fact that Hogan chooses to gap the long irons at 3/4” instead of 1/2’, but I couldn’t get anywhere near the height achieved with the PTx Pro 5-iron, and I hit more than my fair share fat with the UIHI.   If I had it to do again, I would have ordered the stock PTx Pro 4-iron instead of the UIHI.
 
 
 
 
On-Course Performance (25 out of 30 Points)
Once on the course, the clubs performed beautifully.   One concern was the transition between the Icon 8-iron and the PTx Pro 7-iron.  Fortunately, the transition is seamless both visually and in performance.  The heads are very similarly shaped with just a slightly thicker top line on the PTx Pro and distance gapping was spot on.  I had complete confidence standing over the ball with the 5-PW in my hand.


The UIHI ,however, was a bit of a crapshoot.  When hit well it is a 215 yard club for me but I could easily replace that yardage with a persimmon 4-wood and get a higher trajectory. 
 
 
Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 Points)
One of the concerns with a small direct-to-consumer company is the customer service.  Email communication was a bit slow when I contacted them about some Equalizer wedges.  I’d say this is one of the trade offs of buying from a smaller Direct-to-consumer company.  The pitching wedge in my set also had some sloppy assembly with epoxy on the hosel and a slight gap between the hosel and ferrule, which also showed some damage on arrival.
 

 
 
 
 
Play It or Trade It (20 out of 20 points)
Once I ditched the graphite shaft experiment, these clubs came alive.   For someone like me that doesn’t keep up on the latest equipment releases, the Player’s Combo Set is the perfect blend of technology and tradition that can stay in the bag for years to come. 
When it comes to value, none of the big names can touch the Ben Hogan Player’s Combo Set.  With a direct to consumer price of $785 these irons come in $200-$500 cheaper than comparable irons from competitors and equal or exceed performance.
 

 
Conclusion
If you are looking for a set of player’s irons, look no further than the Ben Hogan Player’s Combo Set.  In streamlining their business model, the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Co. has been able to deliver high quality, forged clubs at a significantly lower price than their competitors.
 
 
Final Score (88 out of 100 Points)
 

 

I haven’t hit the Srixon’s but I played the Hogan’s last year and I thought the v-sole was great. It gives a lot of confidence if you worry about hitting it fat. I would go to the range and purposely hit balls from divots just to see if I could, no problem.

I am however, a picker. I learned the game by hitting 1950’s era blades on a farm field so lies were pretty terrible, and combined with a sharp leading and negative bounce you really had to be careful not to hit it fat. I am now back to playing my KZG’s which has a similar sole width as the Hogan’s but lacks the V-sole and I can’t say I miss it.

I think the v-sole allows the club designers to make the iron more compact, which nearly everyone that plays a more players style club asks for. Instead of a very wide sole, or tons of bounce, the v-sole gives the playability of a wider sole, or more bounce sole, but in a more eye pleasing package.





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I’m a member of a private club. I am a middle age white male. I am married to an Asian woman. I grew up in low income housing but now have a mortgage. We both drive Honda’s. I play guitar and can rip through Scorpions tunes. I enjoy cannabis as my smoke of choice.

Now, do I fit in at a Country Club? Yes, because on the course I respect the game. Whether others at the club come for similar or different backgrounds, have differing political or religious points of view, it’s all good. I hope our shared love of the game will allow us to enjoy our club together.

And if not, I’ll smoke em out on the 19th hole and see the real them


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I got my favorites, in brand new condition and I didn’t have to go back in time.

1992 Macgregor CB-92/VIP combo set. All the heads were new unhit when I got them, the VIP musclebacks still had the plastic on the face.

In the bag now. Love them.








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OK Spies,  I’m afraid if I keep these any longer I’m going to hit them so I better get them out of here.
1960 Ben Hogan Power Thrust iron set 2-Equalizer wedge, restored to their former glory.   These clubs have been stripped down to the bare metal and rechromed and look like new.  They have been rebuilt to modern playing lengths and topped off with new GripMaster leather grips.   Shaft is the original 1960 True Temper Pro Fit shafts in a regular flex, although shafts played a bit stiffer back then so I’d say these are more like a firm flex.
 
Treat yourself or Dad!  
 
$535 shipped to the USA
 
 

Seeing as we've had a lot of talk of classic MacGregors lately, I thought I'd start a thread dedicated to the sharing of everyone's vintage MacGregor gear and information.
 
I'll start it off with my early 90's set of MacGregor CB92 forged cavity back irons. As I said in another post, these were the clubs I wanted as a teen but couldn't afford so I decided to get a set.
 
These CB92's are sort of a restomod. I bought just the heads, sourced some NOS MacGregor diamond ferrules that came on the 1025 irons like Barbajo just scored. I then shafted them up with KBS C-taper lite shafts.
 
Right now I have the 4-SW in my classic bag, but I also have the 1,2, and 3 iron heads if I ever want the entire set finished. I added a late 90's Tommy Armour 350cc driver, a Cleveland Classic 5 wood and a vintage Bullseye putter to round out the set.
 
As much as I love my KZG gamers, this bag is just as cool. Quality old forgings from the USA and just the basics.
 
Everyone feel free to add your vintage MacGregor scores here. I'm sure Big Stu will fill this entire thread but I got a few more vintage MacGregor items on the way .
 
 

 
 

 

 

 
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OK Spies,  I’m afraid if I keep these any longer I’m going to hit them so I better get them out of here.
1960 Ben Hogan Power Thrust iron set 2-Equalizer wedge, restored to their former glory.   These clubs have been stripped down to the bare metal and rechromed and look like new.  They have been rebuilt to modern playing lengths and topped off with new GripMaster leather grips.   Shaft is the original 1960 True Temper Pro Fit shafts in a regular flex, although shafts played a bit stiffer back then so I’d say these are more like a firm flex.
 
Treat yourself or Dad!  
 
$535 shipped to the USA
 
 

Well, the vintage set I was waiting on arrived Friday. Shipped Priority Mail Dec. 1st. 18 days to arrive. It must have traveled via stagecoach.

Now just waiting on a wedge shipped Dec. 10 from Colorado to California via Priority Mail. I’m expecting it to arrive sometime in early 2021.


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Decisions, decisions.


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Last call...$225 plus shipping


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I found a dealer local and got 6 new 8V Trojan Lead Acid batteries for $900. I like the idea of the lithium as, like you said Tony, the Lead Acid weigh 70lbs each, so the weight savings with lithium would have been 300 lbs, but it would have been $2000 for the lithium batteries and new charger. I figured I’d go with the Trojans this time and in 6-7 years lithium prices should have come down.


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Medallions. Redlines.  Channelbacks.   These were the clubs I grew up coveting.  Ben Hogan  irons were the pinnacle of forged goodness.  I grew up in the 1980’s beating balls with vintage blades out into the fields of my grandfather's farm in Pennsylvania.   Now in California I can enjoy the game year round and most of my rounds are 9-hole affairs with a set of forged blades and persimmon woods. 

 
I don’t carry an official handicap but average 38-43 shots per nine.  Many of my rounds are solo, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of manicured nature.  As for my game, I have a medium to quick tempo and a long backswing.  My ball flight is high, which I’ve always liked.  The new low spin era of shafts are not my thing.  My 150 yard club is an 8-iron and my typical miss is low and to the right.  I’ve always  been a pretty strong iron player and when I’m hitting greens I’m scoring well.  I really get in trouble if I miss a GIR and I’d say my chipping and bunker play is my biggest weakness.
Using the online HoganFit software it was recommended I use the KBS Tour V flex.  A recent Trackman fitting recommended a Project X 6.0 stiff shaft.   Since I have some nagging elbow pain, I figured graphite shafts would be the way to go.   Hogan shaft choice is quite limited and the only stiff flex graphite shaft was the Recoil 760.  While the graphite shafts definitely helped with the elbow pain, the light weight and active tip section meant I was hitting the toe constantly and it felt as if I had no control over the club head.   Tyler at Ben Hogan Golf was kind enough to have me send the irons back to be reshafted.   I decided to go with the good old fashioned Dynamic Gold X100’s.  I’d say after my experience only make the switch to graphite if you are fitted into them.  The weight difference and tip section torque are too much of a difference to switch to blindly.
 
 
 
First Impressions
With the Player’s Combo Set Irons, Ben Hogan has tried to build the perfect matched set of irons.   The PTx Pro 5-7 irons utilize a proprietary three-piece, multi-material, multi-step forging process featuring a soft 1025 carbon steel body with a forged MS300 face. Tungsten weight is placed in the toe to promote a straighter ball flight, and higher initial launch angles with more spin. The design retains the look of a better player’s iron while blending seamlessly with the Icon 8-PW, which are classic Hogan musclebacks.  
The Player’s Combo Set includes your choice of 4-iron; the set matching PTx Pro 4-iron, the UIHI 22* long iron replacement, or the VKTR+ hybrid. Opening the box of Hogan’s I was greeted by a familiar looking club. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Looks  (9 out of 10 Points)
The Icons may be the best looking irons on the market right now.   Upon first glance perhaps easily mistaken for the 1999 Hogan Apex, the Icon small size head and straight leading edge produce a very pleasing look at address. The design of the club is classic, with the Ben Hogan starburst logo and minimal distractions on the back, this is a design that should age well.  
 

 


 
 
 
The PTx Pro’s blend nicely with the Icons with only a slightly wider sole and a hair thicker top line while maintaining a similar overall shape at address.


 

 
 
 
 
The back of the club is a little busy though, the line around the perimeter mimicking a cavity back which is unnecessary.  While the Icons will still look fresh in a few years I feel the PTx Pro will look dated more quickly.

 
 
 
The overall look is a more classic look than most clubs on the market which for a traditionalist like myself is definitely a plus.  The look of a shiny set of Hogan’s in the bag is one that never gets old.
 

 
 
Sound & Feel (9 out of 10 Points)
Again, the Icons shine in the sound and feel department.   The feel off the face is very soft with a muted sound.   I’ve played forgings from Miura to Kyoei to Macgregor, and these Icons feel better than any of them save the Kyoei which they equal in every regard.  Mishits definitely effect feel negatively, but you immediately know where you missed on the face.
The PTx Pro’s were a pleasant surprise.  While they have the look of a hollow-head Player’s Distance iron, they are solid, and with the Tungsten weighting in the toe the feel was crisp and felt much more solid than  hollow head Player’s Distance irons.  Feedback was again superb, but the feel just could not match the high bar set by the Icon. 
Meanwhile, the UIHI has a hollow feel to it, similar to other manufacturers Player’s Distance irons and didn’t feel nearly as gratifying on a perfect strike.


( UIHI 4-iron on left, PTx Pro 5-iron on right.  Notice the very similar sole width)
 
 

(Top line comparison, left to Right- Icon, Ptx Pro, UIHI)
 
 
Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 Points)
If you want to hunt some pins, the Player’s Combo set are your clubs.   The Hogan V-Sole is great from any lie and makes the sole feel more compact than it is. A really nice design that I'm glad they carried over from the Ft. Worth.  
While I was pretty sure I’d get a nice high flight with hop n’ stop landings with the Icons, I was really surprised by the performance of the PTx Pro.   They launch effortlessly with good spin on a nice high trajectory and land softly.   Unsurprisingly, the Icons were very accurate and are just what I am looking for in the clubs covering the 125-155 yard range.  And while I’ll say I definitely added yards to my mid irons with the PTx Pro’s, it was their accuracy that had me smiling the most.  
Mishits with the Icons were as expected with a loss of 10 yards or so and a weak fade.  The PTx Pro’s miss resulted in low shots with a definite loss of spin.   The PTx Pro was also a bit tough to keep low.  They just want to fly high.
As for the UIHI, that is the club that let me down most.   The UIHI kept launching lower than the  PTX Pro 5-iron with much less spin.  I’m not sure if it was the fact that Hogan chooses to gap the long irons at 3/4” instead of 1/2’, but I couldn’t get anywhere near the height achieved with the PTx Pro 5-iron, and I hit more than my fair share fat with the UIHI.   If I had it to do again, I would have ordered the stock PTx Pro 4-iron instead of the UIHI.
 
 
 
 
On-Course Performance (25 out of 30 Points)
Once on the course, the clubs performed beautifully.   One concern was the transition between the Icon 8-iron and the PTx Pro 7-iron.  Fortunately, the transition is seamless both visually and in performance.  The heads are very similarly shaped with just a slightly thicker top line on the PTx Pro and distance gapping was spot on.  I had complete confidence standing over the ball with the 5-PW in my hand.


The UIHI ,however, was a bit of a crapshoot.  When hit well it is a 215 yard club for me but I could easily replace that yardage with a persimmon 4-wood and get a higher trajectory. 
 
 
Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 Points)
One of the concerns with a small direct-to-consumer company is the customer service.  Email communication was a bit slow when I contacted them about some Equalizer wedges.  I’d say this is one of the trade offs of buying from a smaller Direct-to-consumer company.  The pitching wedge in my set also had some sloppy assembly with epoxy on the hosel and a slight gap between the hosel and ferrule, which also showed some damage on arrival.
 

 
 
 
 
Play It or Trade It (20 out of 20 points)
Once I ditched the graphite shaft experiment, these clubs came alive.   For someone like me that doesn’t keep up on the latest equipment releases, the Player’s Combo Set is the perfect blend of technology and tradition that can stay in the bag for years to come. 
When it comes to value, none of the big names can touch the Ben Hogan Player’s Combo Set.  With a direct to consumer price of $785 these irons come in $200-$500 cheaper than comparable irons from competitors and equal or exceed performance.
 

 
Conclusion
If you are looking for a set of player’s irons, look no further than the Ben Hogan Player’s Combo Set.  In streamlining their business model, the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Co. has been able to deliver high quality, forged clubs at a significantly lower price than their competitors.
 
 
Final Score (88 out of 100 Points)
 

 

Medallions. Redlines.  Channelbacks.   These were the clubs I grew up coveting.  Ben Hogan  irons were the pinnacle of forged goodness.  I grew up in the 1980’s beating balls with vintage blades out into the fields of my grandfather's farm in Pennsylvania.   Now in California I can enjoy the game year round and most of my rounds are 9-hole affairs with a set of forged blades and persimmon woods. 

 
I don’t carry an official handicap but average 38-43 shots per nine.  Many of my rounds are solo, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of manicured nature.  As for my game, I have a medium to quick tempo and a long backswing.  My ball flight is high, which I’ve always liked.  The new low spin era of shafts are not my thing.  My 150 yard club is an 8-iron and my typical miss is low and to the right.  I’ve always  been a pretty strong iron player and when I’m hitting greens I’m scoring well.  I really get in trouble if I miss a GIR and I’d say my chipping and bunker play is my biggest weakness.
Using the online HoganFit software it was recommended I use the KBS Tour V flex.  A recent Trackman fitting recommended a Project X 6.0 stiff shaft.   Since I have some nagging elbow pain, I figured graphite shafts would be the way to go.   Hogan shaft choice is quite limited and the only stiff flex graphite shaft was the Recoil 760.  While the graphite shafts definitely helped with the elbow pain, the light weight and active tip section meant I was hitting the toe constantly and it felt as if I had no control over the club head.   Tyler at Ben Hogan Golf was kind enough to have me send the irons back to be reshafted.   I decided to go with the good old fashioned Dynamic Gold X100’s.  I’d say after my experience only make the switch to graphite if you are fitted into them.  The weight difference and tip section torque are too much of a difference to switch to blindly.
 
 
 
First Impressions
With the Player’s Combo Set Irons, Ben Hogan has tried to build the perfect matched set of irons.   The PTx Pro 5-7 irons utilize a proprietary three-piece, multi-material, multi-step forging process featuring a soft 1025 carbon steel body with a forged MS300 face. Tungsten weight is placed in the toe to promote a straighter ball flight, and higher initial launch angles with more spin. The design retains the look of a better player’s iron while blending seamlessly with the Icon 8-PW, which are classic Hogan musclebacks.  
The Player’s Combo Set includes your choice of 4-iron; the set matching PTx Pro 4-iron, the UIHI 22* long iron replacement, or the VKTR+ hybrid. Opening the box of Hogan’s I was greeted by a familiar looking club. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Looks  (9 out of 10 Points)
The Icons may be the best looking irons on the market right now.   Upon first glance perhaps easily mistaken for the 1999 Hogan Apex, the Icon small size head and straight leading edge produce a very pleasing look at address. The design of the club is classic, with the Ben Hogan starburst logo and minimal distractions on the back, this is a design that should age well.  
 

 


 
 
 
The PTx Pro’s blend nicely with the Icons with only a slightly wider sole and a hair thicker top line while maintaining a similar overall shape at address.


 

 
 
 
 
The back of the club is a little busy though, the line around the perimeter mimicking a cavity back which is unnecessary.  While the Icons will still look fresh in a few years I feel the PTx Pro will look dated more quickly.

 
 
 
The overall look is a more classic look than most clubs on the market which for a traditionalist like myself is definitely a plus.  The look of a shiny set of Hogan’s in the bag is one that never gets old.
 

 
 
Sound & Feel (9 out of 10 Points)
Again, the Icons shine in the sound and feel department.   The feel off the face is very soft with a muted sound.   I’ve played forgings from Miura to Kyoei to Macgregor, and these Icons feel better than any of them save the Kyoei which they equal in every regard.  Mishits definitely effect feel negatively, but you immediately know where you missed on the face.
The PTx Pro’s were a pleasant surprise.  While they have the look of a hollow-head Player’s Distance iron, they are solid, and with the Tungsten weighting in the toe the feel was crisp and felt much more solid than  hollow head Player’s Distance irons.  Feedback was again superb, but the feel just could not match the high bar set by the Icon. 
Meanwhile, the UIHI has a hollow feel to it, similar to other manufacturers Player’s Distance irons and didn’t feel nearly as gratifying on a perfect strike.


( UIHI 4-iron on left, PTx Pro 5-iron on right.  Notice the very similar sole width)
 
 

(Top line comparison, left to Right- Icon, Ptx Pro, UIHI)
 
 
Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 Points)
If you want to hunt some pins, the Player’s Combo set are your clubs.   The Hogan V-Sole is great from any lie and makes the sole feel more compact than it is. A really nice design that I'm glad they carried over from the Ft. Worth.  
While I was pretty sure I’d get a nice high flight with hop n’ stop landings with the Icons, I was really surprised by the performance of the PTx Pro.   They launch effortlessly with good spin on a nice high trajectory and land softly.   Unsurprisingly, the Icons were very accurate and are just what I am looking for in the clubs covering the 125-155 yard range.  And while I’ll say I definitely added yards to my mid irons with the PTx Pro’s, it was their accuracy that had me smiling the most.  
Mishits with the Icons were as expected with a loss of 10 yards or so and a weak fade.  The PTx Pro’s miss resulted in low shots with a definite loss of spin.   The PTx Pro was also a bit tough to keep low.  They just want to fly high.
As for the UIHI, that is the club that let me down most.   The UIHI kept launching lower than the  PTX Pro 5-iron with much less spin.  I’m not sure if it was the fact that Hogan chooses to gap the long irons at 3/4” instead of 1/2’, but I couldn’t get anywhere near the height achieved with the PTx Pro 5-iron, and I hit more than my fair share fat with the UIHI.   If I had it to do again, I would have ordered the stock PTx Pro 4-iron instead of the UIHI.
 
 
 
 
On-Course Performance (25 out of 30 Points)
Once on the course, the clubs performed beautifully.   One concern was the transition between the Icon 8-iron and the PTx Pro 7-iron.  Fortunately, the transition is seamless both visually and in performance.  The heads are very similarly shaped with just a slightly thicker top line on the PTx Pro and distance gapping was spot on.  I had complete confidence standing over the ball with the 5-PW in my hand.


The UIHI ,however, was a bit of a crapshoot.  When hit well it is a 215 yard club for me but I could easily replace that yardage with a persimmon 4-wood and get a higher trajectory. 
 
 
Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 Points)
One of the concerns with a small direct-to-consumer company is the customer service.  Email communication was a bit slow when I contacted them about some Equalizer wedges.  I’d say this is one of the trade offs of buying from a smaller Direct-to-consumer company.  The pitching wedge in my set also had some sloppy assembly with epoxy on the hosel and a slight gap between the hosel and ferrule, which also showed some damage on arrival.
 

 
 
 
 
Play It or Trade It (20 out of 20 points)
Once I ditched the graphite shaft experiment, these clubs came alive.   For someone like me that doesn’t keep up on the latest equipment releases, the Player’s Combo Set is the perfect blend of technology and tradition that can stay in the bag for years to come. 
When it comes to value, none of the big names can touch the Ben Hogan Player’s Combo Set.  With a direct to consumer price of $785 these irons come in $200-$500 cheaper than comparable irons from competitors and equal or exceed performance.
 

 
Conclusion
If you are looking for a set of player’s irons, look no further than the Ben Hogan Player’s Combo Set.  In streamlining their business model, the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Co. has been able to deliver high quality, forged clubs at a significantly lower price than their competitors.
 
 
Final Score (88 out of 100 Points)
 

 

Looking good!

Now what if you took it up a notch? Maybe take a green Scotchbrite pad and work it in one direction just on the raised muscleback section. It would give it a satin finish on that section to contrast with the chrome on the rest of the club.







Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Looking good!

Now what if you took it up a notch? Maybe take a green Scotchbrite pad and work it in one direction just on the raised muscleback section. It would give it a satin finish on that section to contrast with the chrome on the rest of the club.







Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk