Nunfa0

I agree with @frazzman80, small misses you can feel but the performance drop off is not huge. I hit a second shot on the 15th yesterday after I went long with the first. I caught it a little thin and ended up in the middle of the green. So, the thin flew maybe 5-7 yards shorter. High on the face is definitely punishing, but that is what I expected.

We can play 12 months a year here in paradise, the grass doesn't even really go dormant.

They are pretty good but there is a big gap between the PW (44*) and my 52*. I need a 48* in the bag to cover this and I can live without the 60* to make that space. (Yes, I would consider getting an Indi for that space.) The Indi's compare well when it comes to feel, the Haywood's will always have the softness over the Indi's but that's about all. I am not seeing any drop off yet, the Indi's are holding up really well. I can hit full shots to a target and trust the ball to stop where I want it to. As for the weather, it has been the coldest start to fall in over a decade. we haven't had frost yet or too much rain, but I can see us getting actual snow this year for change.

Today I finally got to play 18 holes at my home course with the irons. I decided just to play and enjoy the round as usual, not try to do anything strange and to use the irons from the same yardage as my Titleist's. I also stopped messing with my swing and just let my natural draw flow. Well today the Haywood's let loose and showed their power. I had said that I thought these clubs were shorter than the Titleist's but today, apart from bad shots, there was no difference. I hit a 5 iron on the third hole, par 5, to get myself back into position on the hole. I had hit a terrible, short, hooked drive and still had about 330 yards to the green. I just wanted to get to about 150 yards out and have maybe a 7 iron to the green. I hit the 5 iron pure, it sailed up the fairway and stopped 120 yards out. I then pulled the PW out and put it to 10 feet and holed the birdie putt . I will be happy to take 200 yards from my 5 iron any time!! The 12th hole is a 114 yard par 3, with a bowl green. I normally hit 48* on here but it resting at the moment so I thought PW would do the trick. now, the Haywood PW was travelling about the same distance as the 48* prior to this round, so I thought I was good. Well, I hit the shot, pulled it just a touch and flew the green by about 5 yards . Hole 14, par 4, dogleg right, I hit a terrible tee shot, hit trees on the left and dropped into a large "pit" 100 yards off the tee. I had to get around the dogleg and clear a 20-foot-high lip, all in one shot. I pulled 8 iron to be safe and hit a nice draw around the corner to the middle of the fairway. One good 52* Indi and a good 15 foot downhill putt later and I had a standard par. Hole 15, par 3, 159 yards. Slight head wind. I chose to hit 7 iron thinking I would be on the front or middle of the green. Again, I hit it pure and ended up hitting the downslope at the back of the green. Hole 16 can be found on the Indi wedge test thread. Hole 17, par 4, 331 yards. Blocked my drive a bit left and had an awkward lie. The ball was above my feet, and I had a large gum tree in my way. I had around 120 yards to the pin. I pulled PW, struck it well, sail easily over the tree and stopped 15 feet from the hole. It also pitched, hopped forward and spun back a little from a flyer lie, which I was very pleased with. I did miss the putt though. I walked off the course, happy with my swing and very happy with the performance of the Haywood irons. I will try to get to the range and get some numbers for these in the next couple of days.

So far, they are holding up well. There are no major marks, no obvious wearing and they are holding their own bouncing around in my bag.

Today I hit a shot with my 56* that was so good I just had to share it. I was playing at my home course, testing my Haywood irons, and generally having a great time. I came to the 16th, par 5, 498 yards, a fairly simple hole with two bunkers in front of the green and trees either side of the fairway. I hit an OK drive but I was a little blocked by a tree for my second. I then hit a low draw with my three wood and ended in the very front of the right hand bunker. The lie was hard packed sand, a real nightmare when you have to fly the length of the bunker, clear a high lip, avoid the down slope on the back of the bunker and somehow stop the ball near the pin that is 20 feet on the green. I looked at the shot, momentarily considered putting it, and decided to try to chip and nip a 56*. After a couple of practice swings, I stepped up and played it exactly as I pictured it. The ball flew out of the bunker, took two hops and nipped 5 feet from the hole. To say I was ecstatic is almost an understatement!! Just another example of the Indi wedges doing wonderful things and giving me the confidence to hit "impossible" shots.

Excellent question Lefty11, it's something I have been thinking about as I play. For me the shape and size of the heads inspires confidence. I haven't really tried shaping any shots yet, but I think the scoring irons will be very workable. I am already relying on the PW from 70 yards in for my pitching and any chips that need to get up a slope. A good example was the last time I played I was at Waimairi Golf course. The 9th hole is a par 4, about 295 yards long and a little tight off the tee. Somehow I managed to hit my drive pin high to the left, about 30 feet from the green down in the collection area. I had a good lie, but it has been the sort of shot I usually struggle with (chipping is not my friend). It's an uphill shot from there, you need to fly it to the top of the slope and let it release. Normally I would try to hit either 48* or 52* and if I get within 15 feet it's a win. On this occasion I pulled out the Haywood PW, put a confident swing on it and hit it perfect. It flew to the spot I picked, popped up and released down to a foot. This was all in front of a packed club house so I felt a bit smug about it. I also hit about another 5 pitches from various distances with the PW and I was never more than 15 feet from the hole!! I can hit it low and high and I'm a little bit in love with it.

You are absolutely right when it comes to the ego thing. We all have to forget the number on the bottom of the club and just hit the shot that matches the yardage. Also I have come to the conclusion (very early in this test) that I can't do a straight comparison between the Haywood's and my Titleist's. They are different types of clubs and it's unfair to judge them against each other. The best analogy I can give is it's like racing a Dodge Challenger SRT against an Alfa Romeo 4C. The Dodge (Titleist's) is all power, noise and speed, whereas the Alfa (Haywood's) is precision, style and sneaky quick.

I have added my aesthetics and finished my first impressions. To summarize, I like them so far... The top line could do with some refining though...

Right folks, I have added my first impressions and I will be adding aesthetics tomorrow.

I managed to get a round in with the Haywood's today. I'm not going to do a blow by blow but a couple of things stood out. First off, when you hit these well, they feel very nice. A good solid feeling, with a pleasant sound. When I didn't hit them well, there was a definite drop off in distance but there was more forgiveness there than I expected. The sole seems to interact with the turf very well, in and out in a flash. Also, I hit a full 4 iron from the long rough and it flew straight and true to the green 181 yards away. The one downside is that I seem to be half a club shorter from 4 to 7 iron and a full club shorter from 8 to PW.

For me the soles are not too dissimilar to the Titleist's, just a bit sharper. They are definitely longer though... Haywood on the left

These are some highlights from my first range session. I hit all 7 of the clubs and I also hit a few with my T100S PW and T200 4 iron, to give a comparison. First off, when you flush these clubs, they feel solid but soft. Sort of a confidence inspiring feeling. Off centre hits can definitely be felt but are nowhere as harsh as I thought they might be. Again this is all range balls, so distance is down This was an example of the Haywood PW. Being a pure blade, the distance is down on the Titleist. The 4 irons I won't even show because the T200s are a players DISTANCE design, so it wasn't even close. One thing I will say, is the Haywood's love a nice smooth swing and I can't wait to get them on the course.

I have only been able to do one range session so far and honestly, I couldn't feel or hear any real difference between the CB and MB irons.

I have added a wee unboxing for you all https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/63187-haywood-cbmb-irons-2024-forum-review/?do=findComment&comment=1025661

I may be miles from home but the view from the office is not bad...

My irons have arrived And I am 250 miles away!!

I have had some great news; my clubs are being delivered tomorrow (Monday in NZ)!! Unfortunately, I am going away for work for a couple of days, so I won't see them till I get home on Wednesday .

Man I love these!! Tie Breaker 1 - The cut will be +1 Tie Breaker 2 - The low amateur will be Stewart Hagestad Here are the wedges chosen for me... 50.08 F 54.10 S 58.08 M

It's always a good sign when new clubs make you wax lyrical . Nice write up and great pictures. See your stuff is keeping my excitement on the boil!! Are you having any issues with the smaller soles? Any digging or trouble getting through the turf?

That is one of the most interesting things for me in this test. I am putting these minimal tech, forged and milled irons up against muscle channels, tungsten weights and fully forged faces. If the Haywood's can keep up with the Titleist's, then that is a big step towards a permanent place in my bag. It is not a deal breaker but I don't want to lose too much distance.

The main difference between my current gamers and the Haywood irons will be the shafts. As I have said before, I went for lighter, higher launching shafts to give myself more spin and stopping power. Also, I can't give the bounce specs for the T100S irons, because Titleist don't provide them. They don't believe it's necessary for irons

Here are the specs for the Titleists I have (from 5 iron)... And here are the Haywood specs... The lofts for the Haywood irons have been changed to the same as the T100S irons, so the bounce will be a couple of degrees smaller.

I'm loving what the team are posting and it has me positively vibrating with excitement and anticipation to get going with mine . Unfortunately this is the update I got today...

Looking great guys, can't wait till mine arrive