wely324

Just got home from Cape May for a long weekend at the beach with the family and came home to a MacGregor box waiting at the door for me. Not sure if I’ll be able to try them out today, the kid threw up in the car on the way home and it’s also pouring rain, but I’ll definitely try to update my post later with pics and maybe a few swings on the GC3 if it stops raining!

MacGregor MT86 Final Review The newly released MT-86 Pro iron from MacGregor could be just what the brand needs to get the spotlight to shine on them. There is so much to like about these irons, but as a DTC brand there might be a few things holding them back… First Impressions A critical stage in the early relationship of a golfer and his clubs, which is why I wanted to point out that I was a little shocked when I first picked up the box. The sound and feel of the clubs moving around in the box when I picked it up started to make me worry something was damaged. Turns out the clubs were packaged loose with minimal package material. The iron heads were nicely bubble wrapped but aside from that not much security in the packaging. Once, I was able to forget about that I started to direct my attention to the irons themselves and I couldn’t put them down. The shiny finish and the overall clean look had me drooling from the get go and made me very eager to get out on the course with them. All of the specs seemed to match up to what was ordered. Lofts and lies were within .5 degrees so I didn’t have to bend any irons. I deducted 4 points from first impressions. Packaging up the irons properly shouldn’t be a big cost to a DTC brand and I would like to see them secure the clubs from sliding around. To add their was no spec sheet or order form with the clubs, and the finish on the hosel near the ferrule seemed to have some residual epoxy left on it. Overall I feel a score of 16/20 (B-) is a solid score, most consumers will pick them up for the first time and skip over these small details, and focus on the positives of these beauties. Score 16/20 Aesthetics MacGregor did a great job in the looks department from both the address position, and when the MT86 irons are just glistening in the bag. They just about catch everyones eye when they walk past my bag. I love a chrome finish on my irons and to see MacGregor use a chrome finish like they did in the past is the cherry on top of a beautiful looking iron. The shaping of the head is more rounded, with a nice amount of offset for a players iron. The MT86 squares up nicely to the ball , the face has a blasted finish that runs through the top line. At setup the iron really inspires confidence in the player, where a traditional blade can be a bit intimidating at first. The size of the blade length would be comparable to a T100 with a thicker top line look from above. The chrome finish works wonderfully here as I feel it helps portray a smaller profile to the player at address and focuses your eyes to the center of the face and the ball. Aesthetics score 20/20 (A+), is well deserved with it’s classic blade styling, which sets it apart from other players irons. Score 10/10 MT86 in the middle between a T100 3 iron and CB1008 4iron The Numbers Time to look at the data and see why these beauties are also a beast! First thing I noticed when hitting the clubs was the sense that they were flying further and higher than my gamers. As expected a solid forged blade with traditional lofts vs the Mac tech filled MT86. To analyze further I was able to use a Bushnell Launch Pro to collect some data and the Mac 6 iron was flying about 3-5 yards further on average than my Miura 6 iron but I also noticed a few shots that flew much further than that as well. A few factors could be playing in this, one of them being the shafts. They felt to me they were easier to load and a more noticeable kick compared to my Nippon shafts. The KBS is a higher launch shaft as well, but with the stronger lofts of the Mac I feel they are a nice match up as a stock shaft. Looking at the numbers from the launch monitor, it seems one or two outlier shots but the overall grouping was very good. The deviations can be a good way to see consistency, and nothing stood out amongst that data, including spin, launch angle, descent angle, ball speed, and carry. Average carry for the 6 iron was 192.2 with a stdDev. of 5.8. Backspin also showed to be very consistent and plenty of it for a 6 iron to hold even a firm green, with an average of 6151 rpm. Descent angle had a stdDev. of 3.4 and launch angle had a 1.8 stdDev. Both very consistent leading to a consistent flight and carry. Overall I feel the numbers only support the beauty and the beast claims, cause these things certainly like to fly with plenty of speed, height, and spin to handle the toughest of approach shots out there! A score of 9/10 for the nerd data, my last shot in the set, 199.7yds carry with 6415 spin! Score 9/10 On Course Performance Launch monitors are cool but the real excitement with these irons was getting them on the course. I decided to build a Sunday bag set with them, including a MacGregor persimmon driver to add to the nostalgia feel these irons bring to the course. Immediately I fell in love with the soft feel and the solid sound of impact. If there is one thing that might compete with the looks it is the sound these irons make on a solid shot, it’s all birds chirping and the wind moving through the trees, then a solid crisp whack!!! To add to their audible performance, these irons like to fly straight and high regardless of where you hit the ball on the face. Yes, center strikes are most rewarding with a towering ball flight, but miss hits seemed too also have enough legs under them to make it to the green and hold the putting surface on relatively small greens. Yes, errant wide shots, thin shots, shanks, chunks, are all still what they are. Across the face these retain ball speed and launch with heavy and high on the face hits along with toe miss hits to show the most forgiveness. A big part of the consistency and forgiveness, comes from the cambered sole that glides across the turf so efficiently for shallow to moderate attack angles. I do feel they suffer a bit when steeper taking thicker divots, they certainly don’t cut through the grass like a true blade does. I feel the cambered sole is very common nowadays and most players will enjoy the forgiveness they provide. The best part of their on course performance was how easy and fun they are to play with. Yes I do feel the high ball flight can get tossed around in the wind easily, and it made it hard to adjust my distances, but when I would sneak out for a few holes on a Sunday evening, the small things like that didn’t matter anymore. Smooth effortless swings produced plenty of height and speed. 3/4 swings would take a few yards off but also bring the height down, making for some nice controlled shots into greens. The short irons were also a joy to chip with around the green. The sole again produced minimal resistance when brushing across the turf, and the chips came out with a nice pop and then rolled out. Very forgiving overall, but at the expense of some playability. I’m not sure if it mostly mental or was the shafts playing an effect, but I never felt comfortable to work the ball with these irons. Even as a natural drawer of the ball, I found myself hitting these very straight, even the toe misses would fly straight! Overall, these beasts did not let me down on the course. These irons just wanted to help me find the green whether a center strike or not, and to go along with their sharp looks, they felt right at home in my canvas/leather Sunday bag. Final score of 18/20 for the On Course Performance Score 18/20 The Good, the Bad, and the In-between First, I’ll start with the bad and for me the one negative was the lack of custom options. One steel shaft and one graphite option is not custom in my opinion, and if they could offer just a few more selections I feel they could capture a bigger audience. It’s great to have the set of irons start at $799, but I’m sure some would pay a little extra to have the shaft they want in the irons. The in-between for me is their performance. Coming from a single forged cb/blade combo set, switching into a players iron with some game improvement tech didn’t completely mesh with the rest of my bag in regards to gapping and the irons come with a trade off for their forgiveness. Lack of workability and the rising/almost balloon like ball flight is not ideal for when it gets windy. For tournament play I don’t see myself playing these without switching out the shafts to something that fits me better, but at the same time they are such an easy and fun set to play with it's hard to not want to game them everyday. And now for the Good! A set of chrome players irons, with offset, with forgiveness, with classic styling and shape, there isn’t many options in this category and MacGregor did a great job at filling this void in the market with the MT-86 pro irons. MacGregor irons always seemed unique and special to me and these beauties do more than a good job, but a great job at living up to the name MacGregor. Score 18/20 Play It or Trade It As mentioned before I don’t see these leaving my Sunday carry bag for the remainder of the year, they have been a joy to play with and the solid sound at impact with the soft feel is something one can easily become addicted too. I’ll have to see if I can find a set of shafts that might fit me better than the KBS Tour do, if not maybe come fall I will find these beasts a new home. Score 17/20 Conclusion and Final Score I’m guessing if you have read this far you really like the looks and if that’s the case I would tell you to not hesitate at trying these irons out. The MT-86 Pro is a unicorn iron that doesn’t come around to often as they are a niche in the market. The styling, although classic and very pleasing to the eye, does not fit in with the norm of today. And although they have plenty of tech and ball speed to go with it MacGregor as a DTC brand will not be able to compete with the other brands. I’d love to see the company grow and be successful, and hopefully do more retro style iron designs down the road. Hopefully the golf community becomes aware of MacGregor coming back into the golf space and we can support them to continue making a quality iron. Final Score 88/100 Thanks so much to MGS for this awesome test and selecting members like me and you to try new equipment out first hand. Looking forward to sharing my thoughts and experience with the MT86 Pro irons! Update #1 - The irons are in transit to me, so a perfect time to introduce myself before I forget. I live in NJ so weather restricts when I can play, but I generally get about 18-36 holes per week during the warm months. I also enjoy practicing and will spend a few hours a week, mostly on short game, which has been my weak link over the years. Ball striking and approach play is my strength, so I feel this test is perfect for me. Played yesterday in a state open qualifier and hit 15 greens with 38 putts for 76. This game can bring so much joy, but also so much frustration. To be honest when I first signed up I didn’t realize the irons were hollow players irons. My current set of irons are miura tb-zero 6-pw and cb1008 4 and 5 irons with a t100 3 iron. In comparison I’m expecting the Macgregor to create a little more ball speed, so distance control and consistency will be a main point I focus on. For these irons to kick my miuras out will be a big ask of them. I’m not looking for more distance at the moment. I already have too big of a gap between my 52 and PW, increasing that gap would just cause more issues in my bag. Other key points I’m going to pay close attention to is ball flight and shot shaping. Hopefully in about a week I’ll be able to test these shiny irons, I’ll mostly focus on collecting some data with my bushnell launch pro and testing them side by side with my current sticks, but I also plan to test them thoroughly on course to see if we get along well together On course I’ll be able to get a better understanding of their forgiveness and the value that provides to my game, as well as turf interaction. For me forgiveness is one of the main benefits of moving from a blade to a foam filled tungsten head, seeing how the ball reacts to miss hits, and are the misses more left to right or long and short in relation to the target. Turf interaction also plays a part in forgiveness, having the correct sole width and bounce is so important. Looking forward to the clubs arriving and will update as soon as they are in my hands! Update #2, I was able to get out this morning for a few holes, no warm up, a few obligatory thin shots on the first hole and after that most of the shots were struck solid outside a few toe misses. Center strikes felt so solid through impact, with a soft but explosive feel off the face. Turf interaction was also very nice in the wet conditions, the irons had no issue ripping through the turf taking nice thin divots. Distance was maybe slightly longer than my current gamers, but ball flight was a little higher, most noticeable in the mid irons. The stronger lofts seem so far to work well with the kbs shafts, which feel softer to me. Before I get too detailed in the data I’d like to increase my sample time with these beautiful irons, but for a players iron I can see these being a great option. The looks combined with the sound and feel, you'll be filled with nostalgia for days, it might not matter where the ball goes! MT86< >Miura

2 degrees bounce will not be a noticeable difference or a solution to chunking shots. The biggest effect it will have is on how the club glides across the turf and vertical contact location. If you aren’t making great contact with your chips I’d focus more on technique. You should be able to chip with any club regardless of the bounce.

Been working hard to get my short game and tee shots trending in the up direction. As the driving range is irons only I’ve decided to not hit full shots prior to a round. I stretch and do a lot of practice swings with the feels I’m working on at the moment and it seems to help as I’m focused on my swing and not the fact I didNT get to hit any drivers prior to the first hole. Also been dedicating the majority of my practice time to chipping and pitching. I really enjoy learning and practicing the various short game shots and it’s starting to show in my confidence in using them On course.

Some of the major brands hold demo/fitting days at local clubs. A great way to try out and get fitted without having to visit a big box store.

I love my Sunday bag. Perfect for a nice 9 hole walk, with a few less clubs than normal. Plus the simple design and premium materials used make them standout from the crowd.

Congrats to the lucky winners!

I played the original diamond last year for a little. It definitely flew further than tour bxs or pro v1x. Especially on the driver. Didn’t like the ball too much overall.

Moved from ventus black into addi. So much happier. Combo the addi with the tsr4 and I’m getting an awesome piercing trajectory and I don’t feel like I have to swing so hard. Their is a more pronounced kick, mid section but with the stiff tip I have some great control. Ventus black profile just didn’t match up with me.

The grip is the model without weights?

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone!

I think in terms of a recreational hobby it’s about how much someone is willing to put into it, time and be money. But in regards to golf as a sport, especially youth/junior golf, it is expensive relative to the other sports kids play and only getting more expensive. I think this should be a big topic, especially as ly with all the “grow the game” bs. The liv drama, Netflix documentary, players fighting for $20 million purses, but do we ever ask ourselves how this all shapes the game for the public and especially the youth of the sport and making it affordable and accessible to kids to play???

Fargiveness… “all I hear is far” All I hear is marketing bs. Meanwhile the guys in the commercial are still using last years driver in competition. Cause this years isn’t any better, it just looks different and they slapped a #2 on it.

You are correct, they don’t false advertise.

I also feel many of todays players are out to just experience the game instead of trying to become a player of the game. Cost could be a factor in that they don’t want to commit to buying a super expensive set of clubs or take lessons. But I don’t think anyone group is keeping OEMs alive. The big giants in the industry are making millions and millions. Taylormade and callaway literally release new full lines of clubs every year. Someone is buying them otherwise they wouldn’t be making them. A new stealth driver released just like the new iPhone. Does the same thing as the previous model, updated name, and some new gimmick or a false marketing claim to go with it.

You see so many posts like that because it’s peoples experiences that they are sharing, some like to hit it far and others like to score, there is no one correct formula on how to play and have fun doing it. And if you think current tech custom fit clubs will make you a better player and or have more fun, there are a lot of players who will say otherwise. Also, if most ams spent the same amount of money on lessons as they do on equipment they would see far more improvement than would noticeable from a set of clubs.

So many great options out there, but why not just keep playing with the Nike blades. If you are improving and having fun why change the formula. I moved from one piece cb/blades to tungsten weighted players iron and approach play went down hill. More forgiveness on misfits that go further left or right seemed to put me in worse situations than a mishit with a blade that comes up short of the green. Also I find that blades/cb’s have a tighter yardage gapping usually which I feel plays into the best interest of most players. The players irons today with stronger lofts and hotter faces increases yardage gapping to provide the proper yardage in the longer irons. But it will also make you less accurate distance wise in the short irons.

I had one for a while, it’s a unique grind and not forgiving if that is what you are looking for. I would not use it in soft conditions, it will dig. It’s great out of bunkers, and if you like to feel more turf interaction on square face shots around the green. Also if you notice a low bounce K in a tour bag it many times has additional grind work done to it. I switched from vokeys to ping glide wedges and as far as forgiveness the ping grinds worked better in softer/wet conditions, and more versatile thank the K grind.

Underrated.

Where do you play?

Professional golf is an entirely different subject to growing the game, if anything professional golf hurts the game more that it does good. Courses are getting longer, technology acts like it makes the game easier? But to be honest I see more bad golfers today than I did 30 years ago. The constant push from the industry to buy new clubs to lower scores, also a bunch of garbage that has hurt our game over time. Look at all the other mainstream sports, whether professional or recreational, they don't have constant change in their equipment. Baseball, tennis, basketball, football, hockey, bowling, etc., At least not at the level golf does it at. Roll the ball back, make the courses shorter, reduce the head size down to like 300cc, and everyone will start swinging slower and hitting it straighter and having more fun playing the game of golf, instead of trying to hit it 300 every swing. If the game truly wants to grow it needs to become more accessible and less costly to get involved. Also less time consuming. Rules could easily be modified to speed up the game so people aren't looking for their ball for 5 minutes every shot and then walking backwards to the tee. Treat OB like a hazard and drop a ball at where it entered. Break 18 hole courses into (3) 6 hole sections, so more starting points to get people out on the course, and it gives more options for how much time people are willing to spend playing that day. Release spec equipment, like a standard golf ball or have stricter equipment rules. I'd love to see more emphasis on technique and skill, and not let me change my ball or get a new shaft to hit the ball a different way. I remember reading a story of a gentleman who played Sweetens Cove with a bag completely purchased from a thrift store and he probably had a blast. We don't need the latest driver shaft, or the most recent Pro V1 in our bag to have a good time or to even shoot a good score. You just need some sticks and a ball to enjoy this game and the many great courses we have in this country. Lastly, and the thing i'd like to see change most is that I'd love to see golf played in a match play format and twosomes only, at least in the mornings to allow those who don't want to spend their entire day at the club or the course. Golf is a sport, and it also can be a social activity. Lets just make sure the social part doesn't consume the fact that it is a sport we are playing. Match play has so many pros Im not sure why its rarely a form of play, aside from club championships and the like. 4 hour round if lucky, warm up time, drive to and from course, lunch and before you know it your day is done. Change that and the game will grow 10 fold. Hope this makes some sense and not just a mish mosh of a rant.

Ttt

Happy Thanksgiving! make an offer!

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