2020 Official Member Review: Ben Hogan Golf ComPany-VKTR+, UiHi and GS53 FW

[scooterhd2 519]

Received my UiHi this afternoon. What a treat! Again thanks to Hogan and MGS. 

This club looks fantastic! No distracting badging on the cavity. Looks very classic and minimal. To me, the topline is nearly perfect. A little on the wider side, but that it to be expected on a utility iron. Definitely provides some confidence, but it is really nice that the sole is not visible at address at all. I've cycled through a few driving irons, and despite needing as much forgiveness as I can get, and understanding that having the COG low and back is only helping my game, seeing that sole sticking out the back edge is just very off putting to me, so we are off the a great start in the looks department. 

 

Visually, I wanted to compare the UiHi to my most similar club - the Z585 4 iron at 22 degrees. The UiHi is slightly narrower in the sole. Again, the sole width is hidden better as address. You can just barely catch some of the width of the Z585 4 iron with the all black ferrule. The blade length is a touch longer in the UiHi, but it doesnt seem overly large. I do not see a listed measurement for offset on the UiHi specs, but visually it looks quite good to me. Similar to the Srixon. This is a good reference for the topline as well, which is a bit thicker than the Z585. Both clubs have a V-Sole, but in the Hogan the low point of the V is much closer to the leading edge. I'll have to hit some balls from a variety of lies to see if the placement of the V Sole is noticeable. 

[golfish! 1,606]

still waiting...

[ChitownM2 351]

1 hour ago, golfish! said:

still waiting...

Your day will will come soon. Good things come to those who wait.

[golfish! 1,606]

2 hours ago, ChitownM2 said:

Your day will will come soon. Good things come to those who wait.

Lol I know~ Just excited to get this test underway because I have been looking at adding a 3W to my bag for some time now.

[twyatt700 1,304]

Nice delivery this morning. Now if the weather would cooperate.

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It’s so beautiful! I can’t wait for mine to get here!


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[twyatt700 1,304]

Oh what did FedEx Santa leave me under the tree?

Wow! First impressions on this club are out of this world. I’ll do a full write up on first impressions tomorrow or Monday, but unbiased opinion this might be the best looking hybrid at address I’ve ever stood over.







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First off, I love the Christmas tree is up already!
Second, I’m jealous of the head cover. Those are classy! Making me jealous as a UiHi tester!


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[josmi15 1,742]

this came yesterday. Looks like I’ve got done work to do


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[jb0330 280]

Christmas has come early!!




Very excited when this showed up last night! Was in the middle of converting my 46 gallon fish tank to a 55 so had to wait and clean up before I opened the box. No one wants fish hands on this baby! Lol

I will be writing a more in depth first review later today. My first impression though is these look great, pictures don’t do it justice. I will hopefully be getting a round in on Friday. I will need to walk off some of the extra food from thanksgiving!


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[Nolan220 1,019]

It’s here ! This thing it nice ! I’m hype hitting the range today 

[cksurfdude 8,655]

18 hours ago, TCUFrog said:

Oh what did FedEx Santa leave me under the tree?

Wow! First impressions on this club are out of this world. I’ll do a full write up on first impressions tomorrow or Monday, but unbiased opinion this might be the best looking hybrid at address I’ve ever stood over.

Very nice! A really good looking re-design vs the earlier version .. and I'm really liking the look of that headcover.

[kardboard.kid 2,190]

Had a chance to take some practice swings in the family room today. First thing to note, this club is super light. I don't believe it will take much to launch the ball.

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[AGutierrez7 152]

Received mine this weekend, very excited to give it a few swings. Pictures soon to follow!

[Crowev01 382]

Came home from work today, and the club was outside! First club I've ever had that was wrapped in the plastic. 

First impressions, very classic and polished club in an era of super modern equipment. Classic headcover, good weight and classic Hogan ferrule to set it all off. 

I'll just be looking things over for a while while that mirror finish lasts. 

[gbtrsc 284]

Hello everyone my name is Greg and I’m delighted to have been chosen for this test of the Utility 18* iron. I live in northwest South Carolina and am a resident member of a semi private club in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. So I am fortunate to get to play golf mostly year round. I still work for a software company so don’t get to play or practice as much as I like. Here’s a view from our 8th tee, par 3 200 yards from the Blues.




I currently play Hogan PTxPro 4-P plus the Equalizer 50*. I also have the Eq 56 and 60 but have been using TM HiToe wedges with greater success. I also have a VKTR 18* hybrid which I love after having changed the shaft to a Recoil 780 F4. I get a nice high ball flight with that setup and very accurate. Little to no hooks which I might tend to do w a hybrid.

I am looking forward to comparing the utility iron to the VKTR. I’m a little concerned that the KBS Tour 110 Stiff might be too firm for me.

I’m currently a 12.3 index and 63 years old. I’ve lost some distance compared to my younger years of course but still hit my PTxPro 7 iron between 150-60, average 240-250 off the tee. Typically play Srixon ZStar but sometimes Bridgestone B RX or QStar Tour.

Here’s some looks at the new Hogan Utility Iron I’ll be testing (18* 3-U):










So again, really looking forward to trying this out compared to the VKTR. And very grateful to Hogan and MGS for the opportunity to participate!


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[scooterhd2 519]

Fortunately, I was able to get out on the course today. Hectic day. Long story that I'll avoid boring you with, but I had to push my tee time way back to 2:00pm, and barely made it to the course on time. We've all been there, where you pull up and barely have time to tie your shoes because your group is on the box and have already hit. Of course, I'm playing with strangers as well, so I'm sure they were pleased to meet me. 

I had plans to use the UiHi a ton, but was also planning to get some time with it on the range. Hoping to get some sort of feel for it before jumping out on the course. I pulled it on #2, a short 313 yard par 4, but didnt make great contact and it flew dead straight, but only 165 yards. Luckily, I stuffed an 8 iron and made birdie. Another birdie 2 holes later and I was starting to put a really good round together that I didn't want to mess up so I was hesitant to use it again, especially off the deck. I decided to pull the UiHi on the next short par 4, #9, and again made poor contact. This time I pushed it a touch but it rolled out to 188 yards, just off the fairway to the right side. Again, not a great shot but it didnt hurt me and I was able to finish the front 9 1 under par which is incredible for me. 

#12 was the next hole where I could have pulled it but didn't because of a fairway bunker that I wasn't sure I could carry. Ended up hitting a terrible drive and paying the price with a bogey. I used the UiHi on #14, but again struck it poorly. Another low flight, dead straight down the fairway, but only 175 yards. Luckily, I followed it with a gorgeous hybrid from 200 yards out to 15 feet. Unfortunately, we started losing light. My group quit after 16, but there was no way I was leaving my round unfinished. Went 3 over on the last 2 holes playing super quick and having no way to read the greens in the dark, but I finished. 73. Best round of my life. 

 

The Good - I hit the UiHi on 3 holes and was 1 under on those holes. 

The Bad - I hit the UiHi 3 times and averaged 176 yards. That's my 6 iron distance. Based on the loft, and what I would be looking for to game it, I'd be expecting 225 yards or so. All of my strikes were poor so I know there's more output in this club.  

The NOT Ugly - My scorecard. And the UiHi. It looks great in the bag. I'll have to get it out on the range this week and get more comfortable and see what a flushed shot looks like. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nolan220 1,019]

Hit some balls into my outdoor net yesterday first impressions, the club is a little heavier then my gamer which I knew since the BH is 85 and my TM is 75, the face on the BH seems to wider then the TM. Contact felt good has a nice sound to it but I kept hearing a weird type of whistle sound when I was swing it, did anyone else testing the 3W or Hybrid hear that ? All and all I will be going to the range Tuesday night and will be gaming it Wednesday or the weekend for the first time. 

[fixyurdivot 11,622]

11 hours ago, scooterhd2 said:

but I finished. 73. Best round of my life.

Congrats on the milestone! 

[ChitownM2 351]

11 hours ago, scooterhd2 said:

The NOT Ugly - My scorecard. And the UiHi. It looks great in the bag. I'll have to get it out on the range this week and get more comfortable and see what a flushed shot looks like. 

 

 

Congrats on the personal best. You'll have a lot more opportunities to get good shots in with the utility I'm sure.

[jb0330 280]

Ben Hogan UiHi 18* Utility Iron

I meant to get this out yesterday but my honey to do list was longer than I thought it was. Anywho, I haven't swung the UiHi at a ball just yet but wanted to share a few of my first impressions.

First and foremost thank you MGS and Ben Hogan for this opportunity to do this!  

So this club is sexy or at least I think so. I could have club goggles on, who knows lol. I love the lines, very straight forward and not over the top. Looking down from the top I get the, I can hit this club feel, which I know plays a factor for me in my ability to hit a club or not. The club feels a little too light for my liking so after I play on Friday I am going to ping my buddy to see if he has time on Saturday for me to swing up to his house and get it on his swing weight. I already need to adjust my current Irons back to a D2ish. No matter what the swing weight is on the UiHi I will play in for a bit to see my yards and control to have a baseboard before I switch it.

I typically use midsize grips, did any of the other testers feel like the standard was bigger than a normal standard? Or am I losing my mind LOL. So this might be another switch I do just to get me normal with the rest of my clubs. 

The only thing so far that I don't like is it seems to be very upright. if I want the club to be anywhere close to flush with the ground I have to Bryson my arms up and straight a good amount. Who knows I have seen a few videos online that say with my swing maybe I should have it up to straighten me out a bit. 

I will update y'all after my round on Friday!!

[scooterhd2 519]

7 minutes ago, jb0330 said:

Ben Hogan UiHi 18* Utility Iron

I meant to get this out yesterday but my honey to do list was longer than I thought it was. Anywho, I haven't swung the UiHi at a ball just yet but wanted to share a few of my first impressions.

First and foremost thank you MGS and Ben Hogan for this opportunity to do this!  

So this club is sexy or at least I think so. I could have club goggles on, who knows lol. I love the lines, very straight forward and not over the top. Looking down from the top I get the, I can hit this club feel, which I know plays a factor for me in my ability to hit a club or not. The club feels a little too light for my liking so after I play on Friday I am going to ping my buddy to see if he has time on Saturday for me to swing up to his house and get it on his swing weight. I already need to adjust my current Irons back to a D2ish. No matter what the swing weight is on the UiHi I will play in for a bit to see my yards and control to have a baseboard before I switch it.

I typically use midsize grips, did any of the other testers feel like the standard was bigger than a normal standard? Or am I losing my mind LOL. So this might be another switch I do just to get me normal with the rest of my clubs. 

The only thing so far that I don't like is it seems to be very upright. if I want the club to be anywhere close to flush with the ground I have to Bryson my arms up and straight a good amount. Who knows I have seen a few videos online that say with my swing maybe I should have it up to straighten me out a bit. 

I will update y'all after my round on Friday!!

 

Curious to see what you come up with here, as I have some initial thoughts about modifications but want to hold off until a range session or two. 

I feel like the grip seems bigger because of the shaft length. The shaft gets thicker the further you move from the clubhead, and this is likely the longest steel shafted club in the bag. With less shaft cut from the butt end, the grip goes on a thicker part of the shaft.