Cleveland XL Irons

[MNUte]

So Cleveland just launched their new Launcher XL irons that are meant to be a replacement for the UHX's. Thoughts? MGS's first look says they're meant to be replacements for the UHX lineup and that they're meant to look more game improvement-y. But to be honest, they look a lot more like my CBX launchers than the UHXs. I'm also really looking forward to some of the Crossfield, TXG and other reviews to see if they're truly that easy to get up in the air. 

https://mygolfspy.com/cleveland-launcher-xl-irons-go-big-part-iv/

[russtopherb]

I also immediately thought they looked a lot more like the CBX than the UHX, so you're not alone there. 

Based on the pics that accompany @GolfSpy Barbajo's excellent article (4th in the series, right John?) I think this line looks WAY better than either the CBXs or the UHXs. The top down view looks pretty good for a fairly chonky iron. Also interesting to note there is higher MOI here vs the Halos. I'd probably still lean more towards the Halo XLs due to their size and the rails, but I think I (and a lot of other weekend warriors) would do just fine with these also.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

48 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

I also immediately thought they looked a lot more like the CBX than the UHX, so you're not alone there. 

Based on the pics that accompany @GolfSpy Barbajo's excellent article (4th in the series, right John?) I think this line looks WAY better than either the CBXs or the UHXs. The top down view looks pretty good for a fairly chonky iron. Also interesting to note there is higher MOI here vs the Halos. I'd probably still lean more towards the Halo XLs due to their size and the rails, but I think I (and a lot of other weekend warriors) would do just fine with these also.

Been trying out the 5-7-PW demo set that Cleveland sent me. Gotta say, they are easy to get up in the air. They're different than the XL Halos - MOI is higher with the XLs, but I'd say overall forgiveness and ease is greater with the Halos. They have a super wide sole and Gliderails - so there's no real comparison. Halos are more of a super-duper game improvement club, while the XLs are solidly game improvement, if that makes sense. 

I was most impressed by feel - to the point when I first hit them I had to stop and go "whoa." Cleveland did a very good job with these. I agree with above comments about the toplines - a little leaner than the UHX. I'm not a fan of the blue highlights - I did like the looks of the UHX better, but Cleveland told us they intentionally made the XLs look for like a game improvement iron. The market apparently didn't think the UHX irons looked enough like GI irons. 

Cleveland also said UHX sales have actually ticked up in their second year. They were frankly a little disappointed in first year sales, but apparently they caught on in year two. 

[MNUte]

32 minutes ago, GolfSpy Barbajo said:

Been trying out the 5-7-PW demo set that Cleveland sent me. Gotta say, they are easy to get up in the air. They're different than the XL Halos - MOI is higher with the XLs, but I'd say overall forgiveness and ease is greater with the Halos. They have a super wide sole and Gliderails - so there's no real comparison. Halos are more of a super-duper game improvement club, while the XLs are solidly game improvement, if that makes sense. 

I was most impressed by feel - to the point when I first hit them I had to stop and go "whoa." Cleveland did a very good job with these. I agree with above comments about the toplines - a little leaner than the UHX. I'm not a fan of the blue highlights - I did like the looks of the UHX better, but Cleveland told us they intentionally made the XLs look for like a game improvement iron. The market apparently didn't think the UHX irons looked enough like GI irons. 

Cleveland also said UHX sales have actually ticked up in their second year. They were frankly a little disappointed in first year sales, but apparently they caught on in year two. 

I can see people thinking the all-silver look and thinking player's distance iron. I personally don't mind the blue since a lot of other clubs do more glaring visual effects (e.g. I think the Ping G400s look awful). 

I was deciding between the CBX and the UHXs when I bought my clubs and went with the CBXs more for price and top line. I hit both similarly enough and wasn't bothered by the blue, so I couldn't justify the extra $250 in my head. Glad to hear this new line has continued to build on that and make things fun and easy. 

[KurtActual]

The dudes at Cleveland are killing it in the design department. I'll agree with the above, not in love with the blue, but I can get over it really quick. Such good looking irons.

[Grit Golf]

They don’t look offensive at all for a club w max game improvement potential. I think this club will do well.

Im curious what pricing will be with like with like Tour AMT White or KBS $ Taper, etc. If they have a decent stable of no cost upgrade shafts I can see Cleveland making some ground with this release.

[joshuac3]

I'd like to give these a few hits.

[Prix560]

I’ve been looking to test these out, but can’t find them in stock in any local stores.  I’m sure once the supply chain gets in order it will be easier to find some.

[ole gray]

I picked up a set of these yesterday and will be putting them in play today.  I actually love how they look in person and I'm a fan of the blue as it's my favorite color.   I'll use the 6 - PW and leave the 4 & 5 in the barn until a later date.  I game hybrids in those spots. 

[russtopherb]

2 hours ago, ole gray said:

I picked up a set of these yesterday and will be putting them in play today.  I actually love how they look in person and I'm a fan of the blue as it's my favorite color.   I'll use the 6 - PW and leave the 4 & 5 in the barn until a later date.  I game hybrids in those spots. 

I 100% approve of this purchase OG. Looking forward to your review!!

[ole gray]

5 hours ago, russtopherb said:

I 100% approve of this purchase OG. Looking forward to your review!!

Ok here's the skinny  and I'll update more as I dial em in. I've played forged irons in the past and these are as close to that feel as I've gamed since. Maybe not butter soft but sure as heck parkay smooth.  They frame the ball well as you have a wider head from toe to hosel. It gives me a sense of I'm about to spank that ball like a red headed step child. I hit a few thin shots however I also hit some of those like that dawg will hunt shots. They have a 8 gr weight in the butt end of the club and I don't know exactly what to think about that. I have a Cleveland Hy-wood and it had the same thing. I was busting it pretty good however something felt off to me. I took my air compressor and blew the grip off, cut an inch off the butt end and re-gripped it with the counter weight gone and it's money now. Soooooo much better !

I was not as consistent today with the  irons as I thought I would be.  From some of the reviews I've read they sound like they are automatic however I wouldn't go that far. Damn good feeling irons and after some bonding time I will have a better idea on how these puppies bark. I'm going to play again tomorrow and see what shakes out.  I'm hoping I don\'t have to get the hack saw out and whack a half inch off but if I feel the counterbalance weight is causing inconsistencies I'll buzz em down like fresh timber. 

With that said I was smiling like a fat hog with it's head stuck in a slop bucket after my round today. Nifty little 84 with irons right out of the box. 

[ole gray]

I'll be back on the course this morning with my new Launcher XL irons for round #2.  One thing that I forgot to mention yesterday is I was having a tough time chipping with these irons. The ball was running out like it was bouncing off a trampoline. Chipping is definitely on the bottom end of my skill level so maybe it was the operator instead of the club. With that said the longer face may have something to do with the hot chips.  Don't know however it will be interesting to see how this pans out after more play. 

[Miboy62]

Ole gray, do you find these draw bias? I hit demo’s at my pro shop with the stock graphite shafts, they seemed to have a draw I never had before.

 

[ole gray]

4 hours ago, Miboy62 said:

Ole gray, do you find these draw bias? I hit demo’s at my pro shop with the stock graphite shafts, they seemed to have a draw I never had before.

 

Yea it's easier for me to hit a draw with these so I would say  they either want to go straight or belly over to the left.  Actually I don't recall any of my approach shots finishing on the right side of the hole. 

[ole gray]

I'm about as close as a fly on a mules arse to snipping off the butt end of the shafts and doing away with the 8 gr weight. I use jumbo size Golf Pride CP2 grips at 78 grams.  With the 8 gram counter balance adding weight something feels out of whack.  It's like all the weight is on the grip end of the club. I can't feel the head. If I wasn't so tired I would've hauled my ole butt out to the woodshed tonight and did some modifying. I know you can order these irons a half inch shorter without the counter weights so I don't see a problem with me doing the same thing.  

 

[ole gray]

Ok I chickened out on cutting the shaft down and decided to move on. Maybe I should have gone with graphite however I didn't care to drive over to Atlanta to buy em. No offense to you folks living in Atlanta however I try to stay away from your big city as much as possible.  Kind of like a fat chicken bedding down in a fox den.  It's to be avoided. Well anyways the irons are now on market place and I'll drop them in the sales section here. The combination of the steel shafts, jumbo grips, and counter balance was not a good fit for my ole arse.  They are good looking irons, they do feel good when struck well, and they will make plenty of golfers of all skill levels happy.  

[ole gray]

Update!  I decided to keep these irons after having them up for sale on market place and here with no takers.  I could have traded them in however you're giving them away doing that.       I  took a plunge off the deep end and decided to remove the 8g weight in the butt end. Heck it did wonders for my Cleveland Hy-Wood so with a bit of old shat what am I doing went ahead and circumcised them puppies.  I took 1/2 inch off and blew the grips back on and headed to the course to see what would happen. 

First strike with my PW was money!   My heart was beating fast as shot after shot felt awesome.  It worked!!! I shot a cool little 84 with them and if my chipping was better it could have been a really solid round. I was happier than a horny redneck during the Ho show at the gonna get me some motel chain.   I used my Callaway Big Bertha 5 hybrid today however as soon as I can scoot on by Dick's and pick up a grip, I'll be circumcising my 5 iron. 

Cleveland I'm sorry but that counter balance technology nearly cost me a set of great irons. I'm sooooooooooo happy they did not sale and I finally got the courage to whack a 1/2 inch off the end.  Well I have two sets of awesome irons now.  These and my Tommy Armour 845's in graphite shafts.  

 

[russtopherb]

22 minutes ago, ole gray said:

Update!  I decided to keep these irons after having them up for sale on market place and here with no takers.  I could have traded them in however you're giving them away doing that.       I  took a plunge off the deep end and decided to remove the 8g weight in the butt end. Heck it did wonders for my Cleveland Hy-Wood so with a bit of old shat what am I doing went ahead and circumcised them puppies.  I took 1/2 inch off and blew the grips back on and headed to the course to see what would happen. 

First strike with my PW was money!   My heart was beating fast as shot after shot felt awesome.  It worked!!! I shot a cool little 84 with them and if my chipping was better it could have been a really solid round. I was happier than a horny redneck during the Ho show at the gonna get me some motel chain.   I used my Callaway Big Bertha 5 hybrid today however as soon as I can scoot on by Dick's and pick up a grip, I'll be circumcising my 5 iron. 

Cleveland I'm sorry but that counter balance technology nearly cost me a set of great irons. I'm sooooooooooo happy they did not sale and I finally got the courage to whack a 1/2 inch off the end.  Well I have two sets of awesome irons now.  These and my Tommy Armour 845's in graphite shafts.  

It's too bad you went through all the work to discover that OG, if you hadn't started cutting up the shafts I wonder if you could have brought them back for an even swap to get the "accuracy build" option without the counterweight across the set. Either way, glad to know they're working well for you now!

[ole gray]

Just now, russtopherb said:

It's too bad you went through all the work to discover that OG, if you hadn't started cutting up the shafts I wonder if you could have brought them back for an even swap to get the "accuracy build" option without the counterweight across the set. Either way, glad to know they're working well for you now!

Yea it was freaking me out about the investment made for these irons however I am 100 percent satisfied and pleased to bag em now.  Once I changed the grips Dicks would not be likely to take them back for a swap out. The funny thing is although they have been shorten 1/2 an inch I have loss zero distance. In fact I'm finding the sweet spot more often. I'm 6'2" tall so you would think taking anything off the length would have been disaster for me.  Even a few misses today went further and straighter than I would expect. The counter balance did not work in my Cleveland Hy-Wood and failed the test in these irons so it may do wonders for some but not my cup of tea. 

[ole gray]

Back in the bag!   

[Miboy62]

That’s awesome!

[ole gray]

I just got home from round two with my modified 1/2 shorter with no CB irons.  84 yesterday and 79 today makes me a happy camper I kept these puppies. Now I got a problem.   I'm loving both  sets of my irons.   Good problem huh? 

[ole gray]

Didn't post a score yesterday as I was playing in a scramble however the Launcher XL's did not disappoint!  They have a sweet flush sound when striking the ball and the ball flight is awesome.   I'm ready to go back and hit my Tommy Armour 845's for a few rounds however I can't make myself put these down. Having too much fun with em!

[russtopherb]

I was looking at these side by side with the Halos at Golf Galaxy the other day and I could not believe how long the blade is, toe to heel. So much real estate to get on the ball.

[ole gray]

8 hours ago, russtopherb said:

I was looking at these side by side with the Halos at Golf Galaxy the other day and I could not believe how long the blade is, toe to heel. So much real estate to get on the ball.

Exactly and the good thing is you don't lose any noticeable distance on shots out of center strikes. 

[ole gray]

Update on the Launcher irons.  A while back I switched my 5 iron in my prior set (Callaway Maverick) to a hybrid.  Anyways I decided to go ahead like I did with the rest of the Launcher irons and cut the 5 iron down 1/2 inch to remove the counter balance. Blew on a grip and put it in play yesterday. OMG!  It's just as easy as the Maverick hybrid to launch. Since my swing speed has declined in the past few years my turning to hybrids was essential. At least I thought so until I hit the 6 iron and now the 5 iron in this set so well. It's like the ball trampolines off the club face and takes off like a rooster after a fat hen! 

[ole gray]

I shot a 79 & 80 with these irons within the last week. As much as I love the Tommy Armour irons, I just can't force myself to take the Cleveland's out of the bag.  It's been a shock to my system at the difference it made when I removed the counter balance weights. Did I tell you the 5 iron is dynamite! 

[ole gray]

Back from three days outing with a bunch of friends and we played a ton of golf.  North Georgia mountain golf where flat lies are not the norm and these irons performed beautifully.  Soft feel off the face is not unlike forged irons.  Love Love Love these awesome irons.

[NC Golfer]

Does anyone get/feel a whipping action with these irons in the backswing. I suspect it is more noticeable in the sr shaft. When I get this loading of the shaft and whip, it's a very powerful shot. I am just not sure how it happens. If I force the whip, it doesn't work. Maybe, address the ball with soft hands and wrists?

Edited June 19, 2022 by NC Golfer

[ole gray]

4 hours ago, NC Golfer said:

Does anyone get/feel a whipping action with these irons in the backswing. I suspect it is more noticeable in the sr shaft. When I get this loading of the shaft and whip, it's a very powerful shot. I am just not sure how it happens. If I force the whip, it doesn't work. Maybe, address the ball with soft hands and wrists?

I haven't noticed it with the regular flex.  Mine are steel and cut down 1/2 inch butt side which actually stiffens them up a hair.  Not as much as tip trimming but still a bit. Are you playing graphite?

I thought of one other thing that might give you the feel of whipping the club is the counter balance weight in the grip.  I did not like the feel of the irons at all prior to removing the weights.   I could not feel the club head with the CB present.