New Level Gi22 Iron - Unofficial Review

[vandyland]

This is currently a placeholder for a review over the New Level Gi22 irons. I was looking for a larger, more forgiving 4 iron (22*) to add to my set but now I am considering getting a 22*/26*/30* setup of "forgiving" irons. The New Levels caught my eye because I had tested the previous iteration (MODB-1) and liked them. I currently have a 30* demo that I bought off Ebay that also has True Temper Dynamic Gold R300 shaft in it (previously I had been in Stiff shafts - KBS Tour 120 Stiff) but after the "Otto-Phlex" experiment with my driver I am now also testing "softer" shafts everywhere. 

Problem to Solve

I want a high launching, fairly forgiving, medium to low spin long iron replacement. I don't (at this time) need "shaping" abilities for my long irons. I just would like to get them going fairly straight most of the time. I have traditionally struggled with 26* and lower in irons and I have even dabbled with 26* hybrids but I think I am ready to try the iron route again. I would need to take these clubs and fit them in with my current set - Ben Hogan PTxPros as I do well with the scoring irons in those. My thought is that I would use the PTxPros for 7 iron (34*) - PW (46*) so I need something that will gap correctly and fit between my 18* hybrid and the aforementioned 34* 7 iron. In the Gi22, the 7 iron is 30* so, in theory, it should fit well and I would just have two clubs in my bag that said "7" on them....which is fine. I think my OCD can handle it. 

Initial Thoughts

When I got the club in my hands I was shocked at how LONG it is. Heel to toe it is very long and significantly bigger than my current Ben Hogan PTxPro (which isn't tiny by any means). So that may be a bit of an adjustment. See below for in hand pictures and then comparison between a Ping Eye 2 BeCu (far left), Ben Hogan PTxPro (middle) and the Gi22 (far right):

On Course

So far I have only played one round with it and hit the "7" iron 5 times. Ball flies high, feel is not terrible but definitely not a "forged" feel (the Gi22 is cast). Also, I hit one wipey toe shot and could barely tell where I struck it but the good news was it still flew relatively straight and about the right distance. So the forgiveness is there. 

Trackman

So the trackman session was interesting, I was hitting it decent enough to get a good comparison and I found there wasn't as big of a gap between the Gi22 (30*) 7 iron and my Ben Hogan (34*) 7 iron as I would have thought. See below for the true numbers (I tossed out 2-3 shots from each and got more shots from the Gi22 because I was having fun hitting it):

 

So the difference in carry is about 6 yds which, for me, is 1/2 a club and not the full club I was expecting. I guess it is because the length of the shaft isn't quite there though I was swinging the Gi22 slightly slower. Launch was lower on the Gi22 as expected BUT the land angles were pretty close which I think is a big win for the Gi22. Spin is down a touch but not enough for me to be concerned (I don't think). The negative curve means right to left so they were both pretty consistent on the shot shape and the Gi22 just curved less I think due to less spin and the chunkier club just making it want to go "straighter". So now my concern is can I effectively combo these irons? If there is only a 5 yd gap at the 7 iron, do I carry a BH 7 iron or just skip it and go the 8 iron? If memory serves me, the 8 iron flies about 157 yds so I would have close to a 20 yd gap there. Something to ponder. 

Dispersion comparison (Ben Hogan is red, Gi22 is purple) - similar front to back dispersion but the left to right dispersion is greater with the Gi22, which could be a combination of the Gi22s going farther AND I hit more shots with them. 

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by vandyland

[GolfSpy_APH]

Watching this with interest! 

[vandyland]

Updated original post with Trackman data and I think I am all the way in on the Gi22s in the longer irons. They don't feel quite as good but I get away with more on the toe side and it seems harder to hit them thin. The main question now is where do I combo (if at all) because I didn't get the gapping I thought I would so will I be able to stop at just 5/6/7 iron in the Gi22s? 

[BobBC78]

Resurrecting an older thread here. I'm in the beginning stages of shopping for new irons for next year. Having used New Level wedges in the past, I'm really impressed with the Company's product quality and customer service, but based on what was available a year or so ago, assumed that there was nothing available for high handicappers like me.

Learned about the Gi22 in the past few days, however, and it seems like it could be a good fit. Accordingly, I'd appreciate getting input from anyone who has actually used the Gi22 (@vandyland ?) before I order a demo club to try. 

[vandyland]

@BobBC78 - The caveat I would have for all of this is that I was driven to the Gi22s because I was really struggling with my swing. That said, I liked them enough to buy the 5i, 6i and 7i and I think they do exactly what they say they will do. Ultimately, I am not gaming them anymore and I think that will be apparent below. 

Pros:
The sweet spot on them feels enormous. I was putting some really bad swings on it and the ball would still just go. They don't flight (at least for me) crazy high which was a concern initially. They look pretty good and the build quality was excellent. 

Cons:
There is not a ton of "feel" there in that I couldn't tell where I missed it on the clubface. They are a little too big down by the ball for my eye. At times they went TOO far and they are very strong lofts to the point where what they are calling a 7 iron is legitimately a 5.5 iron but you can adjust for that. 

[vandyland]

Hit these again this past week and found them more enjoyable this time. They definitely launch fairly well I just think the Dynamic Gold shaft is a little lower launching in general so maybe that wasn't the best match for them. That said, I am intrigued about putting a dynamic gold R300 in my wedges now because I feel like that might work. Anyway, these are good clubs but they don't really do what I need them to do at this point. My hogans go a little shorter but they spin more and I feel like I have better distance control with them. 

[cksurfdude]

Just catching up on this. @vandyland you and I are on totally opposite ends of the player spectrum but just FYI - I was testing different GI irons this year .. including the gi22 .. which I wanted to like but sadly did not...

Ended up with a set of Sub 70 699 V2s.

So the the point to this story is - if you're still looking, take a look at the Sub 70 utility irons in those lower lofts .. they've gotten a lotta favorite reviews.

Edited October 21, 2023 by cksurfdude
typo

[vandyland]

On 10/21/2023 at 5:20 PM, cksurfdude said:

So the the point to this story is - if you're still looking, take a look at the Sub 70 utility irons in those lower lofts .. they've gotten a lotta favorite reviews.

I went to the Gi22 when my long iron game was in the toilet. I was basically trying to blend them in with my Hogan irons which didn't really work. Now I have 3 Gi22 irons that I will never be able to sell but I may pull the shafts so it is not a total loss. 

 

I am now back in my Hogans all the way down to my 5i BUT....I am testing out the newest Maltby release (The TE+ V4 in DBM, I ordered a 7iron to test). I just love Matlby's approach to playability so I want to see for myself if there is anything to be gained there.