Caley Golf Irons & Driving Iron - 2023 Forum Review

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Saw my shipping as well, no delivery date given yet. Hopefully quick. Getting excited as my driver has been swirly lately. Looking forward to testing something else off the tee for a change of pace. Will likely move up one set of tees to accommodate. 

[Navart]

RED ALERT! 
One day back from vacation and I woke up to a FedEx notification that the 01 irons are out for delivery today! Nothing better to nip the post vacation blues in the bud than looking forward to unboxing and sharing these beauties with y'all.

In the meantime please enjoy photos of our trip to Norway

 

[GolfSpy SAM]

RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

 Boxes (albeit looking pretty worse for wear) just arrived, photos to come, but here's a tease

[sirchunksalot]

20 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

 Boxes (albeit looking pretty worse for wear) just arrived, photos to come, but here's a tease

Those clubs are looking good! Not gonna lie, I was hoping for the live unboxing on the call today. I'm glad they finally arrived and it should be fun hearing how you hit them. 

[GolfSpy SAM]

29 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

Those clubs are looking good! Not gonna lie, I was hoping for the live unboxing on the call today. I'm glad they finally arrived and it should be fun hearing how you hit them. 

They're...very, very pretty. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but they're far prettier than I was anticipating. 

 

[scubahoops]

48 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

 Boxes (albeit looking pretty worse for wear) just arrived, photos to come, but here's a tease

 

That sole looks very pretty and I am excited to see how these look in more detail and how the test.  I am a big DTC fan and have enjoyed my Sub70's. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

2 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

They're...very, very pretty. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but they're far prettier than I was anticipating. 

 

this has me pumped for the UTI coming in soon

[sirchunksalot]

30 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

They're...very, very pretty. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but they're far prettier than I was anticipating. 

 

You aren't kidding, the sole of that iron looks absolutely stunning. 

[IndyBonzo]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

 Boxes (albeit looking pretty worse for wear) just arrived, photos to come, but here's a tease

Simply beautiful!

[GolfSpy SAM]

INTRODUCTION (moved here to simplify main testing thread)

First and foremost, an absolutely HUGE thank you to @Caley for not only providing this opportunity, but for being a part of the forum - it makes such a big difference to be able to have them here as a presence on the forum.  And, as always, I'm so grateful to the entire MGS Forum staff who've done a crazy, crazy job this year of bringing these tests to the members - such an absolute privilege to be a part of this group.

For those of you who aren't familiar with me and my joie de vivre, allow me to explain briefly.  I live for a few things: my kids, my super-hot and cool and funny and patient wife (who may be writing this intro - we'll see if she flatters herself any more later on to decide), golf, and being an absolute idiot in order to make people laugh.  So if those latter two things aren't for you, what are you even doing here - this is a golf blog.  If it's just the latter that annoys you, it will not hurt my feelings in the least if you skip ahead to any of the other truly delightful testers.  (But I'll for sure quietly judge you and then post passive-aggressive memes on all your posts going forward.). 

Alright, so who am I? I'm Matt Swanson("SAM" comes from Dumb & Dumber's reference to the "Slippy, Slappy, Simpson, Samson, Swanson? - Maybe it's on the briefcase - SAMSONITE! I Was way off! Knew it started with an 'S' though!"). I'm 45, and I'm currently playing off an 11.0 handicap.  Yawn.  Who am I really (I hear almost none of you asking)? WELL I'LL TELL YOU!  I'm the guy who in high school was voted most likely to be on Broadway (no, for serious).  I'm the guy who tried his hand at acting here in Los Angeles, which - while not leading to my own sitcom, DID lead me to find my hilarious, sexy, beautiful, Sunday-crossword-with-a-pen-smart, wife (honey...STOP that!), so...it wasn't all a waste . You might have seen me (you probably didn't) in such gems as "Death to Cupid", "Bad Seed", or even a Doritos commercial where I slap the hell out of another dude just for fun (and, obvs. Doritos).  And mostly, I'm the guy who gets excited about getting paired up with three strangers because I think I might just meet a new friend  - and at the very least, might get a good story out of them that I can share on the forum   I'm the guy who lives just north of Los Angeles (Santa Clarita, CA), who mostly plays courses between Hollywood and here, and who's found he's VERY good at hitting his ball into 'gorse' - which is not a good place to hit it, for those of you unfamiliar.  And, for ease of reference, I'm the guy on the right

(Our regular group - besides being awesome humans, we're all pretty equally matched, and any one of us has the ability to win on any given day)

Okay, so what else do you need to know other than I have the gift of gab (and type?)?   Well, I've been a fan of what Caley's doing since seeing them featured on James Robinson's YouTube channel a while back - I absolutely love the DTC model (in fact, the only irons I've truly considered purchasing over the last 2 years are of the DTC ilk (Sub-70, Takomo, Maltby and now Caley)), and think that there isn't really a better option for price and quality than what we've been seeing out of these companies.  

That's not to say I'm biased - I've never hit any of the above-mentioned clubs (with the exception of some Maltby TS-3's that I built as a demo (6 & 9 iron), but was not quite ready to take the plunge on the full set), so nearly all my excitement over the brands is based on others' experiences.  I'm thrilled to get to be able to add my voice to that crowd, and to truly put these to the test to see if they up my game. 

As for what I'm looking for in order for these to replace my current gamers (2020 Sim Max Irons, 4-PW with Nippon Modus 105 Stiff) - I was fit into these clubs over three years ago (just before the birth of my youngest, the little blondie featured below (next to his sister in photo on the left, and in the photo on the right, between me and my insanely cool, good-smelling (even in the heat), clever, amazing-driver of a wife)), when I was happy to break 100.  Since then, I've put in thousands of hours of practice, several excellent lessons, and my game has drastically improved.  I'm VERY curious to know if putting a player's distance iron in the bag is the next step in my golfing evolution, or if I should stick with more game-improvement-type irons.  My heart says I need these beautiful Caley's in my bag - but my brain is willing to see what happens over the next 6 weeks. If the numbers bear it out, I'll be so ready to find a new home for my much-loved TaylorMade's (helllloooooo Classified!). 

As for my testing methodology, it's pretty simple.  I have access to an indoor facility with a Uneekor set-up (offering basically every number imaginable).  My plan is to spend at least one session (if not more) hitting my full current bag, 5-iron through PW (I don't keep the 4-iron in the bag, as I find my 7/5 woods to be way more effective than the 4), and then - in the same session - hitting the Caley's.  First, I want to see what the carry/total distances are, and how they stack up - partly because the lofts are slightly different (about 2 degrees weaker on the Caley's), but also partly because with the different lofts, I want to know what to expect when on course.  Second, I'm curious as to spin, as in my recent fitting this past January, the fitter noted that I tend to be fairly low-spin (in all clubs tested), so something that gives a little more spin would be welcome.  Lastly, I'm curious if the shaft differences (5g less in the Caley's) show any numerical differences, or if it's just a feel thing.  That one might be tougher, as I can't hit each iron with the same shaft, so it may just come down to feel - the KBS Tour Lite's will have their work cut out for them, as I really love the feel of the Nippon's. 

After that, it's all about on-course play - how versatile is the PW?  Can I use it for bump-and-runs around the green? Can I hit the 4-iron, or should I keep it in the garage? How much am I able to work the ball compared to my Sim's (I'm not a huge "worker" of the ball, by the way, but have recently really started trying to add that to my repertoire)?  Is there anything in the shape/topline that I find drastically different?  And in the sole?  

I've hit several PD irons in stores over the last year - notably the P790, ZX5/4 (Mark 2), Paradym, T200/300, Forged Tec - so I have some semblance of an idea of what I liked and what I didn't, so I'm very curious where these land in that cadre (fwiw, I LOVED the 790s with the KBS Tour Lite in them, I didn't love the Paradym or the Forged Tec (could've been the shaft, though), the Titleists were good, not great for me, and the ZX5 was the fitter's recommendation at the end of the day, which I was very pleased with, lol, as they're beautiful to hit and feel incredible).  

Most importantly to me, I want to just take a second to say to any and all of you - if you have ANYTHING you'd like me to test, try, think about, write about, eat, drink (wait), etc., please don't hesitate to reach out, either in the thread or in a PM.  This review really is about helping you all decide if going the DTC route is a good idea - especially without actually being able to hit them first.  I'm lucky enough to have had a fitting at a reputable place (True Spec), so I'm confident my set-up will be suited to me, but without having hit the irons before they're delivered, it still feels like a chance is being taken. If that's how you feel, too, and that's what's holding you back from taking the plunge, I encourage you to follow this thread and find out in real time as I post my thoughts and feelings on the clubs. 

Oh, and remember, if you follow the thread, you won't miss the chance of seeing more sexy-ass shots like THIS!

(That's right: flamingo-print isn't just for skinny dudes)

Also, if you made it this far, see below to see the Angel that puts up with my ridiculousness on the daily, and may have (definitely) wrote parts of this intro 

[GolfSpy SAM]

Alright, unboxing is posted here at the main testing thread! Let me know what you think and if you have any questions!

[Shlax]

On 7/17/2023 at 5:50 PM, GolfSpy SAM said:

INTRODUCTION

Check out THIS post for my intro!

UNBOXING

Okay, ladies and gentlemen: the boxes have arrived.  I'll give a little commentary, but mostly I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, and be sure to take 3 minutes to watch the little video there at the end - should be good for at least one laugh

So, I got notice that instead of arriving next Monday, somehow my clubs were on the truck headed to my house for delivery TODAY.  Like a dog waiting for its owner to appear, I stared at every car that drove by, waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive.  And when it did, I ran downstairs to greet the driver at the door.  My heart sank almost immediately, as he was carrying two VERY beat-up-looking boxes.  There's NO. WAY. these were going to arrive broken, right?  The driver apologized, scanned them and entered them as "crushed", just in case anything went wrong when I opened.  

Thankfully, upon opening, everything was in perfect shape - the small styrofoam blocks did their job and fully protected the heads, and the shafts show zero sign of wear and/or tear.  Phew!

As a special surprise, Caley threw in the X01 driving iron - I had mentioned that I currently play the Cobra Forged Tec driving iron, and I guess that was enough for them to confidently throw it in an extra box my way.  It's stunning to look at, and with the Recoil Dart shaft (my Cobra has the KBS $ Tour shaft which is not my favorite), I'm very excited to give this thing a go. 

 

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the irons - I'm really in awe of how beautiful and simple the design is.  Following are some more "glamour" shots.

I'm not sure I've ever had as much fun with an unboxing as I did with these - each one just made me feel giddy to get them on the course.  The clubs are considerably smaller than my 2020 TaylorMade Sim Max irons (comparison with the 6-irons and the PW's below), especially in the longer irons.  That being said, the top-lines are surprisingly substantial - and that's not a knock on them AT ALL.  I shudder a little when I see something ... butter knife-y, so these things instill exactly the right amount of confidence.  They're thinner than the Sim's, but not so much so that I'm confused about where my handicap sits

That about does it - I seriously can't wait to get these out to a range, and on the course.  I'm not going to waste any time getting these into play - I sadly don't get to play until next week, but I'll be hitting the range this weekend for a run-through, and will report back in in the main thread when I do.  

Thanks for looking!

 

Awesome content @GolfSpy SAM! These 01T irons are verrry nice WOW!

Glad the clubs are fine. I’ve been tracking my order and they have been on an absolute quest to Montreal so far. I suspect that the box (maybe boxes ) will also arrive pretty beat up. Fingers crossed.

[rkj427]

Great introductions, and the clubs look great. Looking forward to seeing how they all fit your games and expectations. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

On 7/17/2023 at 2:50 PM, GolfSpy SAM said:

INTRODUCTION

Check out THIS post for my intro!

UNBOXING

Okay, ladies and gentlemen: the boxes have arrived.  I'll give a little commentary, but mostly I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, and be sure to take 3 minutes to watch the little video there at the end - should be good for at least one laugh

So, I got notice that instead of arriving next Monday, somehow my clubs were on the truck headed to my house for delivery TODAY.  Like a dog waiting for its owner to appear, I stared at every car that drove by, waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive.  And when it did, I ran downstairs to greet the driver at the door.  My heart sank almost immediately, as he was carrying two VERY beat-up-looking boxes.  There's NO. WAY. these were going to arrive broken, right?  The driver apologized, scanned them and entered them as "crushed", just in case anything went wrong when I opened.  

Thankfully, upon opening, everything was in perfect shape - the small styrofoam blocks did their job and fully protected the heads, and the shafts show zero sign of wear and/or tear.  Phew!

As a special surprise, Caley threw in the X01 driving iron - I had mentioned that I currently play the Cobra Forged Tec driving iron, and I guess that was enough for them to confidently throw it in an extra box my way.  It's stunning to look at, and with the Recoil Dart shaft (my Cobra has the KBS $ Tour shaft which is not my favorite), I'm very excited to give this thing a go. 

 

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the irons - I'm really in awe of how beautiful and simple the design is.  Following are some more "glamour" shots.

I'm not sure I've ever had as much fun with an unboxing as I did with these - each one just made me feel giddy to get them on the course.  The clubs are considerably smaller than my 2020 TaylorMade Sim Max irons (comparison with the 6-irons and the PW's below), especially in the longer irons.  That being said, the top-lines are surprisingly substantial - and that's not a knock on them AT ALL.  I shudder a little when I see something ... butter knife-y, so these things instill exactly the right amount of confidence.  They're thinner than the Sim's, but not so much so that I'm confused about where my handicap sits

That about does it - I seriously can't wait to get these out to a range, and on the course.  I'm not going to waste any time getting these into play - I sadly don't get to play until next week, but I'll be hitting the range this weekend for a run-through, and will report back in in the main thread when I do.  

Thanks for looking!

 

Hot damn. I’m getting super pumped. I presume you mentioned that in a forum call or something? Awfully great for them to throw it in. Makes me wonder if @AndySPor I will get a bonus with our utilities? Hit these well. They almost look too pretty to hit. 

[russtopherb]

The plastic removal in the vid 

So jealous you guys are starting to get them in for testing. Very clean, and as I mentioned before - *very* similar to the Takomos IMHO. Regardless, looking forward to seeing how they are performing out on the course.

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

FYI it looks like Caley is in the process of updating their website. Looks better. Still has some kinks. Also interesting to note the provide more info on the shafts (the utility all I knew was a Dart shaft, no weight description). @GolfSpy SAM what is the shaft weight on your utility? Website says 65g which seems light for a club like that. 

[GolfSpy TCB]

On 7/17/2023 at 4:50 PM, GolfSpy SAM said:

INTRODUCTION

Check out THIS post for my intro!

UNBOXING

Okay, ladies and gentlemen: the boxes have arrived.  I'll give a little commentary, but mostly I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, and be sure to take 3 minutes to watch the little video there at the end - should be good for at least one laugh

So, I got notice that instead of arriving next Monday, somehow my clubs were on the truck headed to my house for delivery TODAY.  Like a dog waiting for its owner to appear, I stared at every car that drove by, waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive.  And when it did, I ran downstairs to greet the driver at the door.  My heart sank almost immediately, as he was carrying two VERY beat-up-looking boxes.  There's NO. WAY. these were going to arrive broken, right?  The driver apologized, scanned them and entered them as "crushed", just in case anything went wrong when I opened.  

Thankfully, upon opening, everything was in perfect shape - the small styrofoam blocks did their job and fully protected the heads, and the shafts show zero sign of wear and/or tear.  Phew!

As a special surprise, Caley threw in the X01 driving iron - I had mentioned that I currently play the Cobra Forged Tec driving iron, and I guess that was enough for them to confidently throw it in an extra box my way.  It's stunning to look at, and with the Recoil Dart shaft (my Cobra has the KBS $ Tour shaft which is not my favorite), I'm very excited to give this thing a go. 

 

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the irons - I'm really in awe of how beautiful and simple the design is.  Following are some more "glamour" shots.

I'm not sure I've ever had as much fun with an unboxing as I did with these - each one just made me feel giddy to get them on the course.  The clubs are considerably smaller than my 2020 TaylorMade Sim Max irons (comparison with the 6-irons and the PW's below), especially in the longer irons.  That being said, the top-lines are surprisingly substantial - and that's not a knock on them AT ALL.  I shudder a little when I see something ... butter knife-y, so these things instill exactly the right amount of confidence.  They're thinner than the Sim's, but not so much so that I'm confused about where my handicap sits

That about does it - I seriously can't wait to get these out to a range, and on the course.  I'm not going to waste any time getting these into play - I sadly don't get to play until next week, but I'll be hitting the range this weekend for a run-through, and will report back in in the main thread when I do.  

Thanks for looking!

 

@GolfSpy SAM you are a Renaissance Man.  Great unboxing.  Can't wait to see the rest of your review (and the reviews from the other testers).

[AndySP]

On 7/17/2023 at 5:50 PM, GolfSpy SAM said:

Caley threw in the X01 driving iron

Great unboxing! Impressed that a box looking like that delivered the irons in such good shape. I’m excited to hear what you think about them. I love the compact-ness and the shape. 
 

 I’m so jealous already. I can’t wait to see the driving iron in person!

[Shrek74]

1 hour ago, russtopherb said:

The plastic removal in the vid 

So jealous you guys are starting to get them in for testing. Very clean, and as I mentioned before - *very* similar to the Takomos IMHO. Regardless, looking forward to seeing how they are performing out on the course.

Yeah, I'd say they're very similar.

[Shrek74]

On 7/17/2023 at 4:50 PM, GolfSpy SAM said:

INTRODUCTION

Check out THIS post for my intro!

UNBOXING

Okay, ladies and gentlemen: the boxes have arrived.  I'll give a little commentary, but mostly I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, and be sure to take 3 minutes to watch the little video there at the end - should be good for at least one laugh

So, I got notice that instead of arriving next Monday, somehow my clubs were on the truck headed to my house for delivery TODAY.  Like a dog waiting for its owner to appear, I stared at every car that drove by, waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive.  And when it did, I ran downstairs to greet the driver at the door.  My heart sank almost immediately, as he was carrying two VERY beat-up-looking boxes.  There's NO. WAY. these were going to arrive broken, right?  The driver apologized, scanned them and entered them as "crushed", just in case anything went wrong when I opened.  

Thankfully, upon opening, everything was in perfect shape - the small styrofoam blocks did their job and fully protected the heads, and the shafts show zero sign of wear and/or tear.  Phew!

As a special surprise, Caley threw in the X01 driving iron - I had mentioned that I currently play the Cobra Forged Tec driving iron, and I guess that was enough for them to confidently throw it in an extra box my way.  It's stunning to look at, and with the Recoil Dart shaft (my Cobra has the KBS $ Tour shaft which is not my favorite), I'm very excited to give this thing a go. 

 

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the irons - I'm really in awe of how beautiful and simple the design is.  Following are some more "glamour" shots.

I'm not sure I've ever had as much fun with an unboxing as I did with these - each one just made me feel giddy to get them on the course.  The clubs are considerably smaller than my 2020 TaylorMade Sim Max irons (comparison with the 6-irons and the PW's below), especially in the longer irons.  That being said, the top-lines are surprisingly substantial - and that's not a knock on them AT ALL.  I shudder a little when I see something ... butter knife-y, so these things instill exactly the right amount of confidence.  They're thinner than the Sim's, but not so much so that I'm confused about where my handicap sits

That about does it - I seriously can't wait to get these out to a range, and on the course.  I'm not going to waste any time getting these into play - I sadly don't get to play until next week, but I'll be hitting the range this weekend for a run-through, and will report back in in the main thread when I do.  

Thanks for looking!

 

After that video, I'd never guess you went to Hollyweird to become an actor. 

[Schobel0804]

You are so lucky to be trying clubs. I hope so one day too.

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Bonus Surprise today. Fedex somehow pulled in my shipment by three days and the UTI should be arriving today.

[sirchunksalot]

@GolfSpy SAM, that's the unboxing video of the year!

Clubs look great, Caley definitely knows how to produce a clean looking club. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

That unboxing video was INCREDIBLE @GolfSpy SAM. A masterpiece in short videography, if I do say so myself. That sweet, sweet sound of peeling plastic just has a way of speaking to my heart! 

[Noland]

That was a really cool video 

[Shlax]

Surprise surprise!

Like @Vegan_Golfer_PNW, the delivery window was advanced.

Like I expected, the box is pretty beat up. Bets are on. Will I have 7 or 14 pieces of clubs in this box?

[Navart]

On 8/9/2023 at 9:27 AM, Navart said:

RED ALERT! 
One day back from vacation and I woke up to a FedEx notification that the 01 irons are out for delivery today! Nothing better to nip the post vacation blues in the bud than looking forward to unboxing and sharing these beauties with y'all.

In the meantime please enjoy photos of our trip to Norway

 

Unboxing for the 01 iron set is up!! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

It is time 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Unboxing is up now

[Shrek74]

On 7/17/2023 at 4:50 PM, Navart said:

4i-PW. Upon selection for the testing I took it upon myself to go to a custom fitting at Club Champion as I had never been fit and Caley offers some customization online. For me, the KBS Tour Lite Stiff shafts, standard Lamkin Crossline grips, and 1 deg. flat lie angle was the way to go!

So did you do a full iron fitting with CC or did you just give them the list of shafts you had to chose from and have them fit you for just the best one of the list utilizing a hollow-body iron similar to the 01? I'm just curious.