Caley Golf Irons & Driving Iron - 2023 Forum Review

[GolfSpy SAM]

48 minutes ago, Shlax said:

Unfortunately, I can't edit my official testing post anymore.

But with the end of the season imminent in my area and some more rounds under my belt with the Caley 01CB irons, I wanted to further add to my impressions and share the positive impact that these clubs had on my game.

For those that haven't read the official review post yet, spoiler alert, I decided to keep the Caley 01CBs in the bag and remplace my once beloved Srixon Z785s. This means a lot considering that I probably had a negative bias when it came to unknown/emerging brands prior to testing and I simply wouldn't let myself admit it. I was one of those guys who thought "Well, how good can these clubs really be when they only cost 30-40% of the price that some OEMs charge for their forged irons?". Truth be told, they are amazing!

With quality and performance being the primary aspects that I look for in a set of irons, I am perfectly satisfied with the Caley 01CBs. The fact that these clubs currently retail for $589 only further blows my mind when considering feel and looks also.

Following the final review, I had two stints where I put the Srixon Z785s back in the bag with the objective to fully convince myself that I had to "let them go" and process my grief.

• The first stint was four rounds long during which I did not hit my distances nor was able to manage ball flight as easily than with the Caley 01CBs. In the bag the Caley 01CBs returned.
• The second stint lasted 1.5 round. Indeed, the second round I played during that stint was on a windy day and I couldn't hit a green to save my life. I went back to my car at the turn and put the Caley 01CBs back in the bag for the back nine and proceeded to shoot a very decent round amidst difficult playing conditions. It was the final nail in the coffin of my Srixon Z785s.

Moreover, two weeks ago, I had to opportunity to mess around the fitting bay at my local golf store and got to hit a bunch of irons from OEMs: The Caley 01CBs' stats had nothing to be shy about in comparison to those of iron sets three times more expensive!

In summary, not only has this testing opportunity made me discover the world of DTC clubs manufacturers and provided me with tools that made me enjoy the game even more, but if my review can help someone decide on whether to buy a set of Caley 01CBs or not, I'lll be very happy!

I'll leave you with a video presenting three 4-iron shots and a 9-iron shot from a mid-October range session. 

Cheers,

 

Love the update! So happy to hear that they're doing everything you could ask for!  The value really is insane, all things considered. 

[russtopherb]

On 10/31/2023 at 6:37 PM, Shlax said:

Unfortunately, I can't edit my official testing post anymore.

But with the end of the season imminent in my area and some more rounds under my belt with the Caley 01CB irons, I wanted to further add to my impressions and share the positive impact that these clubs had on my game.

For those that haven't read the official review post yet, spoiler alert, I decided to keep the Caley 01CBs in the bag and remplace my once beloved Srixon Z785s. This means a lot considering that I probably had a negative bias when it came to unknown/emerging brands prior to testing and I simply wouldn't let myself admit it. I was one of those guys who thought "Well, how good can these clubs really be when they only cost 30-40% of the price that some OEMs charge for their forged irons?". Truth be told, they are amazing!

With quality and performance being the primary aspects that I look for in a set of irons, I am perfectly satisfied with the Caley 01CBs. The fact that these clubs currently retail for $589 only further blows my mind when considering feel and looks also. Moreover, two weeks ago, I had to opportunity to mess around the fitting bay at my local golf store and got to hit a bunch of irons from OEMs: The Caley 01CBs' stats had nothing to be shy about in comparison to those of iron sets three times more expensive!

Following the final review, I had two stints where I put the Srixon Z785s back in the bag with the objective to fully convince myself that I had to "let them go" and process my grief.

• The first stint was four rounds long during which I did not hit my distances nor was able to manage ball flight as easily than with the Caley 01CBs. In the bag the Caley 01CBs returned.
• The second stint lasted 1.5 round. Indeed, the second round I played during that stint was on a windy day and I couldn't hit a green to save my life. I went back to my car at the turn and put the Caley 01CBs back in the bag for the back nine and proceeded to shoot a very decent round amidst difficult playing conditions. It was the final nail in the coffin of my Srixon Z785s.

In summary, not only has this testing opportunity made me discover the world of DTC clubs manufacturers and provided me with tools that made me enjoy the game even more, but if my review can help someone decide on whether to buy a set of Caley 01CBs or not, I'lll be very happy!

I'll leave you with a video presenting three 4-iron shots and a 9-iron shot from a mid-October range session. 

Cheers,

 

So I just spent a LOT of time re-reading your posts, as I learned over the weekend that I won a set of the 01CBs in the Club Champion Instagram contest. I wasn't sure if they'd be my first choice of irons as a 14 handicap, but the more I re-read these testing posts, the more I've come around. Turf interaction is a big thing for me, I had put my D7 irons in the closet in favor of much older D200s simply due to the older set having better turf interaction. So I'm hopeful I'll get along with these! 

Unfortunately I think my season may be done due to weather, but if I get a chance to get them out for a round on turf you'd better believe I will. I'll also hit an indoor sim as well to see how they work for me vs my current SGI gamers.

[Shlax]

7 hours ago, russtopherb said:

So I just spent a LOT of time re-reading your posts, as I learned over the weekend that I won a set of the 01CBs in the Club Champion Instagram contest. I wasn't sure if they'd be my first choice of irons as a 14 handicap, but the more I re-read these testing posts, the more I've come around. Turf interaction is a big thing for me, I had put my D7 irons in the closet in favor of much older D200s simply due to the older set having better turf interaction. So I'm hopeful I'll get along with these! 

Unfortunately I think my season may be done due to weather, but if I get a chance to get them out for a round on turf you'd better believe I will. I'll also hit an indoor sim as well to see how they work for me vs my current SGI gamers.

I'm glad knowing that someone at least read and/or reread and could find helpful information in my review posts! English is not my native language so I have a tendency to formulate very long sentences for something that could have been explained fairly briefly. That aspect combined with the fact that I was pumped at the opportunity to be chosen as a tester made for some VERY LONG posts, granted. (EDIT: Ironically, the current post ended up being very long for what I initially wanted to say...)

Of course, handicap index alone doesn't tell the whole story. For example, I'm between an 8 and a 10 handicap golfer so typical "handicap charts" wouldn't explicitly recommend players' irons or cavity backs for a golfer of my caliber. However, I enjoy the looks and feel of this type of clubs and I don't feel like I would greatly benefit from more forgiveness. The 8-10 handicap index can be explained by the fact that I am a good ball striker (per Shot Scope, I'm about a 3 handicap golfer in this area of my game) but a mediocre driver (long but inconsistent) and have an average short-game and putting so it all adds up to 8-10.

I mentioned it a few times in my reviews: the Caley 01CB irons are very forgiving, at least for players' irons! They are consistently long and misshits do not feel especially bad. I honestly think that Caley succeeded in packaging the punch and stability of players' distance irons in a cavity back head. The sole is fairly wide for cavity backs, especially as irons get shorter, and the relatively thick topline inspire some confidence at address.

Make sure to let us know how your own testing goes and what are your impressions of these clubs!

Edited November 13, 2023 by Shlax
EDIT

[Shrek74]

15 hours ago, Shlax said:

Of course, handicap index alone doesn't tell the whole story. For example, I'm between an 8 and a 10 handicap golfer so typical "handicap charts" wouldn't explicitly recommend players' irons or cavity backs for a golfer of my caliber. However, I enjoy the looks and feel of this type of clubs and I don't feel like I would greatly benefit from more forgiveness. The 8-10 handicap index can be explained by the fact that I am a good ball striker (per Shot Scope, I'm about a 3 handicap golfer in this area of my game) but a mediocre driver (long but inconsistent) and have an average short-game and putting so it all adds up to 8-10.

I think you hit on a very important point here that everyone needs to understand. Might even be a really good article topic for MGS, @GolfSpy_APH ;-).

Handicap index is NOT the end-all indicator of what clubs you should consider. It's a matter of how well you do or don't strike the club (irons, driver, FW, hybrid, wedge, putter) that should be the ultimate factor in what you consider. I'm a poor iron striker (I'm working on fixing that flip issue), but I can beat the hell out of my FW's and hybrids. So I would consider a more player's style FW/Hybrid but need to be more mindful about sticking with GI or GI/PD irons for the added forgiveness and length.

I'd love to have a sexy Wilson CB or Mizuno 223 in the bag, but I'd suffer on the scorecard far too much to make it worth it just to say I play a certain type of iron.

[russtopherb]

54 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

I think you hit on a very important point here that everyone needs to understand. Might even be a really good article topic for MGS, @GolfSpy_APH ;-).

Handicap index is NOT the end-all indicator of what clubs you should consider. It's a matter of how well you do or don't strike the club (irons, driver, FW, hybrid, wedge, putter) that should be the ultimate factor in what you consider. I'm a poor iron striker (I'm working on fixing that flip issue), but I can beat the hell out of my FW's and hybrids. So I would consider a more player's style FW/Hybrid but need to be more mindful about sticking with GI or GI/PD irons for the added forgiveness and length.

I'd love to have a sexy Wilson CB or Mizuno 223 in the bag, but I'd suffer on the scorecard far too much to make it worth it just to say I play a certain type of iron.

I've been playing long enough to know which style/type head works best for me. I can deal with something less forgiving nowadays but turf interaction like I noted above is far more important to me. I've learned that the easier a clubhead gets through the turf, the better my iron striking is. I've gone with more players-type irons in the past (I tested the W/S C300s here and I got along with them OK but moved on when I realized they didn't 100% work for me and the turf issue was a big reason) and reading @Shlax's comments here on his experiences (and some other 'net research) lets me know I should get along with these just fine. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Want to welcome @unccross who we have selected to re-test the Caley 01 set of irons! 

They should be arriving with him shortly and the testing can begin again!

Very much looking forward to your review and thank you for taking this re-testing opportunity on.

[Josh Parker]

Look forward to seeing your results and thoughts on the Caley 01's @unccross

[unccross]

18 hours ago, Josh Parker said:

Look forward to seeing your results and thoughts on the Caley 01's @unccross

Thank you! I am really excited about the oportunity!

[unccross]

21 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Want to welcome @unccross who we have selected to re-test the Caley 01 set of irons! 

They should be arriving with him shortly and the testing can begin again!

Very much looking forward to your review and thank you for taking this re-testing opportunity on.

Thank you so much!  I really appreciate the opportunity!  Gives me more reasons to get out on the course and practice facilities during this time of year.  I can't wait to test them.  Hopefully the reviews are graded on a curve for the first timers!

[unccross]

- Introduction: 

First, I want to send out a huge thank you to MGS Forum staff and @Caley for giving me the opportunity to test out and review this set of irons. I never thought I would get to be a part of these reviews, so when the staff reached out, there was no way that I could turn them down. I am very excited about the opportunity to try out the Caley 01 irons, I not sure without this opportunity, I’d ever get a chance to test out one of these direct to consumer golf sets. Not sure I could pull the trigger on a set of clubs that I can’t at least hit in a bay before deciding to purchase. 

- Who am I? 

Hello spies, my name is Jeff Ross. I live in Radford, VA along with my beautiful wife Jill and my 7-year-old son Liam. I am a bingo supply salesman in Virginia and West Virginia. I enjoy spending time traveling with my family, fishing, golf, working out and the outdoors. I'm a die hard UNC Tarheels fan, this where my screenname uncross derives from. I’ve lived in a golf course community for the last 3 years but unfortunately, I have never played the course, but plan on playing it soon, its a beautiful course.

Pete Dye River Course -

 

 

I started playing golf when I was in college in the late 90’s. Although I played a lot, I never really improved very much. I just enjoyed playing with my buddies and never took the game too seriously. I gave up about a dozen years or so after getting married and moving back to Southwest Virginia. I started fishing more and more, and really got into bass fishing tournaments for several years. 

- My current game. 

A few months ago, I decided to take my son on a round of golf with my dad for some quality grandpa time! Liam only made about 7 holes, but in those 7 holes I found the passion for the sport that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I decided to give golf another try. It is also awesome playing with my dad and spending so much more time with him that I probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to without being together on the course. 

I'm joining the golf course in my hometown and planning on playing a lot of golf in 2024.

Blue Ridge Country Club-

My game is definitely a work in progress! I have around a 20 handicap, but don’t think I’ve played a round yet since starting back without at least a few mulligans. Driver is my biggest struggle on the course. My only confident club is my 56-degree wedge.  My struggles with my irons are a push fade to the right or topping the ball

 

 

- Testing Plans 

I hope to get a chance to test these irons out as much as possible. I plan on renting a trackman bay a couple times to get as much data as I can with it being winter and the holidays. I hope to get out on the course a couple times or more during this testing process. I will be focused mainly on seeing how they compare to my 20-year-old TaylorMade RAC OS irons. 

1) Consistency- especially on distance for each club.  Making sure that the ball goes relatively the same distance on every shot  and not once in a while there is a ball that goes 15-20 yards farther than the previous 10 shots or so with the same club.

2) Ball Flight- I really like a high ball flight with my irons. 

3) Feel and Sound 

4) Forgiveness – How bad are my mishits.  

- What will it take to earn a spot in my bag 

If the Caley 01 are more consistent and forgiving than my current TaylorMade irons, they will definitely get a shot at staying in my bag. The biggest factors will be how forgiving they are on mishits and how many more greens I can hit. The bottom line is that if they help me lower my scores, they will be in my bag. I also have a set of Ping G430’s on the way for Christmas, so I will get to do all this testing again after the Holidays! 

[russtopherb]

My Caley 01CBs finally arrived from Club Champion CA after winning them in their contest, and I have to agree on all the comments about how sharp they look. They are CLEAN!

Like a lot of the others experienced with delivery, packing was minimal at best. Some of the iron heads are wrapped, some are not. The 7i back is already showing some dings as a result, which you can see in the first pic. Here's everything that came with the packing.

Not well protected at all, but thankfully everything's OK.

The one major downside to these: stiff shafts. And stiff shafts that I've tried before and know for a fact I won't get along with. Major bummer. However, these may be perfect for my 18 yo who's in R flex now and feels like he has to hold back in order to hit the ball straight. Looks like the weather may potentially be in the 50's Sunday so we'll see if he can give them a shot. If they work for him, he just got himself some absolutely gorgeous clubs for Christmas!

[russtopherb]

On 12/15/2023 at 8:22 AM, russtopherb said:

My Caley 01CBs finally arrived from Club Champion CA after winning them in their contest, and I have to agree on all the comments about how sharp they look. They are CLEAN!

Like a lot of the others experienced with delivery, packing was minimal at best. Some of the iron heads are wrapped, some are not. The 7i back is already showing some dings as a result, which you can see in the first pic. Here's everything that came with the packing.

Not well protected at all, but thankfully everything's OK.

The one major downside to these: stiff shafts. And stiff shafts that I've tried before and know for a fact I won't get along with. Major bummer. However, these may be perfect for my 18 yo who's in R flex now and feels like he has to hold back in order to hit the ball straight. Looks like the weather may potentially be in the 50's Sunday so we'll see if he can give them a shot. If they work for him, he just got himself some absolutely gorgeous clubs for Christmas!

Yep these are 100% going in my son’s bag. He hit the 7i 175 with a push draw. They’re perfect for him. He did struggle a bit with the 4i and 5i but everything else he just mashed. An early Christmas present in his bag!

[unccross]

Unboxing:

I've been waiting like a kid at Christmas for the Caley 01's to arrive!  Unfortunately the day I arrived I was swamped with youth sports and licensing forms for an upcoming merger.  So the unboxing had to wait until the following day.

 

When finally getting a chance to tear into the box, I was stunned at the aesthetics of these irons.  They are stunning! I love the minimalist design and appearance.  I was truly impressed with how these looked out of the box.

Even thought these irons had been previously test, and I didn't get pull all the plastic wrappings off of them, I felt like Christmas had come early!  

These irons truly look stunning in hand, at address, and in the bag!

Edited December 19, 2023 by unccross

[Josh Parker]

Great into and looking forward to following along to see how they perform for you.

[unccross]

First Testing:

I had a business meeting in Baltimore area, so I took my clubs and the Caley 01's to Golf Galaxy in Columbia MD, to get some swings in and do my first comparison.  It had been close to 2 months since I had swung a golf club due to undergoing a surgery and going through a merger at work.  As bad as my swing felt, and WAS, I started thinking about what kind of results I was actually getting.  I hit a ton of balls starting with the PW and up to the 6 iron with each set.  I was pretty worn out by the time I finished up with the 6 iron and was almost out of time and wanted to get a few swings in with my new driver before I had to go.  I noticed the distances were a little less indoor off the mat than what I am use to with my old TaylorMade Rac Os irons.  Not sure if it was my swing that night or what? 

I was very impressed with the Caley irons, most of the irons I hit more consistent that the Rac's.  A few I seem to have hit the rac's better, but as inconsistent as my swing is, I'm sure its tough to get a bunch of good swings with each club.

Distance -  I expect the Caley irons to add a little more distance than the rac's but didn't see much of that.

Feel-  The Caley 01's feel great.  The KBS shafts are light, with a nice smooth feel.  On contact the irons feel soft, and have a low "click" sound

Forgiveness - I leaked almost everything right with both sets of clubs, but my dispersions seemed tighter with the Caley irons.

Trajectory - I was pleased with the trajectory, there seemed to be little difference between shot height of the 2 sets of clubs.

Spin - Spin numbers were a little lower with the Caley irons than the Racs.

I was kind of upset when I got the email with the link to the shot data, the salesman at the store showed me videos of each swing and said I should get them when the info is sent to me but only the shot data came over and not the videos.  

Caley 01 dispersion

RAC OS dispersion Chart

6 Iron Comparison:

 

7 Iron Comparison

8 Iron Comparison - 

The dispersion grouping with the Caley 8 iron was the best of all the clubs!

9 Iron Comparison

PW Comparison

 

I was really impressed with my fist few swings with the Caley irons.  Hopefully I get to get out on the course tomorrow and get a real test in off the grass.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by unccross

[GolfSpy_APH]

3 hours ago, unccross said:

First Testing:

I had a business meeting in Baltimore area, so I took my clubs and the Caley 01's to Golf Galaxy in Columbia MD, to get some swings in and do my first comparison.  It had been close to 2 months since I had swung a golf club due to undergoing a surgery and going through a merger at work.  As bad as my swing felt, and WAS, I started thinking about what kind of results I was actually getting.  I hit a ton of balls starting with the PW and up to the 6 iron with each set.  I was pretty worn out by the time I finished up with the 6 iron and was almost out of time and wanted to get a few swings in with my new driver before I had to go.  I noticed the distances were a little less indoor off the mat than what I am use to with my old TaylorMade Rac Os irons.  Not sure if it was my swing that night or what? 

I was very impressed with the Caley irons, most of the irons I hit more consistent that the Rac's.  A few I seem to have hit the rac's better, but as inconsistent as my swing is, I'm sure its tough to get a bunch of good swings with each club.

Distance -  I expect the Caley irons to add a little more distance than the rac's but didn't see much of that.

Feel-  The Caley 01's feel great.  The KBS shafts are light, with a nice smooth feel.  On contact the irons feel soft, and have a low "click" sound

Forgiveness - I leaked almost everything right with both sets of clubs, but my dispersions seemed tighter with the Caley irons.

Trajectory - I was pleased with the trajectory, there seemed to be little difference between shot height of the 2 sets of clubs.

Spin - Spin numbers were a little lower with the Caley irons than the Racs.

I was kind of upset when I got the email with the link to the shot data, the salesman at the store showed me videos of each swing and said I should get them when the info is sent to me but only the shot data came over and not the videos.  

Caley 01 dispersion

RAC OS dispersion Chart

6 Iron Comparison:

 

7 Iron Comparison

8 Iron Comparison - 

The dispersion grouping with the Caley 8 iron was the best of all the clubs!

9 Iron Comparison

PW Comparison

 

I was really impressed with my fist few swings with the Caley irons.  Hopefully I get to get out on the course tomorrow and get a real test in off the grass.

 

This is fantastic!

[Josh Parker]

7 hours ago, unccross said:

First Testing:

I had a business meeting in Baltimore area, so I took my clubs and the Caley 01's to Golf Galaxy in Columbia MD, to get some swings in and do my first comparison.  It had been close to 2 months since I had swung a golf club due to undergoing a surgery and going through a merger at work.  As bad as my swing felt, and WAS, I started thinking about what kind of results I was actually getting.  I hit a ton of balls starting with the PW and up to the 6 iron with each set.  I was pretty worn out by the time I finished up with the 6 iron and was almost out of time and wanted to get a few swings in with my new driver before I had to go.  I noticed the distances were a little less indoor off the mat than what I am use to with my old TaylorMade Rac Os irons.  Not sure if it was my swing that night or what? 

I was very impressed with the Caley irons, most of the irons I hit more consistent that the Rac's.  A few I seem to have hit the rac's better, but as inconsistent as my swing is, I'm sure its tough to get a bunch of good swings with each club.

Distance -  I expect the Caley irons to add a little more distance than the rac's but didn't see much of that.

Feel-  The Caley 01's feel great.  The KBS shafts are light, with a nice smooth feel.  On contact the irons feel soft, and have a low "click" sound

Forgiveness - I leaked almost everything right with both sets of clubs, but my dispersions seemed tighter with the Caley irons.

Trajectory - I was pleased with the trajectory, there seemed to be little difference between shot height of the 2 sets of clubs.

Spin - Spin numbers were a little lower with the Caley irons than the Racs.

I was kind of upset when I got the email with the link to the shot data, the salesman at the store showed me videos of each swing and said I should get them when the info is sent to me but only the shot data came over and not the videos.  

Caley 01 dispersion

RAC OS dispersion Chart

6 Iron Comparison:

 

7 Iron Comparison

8 Iron Comparison - 

The dispersion grouping with the Caley 8 iron was the best of all the clubs!

9 Iron Comparison

PW Comparison

 

I was really impressed with my fist few swings with the Caley irons.  Hopefully I get to get out on the course tomorrow and get a real test in off the grass.

 

Great info!  What set of clubs did you hit first?  Sometimes that can really play a part in some of your numbers.  It's interesting to see that even though you lost a little distance, your dispersion with the Caley is much better.  I know most worry about distance, but hitting the ball closer in my opinion is much better.

It could be that the shaft in the Caley isn't quite the right fit for the ball flight you are looking for.

[unccross]

6 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

Great info!  What set of clubs did you hit first?  Sometimes that can really play a part in some of your numbers.  It's interesting to see that even though you lost a little distance, your dispersion with the Caley is much better.  I know most worry about distance, but hitting the ball closer in my opinion is much better.

It could be that the shaft in the Caley isn't quite the right fit for the ball flight you are looking for.

Thanks, I alternated between sets for example Caley pw, rac pw, rac 9,  Caley 9, on down the line. Not sure if this was the best way or not, but I didn’t want to be tired by the time I got to the other set. 
 

I agree I’d much rather have tighter dispersion, to me a 150 yard club is a 150 yard club whether it has a 7,8,or 9 on it!

[unccross]

3 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

This is fantastic!

Thanks, this was my first experience with trackman. It was really neat to have all of the information right in front of you to compare.  I’m not sure that I would have realized how much better the dispersion with the Caley irons was without the charts. 
 

 

[Josh Parker]

16 minutes ago, unccross said:

Thanks, I alternated between sets for example Caley pw, rac pw, rac 9,  Caley 9, on down the line. Not sure if this was the best way or not, but I didn’t want to be tired by the time I got to the other set. 
 

I agree I’d much rather have tighter dispersion, to me a 150 yard club is a 150 yard club whether it has a 7,8,or 9 on it!

Keep up the good work!  

[GolfSpy_KFT]

9 hours ago, unccross said:

First Testing:

I had a business meeting in Baltimore area, so I took my clubs and the Caley 01's to Golf Galaxy in Columbia MD, to get some swings in and do my first comparison.  It had been close to 2 months since I had swung a golf club due to undergoing a surgery and going through a merger at work.  As bad as my swing felt, and WAS, I started thinking about what kind of results I was actually getting.  I hit a ton of balls starting with the PW and up to the 6 iron with each set.  I was pretty worn out by the time I finished up with the 6 iron and was almost out of time and wanted to get a few swings in with my new driver before I had to go.  I noticed the distances were a little less indoor off the mat than what I am use to with my old TaylorMade Rac Os irons.  Not sure if it was my swing that night or what? 

I was very impressed with the Caley irons, most of the irons I hit more consistent that the Rac's.  A few I seem to have hit the rac's better, but as inconsistent as my swing is, I'm sure its tough to get a bunch of good swings with each club.

Distance -  I expect the Caley irons to add a little more distance than the rac's but didn't see much of that.

Feel-  The Caley 01's feel great.  The KBS shafts are light, with a nice smooth feel.  On contact the irons feel soft, and have a low "click" sound

Forgiveness - I leaked almost everything right with both sets of clubs, but my dispersions seemed tighter with the Caley irons.

Trajectory - I was pleased with the trajectory, there seemed to be little difference between shot height of the 2 sets of clubs.

Spin - Spin numbers were a little lower with the Caley irons than the Racs.

I was kind of upset when I got the email with the link to the shot data, the salesman at the store showed me videos of each swing and said I should get them when the info is sent to me but only the shot data came over and not the videos.  

Caley 01 dispersion

RAC OS dispersion Chart

6 Iron Comparison:

 

7 Iron Comparison

8 Iron Comparison - 

The dispersion grouping with the Caley 8 iron was the best of all the clubs!

9 Iron Comparison

PW Comparison

 

I was really impressed with my fist few swings with the Caley irons.  Hopefully I get to get out on the course tomorrow and get a real test in off the grass.

 

Great info @unccross! I gamed a set of the rac os when I first got into golf. Solid irons, but the Caleys should be a definite upgrade!

[unccross]

42 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Great info @unccross! I gamed a set of the rac os when I first got into golf. Solid irons, but the Caleys should be a definite upgrade!

Yea I had them for probably close to 20 years. Only other set I ever had was some Tommy armour 845 silvers. 

[Shrek74]

9 hours ago, unccross said:

First Testing:

I had a business meeting in Baltimore area, so I took my clubs and the Caley 01's to Golf Galaxy in Columbia MD, to get some swings in and do my first comparison.  It had been close to 2 months since I had swung a golf club due to undergoing a surgery and going through a merger at work.  As bad as my swing felt, and WAS, I started thinking about what kind of results I was actually getting.  I hit a ton of balls starting with the PW and up to the 6 iron with each set.  I was pretty worn out by the time I finished up with the 6 iron and was almost out of time and wanted to get a few swings in with my new driver before I had to go.  I noticed the distances were a little less indoor off the mat than what I am use to with my old TaylorMade Rac Os irons.  Not sure if it was my swing that night or what? 

I was very impressed with the Caley irons, most of the irons I hit more consistent that the Rac's.  A few I seem to have hit the rac's better, but as inconsistent as my swing is, I'm sure its tough to get a bunch of good swings with each club.

Distance -  I expect the Caley irons to add a little more distance than the rac's but didn't see much of that.

Feel-  The Caley 01's feel great.  The KBS shafts are light, with a nice smooth feel.  On contact the irons feel soft, and have a low "click" sound

Forgiveness - I leaked almost everything right with both sets of clubs, but my dispersions seemed tighter with the Caley irons.

Trajectory - I was pleased with the trajectory, there seemed to be little difference between shot height of the 2 sets of clubs.

Spin - Spin numbers were a little lower with the Caley irons than the Racs.

I was kind of upset when I got the email with the link to the shot data, the salesman at the store showed me videos of each swing and said I should get them when the info is sent to me but only the shot data came over and not the videos.  

Caley 01 dispersion

RAC OS dispersion Chart

6 Iron Comparison:

 

7 Iron Comparison

8 Iron Comparison - 

The dispersion grouping with the Caley 8 iron was the best of all the clubs!

9 Iron Comparison

PW Comparison

 

I was really impressed with my fist few swings with the Caley irons.  Hopefully I get to get out on the course tomorrow and get a real test in off the grass.

 

Nice work so far. Great info.

That 8 iron dispersion was great. I'd take that 9 iron dispersion every day of the week, especially with the front to back distances.

[unccross]

27 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

Nice work so far. Great info.

That 8 iron dispersion was great. I'd take that 9 iron dispersion every day of the week, especially with the front to back distances.

Thank you, I’ve been really impressed so far. Getting ready to take them out on the course today. Hopefully they hit as well or even better off the grass. 

[unccross]

Got out Friday afternoon to play 9 holes with my dad.  We don’t get a lot of sunny days in the 50’s in late December so we took advantage of the first amount of free time I’ve had in weeks, and with all the stress I’ve been under at work with an upcoming merger, this round couldn’t have come at a better time!

Finally got a chance to take the Caley 01 irons out on the course.  With it only being my second time hitting the irons, I don’t think there’s any way I could have hit them much better than I did yesterday. 
 

 

Hole 1: Popped up my drive, hit a fairway wood just short of the green.  Didn’t get a chance to hit the irons. 
 

Hole 2: Sky’d another drive I was left around 196 out. Hit 2 balls with each 6 iron. My score ball with Caley wasn’t struck well and ended up 15-20 yards short of the green. Topped my second ball. Both shots with the TaylorMade were short and way right. 

Hole 3 : Hit my drive in the trees right. Hit out and had around 144 to the hole Hit 2 approach shots with each 9 iron. Score ball with Caley landed center of the green. 2nd end up on fringe. With the TaylorMade both shots missed right of the green.

Hole 4 : 153 yard par 3.  Fist shot with Caley landed center of green 15-20 feet from the hole but 3 putt bogey. Second shot landed on fringe short and right. With TaylorMade 1 shot was topped second was way right

Hole 5 : Approach Shots from 135. With Caley 01’s, I missed 10 yards right and one over the green. TaylorMade I shanked one dead right and put up the Rac’s for the rest of the round.

Hole 6: I get a great drive on a short par 4 was only 30 yards out.  I did hit a practice 4 iron off the tee that went dead right.

Hole 7 : 205 yard par 3 downhill,Caley 01 6 iron.  First shot went right in the trees and bounced out  2nd shot was pin high on right fringe .

Hole 8:  130 yard approach shot: 2 shots with the Caley 01 PW  1st shot was 15-20 yards right of the green, Second was landed on the right fringe .

Hole 9:  Best drive of the day left me 142 out  Hit a 9 iron 4 foot on the green and it spun back off the green. I don’t think I’ve ever spun one back like that before. 
 

This picture shows my dad fixing may ball mark and how far off the green it ended up. The pin was about 4 feet past where my ball landed.

 

I thought my dad was videoing a bunch of my shots for the review, but it appears I didn’t do a very good job of showing him how to use my phone. I have a bunch of 3 second videos of me setting up to the ball.  I did get one usable video of the approach shot on 9. I’m struggling to get it loaded and n my phone, I’ll try to edit on my computer later.

 

The Caley irons were very impressive. Ended up with 7 bogeys, a triple and a par with 3 3 putts.

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by unccross

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 hour ago, unccross said:

Got out Friday afternoon to play 9 holes with my dad.  We don’t get a lot of sunny days in the 50’s in late December so we took advantage of the first amount of free time I’ve had in weeks, and with all the stress I’ve been under at work with an upcoming merger, this round couldn’t have come at a better time!

Finally got a chance to take the Caley 01 irons out on the course.  With it only being my second time hitting the irons, I don’t think there’s any way I could have hit them much better than I did yesterday. 
 

 

Hole 1: Popped up my drive, hit a fairway wood just short of the green.  Didn’t get a chance to hit the irons. 
 

Hole 2: Sky’d another drive I was left around 196 out. Hit 2 balls with each 6 iron. My score ball with Caley wasn’t struck well and ended up 15-20 yards short of the green. Topped my second ball. Both shots with the TaylorMade were short and way right. 

Hole 3 : Hit my drive in the trees right. Hit out and had around 144 to the hole Hit 2 approach shots with each 9 iron. Score ball with Caley landed center of the green. 2nd end up on fringe. With the TaylorMade both shots missed right of the green.

Hole 4 : 153 yard par 3.  Fist shot with Caley landed center of green 15-20 feet from the hole but 3 putt bogey. Second shot landed on fringe short and right. With TaylorMade 1 shot was topped second was way right

Hole 5 : Approach Shots from 135. With Caley 01’s, I missed 10 yards right and one over the green. TaylorMade I shanked one dead right and put up the Rac’s for the rest of the round.

Hole 6: I get a great drive on a short par 4 was only 30 yards out.  I did hit a practice 4 iron off the tee that went dead right.

Hole 7 : 205 yard par 3 downhill,Caley 01 6 iron.  First shot went right in the trees and bounced out  2nd shot was pin high on right fringe .

Hole 8:  130 yard approach shot: 2 shots with the Caley 01 PW  1st shot was 15-20 yards right of the green, Second was landed on the right fringe .

Hole 9:  Best drive of the day left me 142 out  Hit a 9 iron 4 foot on the green and it spun back off the green. I don’t think I’ve ever spun one back like that before. 
 

This picture shows my dad fixing may ball mark and how far off the green it ended up. The pin was about 4 feet past where my ball landed.

 

I thought my dad was videoing a bunch of my shots for the review, but it appears I didn’t do a very good job of showing him how to use my phone. I have a bunch of 3 second videos of me setting up to the ball.  I did get one usable video of the approach shot on 9. I’m struggling to get it loaded and n my phone, I’ll try to edit on my computer later.

 

The Caley irons were very impressive. Ended up with 7 bogeys, a triple and a par with 3 3putts.

 

 

Thanks for sharing! 

Where do you find these irons excelling compared to your old ones and is there anything about your old irons you wish the Caley had or were able to do better?

[unccross]

12 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Thanks for sharing! 

Where do you find these irons excelling compared to your old ones and is there anything about your old irons you wish the Caley had or were able to do better?

Right now through an hour session on trackman and 9 holes, I feel that the Caley 01’s are excelling in forgiveness and consistency.  With my swing right now I am really hitting most shots right.  With the Caley’s so far minus one approach shot I can think of the misses have been marginal. Say anywhere from fringe to 10-15 off the the green. Recently with the Rac’s, my good strikes are similar to the Caley’s , but miss hits are much farther off. 
 

I’m not sure what happened Friday with the TaylorMade irons, I didn’t have any good shots and the bad ones were really bad. I got frustrated with them and put them up. I don’t know if where the ground is hard from the cold and the clubs have 20 year old grips on them, the club was turning in my hands. I felt that way and noticed I had a death grip on them after several shots. 
 

So far I haven’t hit the Caley 5 and 6 iron very well, or at least not as well as I a use to hitting my Rac 5 and 6 iron.  Also I still feel like the ball flight is higher with the TaylorMade irons. 
 

I’m not a good enough golfer to really have an exact plan on my approach shots.  Basically with my ideal irons, I could aim center of the green, and that’s where my good shots would land, and miss hits ending up somewhere on the green or relatively close to the green, not 50 yards right or OB.  Right now the Caley 01 irons are much closer to that scenario.  

[Josh Parker]

7 hours ago, unccross said:

Right now through an hour session on trackman and 9 holes, I feel that the Caley 01’s are excelling in forgiveness and consistency.  With my swing right now I am really hitting most shots right.  With the Caley’s so far minus one approach shot I can think of the misses have been marginal. Say anywhere from fringe to 10-15 off the the green. Recently with the Rac’s, my good strikes are similar to the Caley’s , but miss hits are much farther off. 
 

I’m not sure what happened Friday with the TaylorMade irons, I didn’t have any good shots and the bad ones were really bad. I got frustrated with them and put them up. I don’t know if where the ground is hard from the cold and the clubs have 20 year old grips on them, the club was turning in my hands. I felt that way and noticed I had a death grip on them after several shots. 
 

So far I haven’t hit the Caley 5 and 6 iron very well, or at least not as well as I a use to hitting my Rac 5 and 6 iron.  Also I still feel like the ball flight is higher with the TaylorMade irons. 
 

I’m not a good enough golfer to really have an exact plan on my approach shots.  Basically with my ideal irons, I could aim center of the green, and that’s where my good shots would land, and miss hits ending up somewhere on the green or relatively close to the green, not 50 yards right or OB.  Right now the Caley 01 irons are much closer to that scenario.  

On your 5 & 6 Iron, what is your miss?  Are you hitting it fat?  

[unccross]

3 hours ago, Josh Parker said:

On your 5 & 6 Iron, what is your miss?  Are you hitting it fat?  

Fat chunks or way right .

[Josh Parker]

38 minutes ago, unccross said:

Fat chunks or way right .

Possibly a slightly different offset and need to make an adjustment on ball position.