Haywood CB/MB Irons - 2024 Forum Review

[GolfSpy_APH]

About Haywood Golf

Founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2018, Haywood Golf is a relatively new addition to the DTC (Direct-to-consumer) market. However, Haywood has made a concerted effort to differentiate itself by offering multiple fitting locations worldwide. They also build all their clubs in Canada. 

With a move to a new and bigger location in the Vancouver area, Haywood looks to expand on its existing lineup, which already includes a multi-material designed driver and fairway wood, along with a newly released hybrid. Haywood then boasts four different iron models, a driving iron, wedges, and two different putter models (one mallet and one blade). Impressively, all their golf clubs are also available in right and left-handed options. Very Canadian!

With so many DTC brands available to consumers, Haywood separates itself by offering more fitting location options and special runs of copper and black nitride finish clubs, along with extremely competitive prices and a ton of options to fit your game.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@Nunfa0

@CB Lobo 4 Life 

@frazzman80

@ArizonaLogan

[Nunfa0]

Haywood CB/MB Irons – Official MGS Forum Review by John Hampton (Nunfa0)

 

Greetings fellow spies, my name is John Hampton, and I am a Golf addict. 

I have had the pleasure of playing our glorious game for the past 42 years (I'm 52) at the Templeton Golf Course in Christchurch, New Zealand. I started there with my father and now my oldest brother and nephew tread the hallowed ground with me. 
I have played competitively in the past and got down to a 6 handicap but now I play more for the fun of it with a handicap of 10. Like most average golfers I have my good days and my bad, recently I shot 78 on a par 72 course and the next round was 87.  I try to get to the course as much as I can, but work does get in the way. 

Enough about me, let's get down to why you are all here. Haywood Golf have decided to join the MyGolfSpy family and have put their CB/MB Combo set up for testing. I am one of the lucky four that get to do the arduous job for the forum.

 

To be honest I had never heard of Haywood Golf before seeing this test pop up but after doing some research it was a chance I couldn’t miss. I really like the idea of small companies fighting against the big OEMs, producing top quality goods at reasonable prices. The idea of forged irons with CNC milling to refine them appeals to the golf club junky in me and I just had to try them.

Now because I am in New Zealand, there was no way of doing a fitting so Joshua, the owner of Haywood Golf, sent a specific set of questions to answer. I sent my answers back and Joshua sent his recommendations. The final set up for me is…

Left Hand
4-7CB / 8-PW MB
Standard Lie
Standard length
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 Stiff
Grip: Haywood 360's

with all of the clubs strengthened by two degrees to match the lofts of my current gamers.

This means I can run my test as a straight head-to-head with my Titleist T100S irons. I will be doing a lot of on course testing with some driving range visits slipped in too. I will try to get some launch monitor data as well.

I am not expecting a massive jump in performance from these clubs, but I am expecting a jump in feel and playability. That is what I am most excited about, the feel of a forged iron, the playability of the scoring clubs, but it does scare me a little too (think butter knives….). I wanted to try these clubs to test myself, see if I can keep my swing in control and get the best I can out of them.

These Irons will have a lot to prove to find a permanent place in my bag. Their best chance is to perform just as well as the Titleist's but with a butter soft feel. 

Ok, that will do for now, I look forward to sharing the unboxing with you all.

Unboxing:

I have added my unboxing below. It's a bit shorter than the others because you've all seen them before and I'm very keen to hit some shots!!

 

First Impressions (18 out of 20)

This is where I would usually talk about the ball speed claims, the incredible off-centre strike gains and out of this world spin numbers that the new clubs will bring me but that isn't what Haywood are about. The only claims they have made are...

"When approaching design for our newest lines, the Haywood CB’s and the Haywood MBs, we wanted sets that were combinable to allow our customers to experience increased forgiveness in the lower irons and more workable clubs in the scoring irons."

So far that is what I am seeing. There definitely is forgiveness at the top end of the bag, not game improvement levels, more players cavities.

 

When it comes to the 8 to PW, they are pure blades, just with a little extra meat behind the sweet spot, designed for shot shaping and scoring.

As you can see, these clubs are of a clean, uncluttered design. There are no speed slots, hollow heads or jacked lofts to be seen. In fact, they hark back to a time when golf clubs were beaten out of hot steel by master craftsmen.  Yet there is tech in them. Photos don't do the milling justice and the design, while simple, still has the little touches that make life easier for us mere mortals.

The first shots with these have been interesting. They are pure when you strike them well and they sure let you know when you catch one thin!! But the downside to these is a noticeable loss in distance. I am half a club to a full club shorter even with a really good strike. Now that is partially down to the adjustment period and the fact that the clubs I am comparing them to are full of tech. An example of this is my 110 yard club is normally my 48* T100S. With the Haywood's I am hitting the PW, which is lofted at 44*. Now, none of this was unexpected but I am dropping two points because of it. Apart from that I am happy with them so far and can't wait to really get them going.

Aesthetics:

These clubs truly are pleasing to the eye. To me they have "shelf appeal", if you saw them in a store, they would grab your eye and you would pick them up. Every angle shows the thought and ideas of the designer...

 

 

 

Toe view of the CBs

Toe view of the MBs

 

The colour is nicely muted, no chance of being blinded by reflections from these!! The milling on the back stands out and is a great touch.

I am also a fan of the way they have applied the name and numbering. The white looks very nice against the matte grey and if you really don't like it, a quick paint with the colour of your choice would be easy enough to do.

Now when I compare the Haywood's to my Titleist T100S irons, things get interesting. The Haywood irons are quite a bit longer in the blade and have a thicker top line (it's quite square and slightly distracting to me). They are also more rounded in the toe.

 

 

 

But it's a different story when it comes to the T200 4 iron...

 

These photos really show the muted colour well.

 

As you can see the Haywood 4 iron is slimmer and close in length to the T200. 

All of this leads me to believe that these irons are designed to be a bit more forgiving that your usual forged CB/MB combos. This makes them appear a little more "friendly" and easier to hit, the longer faces should appeal to higher handicap golfers who would love to game a player's style iron.

Sound wise they have a nice, solid crack, a little high pitched but pleasing none the less. Even the mishits are not too bad, no horrible clanks so far . The feel to me is exactly what you would expect from forged irons, solid and soft out of the middle, a little harsher as you get a groove or two lower or higher and worse at the toe or hosel ends. So far though, there is not a huge drop off in feel with the mishits. You know you've done it but it's not horrendous.

So over all I have given 18 out of 20 for my first impressions, the deductions were for the loss of distance and the thicker top line. Picky I know but everything else was great.

Now we get down to the hard work and gather some numbers to report back. Stay tuned for more...

Edited April 17 by Nunfa0

[CB Lobo 4 Life]

Introduction (Personal) 3/10/24

To begin, I must thank MyGolfSpy and Joshua Haywood at Haywood Golf for the incredible opportunity it is to be able to review this iron set. Make no mistake though, these irons will be put through their paces and examined in every possible way. I will describe my objectives in further detail later on in my introduction with a fully detailed plan. For now, Let me describe a little more about myself, and how my golf game has changed over the time I have been on this form, and then I shall divulge my design in reviewing these irons.

So who am I? Well, on the forum, I'm known as CB Lobo 4 Life, and without getting too personal (this is still the internet after all), “CB” stands for my initials. and “Lobo 4 Life” happens to correlate with the High School mascot here in Snowflake, AZ. I am a deep lover of many passions. Golf is second to my first passion which is being a husband and a father to six beautiful kiddos. I spend a great deal of time with these loves in my life. Outside of the time I spend with family or golfing, I find myself listening to A LOT of music at work (mostly either Heavy Metal or 80’s synth-wave), reading & writing (mostly horror or fantasy), and the occasional hour or two on Elden Ring (arguably the best RPG video game I have ever played).

My Golf Game:

I have played golf for as long as I can remember. Where I truly got into golf though was when I became a freshman in High School and after football season I decided I really wanted to get into practicing and did so. After that, I was hooked! I played all four years of high school and won state 3 out of 4 times as a team and since then I have been practicing and playing as much as possible. Especially over this last year as I have seen at least 3 swing changes and multiple adjustments. I cannot help searching for the most consistent swing I can create. All the time and efforts have paid off to some degree as I have been able to achieve a 5 handicap in the last 6 months. I am so looking forward to this opportunity because it is associated with what I would claim as my greatest ability in the game of golf; Iron play.

When it comes to strengths versus weaknesses with my game many will be shocked (if you are on the Weekly Tourney that is) to hear that my off-the-tee shots are my greatest weakness. Yes, I can hit the long ball, in some cases some extremely massive long balls. However, those are more rare than common. More often than not I mishit my driver/woods all the time. It is a point of frustration I am currently working on with some success thankfully. My greatest strength in my golf game I would argue comes by way of my approach/iron shots. I feel that when I play that is the part of my game I get most excited about. To me, there is just something about that crisp incredible strike with an iron. This is why I could not help but throw my hat in the ring when this test came up. As I already play a combo set (see images below), I am intrigued to see how a DTC brand like Haywood will be able to compete. 

Plan & Expectations:

Here is where I get to elaborate a little more on my plan for you all to follow. The following are some of the particular items I would especially like to focus on. 

• Feel - I am a huge feel player. Having been playing forged irons for a very long time I love nothing more than hitting irons that are soft, responsive, and workable. My Srixons currently do that so I will be mentioning a lot about how these irons feel throughout the review.
• Sound - In conjunction with feel is the way the irons will sound. As both feel and sound are pretty subjective these can be tossed by general consumers but for me, these two items are vital. 
• Distance - When I get the irons and in the first impression section of my review I will include all the details about both what I fit into and the specifics Josh and I went over. Needless to say, though distance is always a factor and this will be one that will still be of importance for me. 
• Spin - If I were to specify one thing that I wish my current iron set could have a little bit more of that would be spin on approach shots. Even with a pretty spinny tour ball, I do find my irons being a little less than preferred. 

When it comes to testing new golf gear I always like to get a first impression by hitting it off a mat in a controlled environment just to get a good sense of the feel and sound. The total plan will be to follow the below outline: 

This plan has been supremely successful in many instances with other golf gear items I have tested (i.e. Maxfli Tour X, Spider Tour Putter, Vokey SM9 Wedges, etc.). My particular expectation is for them to compete with my Srixon irons. I am extremely curious as to the performance of the Haywood irons in comparison. I appreciate being able to be one to test against my current combo set as I love it more than any other irons I have ever played. Now, I will say this, if these Haywood irons can keep up with my Srixon’s with the potential of increased spin & control then you all may see an update to the WITB for me!

Again, I am supremely grateful to MyGolfSpy and Josh for this opportunity to test these irons and I will be making sure to take both good care of them and making sure that I include as much detail as possible. I purchased 3 extra notebooks for all the handwritten notes I will inevitably make!

Wednesday 3/13 can not come soon enough!

First Impressions P.1 - “Beauty in Simplicity

Aesthetics:

In the world we live in the first impression means everything. When it comes to the world of golf that is even more accurate. We are vain creatures naturally, but golfers are even more so. We always gawk and ogle at the next beautiful thing that comes to market. Let's be honest with ourselves, we like what looks good, and if it does not look good we won’t even attempt to take it for a spin. When it comes to the Haywood irons, their beauty truly lies in their simplicity.

The irons are nothing short of classy and sophisticated. Putting the middle finger if you will to the accentuated and overused lines and graphics of today's market irons. The CB and MB combo from Haywood embraces the look of yesteryear in a clean, sophisticated, and modern way. Everything about these irons screams sleek. An impressive part about these irons to me is just how much inspiration they stir within me to want to hit them well. They exude a sort of greatness just by looking at them. As cliche as they may sound it is true. Their elegance creates a greater desire to want to play them well!

What Haywood has done incredibly well with this iron set is to create a complete package that in all honesty not only looks like it fits in today's new market of combo set irons, but thrives in it. Personally, these irons look like you could slap any other company's brand and it would fit! Mizuno, Taylormade, Callaway, you name it that log could go there. That is a true compliment to Haywood and their design process with these irons. Now, This does not mean all things are perfect with these irons. Let me break some thoughts down into the individual pieces of this set, the CB vs MB. 

MB’s:

• Honesty I have a very difficult time saying anything wrong about the looks of the MB’s. They look like the perfect blad in my opinion. 
• The sleek edging and milling on the bottom half of the head make it look just that much better.
• If I were to give a small negative it would be the almost bulbous-looking toe of the head. For a blade, it does not quite have that FULL blade look from above as the toe looks a little too rounded for most people's taste in blades. Most when purchasing blades want to see that almost knife-like appearance. Whereas these blades look almost too “soft.”

CB’s: 

• These irons embrace forgiveness in that forged way and it is done beautifully. 
• The long irons (4, 5, & 6) for me gave me so much confidence over the ball it was striking. I was not expecting to feel so inspired by the CBs this much. Any par 5 now is going to shake when I go for it in two. 
• Like the MB’s, not everything is perfect. For me, the CBs, though wonderful in many ways just do not seem to “fit” the set. What I mean by that is with their almost chunky look they just don’t seem to blend well from the MB’s. The extended edge/lip to them looks almost out of place for such a sleek set. If I were to give any recommendation it would be to work on blending the clubs a little more seamlessly. 

In all these clubs are gorgeous, all my negatives withstanding they are incredible and without a doubt one of the best Combo set irons I have seen. I look forward to Part 2 of this First Impressions review to go over in more detail my fitting, feel & sound, and compare to my Srixons. I look forward to doing that here soon and I will be creating a video that will allow me to show that off even more!

Edited April 8 by CB Lobo 4 Life
First Impressions

[frazzman80]

Haywood CB/MB combo irons – Official MGS Forum Review by frazzman80 (March 2024) - Thank you MGS and Haywood for this amazing opportunity!

For those who don't know, this is my first official MGS test (after lurking/reading these forums since 2019). I promise to give you my all!!!

Who is frazzman80?

My swing has been homemade from day 1, well, really since buying my first set of clubs (legit persimmon woods and blade irons likely from the 70s in a golf bag that was literally coming to pieces at a garage sale at age 11, literally thrilled to pay $5 for something I had only seen on TV). I did manage to get it decent enough to break 100 by the time I went to high school and asked the AD if we had a golf team and if so, how could I try out. His response: “If you can find 4 other guys who can play golf, I’ll figure out where the district tournament is and I’ll drive you there.” We came in dead last, but my high school had a golf team every year after that and I made regionals my senior year.

I tried to play in college, but was never good enough to make the team at D-III Texas Lutheran (though I did make 4th alternate my junior year and got a ton of free golf out of it). My college roommate won D-III nationals our senior year and is a PGA teaching professional now…but that’s as close as I ever got to professional golf.

I’ve continued to play as much as possible for the last 20 years post-college and love what golf has given me. My wife plays and golf was the impetus for our first date. I’ve made countless friends on course, some for a day and some for a lifetime. My kiddos are 10 and 8 and have had clubs in their hands since they were in diapers (although my 8-year-old is more about eating all the snacks than actually teeing off when we play).

    

frazzman80s game and my expectations for this test

As for my game, I broke down this year and finally paid actual money for a real handicap (currently 6.7). Living in Texas, I play year-round at the public courses in and around San Antonio (wherever I can get a good deal). I live on 35 acres so I have my own personal driving range (so long as the cows do their job and keep the grass short enough). I have a Rapsodo MLM2 Pro and a Haack Pro net so I can give you all sorts of data from those during this test. It’ll be these versus the Callaway Apex ‘19s I’ve been gaming for the past 4.5 years (KBS $ Taper Lite shafts 2 degrees upright). I have Arccos and will use that for all on-course data.

I love the idea of providing personal perspective on these Haywood irons. I’m very excited to work with a “mom and pop” DTC company as I have a passion for those kinds of businesses and go out of my way to support “the little guy”. I have high hopes and expectations. I also am a bit worried.

I know my Apex ‘19s are more players distance and the lofts are strong, much stronger than the Haywoods. I worry about gapping from my 4-hybrid to existing 49-degree Edison wedge. I also worry about hitting muscle-backs…SG approach is already my weakest stat per Arccos. Will they be as forgiving as my gamers (which I already mishit at times)? To replace my Apex ‘19s, these will have to decrease dispersion while keeping the distance/gapping that I already I have (Arccos stats below).

    

At the end of the day, if this review helps someone, then I have actually done something special. That would mean the world to me.

I'm going to try to keep this post clean with my deep/in-depth posts later in the thread. I'll label these by topic and link directly to each as the test goes along so everyone can read as things happen.

• Remote fitting breakdown link (this includes my gamer loft/lie specs and Haywoods)
• Testing plan breakdown link (new as of 3/26/24)
• Unboxing video (3/30/24)
• Rapsodo Data post - Callaway - baseline data
• Link to shot-by-shot recap of 1st practice round
• Link to recap of 2nd practice round
• Link to recap of 3rd round (non-practice real round)
• Link to recap of 4th round (non-practice real round #2)
• Link to shot-by-shot of 3rd practice round (round 5 overall)
• Gapping session on Trackman (thanks On Par Golf)
• "Field" session (shot shaping test)
• Arccos data for first 5 rounds with Haywood irons
• Link to shot-by-shot of 4th practice round (round 6 overall)
• Link to shot-by-shot of 5th practice round (round 7 overall)

 

First Impressions – 19.5 out of 20 (reasons for deductions noted in bold below in review)

Due to the one-day delay in shipping (totally UPS, not Haywood’s fault), my irons were slated to arrive on Good Friday, which meant that there was a distinct possibility that I would be in church when they came in and with a “signature required” order, that troubled me just a bit. So I wrote a love note to the UPS person basically begging them to accept my signature on paper as signature on their delivery machine if I were in church. Sure enough, I returned home from church to find the paper gone and this box beckoning me to bring it inside at my door! (Thanks UPS person, bringer of joy).

The outside of the box was in pretty good shape given the multination 1,000+ mile trek. I’ve had many golf-related items shipped to me over the years and aside from the one time I was fully wowed by Club Champion’s box (full color graphics on premium slick cardboard that was very reinforced) most companies have your basic box with their logo on it. This one being white stood out, but I wasn’t expecting the personalized name of the outside. I think it is a awesome personal touch and made me feel as if Haywood definitely backs up their claim of “hand-touching” every order.

If you want to see every single detail of the unboxing, please check out the video below, but I’m going to sum up and let me speak to the details there.

I like the printed letter inside the box and certainly appreciate that I got a full custom letter that lists my specs, mentions the test and has Joshua Haywood’s name on the bottom (would have felt more special to have at least a digital signature on it). Plus, the towel, tees, hat and thank you note were a very nice bonus surprise! Kudos for that little extra there.

When I got to the actual clubs, they were well protected in the box. The heads were bubble wrapped and secured very well - encased in foam blocks with iron slots. They were not going to move in that box. One of the grips was missed by the rubber band and this could have allowed this individual iron to rattle in the box whereas all others were fully banded together. I’m not sure this could/would cause any damage to that individual iron.

Once out of the foam and bubble wrap, as noted in the video, the 7-iron didn’t come in plastic, and this confused me once I saw that each other iron in the set was in plastic. It made me question if there was something different or wrong about it (like was it not new, or did someone put a voodoo hex on it before boxing?). There were also hand-written numbers on the plastic and I wasn’t sure what these meant (as it didn’t seem to be loft or lie, but were like 263.5 and 249.5 and randomly went up/down for each iron). I’m taking half a point deduction here, because it just made me wonder. It was different and not in a good way.

My first impressions of the clubs themselves though are just wow. The milling on the backs of these irons is truly a signature element, and the lines on each is definitely unmistakable. It’s bold, iconic and definitely the first thing you notice on the clubs. The finish on each is matted and almost a light gray, which I appreciated immediately because shiny clubs equal sun-reflective clubs and that isn’t my preference. If these perform, then I will be darned proud to bag them and show them off as showcase irons. I’m also pleasantly surprised about the size of these, especially the MBs, as I was worried I was getting tiny thin razors and these are larger blade length and top line than I expected (and comparable to my Callaway Apex ‘19s) so my confidence in being able to strike them increased tenfold just upon getting them out of the box!

All of the grips are properly aligned "Haywood" up (as I had requested, this was a fitting option to have the logo up, down or off and I decided on up). Behind the ball these are confidence inspiring (yes, even the MBs). The first thing I noticed is that they sit aligned to the target without requiring any manipulation (my Callaways move closed if you ever let go of the grip) and I expect this will help me to keep the club aligned better in my pre-shot routine. Looking down at the club, the face and top line blend well and I love the finish being the same color across the face. 

Making use of the included towel.

The muscle backs are so sexy they make me feel sexier just being around them.

The cavity backs are equally stunning from up close and far away.

Photo to show faces and backs blended together.

Close up the 4 iron with the 9 in the background for comparison.

That milling on the 9 iron...drool...

Up close of the milling on the cavity back 7 iron...also drool.

The back side of the cavity backs are so refined, they remind me of the curves on a sportscar.

The grooved face finish on each of the irons matches the color of the non-grooved areas, so no worries about shiny reflections or different colors when you have the club at address.

Different perspective of the muscleback PW. 

Close up on the milling of the MB PW.

Back side featuring the milling on the CB 6 iron.

Close up of the milling on the back of CB 6 iron.

Probably the sexiest my bag has ever looked on the course.

The iron closest to the ball in my Callaway Apex '19 5I and the iron furthest from the ball is the Haywood CB 4I.

Grip perspective. The iron closest to the ball in my Callaway Apex '19 5I and the iron furthest from the ball is the Haywood CB 4I.

    

Thumbnails to show the milling, face and back of the MB 9 iron.

Aesthetics - (10 out of 10 points)

I’m going to start by saying these irons are truly beautiful. I really hope I can hit them well and the performance numbers work for me, because I want them to stay in the bag based on looks alone. The backs of the irons showcase Haywood's milling process and it’s stunning to see them in the bag. They make my Callaway Apex ‘19s look like a toy, especially with the ugly plastic on the back of the cavity. While doing my first test round, I let a couple of other golfers play through and each stopped to ask about the clubs, with one coming over and asking to pick them up and swing them, noting “I’ve never seen these before. They look really nice.” At my Trackman session yesterday, the same thing happened. “Never heard of the company, but they look sweet.” Can’t say I’ve ever had anyone mention anything about the looks of my irons like that before.

As I noted in my unboxing, the length of the blades is confidence inspiring, even on the MBs. I’m not a perfect ball striker, but the shape of the clubs behind the ball, the not super thin/thick top line and the face having a single color (grooved section not being different than the heel/toe) means I’m not distracted by anything at address. I feel like it’s aim and go, and the white painted grooves make me feel like I’m properly aligned to the ball/target (I never realized how my unpainted Callaway grooves don’t do this). With my Callaways, especially on the 5 and 6 iron, I can see a part of the sole behind the club at address and it always makes me wonder if I’m aligned correctly. Zero issue with this on the Haywoods due to the slimmer sole. Also, the blade length of my Callaways is actually smaller than these and I’m hoping that means my toe miss won’t be as bad.

  

  

Sole width differences between Callaway Apex '19s (left) and Haywood CB 6I and MB PW (right)

  

  

Blade length differences between Callaway Apex '19s (left) and Haywood CB 6I and MB PW (right)

The sound of the Haywoods is pleasing, and less harsh than the Callaways. If the Callaways are clicky (especially with a Titleist Left Dash), I’d say the Haywoods are “clecky” (in my mind “clacky” is louder than clicky if that makes any sense…and “clucky” didn’t sound like a golf word). On course, they are definitely quieter/more muted and I could actually hear grass interaction on strikes, especially out of the rough. The turn intnoeraction of the soles is also notably nice, with softer/easier interaction as opposed to "bounciness" of my Callaways. 

The Haywoods do let you know when you miss (and I'm not a perfect ball striker), audibly with a different tone on off-center strikes, but especially with feel on the face, but in a good feedback sort of way. This is equally true for both the CBs and MBs. This is NOT the case with my Callaways, who really only give me feel-based feedback on very low strikes or extreme toe strikes. Instantaneously upon hitting, regardless of the club, I can feel exactly what groove I’ve hit, exactly where I’ve struck L/R in relation to center and feel what my shot is going to do (short, fade, draw, etc.). Thin is the harshest feel, but it's not overly bone rattling. As “sting-y” as it feels (I’ve said “OH NO” out loud on my worst mishits), the outcomes have not been as bad as I thought it felt if that makes sense. The worst strike on course so far was a thin/toe shot with the MB PW and I still got 105 yards with only about a 15-yard slice (though it didn’t get more than 10 feet off the ground).

When you hit middle/middle…the clouds part, the sunshine gets brighter, the birds sing and the club twirl is automatic. OMG are these pure when you pure them. The sound is angelic. The ball doesn’t impart any resistance and just rockets skyward. I’m no poet, but it’s poetry.

In all honestly, every time I hit these pure, I literally cannot help but smile. I can’t not smile. It makes me want to be a better ball striker so I can experience it again and again. When practicing so far, I keep telling myself “One more” after I hit it pure, and if I don’t, I immediately go “One more” until I hit it pure again…and then the cycle repeats.

Edited yesterday at 03:36 AM by frazzman80

[ArizonaLogan]

Haywood CB/MB Combo (4-7 CB/8-PW MB) – Official MGS Forum Review by ArizonaLogan

• 4-7CB / 8-PW MB
• Length: +0.25”
• Lie: 1º Up
• Dynamic Gold 105 – STIFF Shaft
• Haywood 360 Grip – Standard (1x extra wrap bottom hand)

Hello Golf Spies, My name is Logan G, I am a 19 year old who mainly practices and plays golf for tournaments.

(Above) "Portrait Photo (Me, age 17)" Photo by Hector Acuna, Background photo by ArizonaLogan.

I live and mainly play in Southern Arizona, and I’ve gone by the username “ArizonaLogan” on all of my online accounts that don't require my legal name.

High school golf was when I started playing, and I finished the 4th year with about a 20 handicap (exactly one year ago). Since then, I’ve played whatever local tournaments I could find. I’ve dropped about 16 strokes in 1 year and 3 months, so “IMPROVING” would be my one word to describe my golf game and objective.(Above) "9th of 40, back tees." Photo by ArizonaLogan

Here are a few important non-golf details: I’m working part-time at a golf course, so I get to practice and play free, and I’m in college for the Business/Transactional Law field. Video production is my longest standing hobby (over 10 years). Other than those things, there is nothing too crazy about me, as I enjoy things most others do (gaming, hunting, cars, fill in the blank).

Now, onto the pre-test statements…

One thing that I noticed about the Haywood Irons after visiting their website in mid-2023 is that they are priced a bit higher than some DTC competitors. I’m not saying that Haywood’s clubs are overpriced, just that they are priced higher than some DTC competitors. Higher pricing may not be a barrier for some, but it can be for me if I know that there are or will be other deals (like Wilson Staff CBs for $799 at PGA SS at the time of this writing). Other than price and above-average aesthetics, nothing about the company or their irons stands out to me.

Regarding the test, I am interested to see how the Haywood's compare to my current Maltby TS4s (a DTC competitor), as well as to a set of Wilson staff CBs that I bought 48 hours before being selected for the test (not a big deal since they were $600 brand new from MHG). My launch monitor numbers will need to be taken with a grain of salt, as they will mainly be collected with a Garmin R10 using range balls. I will try to play 2-3 9-hole rounds (no-tee shots except on par 3s) with each iron set.

As of now, I believe I’m receiving the 4-7 irons as Cavity Backs and the 8-PW as Muscle Backs. So, I expect them to be a good compromise between my other iron sets mentioned (Maltby and Wilson). But if the Haywood’s can outperform the WS CBs in the long end (4-7) as well as the TS4s in the short end (8-PW), they will go straight in the bag. The Haywood irons will be fitted to me, so they should have an advantage. I describe “performance” as control, feel, forgiveness (4i-7i), durability, and looks.

Unboxing Video:

First Impressions: 60-75 Shots (17 out of 20)

The first good thing I noticed was the packaging during unboxing. The clubs were sealed in a plastic wrap, underneath a bubble wrap pocket, and nestled in slots in a foam block. I had 100% confidence that nothing happened to the clubs during transit.

This leads me to the first 1-point reduction for a few details that are likely avoidable (I've never seen them on other iron sets).

• The 8 and 4 irons had some kind of oil on the head under the plastic wrap.
• There was a sticky residue around the butt of the grips (it likely came from gripping).
• Most irons had some sort of “stretch marks” on the hosel. I suspect these came from bending the irons 1 degree upright.

To conclude with the unboxing, I liked the extra items that were included (Haywood hat, Haywood tees, Haywood towel). I originally suspected that the items were “special treatment” for the MGS testers, but a fellow Golf Spy confirmed that they were included with the irons that he bought.

“Looks”/Aesthetics (9 out of 10)

Studies suggest that around 70%-85% of information is gathered with our eyes, so what I noticed about “looks” is what I’ll be starting with.

The very first thing that I noticed about the irons was the CNC milling on the backs of both the MBs and the CBs (I think a few others did as well). For me, the milling is the most eye-catching feature of the irons.

(Above) "MB semi-up-close." Photo by ArizonaLogan

Both iron models have very straight and simplistic lines, as well as minimalist branding which I really like. I think both of the iron models could be made to have a thinner topline, but it is already thinner than most irons, so I won’t deduct a point.

(Above) "Haywood CB top view." Photo by ArizonaLogan

(Above) "Maltby TS4 top view." Photo by ArizonaLogan

I love how the matte finish has a touch of shine to give the irons a nice, slightly darker “color”.

(Above) "CB semi-up-close." Photo by Arizona Logan

I am undecided about the name/number filling being white instead of black, but if I had to choose, I would probably choose white anyway. There are no point reductions in aesthetics. But I can’t give a perfect score when I prefer the look of some other iron models ( 620 MBs, Takomo 301 CBs, 659 TC).

First Shots & Feel Impressions (9 out of 10)

In the first on-course session, I went to a few different par 3s and approach positions on par 4s. From every position I hit from, I got a closer shot from my current TS4s. Note: I had 3x the attempts with the Haywoods. However, a few “rounds” were close, and the Haywoods had a more consistent distance dispersion.

These irons feel as good as almost every other forged iron I’ve hit. But the irons somehow sound like some non-forged irons (TE C722). Even the sound of a pure strike has a slight metallic “snap”, like you would hear when cutting a large wire or padlock. I think It’s one of the only irons I've tried where the sound doesn’t match the feel.

One thing to note is that the durability seems to be about average for the softer 1020 carbon steel (Maltby TS4s are 1025). I already see some “bag chatter” and a few major nicks after only one week.(Above) "Dent in 4 iron." Photo by Arizona Logan

(Above) "7 iron bag chatter." Photo by Arizona Logan

But overall, my first impressions are a little bit better than I expected, especially considering the price of these irons. Besides the minor details I noticed during unboxing, no other negatives stood out to me in the 60-75 shots after.

(Above) "How it feels after saving $700 on irons." Photo by Arizona Logan (Most of the money is fake.)

 

 

Edited April 12 by ArizonaLogan
Edits

[Splatt]

Great job guys. Looking forward to this one!!

These clubs look stunning!

[Josh Ross]

Congrats, guys! Have fun!

[sirchunksalot]

Congratulations everyone! It's nice to see Haywood getting on board with member testing and this should be a good one. 

[LeakyValve]

Have fun spies. Excited to see the results!!

[Josh Parker]

Congrats!  These clubs look amazing.  Can't wait to see what everyone thinks about these and how they perform for you.

[Wheelieb]

Congrats testers. Have a ball testing

[ejgaudette]

Congrats all! Hit them well!

[Bad Golfer]

Congratulations Testers! Hopefully the irons will perform as good as they look for you! 

[Rob Person]

Congratulations everyone!!!  Really looking forward to these reviews!!!

[Willie T]

3 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

About Haywood Golf

Founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2018, Haywood Golf is a relatively new addition to the DTC (Direct-to-consumer) market. However, Haywood has made a concerted effort to differentiate itself by offering multiple fitting locations worldwide. They also build all their clubs in Canada. 

With a move to a new and bigger location in the Vancouver area, Haywood looks to expand on its existing lineup, which already includes a multi-material designed driver and fairway wood, along with a newly released hybrid. Haywood then boasts four different iron models, a driving iron, wedges, and two different putter models (one mallet and one blade). Impressively, all their golf clubs are also available in right and left-handed options. Very Canadian!

With so many DTC brands available to consumers, Haywood separates itself by offering more fitting location options and special runs of copper and black nitride finish clubs, along with extremely competitive prices and a ton of options to fit your game.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@Nunfa0

@CB Lobo 4 Life 

@Lefty11 

@ArizonaLogan

Congrats guys! Looking forward to seeing and reading these reviews as this will be a truly world wide testing panel!  

[Nunfa0]

Thanks all, this is going to be an adventure

 

[ScramblinMan]

Congrats testers. I’m not to familiar with the Haywood lineup but look forward to your feedback. 

[Leonvdwesthuizen]

Agreed with @Willie T, congratulations guys, give it your best Spies!

[RohanVster]

Nice one, congratulations to the testers. Will be great to see the results of these irons, really like the look of them

[ParFore74x]

Congrats testers! Great looking clubs, have fun testing them!

[CFreddie]

Huge congrats to these testers! Can’t wait to see another D2C brand highlighted by our members - also, can’t wait to see some pictures/ videos of these beauties! 

[TJ Hall]

 Congratulations testers…enjoy the process!  Looking forward to your feedback on these.

[Englhard]

Congrats on the selection, excited to hear about the results!

[Willie T]

40 minutes ago, Nunfa0 said:

Thanks all, this is going to be an adventure

 

Its going to be interesting to hear how quick they ship to your corner of the world....How has the summer gone for you guys as its getting ready to be fall there?  

[chadmariage]

Look forward to seeing these

 

[Nunfa0]

14 minutes ago, Willie T said:

Its going to be interesting to hear how quick they ship to your corner of the world....How has the summer gone for you guys as its getting ready to be fall there?  

It's been a lovely summer but far too dry. We've had a couple of bad fires this year already but today had the feeling of autumn for sure...

[Mike10487]

Congratulations guys!!!

[rkj427]

Congrats. to this great diverse group of testers.

As good as these irons look, I hope they fulfill the needs and expectations of the testers.

Looking forward to their comments and reviews

[MattWillGolf]

Congratulations Testers. Nice to see a Haywood review on here.

[Preeway]

Congrats, testers. I’m eager to hear how these irons work for you. Everything I’ve read about Haywood indicates a great experience awaits!