Better-player distance irons – Syndication Server

Ping i530 irons

Ping i530 irons are better-player distance clubs made to enhanced distance and forgiveness.

Gear: Ping i530 irons
Price: $205 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 steel shafts and Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet grips. $220 each with Ping Alta CB Black graphite shafts
Specs: Forged C300 maraging steel face with 17-4 stainless steel chassis

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Who It’s For: Golfers who want the look of a better-player’s iron combined with the distance of a game-improvement club.

The Skinny: These hollow-bodied, better-player distance irons look like blades but were made to generate more ball speed and distance while also offering enhanced forgiveness and feel.

The Deep Dive: Ping recently released the Blueprint T and Blueprint S, the new irons that comprise the “precision” offerings in Ping’s stable designed for pros and accomplished players. With its machined back and classic looks, the just-released i530 appears like it fits into that category too. However, several hidden design features and technologies set it apart and position it as a better-player’s distance iron.

The i530 replaces the i525 iron that was released in 2022, and it has a hollow-body design that is similar to the design of Ping’s metalwoods. The thin, forged C300 maraging steel face is welded to the 17-7 stainless steel body, which creates a hollow chamber inside the head. This hollow-body design allows the hitting area to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact, so golfers can generate more ball speed and distance.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping i530 irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/Or0vWZ”]

To improve the sound and feel of impact, engineers added a polymer to the back of the face. It soaks up excessive vibrations without restricting the bending of the hitting area at impact, so it does not reduce ball speed.

When golfers see the back of the i530, they might think the milled area is there for show, but each machined line represents an area where steel was removed from a high location in the head. Machining the back and making it thinner created discretionary weight that designers were able to reposition in the form of an internal mass pad that is 10 grams heavier than the pad found in the i525. Consequently, the i530 has a lower the center of gravity (CG) location, which should help golfers create a higher launch angle and more stopping power on the greens. A bonus of positioning extra mass low in the head is it puts more steel directly behind the area where golfers tend to hit the ball, which results in extra ball speed.

To make the i530 more forgiving without making the clubs larger, Ping designed each head to house a high-density toe weight that compliments a weight added to the hosel area. The added mass increases the perimeter weighting of the heads, making them more stable on off-center hits.

In addition to a Hydropearl 2.0 finish that improves performance in wet conditions, Ping gave the i530 MicroMax grooves. Introduced on the i59 and the i230 irons, MicroMax grooves are packed more tightly together in the hitting area to enhance performance in all types of moisture conditions and reduce the effect of flier lies.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Ping i530 irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/Or0vWZ”]

Below are several close-up images of the i530 irons.

PXG 0317 T: Everything you need to know about PXG’s newest better-player distance irons

PXG 0317 T irons deliver better feel, more control and improved forgiveness.

Gear: PXG 0317 T irons
Price: $169.99 each
Specs: Hollow-bodied construction with forged, 8620 carbon steel body and HT1770 stainless steel face, internal tungsten weight and vibration-absorbing polymer. Available in Chrome and Xtreme Dark finish.

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Who It’s For: Accomplished players who love the look and feel of muscleback blades but now want more forgiveness.

The Skinny: This is the first hollow-body PXG iron designed for elite ball strikers, with an internal polymer that helps to improve the spin consistency.

The Deep Dive: PXG has used United States Marine Corp Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) numbers to name its clubs in the past, and that tradition continues with its newest offering for high-level ball strikers, the 0317 T. That number, 0317, designates scout snipers, which should tell you precisely what PXG is trying to do with this iron.

The 0317 T irons are triple forged using 8620 carbon steel, for a softer feel at impact, but after the forging process is complete, the hitting area of each head is then milled to ensure it is perfectly flat before the grooves are milled into the face. The back of each head is also milled, leaving behind a series of small, thin lines created as the high-speed, computer-controlled bit passes back and forth and shaves off tiny pieces of metal until the desired shape is achieved.

PXG 0317 T irons — The PXG 0317 T has a thin topline, minimal offset and a thin sole. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The 0317 T has a thin topline, narrow sole and only a touch of offset, like the previously-released 0317 ST blades and the 0317 CB irons. However, the 0317 T irons are different from those solid-metal clubs because the 0317 T is hollow.

Historically, PXG has designed its game-improvement and max game-improvement 0311 irons with hollow heads filled with a vibration-dampening polymer supporting an extremely thin face. In the most recent offering, the 0311 GEN6 irons, the X COR polymer also helps to protect ball speed on mishits and expand the sweet spot. The 0317 T irons are filled with a different material, S COR, a polymer that is less elastic, so not as fast as X COR, but helps produce a lower launch angle and higher spin rates, which should give accomplished golfers more control and enhanced shot-making abilities.

In many better-player irons, the ideal hitting area is slightly to the toe-side of the middle of the face, so to pull the sweet spot into the center and offset the weight of the hosel, PXG designers added an internal 15-gram tungsten weight in the toe area.

PXG designers also gave the 0317 T a large back weight in the center of the head that can be swapped during the fitting process so players and fitters can quickly test different swing weights while golfers are testing clubs.

The PXG 0317 T irons are fairly traditional lofts, with the 5 iron at 25 degrees, 9 iron at 41 degrees and pitching wedge at 46 degrees, but they are being touted as PXG’s most-forgiving, better-player irons. The company claims they have a moment of inertia (MOI) that is 14 percent higher than the 0317 ST and 11 percent higher than the 0317 CB. They also have a slightly longer blade length and thicker topline, but the offset is about the same. However, these clubs are noticeably slimmer than 0311 P GEN6 irons, which had been PXG’s previous better-player’s distance iron.

Below are several close-up looks at the new PXG 0317 T irons:

Learn everything you need to know about the Titleist T150 irons

Titleist T150 irons are for accomplished golfers who want extra distance.

Gear: Titleist T150 irons
Price: $200 per club with True Temper AMT Tour White steel shafts and Titleist Universal 360 grips; $216 per club with Mitsubishi Tensei White AM2 graphite shafts
Specs: Dual-cavity design with SUP-10 stainless steel body, 17-4 stainless steel cradle and internal tungsten weights.
Available: August 28

Who They’re For: Low-handicap golfers seeking more distance, but who still want the look and feel of a compact iron.

The Skinny: Designed like the T100 irons, the T150 delivers extra distance thanks to a polymer-filled muscle channel bar and lofts that are 2 degrees stronger than on the T100, but Titleist focused on making them sound and feel better than the T100•S irons they replace.

The Deep Dive: For a decade, before Titleist developed the T Series irons, many golfers enjoyed playing the brand’s AP irons, especially the AP2, which was the iron of choice for Jordan Spieth. Many of those golfers have transitioned into the compact T100 irons, and some found they liked the T100•S, a stronger-lofted version of the T100. But for AP2 loyalists, the company’s T200 was simply too big.

With the release of the new T150 irons, which replaces the T100•S, Titleist has tried to thread the needle and develop a club that fits between the T100 and the T200, offering accomplished golfers the feel, control and looks that they love, but with some distance-enhancing help.

The T150 and the T100 are built in the same way, but the T150 has a blade length that is a few millimeters longer and a topline that is a few millimeters thicker. You need to hold the clubs side-by-side and study them carefully to see the difference.

Both clubs utilize a forged SUP-10 stainless steel face and body with a 17-4 stainless steel capsule on the back. Inside the capsule, Titelist has added a pair of tungsten weights, one in the heel and the other in the toe, to increase stability and help the T150 resist twisting on off-center hits.

While the T150 line has lofts that are 2 degrees stronger through the set than the T100, the biggest difference between the two irons is the addition of a muscle channel in the T150 that is in a bar connecting the toe to the heel. It is filled with a silicone-like polymer that absorbs some of the vibrations created at impact and encourages a slightly higher launch. It also helps the hitting area flex more effectively. The last version of T100•S had this feature too, but in the T150 irons it has been pushed slightly closer to the hitting area, which lets it work more effectively.

At the same time, Titleist made the lower portion of the face slightly thicker. Brands often tout thin faces to help golfers generate more ball speed on mis-hits, but thicker faces can create more-pleasing sounds and sensations at impact. It’s a paradox that designers have to deal with in every club. In this case, Titleist wanted to change the vibrations and the frequencies created at impact, and thickening the lower part of the hitting area does that.

The combination of the polymer bar being moved forward and the lower part of the hitting area being made thicker, Titleist said, allows the T150 to have the sound and feel of the T100, which Titleist knew golfers wanted, while maintaining the ball speed of the T100•S.

Finally, Titleist designed the T150 with a curved trailing edge that bends upward more than the back edge of the T100•S. This should help the clubs get in and out of the turf more efficiently, so golfers can maintain speed through the strike.

The price of the T150 and the T100 are the same, $200 per club with steel shafts, and they look similar. Titleist made them that way so players can work with a custom fitter and easily create blended sets.

Below are several close-up photos of the new Titleist T150 irons.

Callaway Apex Pro irons (2023)

The updated Callaway Apex Pro offers more consistency, better feel and controlable spin.

Gear: Callaway Apex Pro Irons (2023)
Price: $215 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts and Golf Pride Z grips.
Specs: Hollow-body construction with a forged 1025 carbon steel body, forged 455 cup face (3-5) and internal urethane microspheres. Available in 3-iron (19 degrees) through attack wedge (50 degrees)
Available: August 18 (pre-sale) / Sept. 8 (in stores)

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Who They’re For: Low and mid-handicap golfers who want a better-player’s distance iron that also delivers shot-shaping and forgiveness.

The Skinny: Using a softer metal and urethane microspheres enhances the feel of this iron, while the hollow-body construction helps increase ball speed. The updated sole improves turf interaction.

The Deep Dive: Callaway purchased the Ben Hogan brand in 2003 and sold the company in 2012, but it retained the right to use several iconic Hogan names, with Apex the most coveted. The first Callaway Apex irons arrived in 2014 along with a version for better players called the Apex Pro. At that time, before the better-player’s distance category took off, “pro” versions of irons were often simply smaller versions of the standard clubs with less offset, thinner toplines and narrower soles.

But with each passing generation, the Apex Pro has evolved more and more into its own club. With the release of the 2023 Apex Pro, Callaway is now positioning this better-player’s distance club alongside other designs for accomplished players.

Cosmetically, the new Apex Pro resembles the Apex TCB used by Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele, but this club has a slightly longer blade and more game-improving features designed into it.

The Apex Pro long irons (3-5) have a hollow-body design and a thin 455 stainless steel cup face designed to flex more efficiently at impact to enhance ball speed. This is the same material and construction found in Callaway’s game-improving Paradym irons but in a more compact package. The 6-iron through attack wedge have faces made from forged 1025 carbon steel, the same soft material used in the Apex Pro irons’ chassis. Opting for 1025 carbon steel in mid- and short irons should soften the impact feel and enhance spin and distance consistency on approach shots.

Inside the hollow chamber of each head, Callaway added urethane microspheres, a material the brand has used for several years to reduce excessive vibrations while improving sound and feel. The key trait of the material, however, is that it does not inhibit the face from flexing, so golfers get those benefits without sacrificing speed or distance.

Callaway designed the Apex Pro irons to have a progressive center of gravity. The CG is lower in the 3-5 irons to encourage a higher ball flight, then transitions upward slightly in the mid-irons (6-8) and then even higher in the short irons (9-AW) to help golfers flight approach shots down for better distance control.

The screwed-in plate on the back of each head is adjustable for fitters and allows them to change the swing weight of the clubs based on their length and a player’s preference. To help golfers maintain speed through the turf and hitting area, Callaway designed the soles of the new Apex Pro to be slightly wider, more curved and to have a pre-worn leading edge. The trailing edge also has been rounded slightly. The sole is still narrower than the bottom of Callaway’s game-improvement irons such as the Paradym, Rogue ST or Big Bertha.

The Apex Pro will be available from 3-iron through attack wedge, and they have some technologies and look similar to Callaway’s updated Apex CB, Apex MB and Apex UT, so golfers can easily create combo sets. Callaway plans to offer pre-created combo sets such as The Player (Apex Pro 3-7, CB 8-AW) and Triple Play (Apex Pro 3-6, CB 7-9, MB PW-AW).