Equipment

The hottest blade irons in golf right now

Published

6 years ago

Nov 21, 2017

As we’ve written before, the decision to put a new driver in the bag is usually obvious. Better numbers at testing, perceptibly longer distance, and as long as your bank account allows, you have your new gamer.

The iron switch, however, is a trickier beast. Comfort with the variety of shots one needs to hit is key. Confidence from one’s long irons through the higher lofts is critical. Thus, even the greatest enthusiasm for a new iron release isn’t always followed by a mass exodus to gaming said irons. This is doubly true at the professional level, where the tools are critical to a player’s livelihood.

That said, the combination of forum chatter, GolfWRX member enthusiasm, and what we’re spotting in our WITB photos from tour stops are a reliable indicator of the hottest irons in the game.

And judging by the response to our recent Instagram post, we’re confident that these four models are the hottest blade irons in golf right now.

Callaway Apex MB

Buzz built steadily for the Apex MB iron when we first spotted them in Tour players’ bags at the beginning of 2017. The irons are the product of direct feedback from the company’s Tour staffers, according to Luke Williams, Director of Product and Brand Management at Callaway. Forged from 1025 Carbon Steel, these irons have the shortest blade lengths, the thinnest soles and the smallest overall heads in the vast line of Callaway irons. They’re designed for maximum workability, and for tour-desired turf interaction.

Mizuno MP-18

The pioneers of Grain-Flow Forging, Mizuno went back to its roots with the MP-18 iron model. A throwback to the great muscle backs in the company’s history, Mizuno was shooting for the look of an iron that could have been forged a century ago. Shorter blade length, cambered top line, sharp, compact wedges, all combined with the most minimal badging make the MP-18 an instant classic that set the GolfWRX forums afire.

TaylorMade P730

TaylorMade’s P730, particularly in its prototype incarnations, made quite a splash on the PGA Tour. Building on the heritage of the TP-MB irons, P730 was developed in collaboration with the very best players in the world. The 1025 carbon steel irons irons feature a smaller profile and crisper lines than the MB series irons. The combination of the clean look and a deep rear groove have players drooling. Discussing working with Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose to design the P730, TM’s Senior Director of Irons, Tomo Bystedt said, “What these players need is a very low-inertia club that they can [manipulate] easily, almost like a surgeon’s scalpel.” Behold the scalpel.

Titleist 718 MB

“For the purist there is no substitute for a one-piece, muscle back iron. The 718 MB is the modern choice for those desiring a traditional forged look and feel,” says Titleist in the 718 MB marketing materials.

It’s hard to argue with that statement from the “appearance of a classic forged iron” standpoint. Purists appreciate that the 718 MB maintains Titleist’s traditional lofts (the 6-iron is 31 degrees, the pitching-wedge is 47 degrees), thin top-line, minimal offset, and limited badging. In short, if it ain’t broke…

Your Reaction?

LIKE291
LEGIT31
WOW14
LOL5
IDHT3
FLOP6
OB2
SHANK31

Related Topics:featured

Up Next

Catching up with Sunfish and taking a test drive of the new custom builder

Don't Miss

See what GolfWRX Members are saying about Mizuno’s new ST-180 driver

Ben Alberstadt

GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief

21 Comments

Johnno

Mar 3, 2019 at 6:20 am

Fujimoto MB new best irons on the market

Reply Report comment
Benny

Dec 28, 2017 at 8:30 am

KZG shows amd details their forging process. Forging is not hard fellas for these manufactures. But in every industry huge companies all sub contract. I sell plastic and resin but some of the largest manufactures outsource everything as its cheaper than bringing it all in house. Instead these manufactures are trying other ways to market a “better club”. Like any manufacturing it’s about speed, process and profits.

Reply Report comment
Crazy About Golf

Dec 14, 2017 at 11:35 pm

Used to game Titleist….Hit all four of these guys over several days and made the change to Mizuno MP18. Hands down the softest, best performing and best looking new blades currently on the market.

Reply Report comment
OB

Nov 23, 2017 at 12:03 pm

Okay, Ben, now tell us how each of the clubs were forged. Hot forged? Cold coin forged? Welded hosel?
You get the metallurgical data from the OEMs, but how about asking them about their forging method so GolfWRX denizens will know exactly what they are buying?

Reply Report comment
- Mick
  
  Nov 25, 2017 at 10:43 am
  
  If Mizuno is so good, how come no one plays them. PGA Tour, NCAA, Mizuno is the least played and NCAA guys dont get paid to use clubs. Titleist, PING, Taylormade are in most golf bags.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Brian
    
    Nov 27, 2017 at 11:50 pm
    
    There was a survey a few months back in one of the major golf publications asking tour players what iron they would play if given the choice. Mizuno was atop this list by a large margin. Mizuno also has several sets on the tour in players bags without contracts- any NCAA school with a decent golf program is under a contact with major manufactures. Example PGX supplies several schools with FREE equipment. Mizuno has never spent in this fashion and thus you do not experience the propaganda you may expect.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Mike
    
    Dec 6, 2017 at 3:26 pm
    
    Actually when Nike stopped making equipment it left a number of players without a club contract for a while. Overwhelming those players put Mizuno’s in their bags for free.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Benny
    
    Dec 28, 2017 at 8:23 am
    
    Yes but schools get their clubs, gear, and clothing from sponsured OEM’s. You think the schools pay for everything for their teams? Adidas sponsored Louisville for $180mil over 6 years to play all of their gear. Mizuno doesn’t sponsur like these other brands but certainly doesn’t mean their irons aren’t ontop right now.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Hutstar
    
    Dec 28, 2017 at 12:34 pm
    
    “Titleist, PING, Taylormade are in most golf bags.” Right. You could add Callaway. Those 4 spend the most at Pro and College level by far. I still remember seeing a really good amateur player using Taylor Made a few years back and being surprised – it just hadn’t occurred to me that someone who knows what they’re doing would use Taylor Made irons by choice (and it’s possible they were holdovers from college days or something). BTW, those companies make decent stuff, but it wouldn’t be the choice of most top players and therefore they are forced to buy their way into bags.
    
    Reply Report comment
- SteveK
  
  Nov 29, 2017 at 3:07 pm
  
  Full forged or fake forged….. that’s the issue.
  
  Reply Report comment
Anthony

Nov 22, 2017 at 8:21 pm

I’ll stick with my Z965’s. Tried them all and the Srixon’s felt the best…

Reply Report comment
Bob Jones

Nov 22, 2017 at 12:36 pm

Still doing well with my Hogan Red Lines.

Reply Report comment
The General

Nov 22, 2017 at 12:04 pm

no Cobra KING Forged MBs? They came out late last year, but still, they are some of the best feeling/best looking irons out there and they come in 2 different colors. You guys made a mistake not adding them to this list.

Reply Report comment
Paul Dooley

Nov 22, 2017 at 10:10 am

I’m playing the Apex MB’s currently, and love the feel. Granted I’m a Callaway loyalist, but getting the ball to do whatever I need it to comes really easy with these irons.

Reply Report comment
Woody

Nov 21, 2017 at 6:58 pm

It would be cool to see some other companies from time to time..

Reply Report comment
Andrew

Nov 21, 2017 at 4:57 pm

Why is Mizuno the only one that shows the public their forging process from start to finish? Because the others only cold forge? Because the others have a welded hosel? Take away the money, Mizuno is the best forged iron on the planet.

Reply Report comment
- JOEL GOODMAN
  
  Nov 22, 2017 at 7:59 pm
  
  MIZUNO FORGES THEIR OWN. MOST OF THE OTHERS ARE FORGED BY KENDO OR OTHER GENERIC FORGES
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Adam
    
    Nov 25, 2017 at 1:21 am
    
    Its called Endo, who actualyl forge their own 1 piece irons no welding of of hosel. Who are the generic forgers.
    
    Reply Report comment
- SS
  
  Nov 24, 2017 at 2:53 pm
  
  Mizuno = 100% hot forged throughout.
  Others = Cheap coin “forged” stampings = 1% surface-only forged.
  Does it matter, particularly since PING are double annealed 17-7 cast steel, to allow for lie bending?
  Perhaps that soft ‘buttery’ impact feel is only due to hosel and shaft design and the ‘feel’ attributed to the clubhead is illusory.
  
  Reply Report comment
Steve Sands

Nov 21, 2017 at 4:49 pm

The Miura’s are the best, and and the Srixons are right there too. How come we only mention the same major companies over and over again?

Reply Report comment
Michael Riechmann

Nov 21, 2017 at 4:22 pm

Srixon 965’s All Day

Reply Report comment

Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

6 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

Your Reaction?