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Review: Miura MC-501

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Pros: The most forgiving blade you’ll ever hit. Miura has made what seems like the hugest oxymoron in golf clubs that we club buyers have been dreaming of!

Cons: The Miura MC 501s are only offered to right-handed golfers. My lefty friends again are going to have to wait and hope that Miura will bring this superior work of golf art to life.

Bottom Line: The Miura MC-501, the newest weapon from Miura golf in their blade line, is the newest weapon for more than just the better golfer. If you’ve been loving the look of Miura blades and have felt that you just weren’t good enough to play them, this might be the model you’ve been waiting to try. All the superior looks Miura has been famous for, the butter-soft feel and a touch of forgiveness in an amazing package!

Overview

Miura has famously made some of the most gorgeous irons ever produced in the world. Their muscle back blades have garnered cult status and many of the better players have always gravitated towards their designs. They have made cavity back irons but the models that have drawn the most attention from all skill levels are the muscle backs. Unfortunately those muscle backs weren’t for everyone but the very low handicaps.

The MC-501 is the muscle back model that was made to change that. It is the longest heel to toe blade model they’ve ever made. Through engineering they’ve repositioned 20 grams of weight to the sole, which not only made the sole wider but moved the center of gravity to allow ease in getting a higher trajectory. The MC-501 also incorporates Yoshitaka Miura’s iconic Y-grind sole that blunts and softens the club head’s leading edge and improves turf interaction.

Precision forged from S25C carbon steel in Miura’s factory in Himeji, these clubs were developed under the most stringent and fastidious craftsmen that you could only wish were making your set.

The MC-501 is are available from authorized Miura dealers/fitters worldwide. They carry a suggested retail price of $260 a club, though the prices may vary with different shaft options.

Clubs tested

  • Miura MC-501 iron set
  • 4-iron through pitching wedge
  • KBS CT95 shafts/Japan Exclusive Model, Black Finish
  • Elite Y360SV grips from Japan

Entire set custom fit and built at Miura Authorized Fitting Center, Aloha Golf Center Las Vegas.

Performance

My initial test with the MC-501s put an immediate smile on my face. My favorite muscle back and club line from Miura has always been the MB-001. There were a few shortcomings in the MB-001, but the looks and feel always made me forget them. The MC-501 seemed to address the shortcomings of the MB-001 perfectly — particularly in the missed shots. Users whose misses tend to be thin will find the movement of weight toward the sole generously allows them a bit of forgiveness and help in trajectory usually lost than other traditionally shaped muscle backs.

Users who want to work the ball will also find the MC-501s play similarly to the MB-001s despite that added forgiveness. I had to work them a little harder but I was able to move the ball either left or right with no issues. They were a little more similar in playability to the CB-57 line than the MB-001.

The Yoshitaka Miura Y Grind sole allows the usual clean strike at impact and great interaction with the turf. There is no digging and it gives a very positive thump sound to your shots. This sole grind also helps to thin the look of the wider sole. Probably the widest sole offered on any Miura muscle back. Although wide, the MC-501 never played clunky, as you might expect upon an initial look, they instead played just like all the other pure Miura blades.

The long irons were where the MC-501s particularly shined. I have never hit a Miura muscle back 4-iron with such ease. Naturally, the design of the head afforded much more forgiveness in launch, yet I was still able to knock down shots when I needed to. The MC-501, being longer heel-to-toe than any other Miura muscle back, also assist it in having much greater forgiveness in the long irons.

The short irons were definitely precision tools. From PW to 7-iron, the distance with them were consistent and playability perfect. There were no hot spots on the face and Miura’s pure forging made solid shots particularly delightful. I marveled at how accurately these clubs hit their distances once you dialed them in. This is a feature I have not been able to replicate in the filled hollow head irons from many other brands.

Forgiveness was much greater in the MC-501 versus other muscle backs from Miura like the Tournament Blade, MB-001 or Baby Blades. This was immediately obvious upon using them. The loss in yardage with thin shots was lessened, and the trajectory was much more consistent due to the design of the head.

Looks and Feel

The MC-501s have a look all of their own in the Miura lineup. The X-like design on the back almost makes you feel like they have superhero qualities! They will definitely take some getting used to if you’re a long-time user of Miura blades, but for those who aren’t as familiar, the look may appear as an exciting change to the standard muscle back.

The beautiful satin finish, which Miura has come to be the standard bearer of, appeals so much to my senses. Miura clubs are one of the few lines that I can sit and just stare at the head, marveling at the beauty that was once just a raw piece of steel. Miura’s ability to produce golf art is something many club companies strive to meet, but some miserably fail at.

The black Miura logo and name prominently in the main middle muscle of the head and a simple MC-501 stamped towards a toe just continues the classy look of Miura. There’s no need for screw heads, fancy colored paint fill, decals, and other fluff. This is just a pure Japanese forged golf club at its highest level.

For what Miura has touted as its most forgiving iron, the top line at address does not make you feel like you’re playing some huge cavity back. It’s as thin as you would expect a Miura muscle back to be. For blade lovers, and past Miura blade users, the top line will not disappoint you. The toe on the MC-501 appears more square than past muscle backs. I personally like a rounder toe, but the squareness does give a look of a bigger face — something that might please those who want a bit of a more forgiving look. The squared toe and shape of the head frames the ball well, and its easy to align the clubs.

The MC-501 design transitions very well through the set. When you line them up on a wall and look at the heads as they transition from the short to the long irons, the shapes blend perfectly. I think Miura is one of the finest makers when it comes to the transitioning of irons in their sets.

The MC-501 is a joyful feeling in your hands. Once you hit a pure strike with them, that clean, pure feeling of the ball striking the face will take your breath away. I don’t know what they put in the steel in Himeji, Japan, but I’ve yet to feel any other brand of club that makes me smile so much after hitting its clubs. The MC-501 in my humble opinion is one extremely fine feeling line of clubs.

The Takeaway

Katsuhiro Miura’s philosophy is one of not just making a new club to come out with something new, but to improve on what the company already offers. The MC-501 is the amalgamation of all his past irons and the top of their club evolutionary chain. With its eye-catching looks, superior feel, and added forgiveness, the MC-501 is a great gateway club for people wanting to try their first Miura club.

The MC-501 is also the club for current Miura muscle back users who would appreciate more forgiveness in their current set and are just not ready to move to full on cavity back irons. I, for one, am getting older and it has occurred to me to switch over to more forgiving shapes and jacked up lofts. The MC-501 is the club that will keep me playing a few more years in the designs I love to look at!

 

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Reid's been an avid golfer for more than 40 years. During that time, he's amassed quite a putter collection and has become one of GolfWRX's leading equipment nuts. Reid tries all the latest equipment in hopes of finding the latest and greatest of them all to add to his bag. He was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii where the courses are green and the golf is great!

62 Comments

62 Comments

  1. Bladehunter

    Nov 13, 2020 at 11:28 am

    Comments here are hilarious. Miura is a better feel than mizuno. Period. Only folks who disagree with that are the ones who haven’t owned both. Mizuno is an odd feel. Mp20 I hated. Mp68 I love. They aren’t all uniform.

    I just attracted a set of the mic-501. And I’m impressed. And I’ve owned 4 sets of miura small blades and several sets of wedges. This set is beautiful in feel and function. Has the big old school short irons you can’t buy with major oems blades anymore.

  2. MP32

    Dec 13, 2018 at 10:00 pm

    Are you saying these are more forgiving than MP-32? I doubt it. Miura has gone to shi† in the past few years. Their clubs look like Chinese knockoffs.

  3. Lefty

    Dec 12, 2018 at 7:22 am

    All good – Fujimoto MB made for us Lefties – perfect feel and performance – I love previous model Miura left blades but Fujimoto better

  4. ogo

    Dec 11, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    There is no technological advantage to these clubs over any other forged blades built in the last 10 years… they are only ‘new toys’ for the geardeads seeking a solution to their rotten game… and desire to own the latest greatest clubs on the market…

    • Rano

      Dec 12, 2018 at 5:30 am

      You have a personality disorder ogo.

      • ogo

        Dec 14, 2018 at 12:12 am

        … you call “sanity” a “personality disorder” ??!!!!

  5. rex235

    Nov 30, 2018 at 3:30 am

    Soon it will be 2019…

    “…going to have to WAIT and HOPE that Miura will bring this superior work of golf art to life.”

    “…WAIT-Wait for what?!” Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life”

    For all of their great club designs, Miura remains RH ONLY.

    Not like some left handed golfer recently won any match or anything…

    • ogo

      Dec 10, 2018 at 10:22 pm

      Left handedness is considered to be evil in Japanese society… sinistra (Latin)… and failure will befall you.

  6. ogo

    Nov 27, 2018 at 7:05 pm

    Why has Miura put a big slug of steel behind the impact zone on the front of the club? This reduces the club MOI and makes it noticeably less forgiving.
    No toe weighting compromises the deadly toe hit so common with recreational golfers with double digit handicaps and up.

    • learnsomething

      Dec 10, 2018 at 10:06 am

      So go get the MB 5005s if that’s your complaint.

      • ogo

        Dec 10, 2018 at 10:18 pm

        No complaint… just a valid question on club design. Also a valid observation on rec golfer failures. What’s bugging you?!!

        • Paul

          May 19, 2019 at 3:40 pm

          How many years have u been designing/ making clubs for ogo can I buy one of your sets as they must be incredible with all your knowledge behind them.

  7. Nihonsei

    Nov 26, 2018 at 8:11 pm

    Loved my T-Zoid Pros, 1st set I bought myself. Japanese clubs are the closest I get to having any of my grandfather’s sword collection (donated to war cause) and I would give these a go, in fact, I would Love these if it were cheaper than the 919s. I’ll just reshaft my MP 59s and see your money in the clubhouse!

  8. W

    Nov 26, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    Can you say Tzoid by Mizuno circa 1999. Not a whole lot can be done with a blade, move cg, maybe wider sole.

  9. steve

    Nov 25, 2018 at 9:33 pm

    FAKE FORGED WARNING!!!
    The Miura hosels are NOT 100% forged, they have a steel pipe welded to the forged club body.
    Mizunos are 100% grain flow forged from toe to hosel as are most other true forged clubs.

    • JP

      Nov 26, 2018 at 12:19 pm

      Thank God I don’t hit the ball off the hosel.

      • steve

        Nov 26, 2018 at 2:31 pm

        Yes… hitting the ball on the toe is the usual mis-hit mistake. The OEM solution is to place a slug of heavy tungsten into the toe area to cover up the perpetual disaster.

    • Keith

      Dec 6, 2018 at 3:31 pm

      The hosel is forged separately… watch the video

      • ogo

        Dec 14, 2018 at 12:16 am

        … and there is a disconnecting weld ring to attach the hosel tube to the forged body…. a hi-tech solution to a forged club design??!!!

        • oohmatron

          Dec 14, 2018 at 6:01 pm

          ogo your ignorance in most of your answers is pitiful. Spin welding is not the same as gas or arc welding. Better to remain silent and be considered a fool than to post on here and remove all doubt.

          • ogo

            Dec 15, 2018 at 1:52 am

            Okay, but friction spin welding alters the steel grain structure so that the clubhead forge grain is not the same as the steel pipe grain… because of the mechanical friction… sheesh…. now all the gearheads are confused even more… 😮

  10. Point misser

    Nov 25, 2018 at 9:05 pm

    Not too many folks out there who wouldn’t benefit from a more forgiving iron…maybe 20 or 30 folks in the world. It’s great that Miura continues to find a market

    • ogo

      Nov 25, 2018 at 9:24 pm

      No such thing as a “forgiving iron” if you consistently hit way out on the toe or at the heel. No way to engineer out bad mis-hits and bad face alignment. Find another sport if you are searching to be rescued by clubhead design.

      • dave

        Dec 10, 2018 at 8:40 pm

        ogo. you havent tried the wilson forged c300 then. literally toe hits stay on line and go 100 percent distance. its amazing. i formed this opinion way before reading their sales promos stating that hits toward the toe actually get the most help from design. im a believer for sure. i sold my set cause i simply hit them too far. but i love loved them.

        • ogo

          Dec 11, 2018 at 7:46 pm

          If you love your Wilson Forged clubs then hold on to them lovingly… even take them to bed with you if your love of them is so inclined to do so… cold steel is not my idea for ‘love’…

  11. ogo

    Nov 25, 2018 at 7:06 pm

    Miura clubheads are forged separately from the hosel which is just a steel pipe welded to the forged clubhead. They still stamp “Forged” on the pipe hosel which is misleading. (Mizuno forge the head and hosel together.)
    https://miuragolf.com/the-miura-way/forging-process/#forging

    • MP-4

      Nov 27, 2018 at 12:37 am

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLWo9LzkQNQ

      Less voids in the hosel steel with the spin welded hosel.

      Solid club all the way through.

      Try a Miura club, the steel quality is noticeably higher.

      • ogo

        Nov 27, 2018 at 7:01 pm

        So Miura “forged” irons have a forged clubhead with no hosel… a weld ring… a steel tube hosel….. and you don’t notice a discontinuity between the clubhead and hosel?
        A “solid club” is all-forged steel piece with no welds. How can you determine higher quality by “trying a Miura club”? Feeel is not a consistent standard.

  12. Tom Duckworth

    Nov 25, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    They are great looking irons and I bet they play great if you have the game for them. That would go for any blades. If you don’t well blame it on the clubs right?
    I wonder how many sets of any Miuras are on tour?

    • ron

      Nov 25, 2018 at 6:58 pm

      Miura has performance built into these beauty blades. Just look at the melliferous musclebacks on these clubs. Too bad they only come in right hand models.

      • ogo

        Nov 25, 2018 at 9:25 pm

        Lefties can try to hit these beauties cross-handed… if they love them so much.

    • Jerry G

      Dec 16, 2018 at 2:24 am

      MIura does not pay to play, but players have used them – KJ Choi won a few tournaments with them, including a Players. Titleist had some blades made for them in the late ’90s and supposedly Tiger played them.

  13. Nut Butter

    Nov 25, 2018 at 3:44 pm

    Over rated

  14. MP-4

    Nov 24, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    Some of the best looking clubs ever.

    • ogo

      Nov 25, 2018 at 12:38 am

      … only if you are superficial and ignorant about golf club design.

    • joey

      Nov 25, 2018 at 2:48 pm

      … and “looks” are everything when you load your WITB arsenal of flaccid weapons.. ppfffttt

    • ron

      Nov 25, 2018 at 6:52 pm

      Yes… absolutely the best looking clubs ever…

      • jimbo

        Nov 25, 2018 at 9:27 pm

        Better have a spiffy wardrobe if you want to appear in public with these beauties… no jeans and skateboard shoes.

  15. Bubbert

    Nov 24, 2018 at 6:22 pm

    Beautiful clean design … most club making companies could learn from this.

    • ogo

      Nov 25, 2018 at 12:37 am

      Nope… these are bottom and back-weighted blades most suitable for rich duffers who can’t get the ball up up up. Also the slug of metal behind the sweet spot is intended to provide a buttery impact feel.. and highlight the Miura logo for status and show. The design is a compromise by stretching them out from heel-to-toe to increase MOI.

    • joey

      Nov 25, 2018 at 2:51 pm

      That’s not a “clean design”; it’s a silly design with irrelevant grooves, lumps of metal on the back and it’s stretched out from heel to toe to make it clunky and oversized. These are not compact muscleback club designs. They are designed to attract rich duffers seeking status.

      • Piter

        Dec 4, 2018 at 1:43 pm

        Agree. Made me wonder why they call them blades, maybe just because they have a thin topline? I thought that term came from looking like the blade of a knife, so more like the Titleist MB or TM730 or so.

        Anyway, beauty is in tthe eye of the beholder. I don’t like the blob in the middle of the back either but that’s just me.

        • SKip

          Dec 7, 2018 at 3:08 pm

          It’s literally MC-501 or “Muscle Cavity”. So they never claim it to be a full MB model.

          • Piter

            Dec 7, 2018 at 4:05 pm

            Correction noted. I should have said “the author of the article calls them blades”.

    • ron

      Nov 25, 2018 at 6:53 pm

      Yes… beautiful clean design that will result in great feel and lovely performance.

      • jimbo

        Nov 25, 2018 at 9:29 pm

        No… lovely feel and great performance… get your grammar straight.

  16. lance

    Nov 24, 2018 at 3:32 pm

    Love at first sight!! I’m left-handed but I will practice right-handed so I can own these gorgeous Muira musclebacks. OoOoOoOoOooooooh… I’m trembling with {{{love love love}}}

    • joey

      Nov 25, 2018 at 2:53 pm

      … and “love” conquers all… even a banana slice and shank.

  17. Brian H.

    Nov 24, 2018 at 12:43 pm

    Moz I think your feel is a little different than most.. Miura uses the softest steel. Check your “feel”.

    • ogo

      Nov 25, 2018 at 12:44 am

      I believe the Brinell Hardness of the Miura steel is ~120 HB…. which makes them plenty soft.

  18. Moz

    Nov 24, 2018 at 9:36 am

    Mizunos feel way softer. These Miuras feel clunky

    • Gunter Eisenberg

      Nov 24, 2018 at 10:14 am

      How would you know?? Did you actually swung one?

      • Moz

        Nov 25, 2018 at 3:28 am

        Yes, I hit a bunch of them with all kinds of different shafts, at the clubs I visit there are many wealthy people who have jumped onto the bandwagon, and they all act flash but they all say they’re not as great as they were told

        • joey

          Nov 25, 2018 at 2:56 pm

          That ‘clunky’ feel is due to slight off-center hits with a club that has been stretched out from heel-to-toe in an attempt to increase the MOI for duffers who can’t hit on the sweet spot.

    • ogo

      Nov 25, 2018 at 12:49 am

      That’s because the Mizuno are completely Flow Forged from a single steel blank that combines the clubhead and hosel… while the Miuras have a steel tube hosel welded to the forged club body… and that dulls the “feeeel”.

      • Hack

        Nov 26, 2018 at 9:55 am

        Aren’t these just a redo of the Mizuno T-Zoid irons that Faldo played so well with for a time? Minor changes for certain but nothing new here….

      • oohmatron

        Dec 14, 2018 at 6:07 pm

        More laughable and ill informed nonsense from a self-impressed fool. Your risible and ill-informed comments always make me laugh and serve to reiterate your lack of knowledge and/or general education. Be quiet little man, nobody takes you seriously on here.

        • ogo

          Dec 15, 2018 at 1:57 am

          … and all you do is fling sh!t and hoping some of it will stick to make you look good … you pedantic pr!ck ….

        • ogo

          Dec 15, 2018 at 1:59 am

          … and all you do is fling sh!† and hoping some of it will stick to make you look good … you pedan†ic pr!k ….

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Whats in the Bag

WITB Time Machine: Hideki Matsuyama’s winning WITB, 2021 Masters

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At the 2021 Masters, Hideki Matsuyama broke through to claim his first major championship, winning the first major for Japan in the process. Matsuyama’s led by four strokes entering the final day. Ultimately, a final-round 73 and 10-under tally was one better than Will Zalatoris could manage and Matsuyama donned the green jacket.

Take a look at the clubs Matsuyama had in play three years ago below.

Driver: Srixon ZX5 (9.5 degrees, flat)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX

Photo credit: Yoshihiro Iwamoto

3-wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Titanium (15 degrees)
Shaft:
Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX

Utility: TaylorMade SIM UDI (3)
Shaft: True Temper Elevate Tour X100

Irons: Srixon Z-Forged (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4 Forged Prototype (52-10, 56-8 @57.5, 60-08 @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (S400 in 52)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS
Grip: Lamkin Deep-Etched Full Cord

Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV

Grips: Iomic X

 

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Equipment

Best irons in golf of 2024: The shotmakers

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In our effort to assemble the 2024 best irons, we have again compiled an expert panel of fitters to help you find out which of the 2024 irons is best for your game.

Ultimately the best way to find your personal best iron set is to work with a professional fitter using a launch monitor. The difficult part is a lot of people don’t have easy access to fitters, launch monitors, and club builders — so at GolfWRX, we have done a lot of the work for you.

We are in the era of not just maximizing distance but also minimizing the penalty of common misses for each player — this applies to irons just as much as it does with any other club in the bag. And of course, proper set makeup and gapping is essential. This is why, now more than ever, custom fitting is essential to help you see results on every swing you make.

We want to give you the tools and information to go out and find what works best for you by offering recommendations for your individual iron set wants and needs with insight and feedback from the people who work every single day to help golfers get peak performance out of their equipment.

Best irons of 2024: The process

The best fitters in the world see all the options available in the marketplace, analyze their performance traits, and pull from that internal database of knowledge and experience like a supercomputer when they are working with a golfer.

It’s essentially a huge decision tree derived from experience and boiled down to a starting point of options—and it has nothing to do with a handicap!

Modern iron sets are designed into player categories that overlap the outdated “what’s your handicap?” model, and at GolfWRX we believe it was important to go beyond handicap and ask specific questions about the most crucial performance elements fitters are looking at.

These are the best iron categories we have developed to help you determine which category is most important for your swing and game.

Best irons of 2024: The categories

2024 Best irons: The shotmakers

Each one of these irons was designed with a single purpose: to provide the ultimate shotmaking weapon. You don’t have to be a tour player to appreciate the pleasure of hitting a well-struck shot with a club engineered to offer superior feedback. This category is all about control — and that doesn’t mean it “has to be a blade.”

Titleist T100

Their story: The “players iron” of the new T-Series family, the T100 iron features an all-new Tour-designed sole, which was inspired by discussions with both the tour staff and the Vokey wedge design team. It features a new variable bounce sole design, which provides less bounce in the heel and more bounce in the toe to facilitate better turf interaction and improved feel.

Fitter comments:

  • “More tech than blades but just as workable. It’s why it gets play on tour. Not a lot of offset and fairly traditional lofts as these want to create some spin for maintaining a steep enough landing.”
  • “Number one played iron on tour. It definitely gets the love it deserves for sure…especially from a turf interaction standpoint. It definitely gets to the turf nice and quick compared to some of the previous generations.”
  • “Incredible feel and feedback while offering a good amount of forgiveness in this category. Can play it from any lie and hit any shot…one of the most played irons on tour for a reason.”
  • “It has good feel. It’s really forgiving for that compact-looking head. It’s got a great sole on it that works really well. It’s got weaker loft, and so therefore it’s going to spin more. It’s really good for the guy with a lot of speed, because it’s not going to jump and go all over the place.”
  • “It’s always been one to throw in the mix for that player who comes in looking for a players iron but not quite a blade. They’ve just slowly kind of kept working on that, that product that’s been in their cycle for a while. I don’t want to say it’s kind of gold standard-like, but that’s definitely one that’s going to be in the mix.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

Srixon ZX7 Mk II

Their story: The players iron ZX7 Mk II features PureFrame: an 80-percent thicker portion of 1020 carbon steel forged behind the sweet spot in the body of the iron for soft-yet-solid-feeling impact. Also significant to the design: A refined Tour V.T. Sole Proprietary sole widths, bounce angles, and notches in the heel and toe of the club aid clean contact from a variety of lies.

Fitter comments:

  • “What I love about that is for that guy that hits it, like square on the face of the golf club. It’s, this is the way I kind of explain to customers and they hit it like, it’s not gonna be the longest. It’s probably not gonna be the straightest, but you will hit seven iron in the exact same distance every time you hit it. And, and I think that’s the appeals to that better player because like very rarely do.”
  • “I’m a personal fan of it. No hot face. No jumpers, does a great job of controlling the spec which we like a lot…quite forgiving. That’s a, that’s a, that’s a major player in that category.”
  • “I mean, two of the five fitters out here play them. I mean, they’re awesome, like they’re still, you know, a small compact players iron, but you still get a lot of help and forgiveness out of them, which I like. You see a lot of these on tour that are non, you know, non-contract guys playing them.”
  • “They did a really good job of not screwing up a good thing. ZX7 was fantastic. It seemed like 50 percent of the non-contract guys in pro golf played that iron. It continues to give very consistent numbers. The better player wants a consistent number. They need to know it’s going to go that distance. This club does that very well.”
  • “Srixon has been the “sleeper” iron company for a number of years now, but I think the secret is out. The ZX7 Mk II fit many different player types, from tour pro to mid-handicapper. The forging is very soft and forgiving, and the iron is very workable for the player with more ability. They didn’t change the shape from ZX7 to Mk II, and I think that’s a great thing.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

Callaway Apex CB

Their story: Callaway touts an all-new forged construction in its 2024 Apex CB irons and its associated feel and workability. Forged from 1025 carbon steel in a five-step process, Apex CB ‘24 irons also feature MIM weighting in the toe and similar progressive CG and Dynamic Sole Design to the Apex MB irons.

Fitter comments:

  • “Excellent offering. Clean and easy to aim. Always a great iron.”
  • “Yeah, from my understanding, TCB, like that was kind of its replacement. and TCB was not easy to hit, in my opinion. I find that the guys are hitting it. It’s actually, it’s pretty forgiving for what it is. Guys that are looking for more of that just kind of solid piece, they don’t want to get any of that hollow stuff.”
  • “I really like it. I think it’s a great club. It’s a little, a little above my pay grade in terms of skill, but a really good feeling club. It seems like it’s a good iron all around for that player who, you know, is looking for that CB or that better-player type club.”
  • “I think for that guy who wants something that feels good, that CB just feels fantastic and for how dinky and tiny that thing is, I think it’s not unforgiving. And it just kind of checks all the boxes from a look, sound and feel standpoint. It’s definitely a really good, really good iron for sure.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

Mizuno Pro 243

Their story: 4- through 7-irons are Grain Glow Forged HD from a single billet of 4120 Chromoly steel, while 8-GW are forged from 1024 Elite Mild Carbon steel. 4 through 7 irons feature a Flow Microslot for faster ball speeds and increased launch (thanks to more rebound area. The soles of the 243 irons are equipped with a Wrap Around Sole Grind for better turf interaction as well as increased bounce angle. The Soft Copper Underlay is again present as is the Full Satin Brush finish.

Fitter comments:

  • “Amazing forgiveness and workability in this category. The turf interaction is awesome for those who draw and fade the ball.”
  • “Best looking of the shot-making irons.”
  • “Minor refinements from the last one. And for the category of iron, it’s pretty forgiving. They cleaned up the cosmetics a little bit. I mean, it’s a really, really, really good iron for sure.”
  • “Mizuno, the, the 243, you know, that’s another great one. Forged one-piece golf club that’s super solid — no jumpers, Very similar to the ZX 7 but looks better.”
  • “That one continues to be kind of like a unicorn in this category because I like the ball speed…Like almost to the guy, we get more ball speed with that thing.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

Ping Blueprint S

Their story: Developed after extensive testing with top Ping professionals, the Blueprint S features a forged cavity-back design, influenced by Ping’s existing “S” series irons. The compact shape, thin top line, and minimal offset make it visually appealing to forged club/blade enthusiasts. The forged 8620 carbon steel head has a clean cavity design with a textured pattern and hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish. Precision-milled grooves and a high-density toe screw enable swingweight fine-tuning.

Fitter comments:

  • “These things are pretty looking. The reduced offset and thinner topline makes this look like a blade, but you get the help and forgiveness. These are fast through the turf and are super easy to work.”
  • “The performance of the iron, it’s great. It’s a rare forged iron from Ping. It looks good. It’s very forgiving. It’s probably the best-performing iron in its category. We’ve been getting a lot of people asking about it. We’ve seen some guys pair it with a blueprint T, a little bit. It looks really good. It’s their best looking one by far.”
  • “I’m a big fan of that iron. I was little surprised by it. I thought it was going to be kind of intimidating from all the tour use and then getting it out on the course. It’s actually a pretty playable iron. It’s been the winner in that category for us.”
  • “What you’ve got is a forged golf club that’s designed by Ping where, you know, they’re always going to the performance first and look and feel second and now you’ve got something that’s got the look and feel that a lot of good players want to feel and great performance.”
  • “I think it’s something that they needed to fill that niche for that forged kind of guy that’s more compact without going into like the old blueprint or the Blueprint T…super tiny blade.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

Best irons of 2024: Meet the fitters

RELATED: Best driver 2024

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Whats in the Bag

WITB Time Machine: Patrick Reed’s winning WITB, 2018 Masters

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At the 2018 Masters, Patrick Reed bested Rickie Fowler by a stroke at Augusta National to win his first major championship.

See the clubs Reed used to fire his final-round 71 below.

Driver: Ping G400 LST (10 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 110 M.S.I. 70 TX

3-wood: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition (15 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 110 M.S.I. 80 TX

Driving iron: Titleist 716 T-MB
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue 120 X100

Irons: Callaway X Forged 2013 (4), Callaway MB-1 (5-PW)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Artisan Prototype (51 and 56 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design SM5 (61 degrees)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot Pro 3
Grip: Iomic Standard Red Pistol

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride MCC (All black, installed logo down, with two wraps of double-sided tape)

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