Equipment
Predicting the hottest irons of 2016
Testing a new driver is often fairly straightforward; if it’s longer and straighter, it goes in the bag. Irons are a little different. Being a successful iron player depends on hitting them certain yardages and with certain trajectories consistently, which makes changing irons a longer-term, more subjective process.
When new iron models come out, most Tour players aren’t fast to switch from the trustworthy set they’re currently using… at least right away. Even if the new irons are longer and straighter, there’s a comfort factor and a transitionary period that can’t be ignored.
With that in mind, you’ll understand why the hottest irons each year on the PGA Tour are often unpredictable. There are, however, a handful of new irons that quickly made their way into the bags of top touring pros before the start of 2016. That’s generally a good indication of an iron’s future success on Tour, and good intel for GolfWRXers to consider if they’re in the market for new irons.
Enjoy this list below, a prediction of hottest sets of irons in 2016 based on Tour presence, our early testing, and a few other factors.
King Forged MB irons
Rickie Fowler wasted little time putting Cobra’s King Forged MB irons in his bag this fall, despite winning The Players Championship with the Fly-Z Pro irons in the spring.
The new irons, which are part of a line that includes King Forged CB and King Forged TEC, offer a new look with a “diamonized” black finish that’s more durable than black PVD. The finish is a change from Fowler’s typical chrome-finished irons — but when blades look this good, wouldn’t you make the switch as quickly as possible, too?
From a tech perspective, the Forged MB irons use tungsten plugs in their toes, which raises moment of inertia (MOI) to makes the irons more forgiving on mishits.
Rickie Fowler’s custom set of Cobra King Forged MB irons.
While not necessarily applicable for the buyers at home, it appears that Fowler (See his WITB here) carried over the specially made tungsten plugs from his old irons to raise the swing weight of the clubs. See those subtle, grey circles where weight was inserted on the sole and muscleback of the iron?
Titleist 716 T-MB
Any equipment release from Titleist is noteworthy in the golf world because of the company’s widespread following, but the T-MBs may be the most significant Titleist iron release in years.
We learned in our testing that the T-MB’s are pound-for-pound the longest, highest-launching Titleist irons ever. As for their looks, the two-toned, hollow-cavity, blade-style looks irons are also something new for Titleist. Adding to their allure is that they can only be purchased as a full set through the company’s MOTO program ($1599 per set). Golfers can, however, find the tungsten-laden long irons (2-5) at retailers for $199 per club.
Peter Malnati (Sanderson Farms) won with a full set in his bag, while Jason Bohn, Ben Crane and Tim Clark are gaming full sets as well. Adam Scott and Jimmy Walker, among others, are currently using individual T-MB long irons to round out their sets.
Ping i
Like Titleist, any iron release from Ping garners attention because of its expansive following, but this iron in particular will be well-received by Ping loyalists.
The Ping “i” irons remain leaders in forgiveness in the players iron category like their predecessors, the i25 irons, but they’re made from a softer material — 431 stainless steel — to feel better, as well. Those changes, as well as their improved, progressive design, resulted in a 5-star rating from editor Zak Kozuchowski in our review.
Lee Westwood, Hunter Mahan and Alex Prugh can be spotted playing the Ping i irons around the world.
Related
TaylorMade Psi/Psi Tour
TaylorMade’s PSi and PSi Tour irons are the company’s second-rendition of irons with face slots. With the new release, the TaylorMade focused primarily on improving their looks and feel, compared to their predecessors. Here’s what our front page review had to say about the PSi irons:
Exceptionally long and forgiving players irons. They have thinner top lines, less offset and shorter blade lengths than TaylorMade’s RSi 2 irons, and feel noticeably softer at impact.
The softer feel of the PSi’s can be attributed to the “Distance Feel System” (DFS), which uses a material called “hybrar” that’s wedged between the face and cavity of each iron to reduce unwanted vibrations at impact.
To maintain maximum performance, the long irons (3-7) are made from 431 stainless steel and have tungsten weights in their toes to boost MOI. The short irons (8-PW), which are more compact in size than previous models, are forged from 1025 carbon steel to offer better consistency and feel.
The PSi Tour irons, which will hit retailers on Dec. 20, have been in Tour pros bags since the fall. Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia, among a slew of others, are gaming the PSi Tour irons.
Srixon Z745
If we’re talking PGA Tour wins, there’s no iron hotter than Srixon’s Z745. The irons were in the bags of Smylie Kaufman (Shriners Open), Russell Knox (WGC-HSBC) and Graeme McDowell (RSM Classic) during their victories in late 2015.
Made from 1020 carbon steel, the Z745’s use a “Tour V.T.” sole, which increases leading edge bounce and decreases trail-edge bounce to improve turf interaction — especially on sightly fat hits. The irons also have laser double milling on the face to stabilize spin and distance control, and a tungsten weight in their toes improves forgiveness.
If you’re into blades, Srixon has released its new Z945 irons, which integrate the same technologies as the Z745 irons into a smaller package. See what our Forum Members have to say about them.
Callaway Apex and Apex Pro
Callaway’s X Forged irons from 2013 its Apex/Apex Pro irons (2014) are popular around GolfWRX Headquarters. They’ve been in and out of three of our editors’ bags since their release dates. With the release of the 2016 Apex/Apex Pro irons, however, that’s likely to change.
Callaway’s new Apex and Apex Pro models are no joke according to our early testing. You can read more about the tech here, and a full review is coming soon to our Front Page.
On Tour, Matt Every and Jason Kokrak made the switch to the new Apex Pro irons this fall, and we expect several more of Callaway’s PGA Tour Staff members to put the new irons in the bag this January after off-season testing.
PXG 0311T
PXG irons are quickly becoming a household name, at least among gear heads and tour players. For PXG, it began with Ryan Moore, but now players like James Hahn (irons), Zach Johnson (lob wedge) and Davis Love III (wood, irons and wedges, and is testing the driver) are gaming the sticks.
PXG originally released the 0311 irons, which have a fairly significant amount of offset and a game improvement-like profile. The company’s newest irons — the 0311T — have a smaller chassis with less offset, and they have found growing popularity on the PGA Tour.
PXG irons are expensive, and since they’re only sold through a select network of fitters they can only be tested by appointment. But judging by the interest level of tour players, the 0311T irons are something special.
Mizuno MP-5 and MP-25s
Old school meets new school, and technology meets art with Mizuno’s new MP-25 and MP-5 irons. The company expertly blended the classic head shapes, soles and toplines that golfers have grown accustom to from Mizuno, but added in a slew of technology to make them sound, feel and perform better than ever.
Tour players have been quick to game them, and even traditionalist Luke Donald already put a set of MP-25s in the bag. The irons also received a 5-star rating from GolfWRX… impressive.
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Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Accra TZ Six ST
3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 80 6.5 TX
7-wood: Ping G425 Max (20.5 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 90 6.5 TX
Irons: Srixon ZX (2, 3) Buy here, Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-9) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 6.5 90, 6.5 100 (2-3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 Tour Rack (46-10 Mid, 52-10 Mid, 56-10 Mid, 60-9 Full) Buy here.
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Putter: Odyssey Jailbird Versa Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Flatso 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
Hybrid: Titleist TSR3 (19 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue HB 9 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4, 5), Titleist 620 CB (6-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.0
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 50-12F, 54-12D, 60)
Shafts: Project X 6.0
Putter: Scotty Cameron P5 prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Ben Kohles’ clubs in the forums.
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees) Buy here. Shaft: Accra TZ Six ST 3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees) Buy here....
Ben Kohles WITB 2024 (May)
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, D1 SureFit setting) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X 3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)...
Kris Kim WITB 2024 (May)
Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here....
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Richy Werenski what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Houston Open. Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1...
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Pingback: GolfWRX Predicts the Hottest Irons of 2016 | Honourable Society of Golf Fanatics
Roosterredneck
Dec 26, 2015 at 6:22 pm
I really like the C200s from WilsonStaff .Not Forged but they can compete any.
Blackwell
Dec 23, 2015 at 9:53 pm
This just proves golf is a rich mans game!
Johny Thunder
Jun 2, 2016 at 4:46 am
Prices of golf clubs haven’t increased as much as houses, cars and food. Staying alive has become a rich man’s game. Also, if a less wealthy person wants to play, Titleist 975D drivers can be had for under $50 on eBay. Older 460cc models in the same range or slightly higher.
KK
Dec 23, 2015 at 6:33 pm
AP2 and Ping I are blue chip as usual but T-MB looks to be a game changer.
Crabbie
Dec 23, 2015 at 12:27 pm
Metal moved around to different parts of the club are good for all, but practice is still needed to improve anyone’s game. Put an old blade in a good players hands and they can still play well. The key I have found is to be correctly fitted (no matter what brand you like) and that’s when they work the best for you…. which is the really HOT item of the year. Great club fitters.
Steve
Dec 22, 2015 at 6:09 pm
One of the best parts of having a hobby like playing Golf is the fact we can spend money on new products every year or two…How many old $300 or more drivers have you sitting under sun bleached head covers in your garage? And those sets of irons you just new would improve your game in 2010 in an old cart bag under a box of your wife’s old Tupperware. My favorite all the sleeves of new golf balls mixed in with my garden equipment now 5 or 6 years old that just had to much spin or were hard as a rock for me to shoot 89….either hit and spoon back to far or hit and ran a mile past the pin….GOTTA LOVE NEW EQUIPMENT because for sure that is all we need to shoot PAR>
Regis
Dec 23, 2015 at 12:50 pm
Well said and 100% true if we are being honest. On another site, regular contributors often supplement their comments with a What’s in the Bag summary at the bottom of each post. So if your searching for feedback on last year’s Cobra driver you come upon a very emphatic post by Joe who says this club is a true beast. Matched with my BB triple X Flex Blue shaft (trimmed 1/2 inch) I can safely say this cannon is never leaving my bag. But just under the post in the WITB portion (which has been updated in the interim) you see he is now playing a Taylormade R13 with a Misubishi Kamakze white dove shaft.
Jack
Dec 23, 2015 at 11:13 pm
It’s easier to buy new clubs than score in the single digits. Though even if the money spent on clubs is spent on playing at the courses, we’d all improve a lot more too.
Weeprogolfer
Dec 22, 2015 at 4:35 pm
We need to send in a set of the new Chikara irons for testing
Bijan
Dec 22, 2015 at 10:23 am
Recently hit he pxg set, incredible feel, distance was too far though. My standard 6 is around the 190 mark, they were flying at 200, gapping would be a struggle with those things.
Paul Clarke
Dec 31, 2015 at 7:18 am
Bijan, why should gapping be an issue? As I understand it these clubs are only available through a small number of high end outlets. To that end they should have the time and skill set to fit the irons to your particular needs whether that be strengthening or weakening the lofts on various irons. Distance will be determined by swing speed, shaft length and loft angle. If your swing speed is constant but shaft length is longer and loft angle has been jacked you are probably hitting a club or club and a half longer than what you are used to. Just a point for consideration.
George
Dec 21, 2015 at 4:41 pm
You are missing the 3 new Exotics irons those tungsten irons are better than the tungsten titleist irons!! The tungsten sole is almost double the weight on the titleist. I agree that the Z745 irons are going to be hot from Srixy!!
DrawDaddy
Dec 21, 2015 at 10:27 am
I have the new Apex Pro’s and I have never hit a better iron in my life. Except maybe the MP-5’s. Mp-5 and Apex Pro are easily the best looking out of the bunch with the Cobra’s close behind. Apex and Mp-5 both feel really good.
LaBraeGolfer
Dec 21, 2015 at 9:14 am
Callaway Apex line for sure, as well as the Mizzy’s, but I feel more people outside of golfwrx will be playing the Apex line. The irons I should play Apex or I line, the irons I want to play j15 MB.
Teaj
Dec 21, 2015 at 8:49 am
I shoot in the low 70’s….. any hotter I don’t like to golf
and by the way the Ping i’s are not just for scratch nor would I say the Z745’s are ether. Do you need to know how to strike a ball for the 745’s sure but there is some forgiveness there, and boy are they perdy.
.?????
Dec 20, 2015 at 9:46 pm
Can’t take this serious without j15cb…. Kuchar and snedeker play them if PGA presence matters
mhendon
Dec 22, 2015 at 6:14 pm
Demoed them today, well at least the 5 iron. It had good feel, very good distance and accuracy. Over all good looks with a slightly longer blade length than I like but they are definitely on my short list.
Dan
Dec 20, 2015 at 5:29 pm
I have to agree these are nice clubs, but no set of clubs retailing for $1500 is going to be “hot”… 🙂
golfraven
Dec 20, 2015 at 2:59 pm
I predict a riot!
Ok if I had to choose by looks it would be the MP25s for sure. Cheers
Deejaymn
Dec 20, 2015 at 12:01 pm
So these clubs are good for the 1% scratch golfers, how about four the rest of us.
Bobby Stevens
Dec 20, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Everyone on GolfWrx is a scratch golfer. We just shoot in the 80’s.
cb
Dec 20, 2015 at 2:36 pm
couldn’t have said it better myself bobby
DatSliceDoe
Dec 20, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Ain’t this the truth!
jgpl001
Jan 12, 2016 at 3:56 pm
Exactly, this is a scratch only site, let’s keep it that way..
Can’t wait though for one of our loyal scratch members to tell us the new Ping G iron should be here, and how they play it, etc…….ha ha ha
Chris
Dec 21, 2015 at 11:29 am
Apex, PSi, MP-25, maybe even throw the T-MB in there. Those are all clubs with some forgiveness to them. No need to be a scratch to play those. MP-25 has the least among those 4 as far as forgiveness, but that doesn’t mean it’s a straight blade with no room for error.
SBoss
Dec 22, 2015 at 10:50 pm
Throw in the Nike Vapor Pro Combos….great irons for better players. You get all the performance you’re looking for and some forgiveness in the smaller cavity. They’re a grand slam iron.
ken
Dec 23, 2015 at 2:13 pm
I’m a scratch golfer…..And I take offense to those who call us the 1%….Because I think there is a much higher percentage of amateur scratch golfers…..
You know, Hit the shot and stand there scratching your head wondering how the heck that one came up short/in the woods…LOL
mhendon
Dec 24, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Hardy har har you should do stand up. On second thought don’t quit your day job!
Johny Thunder
Jun 2, 2016 at 4:47 am
Try the veal. Or the ham.