Equipment

GolfWRX Spotlight: Arias True Zero Offset D-23 irons

Published

5 years ago

Apr 22, 2019

GolfWRX Staff

Product: Arias True Zero Offset D-23 irons

Pitch: From the company…

Easiest irons to align at the target on the market.
Classic no offset look at address reminiscent of past generation’s most iconic iron designs.
Full cavity back, midsize blade length, blade height and sole width
Modern friendly sole grind with beveled leading and trailing edge makes this iron easy to play both from the fairway and the rough
431SS with proprietary heat treatment.

Our take on the Arias Zero Offset D-23 irons

There are a lot of parameters involved in the design of an iron, including, but not limited to: material, blade length, sole width, camber, bounce, hosel length, groove configuration, and of course offset. Offset is one of the design characteristics that can be quite polarizing from a looks perspective, depending on the golfer. We golfers are a picky bunch when it comes to how our clubs look, but that has less to do with handicap or skill level and more to do with just plain personal preference.

That’s where J.R Robert comes in. Hailing from a custom fitting and building background, with years of experience and having a preference for zero offset clubs, he set out to design an iron that would be both preferred by the better players but playable for golfers of varying skill level that prefer a club with no offset. The result is the Arias D-23 with True Zero Offset.

I got the chance to speak with J.R about his design and he explained his goals for the D-23 irons

“The goal was to create an iron model that was forgiving enough for a higher handicap player while blending together features the better player would demand.”

Through prototyping and testing, J.R found the D-23 zero offset helped golfers with alignment issues get set up to there intended target easier, and for those who had issues with missing left (speaking to right-handed golfers) the Zero Offset D-23 helped correct for that too. J.R admits that although they are very playable, golfers that struggle with leaving the face open at impact might not be the ideal candidates. Also, those who are used to offset in their clubs might at first be turned away from the design, but for players that have always enjoyed the look of a club with less offset, these are clubs that should go right to the top of the list.

For more information on the D-23s, along with the line of M-29 onset wedges from Arias Golf, you can visit their website at True Zero Offset

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22 Comments

dave

Dec 30, 2019 at 10:47 am

been looking for zero offset irons for years. i have even bent my srixon 785 to 4 degree weak to mimick the look of zero offset. still didnt help really. i ordered the 7 iron. not cheap…but if it works it will be worth it. my irons are keeping me from being a plus…honestly the only reason im a 1 is because on many holes my driver gets me to gap wedge or in…

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JP

Jun 28, 2019 at 12:14 am

How much are they $ ?!?
.
Can’t find them on the PGA Value Guide.

Reply Report comment
ZO Guy

Apr 25, 2019 at 9:42 am

There is certainly a market for this. Price is always an issue. However, when I see clubs that look this nice and know how much guys like them, I have to ask myself “WHY IS THIS SO RARE TO SEE – ITS NOT ANY HARDER TO MAKE!”

Reply Report comment
Shallowface

Apr 25, 2019 at 9:22 am

This is the first set of irons that I have been interested in for a very long time. However, why chrome plating on 431 stainless? The original Titleist DCIs were satin finish 431 stainless and were among the most beautiful clubs ever made. The Arias remind me of the original and rare DCI-B (not the 962B. Its predecessor), and those didn’t need chrome plating for a “flawless finish.”

Reply Report comment
CB

Apr 25, 2019 at 8:04 am

I messaged 3 days ago, still haven’t heard back. Chapter 11 might in fact be a better name.

Reply Report comment
Matt S.

Apr 23, 2019 at 10:01 am

The clubheads look great and are $99, which is great, however hey’re charging over $100 per club for standard True Temper shafts, which is definitely not great.

Reply Report comment
- Matt S.
  
  Apr 23, 2019 at 12:53 pm
  
  My bad, had an email exchange with J.R., that shaft pricing is the full price of the club. SAMSONITE, I was way off!
  
  Reply Report comment
Mark.

Apr 23, 2019 at 7:53 am

I wish you had asked him if he paid for the tooling to create this cast club. I am wondering if he found a club manufacturer with an off-the-shelf zero offset mould.

Reply Report comment
Spell Check

Apr 23, 2019 at 3:27 am

“Their intended target” not “there…”

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rex 235

Apr 22, 2019 at 11:19 pm

GolfWrx Staff-

It’s 2019-

Will there be ANY irons you feature that aren’t RH ONLY?

“The goal was to create an iron model that was forgiving enough for a higher handicap RH^ player while blending together features the better RH^ player would demand.”

^ fixed it for you.

Reply Report comment
- Adam
  
  Jul 25, 2019 at 5:08 pm
  
  Stop being wrong handed
  
  Reply Report comment
Johnny Penso

Apr 22, 2019 at 10:20 pm

I got to know JR a little bit when he was here in Windsor, before he moved to Cornwall last year. I have to admit I was mighty disappointed that these are only coming out in right-handed (for now I hope). In our first conversation, while getting one of my drivers shortened and swingweighted, I mentioned how difficult it was to find modern cavity back clubs that weren’t offset as I much preferred that look behind the ball. He’s a top-notch guy if anyone can make this work as a small, independent, boutique club manufacturer he can. Best of luck J.R.

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PGA Hale

Apr 22, 2019 at 7:40 pm

Just buy an old set of most any top-line late 1960s/early 1970s irons (e.g. Wilson Staff, Ben Hogan Apex, Haig Ultra, MacGregor MT, etc.) and have the heads refinished and reshafted. You’ll have some of the best zero offset irons ever produced at a fraction of these irons.

Reply Report comment
- brian
  
  Apr 23, 2019 at 8:39 am
  
  Or, instead of going through the trouble of hunting for vintage irons, spending the time and money to get them reshafted and refinished, you can buy a set of these brand new.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Jim
    
    Apr 24, 2019 at 1:44 pm
    
    I have to agree with PGA Hale on this point. Several years ago I picked up a set (flea-bay, less than $100) of 1967/68 Wilson Staff “Dynapower” irons, which are basically the same as I started with back in the mid-60s. A finer “blade” has yet to be made. You just need to wait for a good clean set to appear.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Shallowface
      
      Apr 24, 2019 at 2:12 pm
      
      As much as I love the old blades, the sole on a modern club such as this is going to be much more playable than anything from the 60s or 70s.
      
      Reply Report comment
- Walter
  
  Apr 24, 2019 at 3:05 pm
  
  Just buy a set of Maltby(Golfworks) TE forged heads(each head is offset 0.1″) and shaft them(or have them shaft them for you) for a lot less and probably a much better iron too.
  
  Reply Report comment
Travis

Apr 22, 2019 at 6:57 pm

Would love to try these… but am worried it would be a really expensive test with absolutely no resale value if I don’t like them…

Reply Report comment
- Thomas A
  
  Apr 23, 2019 at 9:52 am
  
  If you’re worried about resale, you’re not really looking for the best clubs for you.
  
  Reply Report comment
Brian McGranahan

Apr 22, 2019 at 4:34 pm

Take my money!!!

Reply Report comment
- Peter vanWezel
  
  Apr 22, 2019 at 5:13 pm
  
  I had the pleasure of hitting some of jr’s initial prototypes….the material choice and finish had me at first strike…Ive been playing Epon Aftours for years and the feel of these really surprised me.
  For a cast club..the feel is top notch with other forged irons ..now that they are available…I can finally get my set on order! JR knows his stuff!!
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Anser
    
    Apr 22, 2019 at 9:05 pm
    
    Hi JR!
    
    These should be called chapter11
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Max Homa is the latest to put prototype Titleist 2-wood in play

Published

1 hour ago

May 15, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

Titleist’s new 2-wood prototype first popped up on the TOUR at the 2024 PLAYERS Championship, in the bag of Cameron Young, who had been working with Titleist on the design since 2023.

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“(Young) was looking for a certain ball speed and yardage gap from his driver,” Van Wezenbeeck said. “One of the things for him with the 3-wood is he wanted something with a little more volume that he felt more confident off the tee with, so he was looking for a little bigger footprint and something that was a little bit more penetrating than some of the 3-woods he’s played in the past. This will be a club he’ll hit 90 percent off the tee, versus the ground, so for the golf courses that set up for that, that’s what he’s looking for … this may or may not ever come to retail. It’s a chance for us to learn and put it in future products that may not be exactly this.”

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“[The new 2-wood) helps me draw it a little bit better,” Homa told GolfWRX.com on Monday at the 2024 PGA Championship. “I don’t draw the ball well, so left-to-right winds it’s quite helpful.”

Now, according to Van Wezenbeeck, Homa has two different options off the tee: A flat-trajectory cut shot with his TSR3 driver, and a “spinny draw” with his new TSR 2-wood, which flies farther than his former 3-wood.

Head over to PGATour.com for the full article.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/15/24): Bettinardi x Unimatic 1/50 watch

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Gianni Magliocco

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

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Equipment

Michael Block spotted with full set of TaylorMade “Proto” irons at Valhalla

Published

19 hours ago

May 14, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

On Monday at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, Block had a full set of TaylorMade “Proto” irons in the bag.

Block is the first player of many on the PGA TOUR to bag a set of the mysterious “Proto” irons. Rory McIlroy first switched into a “Proto” 4-iron at the Valero Texas Open, and Collin Morikawa followed suit at the 2024 RBC Heritage. Block isn’t using just the 4-iron, though, he’s using a full set to go along with a TaylorMade Stealth UDI driving iron.

Speaking with GolfWRX.com on Monday at the PGA Championship, Block revealed the full backstory.

“I hit a couple super “Proto” irons when I was at the Kingdom (TaylorMade’s fitting facility in Southern California) a couple months ago, and it was a 9-iron that didn’t have any badges or anything on it,” Block said. “I had no idea what it was … It was very similar to what I was using back then, you know, my old MCs, and very similar from the top. I hit it and absolutely loved it. For me to even think about switching irons from the last 11-12 years is crazy.

“I got this set about two weeks ago, and I’m working my way into them. I hit them more solid; it comes off the face more solid. Much higher. I think they’re still slightly too upright for me, so they’re being bent a degree flatter, because they’re going a little too high for me and drawing a little too much. When that starts to happen, I start to drop the club under and compensate too much, so I’m getting them flattened slightly, and I’m going to test them on the range again, and hopefully have them in play on Thursday…

“They go further, and they go higher … that combination is kind of a no-brainer. If I can take a 5-iron from 204 rather than a 4-iron, it’s good on me. It’s going to help me out for sure, especially at a major with the pin locations. Having that height coming in, that descent angle is going to be huge.”

With such new irons in the bag, after using the same irons for over a decade, surely you’d think there will be a bit of a learning curve. Block, however, is finding immediate comfort with the new “Proto” irons.