CRITERIA

Our judges evaluated Hot List candidates in four areas.

  1. Performance ( 45%)
    The utility of a product, or what happens to the ball when it’s struck by the club.
  2. Innovation ( 30%)
    How a club’s technology, including custom-fitting, advances the category.
  3. Look/Sound/Feel ( 20%)
    What the golfer experiences before, during and after impact.
  4. Demand ( 5%)
    The relative interest in a product and its reputation.


All judging is based on a 100-point scale.
97-100 ★★★★★
88-96 ★★★★
70-87 ★★★
51-69 ★★
50 

(L) Low-Handicapper | (M) Mid-Handicapper | (H) High-Handicapper


Callaway XR OS
CALLAWAY
XR OS

Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Look / sound / feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★

VERDICT Some companies try to achieve more distance by strengthening the lofts. Callaway went the other way and increased them (compared to its XR line). The reason: Launching the ball higher helps players with slower swing speeds. Also, the face wraps around the top and bottom of the club for more flex at impact.
COMMENTS (H) The ball absolutely explodes off the face. (H) You’re not ashamed to have these in your bag. The graphics are slick looking.


Cobra Max
COBRA
MAX

Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★★★

VERDICT How do you help eliminate operator error? The half-hollow irons (4- through 8-iron) place weight where hackers need it most, and the wide soles allow these clubs to make up for a lot of bad swings. Three hybrids can be substituted for the long irons for a modest $US100 extra.
COMMENTS (H) Even shots with over-the-top swings had some air under them. (H) So forgiving.
It was like the ball was trying to straighten itself out in flight.


Mizuno JPX EZ
MIZUNO
JPX EZ

Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Look / sound / feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★ ½

VERDICT When seeking distance, designers often lengthen the shafts and lower the lofts to make the ball go. But Mizuno maintained traditional lofts and lengths on these irons to make it easier to get shots on the proper trajectory. Still, the clubs aren’t lacking when it comes to producing ball speed. Even a very thin sole helps mis-hits go farther. How thin? The iron number engraving had to be moved to the toe.
COMMENTS (H) It has a smooth feel all the way through impact. (H) More correction on mis-hits than you’d expect.


Ping GMAXPING
GMAX

Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Look / sound / feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★

VERDICT Ping is a brand better players look at, but its legacy is helping the less skilled. The GMax might be its best effort yet. The heat-treated face on the 4- through 8-iron is thinner than ever, and the circular structure in the cavity offers plenty of pop on your mis-hits. Also, the long irons have a lighter swingweight to help square the club at impact.
COMMENTS (H) I felt in control of the short irons. (H) An autopilot club, it’s so easy to get airborne.


Adams Blue
ADAMS
BLUE

Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★
Demand ★★

VERDICT Adams is known for clubs that are easy to hit, and that is the case with this set. A slot in the sole of the hybrids and irons provides face flex, and the centre of gravity is positioned away from the face to help you launch the ball high. The shafts are slimmer in the tip section to provide more “kick” for additional height.
COMMENTS (H) Effortless height and distance. You can feel a spring in the face at impact. (H) The traditional shapes are a welcome respite in this category.


Bridgestone JGRBRIDGESTONE
JGR

Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★ ½
Demand

VERDICT The sole seems wider than a size-14 shoe, but there’s a good reason. The width allowed engineers to place weight low and back to make getting the ball airborne a snap. The irons are forged – rare in this category – and have a thin face and a slim joint where the face meets the sole to enhance distance. A rubber composite in the cavity badge minimises vibration.
COMMENTS (H) The low irons felt and played like a hybrid. (H) The wide sole puts a lot of power into the ball.


Tour Edge Exotics EXDTOUR EDGE
EXOTICS EXD

Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★
Demand

VERDICT Sometimes a smart cavity design can improve distance. This iron possesses the company’s deepest undercut in the cavity to date. This, a wider sole and heel, and toe weighting combine to produce a low, deep centre of gravity. The result is stability on off-centre shots for better overall distance.
COMMENTS (H) Everything felt soft at impact. (H) A clean look at address for a larger clubhead.


Wilson D200WILSON
D200

Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★
Demand ★★

VERDICT Wilson took a less-is-more approach to this iron, including making the front part of the sole the same ultrathin width as the face. The sole is thinnest on the longer irons, and the weight is moved farther back in the cavity. The saved weight is repositioned to the heel and toe to lower the centre of gravity and improve off-centre-hit stability.
COMMENTS (H) I was surprised there wasn’t a hybrid in the set, but the long irons were really easy to hit. (H) If a player has difficulty launching the ball, this is a must-try club.


Wilson DEFY

WILSON
DEFY

Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Look / sound / feel ★★★★
Demand ★★

VERDICT Golfers will appreciate the useful hybrids and the hollow middle irons that feature plenty of bulk on the bottom and pep off the face. Those are the more obvious attributes. Inside the club, the irons borrow the thin face-to-sole transition from Wilson’s D200 irons to gain ball speed, and the cavity-back short irons offer control in a large-headed club.
COMMENTS (H) The wide soles give you a sense of support and some muscle. (H) The hybrids were easily the most forgiving clubs in the set.