Got my irons in this afternoon, and obviously couldn't wait to get out and get a feel for them. It is a Wednesday, mid morning, so I was stoked for the lack of crowds and some ability to try a few different shots to test these irons thoroughly.
I drove straight to the range, loaded a large bucket and got to work. When I say these irons feel amazing; I can't stress it enough. Center strikes feel extremely soft and had a crisp sound to them. On thin strikes, you're gonna feel it, but it wont punish your hands into a dull numb feeling. Toe strikes still feel rather crisp, and then heel strikes feel abrupt but again not wildly punishing.
From a looks standpoint, WHAT A VALUE! I'd put these up there with the p770s/mp245s and adamantly tell you these are far superior in the looks dept. Having been playing a set of g425s for the past few years; the heads on the Haywood pd.1's are compact, with a sharp but subtle top line. Not so chunky that they look cheap, but not a smooth rounded top line like a t100 either. Its falls somewhere between p770 and t100 top line. Blade length is perfect. Again, not as big as my g425, which is a big bonus in my opinion. I feel as though its the right size behind the ball for my eye. Too large of head to me has always made me feel like my chance of an off center strike are higher. Too much room for error. The soles are thin but just glide through the Bermuda with ease. Don't get me wrong, if you want to chunk one and dig a hole, you certainly can.
From a performance standpoint; they perform extremely well. Hitting into the 130-200 flags at the range, these things will be more than capable of holding a green. Even at the range you saw quick stop after quick stop. Granted, I did a fair bit of research before purchasing and made sure to pick shafts that were appropriate for my swing speed and desired ball flight. So results may vary. As mentioned above, center strikes border on sensual in feeling, soft and addicting. Toe strikes still felt fine, but you did lose out on carry. Heel strikes were a bit more jarring and pushed right. Thin strikes came out low and HOT. As you can assume with minimal spin these strikes just ran for days. The 4 and 5 irons had ball flights I've only ever dreamt of seeing come from my swing. Climbing apex and a great attack angle. The 4, 5 and 6 didn't hold quite the stopping power of the scoring irons, but then again that's not what they're designed to do. The 8, 9 and Pitching Wedge on these will generate spin. It was a blast seeing the ball land and stop within 3-5 feet of it's pitch mark on a hop or two.
From a workability standpoint, they're plenty capable. If you're the type who likes to work the ball into the green, these are more than adequate. You're not likely gonna grab these and feel like Mac Boucher anytime soon. But for who these clubs are aimed at, I think that's PERFECT. A weekend warrior type of golfer can game these clubs knowing they're forgiving enough while also allowing for room to grow as a golfer and work the ball left to right. Key word there was forgiving ENOUGH. While you're not going to get that bladey feedback on off strikes, you will still be punished a little on off center strikes with a lack of yardage. But this also leads me to my favorite part of the range day... ZERO FLYERS! The yardage was extremely consistent. I'd adjust my lies, hit out of my own divot trail, tee the ball up nicely at the top of the firmer grass, wet the face etc and the yardage was typically within 5 yards on any given lie. My biggest issue with my g425s was the amount of of shots that would just take off on me on any given day. Mid summer in Central Texas, I'd have to assume a 20 yard gain on each club. My 8 iron (struck similarly/consistently) in August can range from 155-190. Today the temp is 91 in Austin and we're carrying the 8 iron a consistent 160-165 despite the slightly warmer weather. I did all I could to force one to get going on me without adjusting my swing. LOVE the consistency.
All in all, rather than dumping 2-3k into a club fitting at PGA Superstore or Club Champion. Go to an indoor simulator or even Top Golf with a few buddies for Monday night football. Grab some drinks and just note your swing speed and ball flight. Do a smidge of research for which shafts would be best for you and bag you a set of incredible custom irons for under 1.2k. The stock shafts might be excellent for you and you're out the door for less than $700. If irons are a weakness for you though, I'll highly suggest looking into the Signature series.
Pros:
Fit a large range of skill sets from scratch to even a higher handicapper who is a consistent irons striker
Forgiving
Workable
Look Incredible; behind the ball and in the bag
Feel
Customizable
FANTASTIC PRICE POINT
Cons:
Not a fan of the grip options.
- But with the money saved, I can order my usual grips and swap those out in under an hour in the garage.
