“Player’s” clubs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Designed for “better player’s” these irons boast characteristics like a compact head, thin top lines, no offset, and workability. Not too long ago these irons came in the form of blades, musclebacks, and/or small cavity backs.
Over the last couple of year’s “Player’s Distance” irons have come to the forefront as well. Hollow-bodied designs that also feature smaller compact heads than their game-improvement brethren. Perhaps, the Player’s Distance category could be a separate category in itself next year. For the time being though, we’ll keep them paired together.
There definitely was no shortage of contenders in this category. A maximum of 10 points was allocated for the following.
- Performance
- Aesthetics
- Sound/Feel
- Innovation
- Price Point
Here are your Teezy Award winners.
Gold – Callaway Golf MAVRIK Pro (48/50)
Honestly, Callaway Golf could have had a near podium sweep in this category had I factored in the Apex Pro irons as well. Those irons were sweet in their own right. But out of fairness to the other manufacturers, I limited the entrants to one model per manufacturer. So I opted to go with the MAVRIK Pro. The MAVRIK Pro irons won this category. MAVRIK Pro is a compact player’s iron that features some of the tech that the MAVRIK metalwoods have. Flash Face Technology makes it first appearance in an iron from Callaway Golf. The face is specifically designed for the loft of each iron to deliver distance and optimal spin into the green. Tungsten-infused weights help with the launch and aids in providing a preferred trajectory. In a nutshell, the MAVRIK Pro irons were easy to launch and working the ball was easy with a hard left to right wind. Draws held the wind beautifully and hitting punch shots/stinger was a breeze. These are a player’s iron that acts like a game-improvement iron. Rounding out what makes the MAVRIK Pro irons special is their price. Compared to others in the category, they won’t bust the bank. $899.99 USD
Silver – Cobra Golf KING FORGED TEC ONE Length (48/50)
I’ve been enamored with these irons since I first saw them in-hand back on October 30th. Leading up to Demo Day, my mind was firmly entrenched on swinging these irons. Sharing the press release just stoked the fir more. These hollow-bodied irons simply don’t look the part. Aesthetically speaking, the KING Forged Tec irons are one of the best-looking sets of irons of 2020. A thinner top-line than other hollow-bodied irons these irons have a muscle-back look to them. There is a variable-length set, but the ONE Length version I love. I love the premise of ONE Length as it makes set up more “streamlined”. There’s just less to think about. Their forged PWRSHELL Face is said to “expand the sweet zone for higher launch and higher speed”. These irons deliver that. The ball explodes off of the face and I just preferred the sound and feel of these irons. I found that while the ball got off of the ground easily, the trajectory flattened out and traveled down-range with muscle-flexing length. There was a tailwind, so getting these irons into my hands on-course would be fun. Easy to work and flight the ball. Another forgiving player’s iron. Single digits aren’t the only ones who could play these. $1099.99 USD
Bronze – Honma Golf TR20 V (44/50)
The Honma Golf TR20 V irons are the only iron set with a one-piece forged design to reach the podium. These were the last set of irons that would swing at Demo Day, and by the time I had gotten there everyone was packing up or had already packed up. their reps were cool and low-key. It was downright cold by the time I made swings them. The sun was getting low on the horizon and the wind had shifted. Now, the wind was directly into my face. The Honma TR20 V irons delivered somewhat surprising performance. Some of that is due to their design featuring strong lofts. The 10-iron (PW) is 44*. They feature a slightly wider sole than we used to typically see in player’s irons. They’re a great looking iron with a top-line that is quite thin. Looking down at the golf ball in the address is very eye-pleasing. Working the golf ball is a breeze and what I need to point out is the feel. Buttery smooth. Even in the cold, I had no “bee stings” in my hands. There is some forgiveness worked into the TR20 V irons. The wind never really effected my ballflight. Honma Golf has a stigma in NorthAmerica. The stigma being that these irons cost $5000 USD. While that might be the case for their Beres 5-Star irons that is NOT the case with the TR 20 V irons. $1224.99 USD
Until The Next Tee!!
#fightandgrind #seeuonthenexttee
The Next Tee (TNT) 