2020 Teezy Awards – Equipment Edition (Game-Improvement Irons)

Game-Improvement (GI) Irons. They are designed with one intended purpose. To help golfers shoot lower scores and provide more enjoyment on the golf course. How is this achieved? By designing golf clubs that are easy to launch, provide a lot of forgiveness and to allow golfers to hit the ball further with in some cases very strong lofts.

When it comes to GI irons there are actually a few different degrees of “improvement” in the genre. Your typical GI set but then you have “Super” and “Ultra” Game-Improvement irons thrown in for good measure as well. For 2020, sets like the COBRA Golf T-Rail Hybrid iron set comes to mind as an example of the latter.

There’s no shortage of options when it comes to GI irons and the range on Demo Day at Orange County National Golf Resort and Lodge was full of options. This category was extremely competitive in determining nominees let alone finalists. Game-Improvement irons come in all shapes and sizes. This is something that you will see with the winners that were selected.

Points were allocated for the following (maximum of 10 pts)

Performance
Aesthetics
Sound/Feel
Innovation
Price Point

So, here are your 2020 Teezy Awards winners for the Top Game-Improvement Category.

Gold – Wilson Golf D7 Forged (48/50)

Are these irons a Game-Improvement iron? The answer is yes. Remember, Wilson has their “F” (Feel), “C” (Control), and “D” (Distance) classifications for their iron sets. These irons had me salivating since the end of October when I was first shown them at the Ontario Golf Industry Expo. My first time seeing them, I could not wait to get them in-hand. The wait was worth it. These D7 Forged irons are amazing! These irons are built featuring the same chassis of the D7 from 2019 and the FG Tour V6 before that. They feature “Power Hole” and “Power Chamber” technologies that yield more elasticity of the clubface resulting in better energy transfer and more ball speed, resulting in more distance. The D7 Forged are forged from 8620 Carbon Steel and the feel is what you would expect. Soft, but with a side of “oomph”. These irons have a compact head shape and a thinner topline both features that are typically not seen in a GI iron. Their booth was into the wind and the results did not seem like it. Even into the wind, the ballflight appeared to be longer than my gamers which feature the same loft (PW is 44*). Looks, performance, it’s all there in these D7 Forged irons. They might have been the best irons that I made swings with at the show. Period! $899.99 USD

Silver – Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220/EXS 220h (46/50)

There’s a lot to like about the Exotics EXS 220/220h irons from Tour Edge Golf. This is a set of irons that you could blend if you wanted to. Use the hybrid iron EXS 220h in the long irons and the 220 in the short irons. The lofts are strong with the PW coming in at 42*. These hollow-bodied irons are loaded with technology. They have their SpiderWeb VFT Tech face that enhances the sweet spot (across the entire face). Tungsten toe-weighting that increases the forgiveness of these irons and a whole lot more that I could go on about. I really love the overall looks of these irons as they look “super-charged”. The topline is moderate (thicker in the 220h) and the offsets are progressive. Another very strong performer in less than ideal conditions. The carry yardage was impressive and the feel was “explosive” off of the face. Working the ball around with the EXS 220 was manageable while the 220h was more in the “aim and fire” mindset. The 220h just wants to go straight. Another strong performance from Tour Edge Golf. A ton of bang for the golfer buck. $660.00 USD (Steel) $780.00 USD (Graphite)

Bronze – Cobra Golf KING SPEEDZONE ONE Length (45/50)

The KING SPEEDZONE ONE Length irons are another set of formidable GI irons available to golfers for 2020. These are irons that feature some terrific innovation from an R&D point of view. Most notably, this is seen in the address position. Never before KING SZ, have I seen an iron set that had a carbon-fibre topline. It’s smart too. By having a topline constructed of carbon-fibre engineers at COBRA Golf were able to place the weight low and back in the head. Therefore making these KING SZ ONE Length irons a set of irons that are easy to launch while increasing the MOI. Featuring their PWRSHELL forged face the sweet spot is massive and the ball speed is also increased off of the face. Aesthetically-speaking, they lost a few points for me but I love the carbon-fibre in the topline which is moderate to moderate-thick. These irons are long and straight some of which is a by-product of the stronger lofts are strong in the KING SPEEDZONE irons (PW is 42.5*). All of the irons are 37.5″ in length, and as mentioned in the past, I am very much a proponent of ONE Length irons. Golfers looking for a new set of irons could do themselves a favor by going with the KING SPEEDZONE ONE Length irons. $799.99 USD (Graphite + $100)