erock9174
Well-known member
Just got them today. Only one range sesh in, but initial impressions:Some of these things are not like the others! How do you like the irons?
Looks/Aesthetics -
Down by the ball I really like them. I have played the G425 or G430 irons for the better part of 3 seasons and they look fine to me from the 8i down on which is in that 3mm range. The 6i and 7i though has always given me fits when lining up to the ball as they are in the 4-5mm range.
The 6i on the Smoke HL is 4.1mm and 7i is 3.4mm which is fine on both.
Topline is fine, not too wide, not too thin. Just right for the class of iron it falls into.
Sole is 1" wide which falls in line with most GI irons out there.
The only knock I have is the chrome finish Callaway uses. I am just not a chrome guy. To me it cheapens the look of the iron.
When I got them into the bag, I was kind of underwhelmed with the bag appeal. They kinda reminded me of those new Launcher Max irons at a quick glance. Maybe its the blue font.
Performance -
I bought these mainly because I like the stock shaft option 85g Elevate. As an on again off again steel or graphite guy I have always felt that graphite shafts in that 70-90g range lacks the kick i prefer to feel in a shaft. Yet whenever I have tried or gamed 80-85g steel shafts I tend to hit the irons well. The Elevates definitely has a pronounced 'kick" through the ball and I liked the nice and high ball flight. Also I like to turn the ball over and this combo did that with ease.
One area I thought these do an exceptional job with is the low groove thin strike. The ball flew higher than it should have. So props there.
Sound/Feel - For a cavity back club it did a decent job on sound and feel. A soft click is how I would describe it. When you centered it up it definitely had a more pleasing feel than when caught toe or heel side.
Definitely looking forward to getting them on the course.
Tonight I will measure Swing weight and loft to see how Callaway did there on the build.
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