Golf Industry Online Equipment Reviews

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Iron-Woods/Driving Irons Hit the Market in a Big Way.

By: Dr. Barry Lotz

Every golfer knows this feeling: you're in the middle of the fairway, 200 yards from the pin, and the approach to the green leaves no room for error. There are usually 3 options available: Take your 3 wood and risk the shot going wide, use your 2 Iron for distance and totally miss hit the iron because you cannot hit a long iron consistently well, or lay up short and sacrifice a stroke?

This dilemma is at the heart of the development of a new breed of high tech utility clubs, aptly named "ironwoods" which one maker prophetically calls the "Rescue Wood". Designed to give both distance and accuracy, the new ironwoods are also substantially easier to hit than long irons and woods and can take a dozen strokes off your score rapidly.

We tested the following clubs described below, using 24 testers, 8 of which were teaching professionals:

The PRGR200i, the Taylor Made Rescue Wood, the Alien Driving Iron, the Tour Edge Lift Off Iron-Wood, the Controller and the Tony Penna Boss Driving Iron.

What makes these clubs special is their weight and material composition. The more expensive of these clubs are designed with titanium heads and/or tungsten inserts. These clubs usually have bottom weighted design and feature lofts from 14° to 24°. They use their weight advantage to get the ball airborne and drive it further, with greater accuracy than a wood.

Titanium has a more responsive feel than steel, and the ball rockets off the face of those clubs that do make use of titanium.

The premier ironwood club, and if price is not a major concern, the one favored by most touring pros, teaching pros and low to mid handicappers, is the PRGR 200i. This handsomely designed and outstanding driving iron is cast from titanium, has tungsten inserts, and is rated an excellent club for both tee and fairway. It consistently attained 200-yard distances from both the fairway and light rough. The responsiveness, the solid feel, the sleek appearance and the beautiful ball trajectory were the most frequent comments from all 24 testers, especially the 8 teaching pros. Lofts are either 17° or 19°. Expect to pay up to $369 when you can find one, as distribution is limited.

Close behind the PRGR200i in price and material composition is the Taylor Made Rescue Wood, featuring a design that puts 75% of the club's weight below the center of the ball. The club's claim to fame is primarily its ease of use out of the rough. However, the majority of the testers (95%) overwhelmingly chose the PRGR 200i over the Taylor Made Rescue Wood. The Rescue Wood comes in lofts of 15°, 18°, 21° and 24 °, uses titanium for maximum control, and has a list price of $299.

After the higher end clubs are those using steel and/or tungsten inserts. They are the Alien Driving Iron, the Tour Edge Lift Off Iron-Wood, the Tommy Penna Boss and the "Controller" driving iron.

The Alien Ultimate Driving Iron was overall the second best club of those tested, but in the price category, was overwhelmingly the choice of all the testers. The Alien Ultimate Driving Iron is a modestly priced entrant that utilizes steel and an insert called the Tutch Chamber, designed to stabilize off-center shots. Street prices average $120 for this iron, and it is available in lofts of 14°, 16° and 18°. Graphite and Steel shafts are available with graphite being slightly more expensive. It is an excellent all-purpose driving iron especially off the tee and very reliable off the fairway.

The Tour Edge Lift Off was as highly rated as the Alien had a slightly better ball trajectory, but the visual aspect of the club, both of the head and shaft color schemes, drew negative comments from 20 of the 24 testers. Steel shafts sell for $119 and Graphite for $149.

Also tested were the Tony Penna " BOSS" driving iron, available in 16.5°, and the heavily advertised NGC Golf's " Controller Driving Iron". The "Controller" is available in 12.5° and 17° lofts and is the least expensive of all the ironwoods with Steel at $90 and Graphite at $119.00. The Taylor Made Rescue Wood, though more expensive, was preferred over both the "controller" and the "Boss".

All of these driving irons are easier to hit than 2 or 3 irons and generally will be easier to handle than woods. As mentioned previously, all offer a choice of steel or graphite shafts and are designed with the needs of the mid-to-higher handicap golfer in mind.

Based on all our testing criteria, the PRGR200i was favored most of all the ironwoods. For those who do not want to spend the money for the PRGR, both the Alien Driving Iron and Tour Edge are excellent choices.

Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America and a contributing writer to numerous national magazines. He can be reached at www.pgtaa.com