dmeeksDC

Not a thing wrong with Speeders. The Evolution series delivers great performance, better feel than Ventus IMO. Ventus are top-notch, no doubt, but it’s not like they’re superior to Speeder, they’re just a different profile, more “advanced” materials, etc. Have a Speeder Evolution TR 661 in a TM driver and an Evolution VI 757 in a Qi35 3 wood. They’re outstanding, much better than the stock shafts they replaced. Still a good market for them for those who like Fuji shafts with a more classic feel. I know a few dealers who carry them and they still sell.

I honestly cannot remember but if you had asked me I would have said the 480TC sole was ever so slightly thinner. I am sure they are close. The 702CB+ is quite thin-looking, though, maybe looks skinnier because the blade length is a touch longer. I have noticed it is thinner soled with a thinner top line than many OEM irons. It’s a really nice iron. Pretty surprisingly good on thin hits. To me it has dimensions and depth that work great, less bulky than what is usually seen in a mid-sized iron.

Many have probably seen this, but the Plugged in Golf review on the 702CB+ is on the money. Exactly my experience with these irons. And I agree with the reviewer that these are more of a forgiving players iron than a players distance club. The new X Forged heads released by Callaway are nice, but they’ve got nothing on the New Level 702s, which IMO are a little easier to play with a low CG and small tungsten plug in the toe of the sole. The 702CB+ is also considerably sleeker than the X Forged Max. https://pluggedingolf.com/new-level-702-irons-review/

To me it depends on the head. The deeper the CG, the more weight I need for it to feel right to me. I had the Tour head and at 34 inches that one comes with 6g stock weights. I ordered it with 10g weights and it was perfect. Might be different with the V or Z heads. I don’t know how heavy the weights come in but that is certainly a key to dialing these in. And it is very individual. Scheffler has his head playing at 340g!

I have the core qi35 3 wood and I cannot recall the last time I liked a 3 wood as much. Versatile and very playable. Definitely try the core 7 wood. Maybe try the Elyte Triple Diamond 7 wood. But for you on ball flight an adjustable 7 wood might make a key difference. Might also want to look at the Srixon Zxi 7 wood. Gets rave reviews. All titanium head, adjustable hosel.

There’s just a little tech in the King Tours, which is what I love about them. They’re also mid-sized, not too compact. Really a nice iron. Feel great, look great. The New Level 702CB+ is an iron that in size and feel reminds me of them. Not much “tech.” It has a milled slot to produce a lower CG and more perimeter weighting and a tungsten plug in the toe for CG and MOI. Head is single billet 1020 carbon steel. Rolled leading edge.

I’ll take a few photos next time I play. They stop almost dead in their tracks. On Sunday I was seeing ball marks less than a foot from the ball to just a few feet. Now, I did I order my set all bent 1 degree weak. Felt like I’d still get plenty of distance and I do. They’re still long. Swing a 7 iron at 84-85 mph.

If you’re used to a blade I would recommend trying the Spider heads with the more weight-forward design, the V and the Z. I think Shane Lowry uses on of those. They’re not all the same and the weight is adjustable. Can also get a firmer aluminum face. Personally I enjoy the stock face. Puts a great roll on the ball. Some blade users do not adapt well to back-weighted mallets or a deep CG feel. This lineup gives you options. This is from Today’s Golfer:

Spot on. If a player is looking for forged feel, as in 1020 carbon steel, I don’t think the ai150 feels like that. I also have the NL 702CB+ — tremendous irons which to me are like a more forgiving X Forged — and the ai150 does not have that “pure” feel. Having both I have hit them side by side a few times and they all work for me. I think the ai200 feels good too, maybe a touch softer than the ai150. The 702CB+ is about as forgiving a one-piece forged iron as you’ll find, but the ai150 is more forgiving. The New Level feel is as good as I have experienced. There always are tradeoffs. The ai150 does have a satisfying feel IMO. For the high-tech iron that it is, Callaway’s formula with the microspheres works well. And without a doubt it shines on mishit performance. Some poor swings I’ve had produced mishits with more of a thud sound, but the shot results are fine, better than I deserve. Really good on thin contact, a big difference there. The short irons feel closer to the TCB to me, but not quite the same.

Well, I got to see the X Forged Max irons and you sir are correct. Beautiful irons. They’re a lot more like a player’s iron than the DCB. The X Forged Max do have deep cavities but they also look pretty compact. Larger than the X Forged but not a lot larger, clearly smaller than the ai200. I bet the X Forged Max get some play on pro tours, they look much closer to the Srixon Zxi7 in proportions than I realized. I would say they are also like a Bridgestone J15CB or Tour B CB, and that is high praise IMO. It’s quite an interesting model for Callaway to come out with. Be sure to post updates on how they play.

There’s no doubt the X Forged will be more forgiving than the Cobra MB for the vast majority of players. A little more room to miss, a little more help with the sole design.

Played my first full round with the ai150s today and they are legit. Enjoyed them a lot. Very consistent shots. They perform like a player’s iron with additional and noticeable forgiveness, definitely more than a standard cavity back. Can report that toe side misses turned out like I didn’t really miss it. On a 169-yard par 3, missed a 7 iron about a half-ball toward the toe and it still flew well, made the green, about 15 feet from the hole. That shot impressed me. This course was short so I hit a lot of pitching and gap wedges and they are both easy to play and can be flighted down. Plenty of stopping power, Mine are bent 1 degree weak, PX Rifle 5.5 shafts. Really like the set gap wedge. They feel great. How to describe it will vary by the player but “soft solid” is how I’d describe it. They don’t feel exactly like my New Levels, which are 1020 carbon steel and set a high standard, but they feel very good on their own. You can tell there is a softness behind the face. I would call the feel sort of in between a PXG P iron and something like the Ping i210, but I’d place it closer to the PXG. To me there are two categories of feel — I like it or I don’t and I like the feel of these. Definitely softer than recent iterations of the Apex. I like the microspheres, on quality shots they feel quite satisfying to me. Best comparison I can make would be the ai150 is a sleeker Zxi5-type iron. Just as forgiving, a little more compact package. Nothing but positives about the on-course performance, the soles are smooth through the turf. There’s a real comfort zone with them, perform similar to Apex Pro but I think they are a notch more forgiving.

The TE+ is a nice choice. I have not played that one but I have played the TS3. Update us on what you think. I am into these kinds of clubs. Forgiveness is a term used broadly these days and has come to mean which iron provides a decent result no matter how horrible or erratic or non-repeatable the player’s swing is. A lot of golfers don’t need all that. OP is looking for forgiveness AND spin and shouldn’t underestimate forged irons, depending on the design. TS3 has a low CG, a generous blade length and solid MOi. For many, many golfers these will play as well as the multi-material heads and in fact for me these designs have been a little better in terms of preserving spin on middled shots hit a little thin. Get that nice hop and stop on that miss. A lot of the high-tech clubs will save ball speed on those, but not so good on saving spin. I have learned the hard way that over the green at most courses goes from bad to worse in a hurry. Another one I’d look at is the New Level 702CB+. A 1020 forged iron with a tungsten plug in the toe sole, a beveled leading edge and low CG. Same thing. Super easy to hit. Really feels great, produces nice shots on toe-side misses and thin shots. That’s all I need. I’m playing these. The 8-PW are trusted weapons. Dart throwers. The new Callaway X Forged Max could be a possibility. Haven’t hit that one yet. If a player is literally all over the face, maybe they need full tech help. But if you know your miss, there are options.

That’s a nice one. That was a good model year. GLWS.

Who knows if it would work but I like the thinking! Put the onus on the market to make it happen. Maybe even use crowd sourcing to determine which irons get made left-handed. I agree the entire lineup is not likely to happen.