Adams Golf Redline Hybrid Irons Review

Adams Golf has a very robust line of products available for golfers in its 2011 line. While some may consider them best known for their hybrids, Adams appears to have a complete line of golf clubs for almost every type of player out there. The Redline Hybrid Irons are one of their 2011 offerings and they sent them over for a full THP review. In addition to this review, over 50 golfers from the THP forums also had a chance to try them out and you can read their thoughts right here. While researching this set for the review, I did notice that Adams chose to name these ‘Hybrid Irons’, but I feel like that label is a bit misleading. This is a true iron set that happens to come with hybrids if the buyer chooses. The irons themselves are your standard, beefy game improvement set and do not resemble the actual hybrid irons that Adams has included in previous sets like the a70S. I’ve had time to really put these irons through the paces and welcome you to take a moment to read my thoughts.

Information from Adams


From the leader in hybrid iron sets comes a set designed with one goal in mind…distance.

  • We’ve combined our longest-hitting irons with our longest-hitting hybrids to create a customizable set that delivers maximum yardage. Designed with distance as the primary goal, you have the option of choosing which set configuration will best fit their game, including choosing whether to play one, two or three hybrids in combination with the long-hitting irons.

Our Longest Hybrids.

  • By combining a larger hybrid head, an ultra-thin steel face and longer shaft length, the Redline Super Hybrids deliver faster ball speeds and more distance than traditional hybrids. A tri-level sole design reduces turf interference for ease of play from the tee, fairway or rough and 45 grams of mass placed low and back improves forgiveness.

Our Longest Irons.

  • The Redline irons have been engineered to take the best attributes of hybrid design and apply them to the irons in order to increase distance. Mass placed low and back, combined with a thin club face design, creates faster ball speeds and allows shots to fly straighter and longer with maximum forgiveness. A more satisfying feel and sound comes from Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) inserts. Each iron in the Redline set has also been individually optimized to work together and outperform traditional irons. With progressive topline thickness and increased sole camber throughout, each iron is fully integrated with the next to maximize performance.

First Impressions
In my opinion, the Redline irons are not going to win any beauty pageants. They are a bit plain-Jane in appearance when compared to many sets currently on the market. The club head has a satin finish that is a medium gray shade and the cavity has a design that seems a little dated to me. The ‘Velocity Slot’ is something I’ve never seen before, but it doesn’t add or detract to the look of the irons. In hand, the Redlines seemed to have a bit of heft to them and felt quite comfortable to swing. The head is on the larger side, as is to be expected with a game improvement iron, but they are not overly offset from the top. The sole is quite wide like most irons in its class. For this tester, there was a feeling of confidence looking down at the Redline irons. I felt like they were going to be easy to hit well and they appeared to have plenty of built in forgiveness. The only thing I truly didn’t like was the stock grip. While they are quite soft on the hands, I first played the Redlines in the humid conditions of south Florida and they became downright slippery at times.

The Redline hybrids are based off of the Super Hybrid platform that was very successful for Adams. The head is large and almost resembles a fairway wood at address. Some will not love this, but I didn’t mind it at all. The Attas T-2 shaft that comes stock in these hybrids is very sharp looking and it lends some real credibility to the clubs. As for weighting, the Redline hybrids feel pretty heavy in the hand to me. Nothing abnormal, but I’ve been playing a lightweight set up recently, so the added weight was noticeable. In all, I’d say the entire set of Redlines was decent looking, but didn’t really wow me. That said, I’m all about performance and we’ll discuss that next.

Performance
First, let’s talk distance. I’m not a long hitter in any way. In fact, I’m often the shortest hitter when I play in a group, which can be a bit frustrating for the simple fact that I’m hitting a hybrid or middle iron when others are pulling out their scoring irons and wedges. I’ve played and tested quite a few irons this year and the Redlines are as long, or longer, than anything else I’ve hit. Compared to the two sets of irons that have been in my bag this season, they are respectively around 5 and 15 yards longer. No joke. I hit these shockingly far and had a hard time believing what I was seeing at first. The first time I took them out on the course I overshot a flag by 12 yards on a par 3. Ironically, I went to the tee thinking I was under-clubbed. There isn’t much more to say than that. These irons are exceptionally long and I really like it. Forgiveness and playability are both ample, as should be expected with an iron of this type. I found all of the irons very easy to hit and very forgiving on miss hits.

Feel is something that I struggle when writing due to its subjectivity. Nonetheless, people want to know how clubs feel. In my opinion, the Redlines are a very soft sounding/feeling iron. I think much of this has to do with the plastic insert in the cavity. I’d almost call them artificially soft. I am somewhat able to detect miss hits, but there isn’t really any harshness to speak of. Pured shots pretty much feel like hitting nothing at all. They are definitely unique when it comes to feel, though I don’t know if I can really put it into words. I’d suggest taking some swings so you can get an idea of what I’m hearing and feeling.

I tested the Redline 3 and 4 hybrids along with the irons. At setup, they appeared a bit closed to me, but nothing extreme. These hybrids are similar to their iron brothers in that they are really long. The first shot I had on the course with one was a good 15 yards out of the range I normally expect to reach and I got there easily. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very accurate with them and found some trouble along the way. Also, my ball flight wasn’t as high as I would have liked to see. I rely on hybrids for high flight and soft landing and neither were really there for me. One thing to note is that much of the issues I experienced could be directly related to the shaft I tested. It felt a bit firm for my liking and I would like to try these out with a little more flexible shaft. The moral of that story is to give them a try as our experiences could be different depending on your swing.

An interesting thing to note is that the Reline set can be ordered in many different configurations. In fact, when I took a look at the Adams Golf website I counted 37 available combinations including the different left hand and right hand options! You can order one, two, three, or no hybrids along with the irons. If I were to order them directly, I’d personally choose a 5i – GW set up. I think having so many options available is an excellent way to do business and I commend Adams for it.

Final Thoughts
These clubs are not the flashiest I’ve seen on the market this year. In fact, I’d go as far to say that they could be very easy to miss. I would strongly recommend that you don’t make that mistake. The performance that I got from the Redlines easily put them among my favorites in the game improvement category for 2011. The combination of distance, forgiveness, and playability makes them truly exceptional. Not to mention they have a feel that many testers were happily surprised with. While the hybrids were not my favorite, they could very well work for you. Either way, with the options available, you can make a set that really fits your needs. For more information, please check out www.adamsgolf.com. These irons can also be found at great e-tailers like www.blind9golf.com. Thanks again for taking the time to read and best of luck out of the course this year.

Ryan H.

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Ryan Hawk
Editor and writer Ryan Hawk lives in northwestern Illinois with his fiance and son. He's been a writer for The Hackers Paradise for two years and has been involved with a number of THP events.
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