Cleveland Launcher XL Halo Irons

[Grand Stranded]

A combo set of these would be nice. I am told today that my xl halo irons are shipping 10-7 and I ordered them on 9-3. The suspense is killing me. It's kind of weird, the Cleveland rep at the demo day said, they will ship in two weeks. I guess during Covid, everything is delayed. At least, they are not pings taking 4 months.

That’s surprising. You ordered everything stock Senior flex, correct?
If so, they must be seeking a lot of these.

 

[Carolina Golfer]

That’s surprising. You ordered everything stock Senior flex, correct?
If so, they must be seeking a lot of these.

No custom order, Sr flex. Adding plus .50 to the shaft and extra wrap to the grip.

 

[Grand Stranded]

No custom order, Sr flex. Adding plus .50 to the shaft and extra wrap to the grip.

Ah… okay. there’s the reason your orders hold up.

 

[nostatic]

Cousins - both 9i. Will hit the Halo for the first time later today, interested to back-to-back with the ZX7 and then next to G425 hybrid. The experiments continue...

 

[nostatic]

Hit a bucket of balls at the range (grass) swapping back and forth between ZX7 9i, XL Halo 9i, CBX2 48*, G425 7H, and Glide 3.0 Eye2 55*. The direct comparison is the two 9i, the other clubs are gapping experiments as the way I've been hitting the ball I could get away with 7H (35* - 9i - PW (48*) - SW (55*). Some initial observations:

- good strikes with the ZX7 went further than good strikes with the Halo. This surprised me as the Halo is 39*, the ZX7 is 41*. But when I strike the ZX7 well, the results are really quite good.

- bad strikes with the ZX7 (my miss is now consistently toe) didn't go as far as bad strikes with the Halo. This didn't surprise me, as that's the way GI hardware is supposed to work.

- timing was OK with the Halo despite the light shaft

- going by a (somewhat limited) set of swings, I'd say the Halo probably would end up giving a better score as my distance delta with the ZX7 is greater. Just not able to put a good swing on the ball enough of the time, and the Halo bails you out.

So nothing earth shattering or newsworthy - SGI iron works as advertised. As for what goes in the bag next round, need to hit more balls on the range. My swing has gotten a lot better over the last 6 months but not sure how far it can go as I'm on the wrong side of the age curve. I'm totally into the 7H, I have confidence with that. Oddly enough I do with the ZX7 AW as well. It is just that space between the two...

 

[checkered]

These are really interesting clubs. I'm not a fan of the style myself, but I know they work great for a lot of people. I like what they have going here with this line.

 

[Carolina Golfer]

The XL Halo's are in! Exactly two weeks for a custom order. Not bad. Even the two GG sales people were like, "oh wow, these look really good" and "why would anyone want to make the game harder". Photo number two is a comparison between the XL Halo and HB3 of a 6 iron. They are pretty similar actually. But, wanted to go to a Sr shaft and time to upgrade!

 

[nostatic]

I ordered a PW on Monday morning (stock except +3 wraps). Showed up today - I'm only one day by shipping but still, very quick. Will hit it shortly.

 

[Carolina Golfer]

I ordered a PW on Monday morning (stock except +3 wraps). Showed up today - I'm only one day by shipping but still, very quick. Will hit it shortly.

Great! I have high hopes for the PW. In previous gens, the wedges were very clunky.

 

[nostatic]

I never hit the previous gen so I don't have a point of reference. I do have a CBX2 48*, i210 UW, and ZX7s for direct comparison (and had the ZX5s). Today at the range was a bit of a reality check - I've been actively working on my swing since coming off a long-term elbow injury. The good news is the elbows are behaving. The reality check is that despite a coach and deliberate practice, I may have reached "peak swing." I turn 60 this month, and the accumulated moto crashes, bicycle crashes, sport injuries and wear and tear have my body at a point where it'll only do so much. Swimming 5x a week keeps me able to get out of bed in the am and walk without a hunch, but the getting a full and consistent turn? Not so much...

Long preface to saying the Halo PW was very fun and easy to hit. I still love the ZX7s when I make proper contact, but that percentage, while going up over the last months, seems to have peaked and is well under 50%. By contrast, everything struck with the Halo is playable and a majority are good strikes. I can keep the ball low if I need, and it goes plenty high. I will say the sound chipping around the green takes some getting used to, though I'm also fine using my 55* Eye2 grind for much of that. I love the ZX7s, but these may end up in the bag. At some point a man's gotta realize his limitations

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

Seriously pondering a Halo 4 iron?!

 

[Carolina Golfer]

I had my first few swings with these clubs in a brief practice session. Coming from a stiff feeling shaft for the HB3's, these graphite shafts are VERY soft. Plus, I went with the senior shaft. I suspect that made the club even lighter and softer feeling too. There's going to be an adjustment period. As a sr golfer, I am also preparing for the future. I will experiment using a harder compression ball to gain some feel. The well struck balls were very high.

 

[nostatic]

I've got the Cypher in stiff as I've been in between regular and stiff but am shortening my backswing which should lean me more towards stiff. I don't notice it feeling overly light, but going stiff also gets a bit more weight and ymmv.

I agree on good strikes going high. One other thing I've noticed is you certainly can tell a well struck shot from a less-than-perfect shot based on how it feels and sounds. The good news is that the outcome is a less obvious indicator of user error

 

[Grand Stranded]

I played in the first round of a 64 man match play tournament Saturday. It was win or go home, and I didn’t feel comfortable enough yet with the Halos, so I went with the 4&5 Halo irons, but put my old Rogue X 6-AW in the bag with them.
The Halo 5 saved me on the first hole with a punch off pine straw that had to go under very low tree branches from 40 yards away. I was able to punch it within 15 feet, but missed the putt to halve the hole with bogey.
Here’s the thing though… I hit the Rogue X very well, better than I have in a long time. I have to be honest here, they looked and felt better than the Halos.
I took both to the range yesterday, and I decided to stick with the Rogue X. I have no issues with the Halos at all, they are great. The Rogue X have been in my bag for over 4 years however, and my set with Senior shafts is only 3 months old. The comfort factor with them won out.
On a whim, I listed the Halos on eBay this morning for the same price I paid. They sold within an hour. On the one hand I know I’ll be better off playing one set, but yeah, I’m having a bit of seller’s remorse. I’d still recommend the Halos to anyone.

 

[Carolina Golfer]

Second practice session with the halos. Much better, I think it is an adjustment to the whippier senior shaft, which would be an adjustment with any new irons. Compared to the HB3's, these clubs want to go straight. I found the HB3's to be very hook biased. My well struck balls again were high and straight. A nice combo and as advertised. Using a higher compression ball (Ksig) brought some feel to it. Overall, I am heading in the right direction with these.

 

[Carolina Golfer]

I played in the first round of a 64 man match play tournament Saturday. It was win or go home, and I didn’t feel comfortable enough yet with the Halos, so I went with the 4&5 Halo irons, but put my old Rogue X 6-AW in the bag with them.
The Halo 5 saved me on the first hole with a punch off pine straw that had to go under very low tree branches from 40 yards away. I was able to punch it within 15 feet, but missed the putt to halve the hole with bogey.
Here’s the thing though… I hit the Rogue X very well, better than I have in a long time. I have to be honest here, they looked and felt better than the Halos.
I took both to the range yesterday, and I decided to stick with the Rogue X. I have no issues with the Halos at all, they are great. The Rogue X have been in my bag for over 4 years however, and my set with Senior shafts is only 3 months old. The comfort factor with them won out.
On a whim, I listed the Halos on eBay this morning for the same price I paid. They sold within an hour. On the one hand I know I’ll be better off playing one set, but yeah, I’m having a bit of seller’s remorse. I’d still recommend the Halos to anyone.

What don't you like about the Halos? I suspect there's a huge difference in feel from a traditional iron. It took me several months to adjust to the hybrid irons. Next week, I am playing in Vegas and hope to use a Rogue rental set. I haven't used a traditional iron in 12 years. This should be interesting.

 

[Grand Stranded]

What don't you like about the Halos? I suspect there's a huge difference in feel from a traditional iron. It took me several months to adjust to the hybrid irons. Next week, I am playing in Vegas and hope to use a Rogue rental set. I haven't used a traditional iron in 12 years. This should be interesting.

There were no major issues with the Halos at all.
When I had my match on Saturday though, I just had a feeling the Rogue X would give me a better chance to win, and that was telling. If I had traded in or sold the Rogue X, I’d gladly have kept and played the Halos.
It came down to two sets I like very much, but they are both completely different(?) so it didn’t make sense to keep both and go back and forth, I had to pick one.
I’m a tough sell with new irons. I rarely play a fun round of golf. It’s either league or tournament play, so if the new clubs aren’t a lot better right away than what I’m playing, they’re gone.
I’ve played these irons for over 4 years now. This July I bought a new replacement set with Senior flex, so they’re basically new. Are they perfect? No, if they were, I wouldn’t be trying other sets, but when you have a set you feel comfortable with it is hard to give them up.

 

[taylor310@gmail]

I currently have a graphite stiff hb turbo set and am seriously looking at these. I'm not sure about the cypher shaft though. May try and see if I could get the catalyst from the non halo launcher xl or do a custom order with recoil 95. I've always played steel and definitely have a tendency to get quick. I feel like the extra weight would help me out.

 

[BigTreble]

Thanks for the video review.

as someone who is returning to the game after a long time off and is still learning new golf technology. How do the rails maintain speed or as I’ve seen other OE claim increases speed? I get the drag thing as your club head contacts the ground, but if you hit the little ball first, that should be irrelevant isn’t it?

 

[JB]

Thanks for the video review.

as someone who is returning to the game after a long time off and is still learning new golf technology. How do the rails maintain speed or as I’ve seen other OE claim increases speed? I get the drag thing as your club head contacts the ground, but if you hit the little ball first, that should be irrelevant isn’t it?

As a person enters the turf with the sole, speed is lost due to hitting an object. Rails are designed to glide through that, no pun intended, similar to skis. Its exceptionally helpful for those that hit ground before ball.

 

[BigTreble]

As a person enters the turf with the sole, speed is lost due to hitting an object. Rails are designed to glide through that, no pun intended, similar to skis. Its exceptionally helpful for those that hit ground before ball.

ok it’s like a safe guard for us struggling guys lol

years ago I had a persimmon 5w with a turf sole the shape of an old fiberglass boat and that thing was awesome for ball striking abilities. Made those poor ball strikes come off the face very nicely

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

Saw the Halo irons in person today!

 

[Shepx13]

I think I’m going to order a single club as an experiment against my cobras. For those of you who have hit these or bought them, did you go with the standard set up with the counter balanced grip or the shorter accuracy set? Steel or graphite?

 

[Carolina Golfer]

I think I’m going to order a single club as an experiment against my cobras. For those of you who have hit these or bought them, did you go with the standard set up with the counter balanced grip or the shorter accuracy set? Steel or graphite?

I added a half inch to the shaft length. I assume it kept the counter balanced weight. Went with the Sr graphite.

 

[Carolina Golfer]

ok it’s like a safe guard for us struggling guys lol

years ago I had a persimmon 5w with a turf sole the shape of an old fiberglass boat and that thing was awesome for ball striking abilities. Made those poor ball strikes come off the face very nicely

Today, while practicing, I just swung the club. It worked very nicely. So, I believe the rails were working well. Also, the PW is awesome on chips, same thing - just swing. There was no hook bias on full swings. I experienced a straight ball or slight fade (user error). I can see these working well for a beginner (I would tell them, just let the clubhead swing) and higher handicap experienced golfers, too.