Ben Hogan ICON Irons

[Jman]

That is honestly a tricky one. Very very similar to my eye. Going off of what I see on course, I'd give the PTx Pro a touch more initial launch angle and maybe even spin too. Maybe a fraction of a degree and a couple hundred rpm. Both reach similar peak heights, I think the ICON might get there a touch flatter and stronger. I may even carry a ICON couple yards further. I have hit some towering shots with both, and that muddies the issue.

I've never actually hit them on the same hole on the same day, or on a LM together. I should probably do that . I've been carrying either one set or the other on course.

More spin out of the Pro’s than the ICON’s? That is really interesting.

 

[GraniteRoost]

The DBM finish on my ICON's shows virtually no bag chatter after ~8 rounds, 2 walking and 6 riding. I feel like chrome irons I have played would have more love marks by now. I mean, almost literally chatter free, for any practical purpose. I'm kind of amazed. They look brand new.

 

[GraniteRoost]

More spin out of the Pro’s than the ICON’s? That is really interesting.

I've not been on a LM with the ICON, but going off of eye here. I could be wrong. I've hit the PTx on a LM and I know they spin a fair amount, medium-high for me, and more than for example my gamers from the last few seasons. I'm just not sure the ICON are actually spinning more. It's close I think. ICON stopping power is quite good.

 

[KEV]

And that is all it takes to swap in the ICON's for next round. Really twisted my arm there .

I should mention it is really easy to swap between the PTx Pro and ICON. Plug and play, I am pretty much playing to the same distances with either set.

How do you feel the forgiveness is between the two?

 

[GraniteRoost]

How do you feel the forgiveness is between the two?

PTx Pro is the easy choice here. When the ICON start to get sharp in their feedback and results, the PTx still has a measure of OK-ness, that extends a little further. You can get away with more. On a good day if I am hitting the ball well enough, I won't notice or regret any forgiveness difference. On a bad day, it is more noticeable as the clubs get longer. For me, there is not much functional difference in the short irons, they are both easy to play. I adore the precision of the ICONs in general, especially the short irons.

All this banter has me wanting to hit up a LM to get some data on the topic.

 

[jin_xianjun]

The DBM finish on my ICON's shows virtually no bag chatter after ~8 rounds, 2 walking and 6 riding. I feel like chrome irons I have played would have more love marks by now. I mean, almost literally chatter free, for any practical purpose. I'm kind of amazed. They look brand new.

View attachment 8956155View attachment 8956156View attachment 8956157

Glad to see this. I got sellers remorse as soon I got payment of my combo set. So when @MSEASU put his DBM Icons up, i jumped on it.

Its out to get reshafted. Installing the PX blackout shafts. Similar ferrules by BB&F. This entire wait is just killing me.

 

[GraniteRoost]

Glad to see this. I got sellers remorse as soon I got payment of my combo set. So when @MSEASU put his DBM Icons up, i jumped on it.

Its out to get reshafted. Installing the PX blackout shafts. Similar ferrules by BB&F. This entire wait is just killing me.

I was wondering who picked those up. Blackout shafts will look great.

 

[ddec]

The DBM finish on my ICON's shows virtually no bag chatter after ~8 rounds, 2 walking and 6 riding. I feel like chrome irons I have played would have more love marks by now. I mean, almost literally chatter free, for any practical purpose. I'm kind of amazed. They look brand new.

View attachment 8956155View attachment 8956156View attachment 8956157

The finish holds so well doesn't it?

 

[GraniteRoost]

The question of ball flight differences got my gears turning. Latent curiosity is a *****. The only answer was a good ol' fashioned:

Bag Battle – PTx Pro vs. ICON
I stopped by my local golf store, Golf and Ski Warehouse, who were kind enough to lend me some time on GC Hawk. After hitting ZipCore wedges for a while, no one was waiting so I dove into testing some irons. Golf ball is a brand new 2020 Bridgestone TourB X.

Pitching Wedge
The set below were all struck pretty solid, except the 2nd shot with the ICON was a touch fat and lost some ball speed and spin, and the first three with PTx Pro I could have swung harder. I make no account of my 105-107 mph ICON’s @ 135yds carry, other than I get really comfy with the ICON PW in hand and things start grooving . The feedback and ball flight is SO nice, there is a purity to it I can’t get enough of.

Pretty similar overall patterns, I was striking the ICON’s better overall and the peak height and descent IMO reflect this. If you drop the fat miss 2nd shot @ 8000 rpm out of the ICON set, spin would be 9549 PTx Pro vs. 9580 ICON, functionally identical. Overall performance and feel either is a gamer but the ICON has the extra blade feel, that "je ne sais quoi". Seriously, the feedback on center is direct, linear, and pure. Others will enjoy the extra forgiveness of the PTx Pro, which still feel great by any measure.



7-iron
The results I got with 7i today have taken me somewhat aback. I commented that I thought the PTx Pro might be spinning more, and I was kind of referring to the 6i through PW in my original comment. Well, I got more than I bargained for. I have a full 900 rpm more on 7i today . Similar ball speeds, a little more launch and carry with the ICON’s, near identical peak height and descent.



For reference, I tested the PTx Pro when I first got home from The Graphite Challenge last November, and got a more typical ~6200 number, and the mid-5000’s on the Z-Forged and HMB are historically normal for me. I honestly don’t know where the extra 1k rpm snuck in. I'm probably hitting shallower, but I'm not a stranger to 20* launch with a 7i either. Hmmmm.



Both of these 7i are very playable for me, and I have no trouble with solid contact. Which brings up…

4-iron
This is where the PTx Pro really separate from the ICON for me. There is just so much more forgiveness and confidence at hand. I honestly will struggle with the ICON 4i for consistency, but I don’t have many whims about the PTx Pro 4i, I look forward to it. What is not shown in the data was how many more pure throwaways there were with the ICON, because I wanted to show what the clubs are capable of more so than what I am not!

First off, check out the 141mph ball speed on the first shot with PTx Pro . Man, I love that club. I was not able to hit one as purely with the ICON today. Second, overall distance is similar, but in real play I am more consistent with the PTx Pro and the ball speeds and carry would show it.

I mixed a couple more high fades into the ICON set and that has brought the launch and spin averages up a little. There are also two shots in the middle of the PTx Pro set that were not hit all that squarely (heavy) and the spin and peak height got knocked off those. My gut feel from the course is that the PTx Pro have a touch less spin in the 4i spot, and more raw distance capability. I have always thought the PTx Pro did a great job progressively bringing spin down in the long irons, I love them for that. Retaining that spin and control in the ICON makes sense. Both play really nice, but I would choose the PTx Pro for any round that mattered, purely based on my skill level. I mean, a 35 yard peak height with either 4i off the deck is a GAS, and both do what they should for their intended player.

 

[KEV]

The question of ball flight differences got my gears turning. Latent curiosity is a *****. The only answer was a good ol' fashioned:

Bag Battle – PTx Pro vs. ICON
I stopped by my local golf store, Golf and Ski Warehouse, who were kind enough to lend me some time on GC Hawk. After hitting ZipCore wedges for a while, no one was waiting so I dove into testing some irons. Golf ball is a brand new 2020 Bridgestone TourB X.

Pitching Wedge
The set below were all struck pretty solid, except the 2nd shot with the ICON was a touch fat and lost some ball speed and spin, and the first three with PTx Pro I could have swung harder. I make no account of my 105-107 mph ICON’s @ 135yds carry, other than I get really comfy with the ICON PW in hand and things start grooving . The feedback and ball flight is SO nice, there is a purity to it I can’t get enough of.

Pretty similar overall patterns, I was striking the ICON’s better overall and the peak height and descent IMO reflect this. If you drop the fat miss 2nd shot @ 8000 rpm out of the ICON set, spin would be 9549 PTx Pro vs. 9580 ICON, functionally identical. Overall performance and feel either is a gamer but the ICON has the extra blade feel, that "je ne sais quoi". Seriously, the feedback on center is direct, linear, and pure. Others will enjoy the extra forgiveness of the PTx Pro, which still feel great by any measure.

View attachment 8956308

7-iron
The results I got with 7i today have taken me somewhat aback. I commented that I thought the PTx Pro might be spinning more, and I was kind of referring to the 6i through PW in my original comment. Well, I got more than I bargained for. I have a full 900 rpm more on 7i today . Similar ball speeds, a little more launch and carry with the ICON’s, near identical peak height and descent.

View attachment 8956309

For reference, I tested the PTx Pro when I first got home from The Graphite Challenge last November, and got a more typical ~6200 number, and the mid-5000’s on the Z-Forged and HMB are historically normal for me. I honestly don’t know where the extra 1k rpm snuck in. I'm probably hitting shallower, but I'm not a stranger to 20* launch with a 7i either. Hmmmm.

View attachment 8956311

Both of these 7i are very playable for me, and I have no trouble with solid contact. Which brings up…

4-iron
This is where the PTx Pro really separate from the ICON for me. There is just so much more forgiveness and confidence at hand. I honestly will struggle with the ICON 4i for consistency, but I don’t have many whims about the PTx Pro 4i, I look forward to it. What is not shown in the data was how many more pure throwaways there were with the ICON, because I wanted to show what the clubs are capable of more so than what I am not!

First off, check out the 141mph ball speed on the first shot with PTx Pro . Man, I love that club. I was not able to hit one as purely with the ICON today. Second, overall distance is similar, but in real play I am more consistent with the PTx Pro and the ball speeds and carry would show it.

I mixed a couple more high fades into the ICON set and that has brought the launch and spin averages up a little. There are also two shots in the middle of the PTx Pro set that were not hit all that squarely (heavy) and the spin and peak height got knocked off those. My gut feel from the course is that the PTx Pro have a touch less spin in the 4i spot, and more raw distance capability. I have always thought the PTx Pro did a great job progressively bringing spin down in the long irons, I love them for that. Retaining that spin and control in the ICON makes sense. Both play really nice, but I would choose the PTx Pro for any round that mattered, purely based on my skill level. I mean, a 35 yard peak height with either 4i off the deck is a GAS, and both do what they should for their intended player.

View attachment 8956312

Really well done! It surprises the heck out of me that you see more spin with the PTx Pro. I saw a ton of spin with the original PTx but I would expect that result in this comparison. Are you using the same shaft in each?

 

[GraniteRoost]

Really well done! It surprises the heck out of me that you see more spin with the PTx Pro. I saw a ton of spin with the original PTx but I would expect that result in this comparison. Are you using the same shaft in each?

Custom THP Recoil 110 Proto F4 in the PTx Pro. Tour V 110S in the ICON's. I'm shocked honesty. Shaft could be some of it, but the change in results from last fall is pretty dramatic. I don't feel like I'm hitting it that differently.

 

[GraniteRoost]

Look how freaking consistent that ICON 7i is. Exactly the sort a reason a golfer might choose a blade...

 

[KEV]

Look how freaking consistent that ICON 7i is. Exactly the sort a reason a golfer might choose a blade...

View attachment 8956322

The consistency is ridiculous with these things. I know exactly what to expect every time. Well as long as the jackwagon swinging the club does his part .

 

[GraniteRoost]

The consistency is ridiculous with these things. I know exactly what to expect every time. Well as long as the jackwagon swinging the club does his part .

Truth!

 

[GraniteRoost]

Bumping this for the daytime crowd. ICON's are headed out in about 3 hours to play the most difficult course in my rotation, for the first time this season. Good times ahead.

The question of ball flight differences got my gears turning. Latent curiosity is a *****. The only answer was a good ol' fashioned:

Bag Battle – PTx Pro vs. ICON
I stopped by my local golf store, Golf and Ski Warehouse, who were kind enough to lend me some time on GC Hawk. After hitting ZipCore wedges for a while, no one was waiting so I dove into testing some irons. Golf ball is a brand new 2020 Bridgestone TourB X.

Pitching Wedge
The set below were all struck pretty solid, except the 2nd shot with the ICON was a touch fat and lost some ball speed and spin, and the first three with PTx Pro I could have swung harder. I make no account of my 105-107 mph ICON’s @ 135yds carry, other than I get really comfy with the ICON PW in hand and things start grooving . The feedback and ball flight is SO nice, there is a purity to it I can’t get enough of.

Pretty similar overall patterns, I was striking the ICON’s better overall and the peak height and descent IMO reflect this. If you drop the fat miss 2nd shot @ 8000 rpm out of the ICON set, spin would be 9549 PTx Pro vs. 9580 ICON, functionally identical. Overall performance and feel either is a gamer but the ICON has the extra blade feel, that "je ne sais quoi". Seriously, the feedback on center is direct, linear, and pure. Others will enjoy the extra forgiveness of the PTx Pro, which still feel great by any measure.

View attachment 8956308

7-iron
The results I got with 7i today have taken me somewhat aback. I commented that I thought the PTx Pro might be spinning more, and I was kind of referring to the 6i through PW in my original comment. Well, I got more than I bargained for. I have a full 900 rpm more on 7i today . Similar ball speeds, a little more launch and carry with the ICON’s, near identical peak height and descent.

View attachment 8956309

For reference, I tested the PTx Pro when I first got home from The Graphite Challenge last November, and got a more typical ~6200 number, and the mid-5000’s on the Z-Forged and HMB are historically normal for me. I honestly don’t know where the extra 1k rpm snuck in. I'm probably hitting shallower, but I'm not a stranger to 20* launch with a 7i either. Hmmmm.

View attachment 8956311

Both of these 7i are very playable for me, and I have no trouble with solid contact. Which brings up…

4-iron
This is where the PTx Pro really separate from the ICON for me. There is just so much more forgiveness and confidence at hand. I honestly will struggle with the ICON 4i for consistency, but I don’t have many whims about the PTx Pro 4i, I look forward to it. What is not shown in the data was how many more pure throwaways there were with the ICON, because I wanted to show what the clubs are capable of more so than what I am not!

First off, check out the 141mph ball speed on the first shot with PTx Pro . Man, I love that club. I was not able to hit one as purely with the ICON today. Second, overall distance is similar, but in real play I am more consistent with the PTx Pro and the ball speeds and carry would show it.

I mixed a couple more high fades into the ICON set and that has brought the launch and spin averages up a little. There are also two shots in the middle of the PTx Pro set that were not hit all that squarely (heavy) and the spin and peak height got knocked off those. My gut feel from the course is that the PTx Pro have a touch less spin in the 4i spot, and more raw distance capability. I have always thought the PTx Pro did a great job progressively bringing spin down in the long irons, I love them for that. Retaining that spin and control in the ICON makes sense. Both play really nice, but I would choose the PTx Pro for any round that mattered, purely based on my skill level. I mean, a 35 yard peak height with either 4i off the deck is a GAS, and both do what they should for their intended player.

View attachment 8956312

 

[KEV]

Bumping this for the daytime crowd. ICON's are headed out in about 3 hours to play the most difficult course in my rotation, for the first time this season. Good times ahead.

Good luck man. Hopefully these shine for you.

 

[Templet0n]

Every day... I consider more and more a full set of icons..

 

[pinseeker]

Every day... I consider more and more a full set of icons..

I went with the set of ICON Blacks but after seeing the satin finish, I wished I had gone that route. But now since I have decided to add the UiHi 3 in satin, It will stand out so I will know exactly what club I am grabbing. The new iron should be here Saturday.

 

[Templet0n]

I went with the set of ICON Blacks but after seeing the satin finish, I wished I had gone that route. But now since I have decided to add the UiHi 3 in satin, It will stand out so I will know exactly what club I am grabbing. The new iron should be here Saturday.

I would totally get the blacks..

 

[pinseeker]

I would totally get the blacks..

yes, but currently there is no option to expand the set by adding the UiHI's as they do not have a black option.

 

[Templet0n]

yes, but currently there is no option to expand the set by adding the UiHI's as they do not have a black option.

Yeah, I understand and I am ok with that.

 

[GraniteRoost]

PW Stoppie. 120 yds from the shadows in the right rough. Solid safe shot with wind into and right to left blowing balls toward the pond.

Tropical Storm Isaias passed through yesterday greens are soft.

 

[MSEASU]

Having owned black and chrome, I prefer the black.

 

[GraniteRoost]

Gorgeous cut 4i from 208 riding a strong cut downwind. Medium height, almost held the green pitch mark lower right. Lovely.

That was to get on in 4 and save 6. +8 after six and three doubles so far. Golf is windy and hard right now.

 

[ddec]

my swing was feeling above average tonight while in the yard so I recorded some shots with the 4 iron while doing some ball testing. Here are the distance results from 10 straight swings with the ICON 4 iron, a club that on the course I would try to push 195-200 yards with the high end being on tee shots.

201
194
182
178
192
188
200
179
202
190

Yup there are some misses in there, but crap, that averages out at 191. For a guy like me who has HATED long irons for quite some time, this was kind of fun. Peak height you ask? 33 yards. What about spin? 3691.