Ben Hogan PTx Pro Forged Irons

[Parrot]

It's awesome to hear more positive thoughts on these irons. For the people who just got them in the latest event, what surprised you the most about them?

The forgiveness. It really blew me away. A couple of shots stick out. One, a 9 from 140-145. I hit it a little heavy on the toe and still got 130-35 out of it. And it stayed on my line. Another was a 7 from 175ish. Again, I hit on the toe. And again the ball came up only a few yards short and online. Amazing forgiveness.

 

[Mmaynard11]

The forgiveness. It really blew me away. A couple of shots stick out. One, a 9 from 140-145. I hit it a little heavy on the toe and still got 130-35 out of it. And it stayed on my line. Another was a 7 from 175ish. Again, I hit on the toe. And again the ball came up only a few yards short and online. Amazing forgiveness.

I think we hear the above comments a lot. Several times I hit it on the toe only to hear myself say, well that didn’t turn out that bad.

 

[Parrot]

Do these spin as much as the original PTx irons? Do you guys have issues playing into a head wind?

Not at all. I don’t recall a shot yesterday into the wind that balloned. The flight is strong and piercing. I played more club into the wind but think I might’ve had a problem if I tried to jump a club. But that is most every iron.

Downwind, I had shots with a 6 or 7 that stopped by their ball marks and shorter clubs that backed up some. Only a couple rolled out some once on the green and they were a little off center.

 

[OhioGolfer]

After watching the boys at the UST event this weekend these irons are on my radar! Might need to find a way to hit one of these pretty darn soon.

I'll be in Fort Worth this weekend if you want to hit them.

 

[PowerThrust]

I'll second everyone's opinion on forgiveness, which is to say the tech stands up. Mishits don't punish you near as much as what you migh expect.

For the price, I'm sure these can't be beat and would go so far as to say in performance that they'd stand toe to toe with any of your major manufacturers, Callaway, Titleist, Taylormade, etc.

They are not bulky at all and extremely pleasing visually, with a classic look, but not so narrow and small to be intimidating at all. I liked them from the moment I saw them, vetted them through some research, and now that I've gamed them, I love them!

 

[Mmaynard11]

N

They are not bulky at all and extremely pleasing visually, with a classic look, but not so narrow and small to be intimidating at all. I liked them from the moment I saw them, vetted them through some research, and now that I've gamed them, I love them!

...and that DBM finish just looks so good in the bag and at set up!

 

[BigDill]

The DBM version of these clubs are just so sleek looking. I was planning on giving myself until Saturday for my elbow to feel a bit better, but I think I am going to hit them at the range tomorrow because I just can't want to hit them again.

 

[GraniteRoost]

So my bag got a pretty dope update this week. The irons performed fantastic in conditions from perfect to saturated, calm to windy. And enabled me to play some great golf. I’ll have more detailed thoughts very soon - for now some eye candy on a Friday morning!

 

[KEV]

I love that combination. Those shafts are ??? and go great with those heads.

 

[Brassie]

If I wanted to order PTx Pro irons but with Recoil 110 Prototype F4 shafts, how do you do that? Since these shafts are not an option on the Hogan website.

 

[LLIB]

If I wanted to order PTx Pro irons but with Recoil 110 Prototype F4 shafts, how do you do that? Since these shafts are not an option on the Hogan website.

you can’t. Those were special order for the graphite challenge. The only way to get them with recoil 110s is to order the irons and then re-shaft them your self

 

[Brassie]

you can’t. Those were special order for the graphite challenge. The only way to get them with recoil 110s is to order the irons and then re-shaft them your self

Awesome

 

[GraniteRoost]

Awesome

From a practical perspective, not the most convenient to reshaft if 110 Protos are your match, BUT, you can still reshaft and be into the set for comparable money to another OEM's off the shelf offering that almost certainly would not have Recoil Proto's in them. So, there is still a good value proposition.

 

[BigDill]

Awesome

I would reach out to Ben Hogan Golf customer service directly. My guess is that for some sort of up-charge, you can make something happen.

 

[Parrot]

I would reach out to Ben Hogan Golf customer service directly. My guess is that for some sort of up-charge, you can make something happen.

This. Definitely worth the ask.

 

[Jrt13]

Oh man, I did not need to see the recoil 110.... got me thinking a reshaft in my future. Love my PTX-pros... so consistent and the traditional lofts still get the ball out there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[djt311]

After playing 2 rounds and 1 range session with these irons I came away impressed. The lofts are a little weaker than what my current gamers are so they are about a half a club shorter but no big issue. The profile of the heads are sharp at address and they have a smaller profile than my current gamers as well and i was a little worried but does not seem to be issue so far. The black finish is awesome looking. I will reiterate a lot of the above statements that the forgiveness is great, i had quite a few toe shots and while they lost some distance they stayed on line with the target. The ball feels great off the face as well. With the new custom shaft combo when you hit a good shot it feels so good. Since I may not get out in MN for another round this year can't wait to get some range time.

 

[Brassie]

From a practical perspective, not the most convenient to reshaft if 110 Protos are your match, BUT, you can still reshaft and be into the set for comparable money to another OEM's off the shelf offering that almost certainly would not have Recoil Proto's in them. So, there is still a good value proposition.

They are the right shaft. Currently in NS Pro 980GH DST’s with low-mid launch, 103 gms, torque 2.4*. I want the same characteristics but less shock to my wrists, forearms, etc.

I also played Hogan irons for 20 yrs and very much like what I see in the PTx Pro’s. If I pull the trigger on those, I want the shaft characteristics I like but with the reduced shock transmitted by the shaft. As of now, I have to take pain killers to play. So you can see my motivation and interest in this. It’s a ***** getting old.

I will call BHG next week when I’m back from Florida and see if they can handle this... or not.

 

[Parrot]

I want the same characteristics but less shock to my wrists, forearms, etc.

The shafts do an amazing job of vibration damping. Before this event, I played KBS C-Tapers. The pain in my hands was awful the mornings after I played. I had the foam inserts installed and that helped some. I played my shafts on Friday and had some hand pain Saturday morning. I only played 2 rounds and hit a few balls (will try to get out this weekend to add more feedback) but I had very little pain in my hands after hitting these Recoils. And some of that can be attributed to the Friday round.

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

If I wanted to order PTx Pro irons but with Recoil 110 Prototype F4 shafts, how do you do that? Since these shafts are not an option on the Hogan website.

I know a guy! ?

 

[GraniteRoost]

GraniteRoost’s PTx Pro THP Experience – ☠ Warning Gratuitous Content ☠

I received a brand new set of PTx Pro irons with Recoil Proto 110’s at The Graphite Challenge with UST Mayima and Ben Hogan. I was really interested to attend this event due to the combination of Recoil graphite shafts which I have wanted to try, and PTx Pro which I have been watching since release. The PTx Pro has a lot of positive reviews here on THP and being a longtime Ben Hogan fan, a chance to try their most modern players iron was something not to be missed.

Tech Talk
The PTx Pro are a thoroughly modern iron head with a whole bunch of technology packed into a classic shape that appeals instantly, and does little to give away what’s inside. I was pleasantly surprised when diving into the specs, that this was not just a standard one piece forged design, but that Ben Hogan offers 300M maraging steel faces, hollow body 4-7i with tungsten weighting, titanium short iron weighting, and a forged 1025 frame throughout the set. That’s a lot of tech! The three-material, co-forged construction in each club is every bit as sophisticated and well executed as iron sets two and three times the price, making the PTx Pro and outstanding value starting at just $600 for 6-PW.

One of the things that stood out was how stoked Tyler Brewton of Ben Hogan was on the design, they put a lot of time into considering how to improve upon the last generation as well as offer the best possible playing club overall. I think a lot of great things are ahead for Ben Hogan based on their passion and great product releases thus far.

Another thing that stood out was how well the PTx Pro worked for both me as a shallow player, and for @BHGtylerb and @PowerThrust who are both opposite being quite steep. I thought the PTx played great in the wet, and Tyler was absolutely carving around the course on Saturday, with some of the sharpest ball striking in the muck I’ve ever seen. Playing with @PowerThrust Sunday, it seemed he too was having great results in more ideal conditions.















On Course
The Palmer – Saturday we played in very wet and at times breezy conditions, making for a great first test of how the PTx would handle a difficult course. My first swing was from a fairway bunker with 7i, and was able to find the sweet spot and picked the ball out clean enough. The Recoils and clubs felt great on the opening holes as I warmed up, and the PTx heads setup really clean and have a very smooth, confidence inspiring feel. The DBM finish is bonkers good, I’ve fallen for it in a big way. Paired with the THP custom Recoils these are one sexy package.

The rest of the day I hit 8i-PW or short wedges, and the short irons were easy to adjust to and played fairly similar to what I was expecting for distance. I was not laser sharp on this day but as testament to the clubs had a great day managing misses while also hitting my fair share of greens. We were flying around at a 3:30 pace, pretty steady rain, blasting through the muck, all while trying to post our adventures to the Live Update thread. It made for an exhilarating first round. In particular, the V-sole really did well enabling clean contact throughout the watery course, and this is a feature I really like about this iron set.

The Champion – On Sunday morning we had the first tee time on course under picture perfect bluebird skies. The course had dried out nicely from the day before, offering a great chance to settle and really open up the bag, so to speak. On the second hole I hit the middle of the green beneath the hole with 9i from the right rough, and from there I was really stoked to be covering the flag the rest of the front nine. The PTx were very easy to settle into, and used the PW, 4i, 8i, and 9i all to setup makeable birdie looks on the front:

PW – Par 3 5th: downwind, great stopping power (on right)

4i approach – Par 5 6th from 215, held drawing line into left-to-right wind

8i approach – Par 4 8th from RH rough


I also had a really pure 6i 2nd on a Par 5, and a miss off the toe with 6i on a Par 3 that ended pin high left, the forgiveness surprised me. On the back I continued to play well, and got really comfortable with what to expect and the ease of use. The scoring irons are consistent and accurate, and the long irons are easy to hit and flight/carry well.

The Recoils and PTx Pro really complement each other in the feel department. A standout aspect is how consistent the head feel of the PTx Pro are throughout the set despite the different constructions, I would go so far as to say you cannot tell blindfolded. Also, how smooth and similar to a one piece forged iron they feel. Combined with the Recoils which hold up great and have fantastic feedback they make for a very crisp setup!

 

[GraniteRoost]

GraniteRoost’s PTx Pro THP Experience (cont'd) - On GC Hawk

Back in NH, and snow blankets the landscape with on course testing exhausted for the year. To round out my introduction, I wanted to get some flight numbers while still fresh. A big thank you to my local shop Golf and Ski Warehouse for great access to new clubs and fitting facilities and being generous with their time! All shots below played with a fresh sleeve of Bridgestone TourB X.

In pitching wedge, PTx Pro is offering more spin than my prior gamers, but similar overall flight and distance. I am seeing a significant amount more spin but peak height that is only 4 feet different, with similar descent angles. I think this points to a playable amount of spin for me, time will tell if it is too much but so far I don’t think so.



Moving to 7i, the PTx are still providing a touch more launch and trajectory to my prior gamers; still with a bit of added spin and a significant 9 feet of peak height. Again very playable for me, and I think it points to this set in particular offering some benefits to those looking for more spin while retaining good trajectory. Contrasted with Mizuno MP20 HMB, there are three ways of getting to quite a similar place, with Z-Forged providing the lowest launch and spin, and PTx providing the highest of each, while HMB gives a combination of characteristics. Dispersion with the PTx is better than it appears on 7i as I forgot to disable a shot that was about 20 yards left that I typically would.



The 4i I was really interested to get measured, as on course I saw some things that made me think it has some great distance potential as well as being playable with respect to easy enough to get the ball up. This proved true, with a perfectly struck shot spinning at 3500 rpm and having tons of ballspeed. It is important to note that the 4-5-6 have ¾” shaft length increments, and this plus the progressively reduced spin make them carry quite well. The 4i plays at the same club length as my Srixon Z U65 utility, and seems to carry even farther. On course the long irons are easy to hit and I look forward to playing them more.



Wrapping up, there are a ton of things to like about these irons form a performance standpoint, and the value and craftsmanship that Ben Hogan builds into the PTx Pro is outstanding. These will be a lot of fun to have in the bag!

 

[JB]

Love the pictures. The contrast of colors is stellar.

 

[Parrot]

Fantastic review, GR!

 

[jbuck31]

Great review, that DBM finish on those clubs is ???