New release season in the world of golf always offers up some different finishes for irons and wedges. The dark finishes always seem to catch the eyes of THPers and we thought we would ask why?
What is it about the dark finish that draws you in?

New release season in the world of golf always offers up some different finishes for irons and wedges. The dark finishes always seem to catch the eyes of THPers and we thought we would ask why?
What is it about the dark finish that draws you in?
They look great and my Cobras still look great. The finish really holds up after 3 months of desert golf.
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I gotta be honest, I don’t really like the black look for irons. I can understand wanting to limit glare, but I feel like that’s way more important on a putter than on an iron. To me they just feel a little bit try-hard, kind of like when I see someone wearing a black glove. But to each their own!
completely agree. Black finishes or blue like Mizuno look amazing on the shelf. After some use tho they end up looking cheap and more beat up them then they actually are.
and not that this should matter when buying golf clubs but resale value on chrome/satin irons are typically better bc they can hide some blemishes or be buffed out with Bar Keepers Friend.
This was after my first range session …..
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I like them if they’re a good durable finish like Ben Hogan or Cobra use and they have to be available in all irons and wedges, utility irons would be nice too.
I prefer so many other finishes other than black. Like [USER=1193]@Hawk[/USER] said, they look great in pictures, but often leave a lot to be desired with wear.
No glare. Sleek. Frame the ball better due to contrast. No bright shiny object to distract me, just focus on ball and swing.
They look great in pictures but don’t hold up well in my experience.
I think it’s because it’s so different than what we are accustomed to, it grabs many of us and pulls us in.
I prefer the non chrome finishes in wedges as it reduces glare on the club face. Irons, I prefer the chrome finish against black iron shafts. For me I just think that is the best looking combo.
Looks smaller and more confidence inspiring, in some cases hides the look of a club you wouldn’t normally play.
It is like a black car they look beautiful and sleek. They are a total PIA to take care of and show every little mark but so worth it.
They look cooler and they are different
They look cool plus they help reduce glare from the sun. Win win right there.
I love a black finish, the Hogan and Cobra DBM finishes are solid. Th black just looks sleeker and is a bit different from the norm.
I mean look at the pictures. They ABSOLUTELY look better than anything else. I couldn’t care any less about the wear. I’ve always said I loved the wear of them too (TiFs don’t count. That’s not wear). Give me black on every single club.
The biggest thing that draws me in about the dark finishes is that they tend to offer better glare resistance. Never have played darker finish irons but have played several wedge sets with either black or raw finish.
I mean blacked out looks cool but I’m just as fine with regular finish.
Definitely like it with putters because of the black and white contrast. Like DIY gun blue on wedges just because it looks good and is easy touch up. Plus the white bottom groove is nice. But all that’s out the window with what I’m messing with now.
‘Jarring’ and ‘glare’ are too strong of a term when describing brushed or chrome finishes. The black finish is easier on the eyes and looks bold, though if my full set was black, it might get a bit old or bland. I like pulling out my black wedges for touch shots around the green.
Black looks so sleek and clean at least when they are new.
I am drawn to the black and have no idea why.
I just like that it’s a bit different. It also doesn’t hurt that it reduces glare. The durability of the finish is always a concern though. My Cobra Snakebite Black wedge has held up remarkably well, but I know the finish varies by manufacturer.
It’s like having a nickel plated .45, I guess. I tried to it out…it did look cool but the game was the same.
I prefer a black finish for sure………………no glare, looks cleaner and more modern.
Not a fan of bright flashy chrome or polished heads.
The answer is simple: They are faster…… of coure they aren’t, but I think they are.
They aren’t as common, and they stand out more because of that uniqueness. They look stealthy, faster, and in my head I always think they must be more durable….. and now we know they definitely aren’t more durable in general.
Really though, if everything were released in black, and special editions released in Chrome, people might then love Chrome more.
I just tend to like black anything, so being able to get clubs in black to makes me giddy. No good logical reason. Sometimes it is just the little things.
Anything other than chrome is fine w/ me.
I’ve never had black irons but they look interesting but the wear would bug me.
I did ask Marni at 2023 Titleist Experience when this T series would come out with black, and it was interesting hearing him talk about the issues with color match and finish quality. They put alot of thought into it. Of course he had the T150s in black in his bag, but were not ready for large release.
Probably same as others. Sleeker looking and different.
I actually don’t think I would buy black irons. I do like a different color in my wedges and have a black wedge in the 54 and platinum blue in 58.
[QUOTE=”Hawk, post: 12850281, member: 1193″]
Nothing like a black finish to remind you of that one time you missed the grooves on the toe. Yep, just one time ?
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Not black finish, but I got a brand new set of Wilson Tour V4s like 10 years ago. Went to the range on a cold day where the balls are not the newest. First ball with my new clubs, toe job out past the grooves with a beat up old ball. Big scratch mark out there forever. So painful every time I looked at it.
[QUOTE=”ScoFoBG, post: 12851290, member: 42778″]
Not black finish, but I got a brand new set of Wilson Tour V4s like 10 years ago. Went to the range on a cold day where the balls are not the newest. First ball with my new clubs, toe job out past the grooves with a beat up old ball. Big scratch mark out there forever. So painful every time I looked at it.
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That’s terrible.
I think it’s “different” would be the answer. Same as the Copper releases from Cobra.
I think they tend to look sleeker and are just different, though I suppose more common now. I’ve never actually owned a set of black finish irons so my viewpoint is mainly based on looking at pictures of them and they always photograph well.
They’re different than the “standard” plus they look cool & no glare (y)
[QUOTE=”Hawk, post: 12850281, member: 1193″]
Nothing like a black finish to remind you of that one time you missed the grooves on the toe. Yep, just one time ?
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Might as well call me Mark Cuban for that reason, Im Out
[IMG alt=”Shark Tank Mark GIF by ABC Network”]https://media0.giphy.com/media/26wkKTBAPkOYC1hmg/200.gif[/IMG]
Isn’t “normal” chrome the most durable though?
No glare, plus the black just frames the ball much better to my eye.
Love a good black/dark finish.
I didn’t think a black finish would be good to look at until I got the Ben Hogan Players Combo in black and then I was sold.
Helps that the finish they used is so good, very little wear in comparison to some others I’ve had (looking at you Opus Black Shadow).
I personally like how the black finish frames the ball better and I can paint fill the bottom groove white to give a better alignment (unless the head already has it).
For me, it’s because black is my favorite color. In anything that I buy, if black is an option that’s what I’m buying. I could care less about wear (and I actually like how the black finish wears). I understand how most people want their clubs to look nice (especially with how much of an investment that they are). But to me, for the most part, it’s just a tool.
With that being said, once I get new irons this year I will be taking a few penalty strokes to save my new sticks from the desert damage. Once a club takes some damage, otherwise, all best are off. They’re being played as usual.
Black irons are like black clothing…. Slimming and sexy… even shovels look sexy in black ?
IMO if most clubs were black, we’d be as excited to see silver/chrome as we are to see black
it’s about different and cool
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12850351, member: 3″]
Haha at Uber Black.
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What level of Uber did we take to the Philly airport?
[QUOTE=”baylrballa, post: 12850253, member: 52381″]
80s and 90s kids are getting to be there heart of the market and nothing was cooler than a murdered out car back then.
They just look cooler/sleeker 99% of the time.
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[IMG alt=”knight rider kitt GIF”]https://media4.giphy.com/media/4ViH9IuRZO2wo/200.gif[/IMG]knight rider anyone?
I asked my little Grand Daughter – she said she likes this color.
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The reduction in glare is a big one for me, and honestly I just think they look cooler and better than the stock
They look so sick!!! Especially with black or other non-silver shafts. I would tear that finish off so fast in the dirt and rock patch courses I play that I couldn’t rationalize buying some to put them through that!
I wear a lot of black clothes, like black cars and black drivers/fairways…but I’m not really drawn to black irons.
Black finish just looks so good. I only wish it held up better.
For me it’s that they’re different and I want to show that I’m an individual just like everyone else. I really like the look but I’m not sure I’d like them in my bag. To this point I just ogle them.
Some will say glare, I played the DPFs from Wilson had NO issues with glare. So, I won’t say that. I will say, framing the ball, just the look behind the ball – and the fact that there are fewer clubs that are not chrome or chrome variants.
I fell in love with black wedges back in the Diadic Cleveland days – early to mid 90s (I think?). Tried many other styles and colors, like them all, but black and copper are winners in my book.