Simon, I think you have missed a manufacturer, maybe because they have a resurgence but the iron with the MOST wins of any iron was omitted. Wilson Staff. Their success was before your time but I think they should have been included. Their new forged irons are amazing and can compete with anything and their blades are timeless!!
Wholeheartedly agree...Last year I replaced my Srixon irons with a set of WStaff FG tour 100 irons I'd picked up 2nd hand (initailly just for old times sake) as they performed and felt better....
I agree. I was surprised to see Top Flite instead of Wilson Staff. I'm at a loss to name any top players who played Top Flight, but champions playing Wilson is a long list.
You haven't put in the club with more victories in history the Wilson Staff Tour Blade FG 17. Before yout birth, sadly not before mine so I used them to get to Plus 4. Dynamic gold sincronzed shafts. You haven't finished yet, maybe you will add them. Mizuno had not started then, nor, any of the Asian blades. Oh! You have never tried them. You must see if you can some day. You will change you view. In those days pros used the best because they were not paid to do so, like today, they used them to win a living.
Too right, iconic. Middle page of Golf Monthly advert said it had won more money than any other club. Miss mine, wish I had kept them, just to look at them.
Tommy Armour 845 series irons were one of the best selling irons of all time. They should have been in the Iconic group. Wilson Staff model should have gotten a mention too.
Nike vr pro combo. In my opinion, an almost perfect iron set. A progressive set with increasing forgiveness as you get to the longer clubs, great feel, easy to use, very consistent performance. And an absolute bargain in todays market. I am a bit biased because I have a set myself. But I bought these irons when I was shooting mid-high 90’s and they’ve gotten me to mid 80’s with a lowest score of 77. Honestly a brilliant iron!
Love seeing the Ben Hogan Apex make it to the EPIC section. I got an immaculate set 3-E in 2020 and I absolutely love them. Swapped out the original thin grips and they’re unbelievable to hit and they look SO GOOD!
So glad to see you put the Ping Eye 2 in the Iconic category. I have a set of JPX 921 Tour irons that I love but I still game my Eye 2s even more. You just can't miss with them and I just love them. They are just special irons.
All time Iconic; MacGregor Tommy Armour forged blades (1948-66): Hogan, Nelson, Nicklaus and hundred more tour pros played them. New entry: Takomo for great feel, look, performance,value
Simon, Wilson Staff Tour blade is and has to be iconic. For years, won the most ever tournaments and most money on tour. In the mid seventies, these were “ must have”. The Ping Eye 2 , especially the 1 iron, and Hogan Apex are also iconic, but The Staff Tour Blade has to be The One.
@@rv6205 so pleased to hear you do!! You must be a “player”. Sweet spot was small, but when you hit it, it melted off the face. Hit it towards the toe, lose 20yards plus. They helped me learn to play properly. So happy to hear they are still in play👍❤️
@@chrismayor5147 Chris, its not that i want to be a huge blade fan , BUT, they are like a scalple, with blades i feel like shots are a ton easier, with cavity backs shots to me are vague , and kind of just get you close , semi close ...also with blades i can stop the ball on the green no problem , with CB the ball hits and runs, sometimes off the back of the green ....out of all the blades ive ever played , there is magic in Wilson FG blades . Hope i explained it well - RV
@@rv6205 absolutely did. Got down to scratch with these in the 70’s, balata balls as well. Really taught you to strike the middle of the face. Less emphasis on length then. Consistent strike was key. Couldn’t play with them now, would need to put in far too much practise😉😂😂
I think when PXG released their first iron it was iconic. The cost was so excessive and the style was so unique and bold. It also didn’t hurt that it was a buttery feel.
I have 2 iconic sets that are both pleasing to the eye and feel amazing. The first is the Australian made Maxfli blades from 2000 (this is my bling set). The second is my current set, Titleist dci990's. These ones play like a blade but are cavity backed. Hit my best ever score with them.
Titleist AP2's are number 1 for me. Even though I never had a set it seemed like everyone else did. Tommy Armour 845s, Titleist 962 DCIs, and I'm going to add the Nike VR Forged pro combos to the list.
Great video, and just for us guys who are mid 50’s the Wilson staff other guys have mentioned, but mizuno tp series (I had 9’s and 19’s ) from 1991 Bridgestone J’s were lovely and my first perimeter weighted forged heads , but every assistant pro in England between 84 and 85 has Ben Sayers Mentor irons and those are the clubs I got low and won the most with , just beautiful clubs ……happy days
I really think you missed out the (at least for me) most iconic blade irons of all time, that were widelly used from high level tour pros to good amateurs for a quite long period of time, probably of nearly 10 years, from the late 80’s to the late 90’s. I’m referring to the Mizuno TP9, that alongside with the Ping Eye2 really marked an era as only a very few other golf clubs did throughout the history of the game.
Thank you for an interesting video, Simon. Macgregor had a number of iconic blades that became the blueprint for some of the successful greats on your list. I am thinking of the Tourneys, the VIPs, the Muirfields etc. Wilson also had the staff blades.
That's a tough list when you've gotta sell it worldwide. It's also hard to separate those clubs from the golfers who used them to achieve their own greatness. Or downfall. I'd love to see your list of the players during their rise and fall and how they rank. Lol. Good luck brother.
Titleist DCI 962 were my first kinda players club with some forgiveness, thought they’d make the list. Got them used and loved them until I went to forged blades. Hated the offset and chunkiness of all my friend’s Bertha’s because they looked like something Fred Flintstone would hit. First true blades were an old used set of Hogan Apex blades 2-EW, they were awesome but had to sell them and the DCI’s to help get through a rough stint. Currently playing Mizuno MP33’s and Miura is on my bucket list.
Huge stones for attempting this list in the public square, I still occasionally rotate in my '93 Hogan Apex channel backs 😄👍. I'll offer the Cleveland TA1/TA3s as well.
The Ping Ansers may have been overpriced at the time but picked up a set, 3-pw for $200 and absolutely love them. Definitely a nice cheaper set on the second hand market for someone that wants a cavity back forged iron for a reasonable price.
What about the iconic TP series of Mizunos Tp3 Tp9 Tp11 Tp19 etc etc Faldo , Sandy Lyle , Seve ,Ollie and so many more iconic players used and won multiple majors with these pure blades they are all stunning looking and perform incredible...and came along well before any modern Mp series or look at some of the domestic Japanese Market versions they did back in the same era...i mean the Super 11 was beautiful or the Ms series wow just stunning. Can't believe any of these didn't get in.
Tough list to assemble, thanks for taking the time to put it together...so many irons to choose from for including in the ranking. I watched this video just to see where you put the Tommy Armour 845S. Given its status as the second best selling iron set of all time (only Ping Eye2 sold more), I'm surprised it wasn't on your radar here. Maybe it's not so well known outside the USA?
So many historical inaccuracies that I am not sure where to start! I agree with others here that omitting Wilson Staff is a huge oversight! Vast number of tour wins from the 50's through into the '80's and some of the prettiest irons ever made. Wilson and not Titleist made the first perimeter weighted irons using weight ports with their Ogg-mented irons in the 1930's. Nothing from MacGregor?!!! Other than the Apex name, the Calloway irons have no connection to the Hogan Apex irons and no mention of Hogan Precision - possibly the most iconic iron of all time and grandfather of many later icons like the MP14. John Letters Master Model? - dominant iron in the UK from '48 into the 70's at one point played by 75% of competitors in The Open! Please don't do "all time" reviews if you rely solely on your limited experience and aren't prepared to do the research. Maybe rename as best and worst in the last 20 years?
Tommy Armour 845s, the original one 1988-1997 (or similar) need to be on that list. (near or at the top.) Still the best combo of forgiveness and workability I played.
@Steve Mac So true! The ones they made after the 845 were management rather than designer driven. (Reactive, not proactive.) Interestingly enough the engineers and designers from Tommy Armour all went to Titleist and Callaway/Odessey (if I remember correctly) and designed some of their biggest successes when the TA company abruptly came to an end in the late 90th.
For a while, I played single-length irons but didn't really get good results with them. I had issues with the wedges and also had trouble getting good gaps at the top of the bag. In the end, I realized that if I was using regular wedges and more hybrids to get gapping right, that I actually had very few single-length clubs in the bag. When I went back to variable length, I went with the Nike Covert 2 Forged irons and loved them. They might not have been as famous as the blades with Tigers name on it, but for a mid-handicap golfer, the forged cavity back heads were forgiving and felt great.
Great episode.... But I respectfully disagree with the Ping Anser iron. Yes....The 2013 Anser was VERY expensive at the time. But look at all the technology features that Ping place in this awesome club. Tungsten sole, Progressive offset and rear stabilizing bars to name a few. In closing, The Ping Anser was mainly designed for the Asian market, which places high value on technology and quality.
Played the Wilson FG17 tour blades in my pomp, gave up golf for 15 years and when i restarted need some help, played Maxfli progressive red dots, 3 and 4 cavity, 5,6,7 MB 8-SW blades, game changers. Nike purchased them and built the Nike progressives
Currently playing playing P790 and they are iconic and agree big bertha is great but model shown is the '96 model and I still have a complete set of the '94 's.
My grandfather gave me a set of Ping Eye2 irons back in 2002 that he got new when they came out. I played them all the way up until last year when I got Ping G430's.
The forged PowerBilt irons of the early 1970s were beautiful and king of the hill in their time, as were the persimmon head woods. Wilson Staff and Wilson X31 were also widely popular. As I remember it, both models of Wilsons and PowerBilt were more commonly used than Hogan, Walter Hagen, Spalding, or the early Pings.
If irons were listed by what they were used to do, the Callaway RAZR Forged (cavity backs) would be on the list. The came out in 2011 and Jim Furyk shot a 58 in a PGA Tour tournament with them. I agree on some of the comments below - the Wilson Stafs, the MacGregor forged VIP irons in the 1990s, etc.
Great video - I think the Ping G10's are well placed! They're legit no-nonsense, sensible clubs. They do what it says on the tin. Just consistent. Not epic, but just ... great. I played them until last year after buying them at release. I switched to the Ping G425s, and I can only hope they last as long (I suspect they will).
Agree with another comment, wilson should definitely be on your list under epic. Sure they made some poo, the 1200e I think the chunky ones were called but they were aimed beginners. But the epic were Wilson Staff Fluid Feel blades. They were unfriendly if you wasn't hitting the middle but when you did you were rewarded with a sublime flight and ultimate stopping power from your Balata ball of choice. I also agree with most of your ratings apart from the AP3's. Even when they came out they weren't anything new, stronger lofts were already out, with mixed results of course
The pictured version of the P790 and the following version on the P770 seemed to have quality issues on the back side of the club head. When you tip them toward a light source, they seem to show a lot of waviness in the metal. Looks like a car door that has a poor metal finish job on it. Not sure if the poor finish is from metal that is too thin or maybe it is similar to “sink marks” in plastic parts from b-side details??? I noticed the newest P790 & P770 irons avoided this by having a matte/blasted finish on the head. Not sure if the change of finish was planned or just a way to cover up a visual design flaw. Callaway, on the other hand, was able to create a hollow body iron with a very glossy finish and not have these surface defects. The results of the P-series irons are great. People love them and I had a set of each for a while and liked them. But, for what Taylormade charges for their irons, one would expect a bit higher quality in the finish.
Ping Eye 2, definitely iconic. Sold my Berylliums recently, kinda regretting it, they had serious wow factor when buffed to a golden shine finish and performed more than well enough for me.
Oh, man! I hang onto my Ping Eye 2 set and my PIng Zing 2 set because they are just too nostalgic and cool to part with. Those beryllium copper sets used to go under $200, but I guess the collector market is going up now.
@honkerh8r564 I did OK from them, paid £90 for them, played them for around 12 years and sold for £300. Bought some old i15s for £140 and pocketed change. The i15s are very impressive too despite their age, I'll be gaming them for a long time yet.
@@eskimojoe6564 Since I first commented on this thread, I scored a set of Ping Zing Beryllium Coppers. I thought it would be fun to take them out and play a round or two and then put them with the collection. Well.......I think they became my gamers. They feel so good and are so forgiving, and I don't even have to club up from my "modern" set of irons like I thought I would.
Played those in high school, sold them to buy Maxfli Tour Ltd Forged (loved those things!), was pumped to come across a crazy price for another set of BeCu some years ago and they ended up feeling like crap to me for some reason. Bummer to sell them but I did well on the sale. It was like getting back with a long lost girlfriend and then figuring out you actually don't like her😂
I played Nike SS4D irons for years, that was a fair assessment. I have a cobra one length 3 hybrid and while it's not the best at full shots it works wonders keeping it under branches or any sort of bump and run, made an amazing 2nd shot out of the woods to the green for a 2 putt par yesterday on what is typically a tough par 4. I play cobra forged tec 2020 irons and they are by far my favorite set I've had. Only irons I see as an upgrade at this point are those beautiful mizuno pro 225s!
Titleist AP2 should be at least in the great section, maybe even iconic. They were a great and massively popular choice for lower handicap amateurs, and u could find them all over the tour for years.
Tommy Armour 845 Silver Scots gave me my only hole in one. They weren't very long, but I could easily work them every direction. I had a set of Big Berthas after those, and their 2 iron changed my game forever.
I recall them being called out by '90s golf equipment Karens for their extra length being due to the lofts being 3* stronger than industry std. Loved those irons until they added a million versions that flew farther and farther away from the originals.
Some older mentions that took markets. Ping red eye series. King cobra oversized 90’s version. (first, if not one of the first oversized and was most sold iron for most of the mid 90’s) Nike vapor fly irons. Peak Nike clubs that may not have been amazing but worth a placement. Wilson staff as above comments mention.
Still using my Callaway Big Bertha irons to this day, upgraded to Titleist ap2 struggled with them so went back to the Big Bertha, super forgiving but not too pleasing on the eye especially the PW and 9 iron chunky as hell!
Titleist 690 CB, legendary! Big place in my heart, my faces were worn had to remplaced them, i had a lot of mizuno… but never feels the same. My ping i210 are closed
No love for the slingshot, but The first new clubs I ever bought were the first model of slingshots. I got them on sale for $300. Yes, they sounded bad (especially the hollow ones that howled when you swung). Yes, you couldn't shape your shot. For a high handicap player though, those things were a beast. I got so confident walking up to the ball. Knowing that I could be so far off the center and the most I would lost is 5 yards. I gave them to my girlfriend when I bought some new Cobras and she is hitting in the low 50s (sometimes high 40s) on nine as a new golfer with them.
My first brand new set of clubs, 3-SW...man, the spin they put on the ball was insane! Funny thing is they were the OG irons of a hollow "blade" that are all over the place, now.
I played the ‘99 Big Berthas throughout high school in the early 2000s. I went from shooting in the hundreds to breaking 80 twice by my senior year. I haven’t sniffed the 70s in almost 20 years now, maybe I should rethink my current MP-62s.
For iconic ping eye 2 stands alone. it should have its own categories maybe super iconic lol. Iconic would then be Wilson's staff blades, McGregor blades (which were far more popular than the top flights, Nicholas played them Watson played them, Weiskopf and Miller played them) a lot of the greats played them. Tommy Armour 845 iconic club. AC 108 was a good choice , incredibly popular in the late 70's. and I might put the AP3 in there as well. To put something current like the taylor made 790 is silly. If you think new is iconic, you don't know what iconic means. you can't be iconic when you're brand new, lmao
If it hasn't already been mentioned Simon, try to find a set of Srixon i302 irons to play. I think you'll be impressed and they might still be the best irons (Z 745's are perhaps a tie) Srixon has ever made and were played and won on pretty much every Tour.
Apex CF 16? golf digest just put them on the Mt Rushmore of irons all time. I still play those. Have tried every year to get a new set and half way through the year im back to my Apex CF 16
Ping Eye 2's are like the Toyota Tacoma when it comes to price retention. I've had 3 sets-1 cast and 2 coppers. Had them a few years and sold them for more than i paid and they were 30 years old.
As a smi pro who has played blades his whole life from mp14s to p730s, 1 practice session with PXG gen3 0311ts and I tossed all the blades. I feel they will fall in the epic category after the other manufacturers start using pxg's R&D.
Slightly disagree on Srixon! I was working at Silvermere at the time they released the 506’s and they were like butter and couldn’t get them in quick enough 👌
Pretty sure it must have been at least 2009ish they started producing irons, as I still use my Srixon Pro 100 blades and I had them 2nd hand over 20 years ago. Beautiful irons.
I like the fact that he recognized the Ping G10. Two clubs I think should have been there were the Titleist DCI or 962 irons. Also the Tommy Armour 845's.
Ping's original Karston iron series, 1969-1976 changed everything. Really the first perimeter weighting cavity backs. He was learning that wider soles and moving the MOI back could help duffers immensely. In 1978 the Ping Eye, then the Eye 2 in 1982. The Calloway Big Birtha came out 1994. They arrived late to the party. Ping changed the game earlier than all of the rest. I would say the other makers were hung up making "players" clubs far too long and this explains why Ping gobbled up market share quickly. There are far more poor players needing help than pro or scratch golfers. However, being one in the sea of masses, Ping helped me the most and the earliest. I did everything I could to get some Ping Eye 2 irons when they hit the market. I have re-shafted them twice to accommodate my age and re-grooved them several times. I am 65 and those irons are still in the bag. I have no idea how many times they have been regripped. Just my two cents worth. Cheers.
14:48 LOL, I use the Mavrik and is the best set of irons I ever owned. Long, high, forgiving, sound good, fitted by Callaway, still use them and no reason to change. Yeah, if you want all that go get a good used set.
Same! I think they are really good allaround clubs! As you mentioned they tick every box, as they say. I really like that they are long, as a high hcp:per.
Clubs to try please. I played TP19’s from 19-45 but I’m now too old to muscle and shape it. The game moved on without me. I’m now playing 710 AP1’s and their ok, they do the job. I’ve got down to scratch and want to get something that will help me with distance. I can still compress it so bony necessarily need big clumpy irons. What’s out there for trajectory and distance for a scratch golfer in their late 40’s?
I bought the Big Bertha's when they came out in the 90's and have only just changed out of them. They were great and kept my on off experience with golf going. Only changed as I thought 25 years of technology would help my game. How I was so disappointed. Sort of hanker to get them back....
Great video. Thoughts on doing similar videos, but according to player type i.e. high, mid and low handicap or type like game improvement, forged, blades, cavity/muscle back etc.
Simon, I think you have missed a manufacturer, maybe because they have a resurgence but the iron with the MOST wins of any iron was omitted. Wilson Staff. Their success was before your time but I think they should have been included. Their new forged irons are amazing and can compete with anything and their blades are timeless!!
Wholeheartedly agree...Last year I replaced my Srixon irons with a set of WStaff FG tour 100 irons I'd picked up 2nd hand (initailly just for old times sake) as they performed and felt better....
I agree. I was surprised to see Top Flite instead of Wilson Staff. I'm at a loss to name any top players who played Top Flight, but champions playing Wilson is a long list.
@@ronmonks6325 Greg Norman, Lee Trevino, Sam Torrance all played Spalding.
You haven't put in the club with more victories in history the Wilson Staff Tour Blade FG 17. Before yout birth, sadly not before mine so I used them to get to Plus 4. Dynamic gold sincronzed shafts. You haven't finished yet, maybe you will add them. Mizuno had not started then, nor, any of the Asian blades. Oh! You have never tried them. You must see if you can some day. You will change you view. In those days pros used the best because they were not paid to do so, like today, they used them to win a living.
Too right, iconic. Middle page of Golf Monthly advert said it had won more money than any other club. Miss mine, wish I had kept them, just to look at them.
Exactamundo.
I agree completely. Should have,switched the Wilson tour blades for the Spaulding irons. Much more popular and ten times better.
Absolutely - Wilson Staff Tour Blades THE most iconic irons in my lifetime
even the newer blades from wilson are amazing ...
Tommy Armour 845 series irons were one of the best selling irons of all time. They should have been in the Iconic group. Wilson Staff model should have gotten a mention too.
Nike vr pro combo. In my opinion, an almost perfect iron set. A progressive set with increasing forgiveness as you get to the longer clubs, great feel, easy to use, very consistent performance. And an absolute bargain in todays market. I am a bit biased because I have a set myself. But I bought these irons when I was shooting mid-high 90’s and they’ve gotten me to mid 80’s with a lowest score of 77. Honestly a brilliant iron!
I picked up a set of Nike vr pro 2 blades and man I love them! I’m hitting average in the 90s but progressing down. I love them so much.
Totally agree. I gave my set to my kid and he won’t give them back! Would put them straight into the bag if I could pry them out of his hands!
Nike Vr Pro Combos are a very good choice. Nike's last great iron outside of a Tiger blade.
Ever heard of Wilson or McGregor mate??????? Wilson, has the most majors ever and Nicklaus used McGregor irons pretty well...
Love seeing the Ben Hogan Apex make it to the EPIC section. I got an immaculate set 3-E in 2020 and I absolutely love them. Swapped out the original thin grips and they’re unbelievable to hit and they look SO GOOD!
So glad to see you put the Ping Eye 2 in the Iconic category. I have a set of JPX 921 Tour irons that I love but I still game my Eye 2s even more. You just can't miss with them and I just love them. They are just special irons.
All time Iconic; MacGregor Tommy Armour forged blades (1948-66): Hogan, Nelson, Nicklaus and hundred more tour pros played them. New entry: Takomo for great feel, look, performance,value
I would have thought the Ping i210's are iconic at this stage
Simon, Wilson Staff Tour blade is and has to be iconic. For years, won the most ever tournaments and most money on tour. In the mid seventies, these were “ must have”. The Ping Eye 2 , especially the 1 iron, and Hogan Apex are also iconic, but The Staff Tour Blade has to be The One.
its 2024 and i still play them !!!!!!
@@rv6205 so pleased to hear you do!! You must be a “player”. Sweet spot was small, but when you hit it, it melted off the face. Hit it towards the toe, lose 20yards plus. They helped me learn to play properly. So happy to hear they are still in play👍❤️
@@chrismayor5147 Chris, its not that i want to be a huge blade fan , BUT, they are like a scalple, with blades i feel like shots are a ton easier, with cavity backs shots to me are vague , and kind of just get you close , semi close ...also with blades i can stop the ball on the green no problem , with CB the ball hits and runs, sometimes off the back of the green ....out of all the blades ive ever played , there is magic in Wilson FG blades . Hope i explained it well - RV
@@rv6205 absolutely did. Got down to scratch with these in the 70’s, balata balls as well. Really taught you to strike the middle of the face. Less emphasis on length then. Consistent strike was key. Couldn’t play with them now, would need to put in far too much practise😉😂😂
@@rv6205 As do I.
Ping Eye….Iconic; game changing…..Hogan Apex; pure blade…..Mizuno MP33…..Miura Tournament Blade (Tigers Nike irons 🤔)…..501CB’s 👍🏼😉
Tiger’s Titleist irons were forged by Epon and were pretty much the blueprint for his Nike irons.
Had some “old” top flites as a first set. Always drooling over the pings in the pro shop lol
I think when PXG released their first iron it was iconic. The cost was so excessive and the style was so unique and bold. It also didn’t hurt that it was a buttery feel.
Taylormade RAC LT were amazing and still play them.
Same here. Do you play the original LTs or the LT2 2005 model?
I have 2 iconic sets that are both pleasing to the eye and feel amazing.
The first is the Australian made Maxfli blades from 2000 (this is my bling set). The second is my current set, Titleist dci990's. These ones play like a blade but are cavity backed. Hit my best ever score with them.
Titleist AP2's are number 1 for me. Even though I never had a set it seemed like everyone else did. Tommy Armour 845s, Titleist 962 DCIs, and I'm going to add the Nike VR Forged pro combos to the list.
I wanted those AP2's so bad growing up
Great video, and just for us guys who are mid 50’s the Wilson staff other guys have mentioned, but mizuno tp series (I had 9’s and 19’s ) from 1991 Bridgestone J’s were lovely and my first perimeter weighted forged heads , but every assistant pro in England between 84 and 85 has Ben Sayers Mentor irons and those are the clubs I got low and won the most with , just beautiful clubs ……happy days
Brilliant point about Mizuno TPs
I really think you missed out the (at least for me) most iconic blade irons of all time, that were widelly used from high level tour pros to good amateurs for a quite long period of time, probably of nearly 10 years, from the late 80’s to the late 90’s. I’m referring to the Mizuno TP9, that alongside with the Ping Eye2 really marked an era as only a very few other golf clubs did throughout the history of the game.
Just picked up a set of 712 ap2 irons for £100 and love them. First time hitting a forged iron just love that feel 👌🏻
Amazing clubs
Good video but Miss out
Iconic++++ Dunlop Australian blade. Probably top 10 blade clubs ever. Still performs.
Taylormade r7 gang baby! Been gaming them since 2009, and I still love them!
R9tps when I was a junior and r11's now would love to hit blades eventually
My first proper set of irons mate agree 100% lovely feel and sound
@@mangelo635I just regripped mine for the ohhhh,10,000th time...they somehow got the TPs to feel so soft for a cast club 😄👍
Thank you for an interesting video, Simon. Macgregor had a number of iconic blades that became the blueprint for some of the successful greats on your list. I am thinking of the Tourneys, the VIPs, the Muirfields etc. Wilson also had the staff blades.
That's a tough list when you've gotta sell it worldwide. It's also hard to separate those clubs from the golfers who used them to achieve their own greatness. Or downfall. I'd love to see your list of the players during their rise and fall and how they rank. Lol. Good luck brother.
Titleist DCI 962 were my first kinda players club with some forgiveness, thought they’d make the list. Got them used and loved them until I went to forged blades. Hated the offset and chunkiness of all my friend’s Bertha’s because they looked like something Fred Flintstone would hit. First true blades were an old used set of Hogan Apex blades 2-EW, they were awesome but had to sell them and the DCI’s to help get through a rough stint. Currently playing Mizuno MP33’s and Miura is on my bucket list.
I love how your videos have no mess aound. Straight to the point
Huge stones for attempting this list in the public square, I still occasionally rotate in my '93 Hogan Apex channel backs 😄👍. I'll offer the Cleveland TA1/TA3s as well.
The Ping Ansers may have been overpriced at the time but picked up a set, 3-pw for $200 and absolutely love them. Definitely a nice cheaper set on the second hand market for someone that wants a cavity back forged iron for a reasonable price.
Tommy Armour 845s
Had a set with Brunswick rifle . Could do it all with those. Kick myself for letting go.
You are the hardest working youtugolfer...100%.perfect releasing of video timing for me!cheers to you mate!thx!
What about the iconic TP series of Mizunos Tp3 Tp9 Tp11 Tp19 etc etc Faldo , Sandy Lyle , Seve ,Ollie and so many more iconic players used and won multiple majors with these pure blades they are all stunning looking and perform incredible...and came along well before any modern Mp series or look at some of the domestic Japanese Market versions they did back in the same era...i mean the Super 11 was beautiful or the Ms series wow just stunning. Can't believe any of these didn't get in.
Gotta also put the Zing 2's up there. Function over form at its best for amateurs and pros alike.
Tough list to assemble, thanks for taking the time to put it together...so many irons to choose from for including in the ranking. I watched this video just to see where you put the Tommy Armour 845S. Given its status as the second best selling iron set of all time (only Ping Eye2 sold more), I'm surprised it wasn't on your radar here. Maybe it's not so well known outside the USA?
So many historical inaccuracies that I am not sure where to start! I agree with others here that omitting Wilson Staff is a huge oversight! Vast number of tour wins from the 50's through into the '80's and some of the prettiest irons ever made. Wilson and not Titleist made the first perimeter weighted irons using weight ports with their Ogg-mented irons in the 1930's. Nothing from MacGregor?!!! Other than the Apex name, the Calloway irons have no connection to the Hogan Apex irons and no mention of Hogan Precision - possibly the most iconic iron of all time and grandfather of many later icons like the MP14. John Letters Master Model? - dominant iron in the UK from '48 into the 70's at one point played by 75% of competitors in The Open! Please don't do "all time" reviews if you rely solely on your limited experience and aren't prepared to do the research. Maybe rename as best and worst in the last 20 years?
I see so many AP1 series irons at my club, played by good handicap golfers. I’m a Ping man myself, i200s.
Agree Wilson Staff…totally iconic!
Tommy Armour 845s, the original one 1988-1997 (or similar) need to be on that list. (near or at the top.) Still the best combo of forgiveness and workability I played.
@Steve Mac So true! The ones they made after the 845 were management rather than designer driven. (Reactive, not proactive.)
Interestingly enough the engineers and designers from Tommy Armour all went to Titleist and Callaway/Odessey (if I remember correctly) and designed some of their biggest successes when the TA company abruptly came to an end in the late 90th.
Simon, you should have included the Tommy Armour 845s.
For a while, I played single-length irons but didn't really get good results with them. I had issues with the wedges and also had trouble getting good gaps at the top of the bag. In the end, I realized that if I was using regular wedges and more hybrids to get gapping right, that I actually had very few single-length clubs in the bag. When I went back to variable length, I went with the Nike Covert 2 Forged irons and loved them. They might not have been as famous as the blades with Tigers name on it, but for a mid-handicap golfer, the forged cavity back heads were forgiving and felt great.
Great episode.... But I respectfully disagree with the Ping Anser iron. Yes....The 2013 Anser was VERY expensive at the time. But look at all the technology features that Ping place in this awesome club. Tungsten sole, Progressive offset and rear stabilizing bars to name a few. In closing, The Ping Anser was mainly designed for the Asian market, which places high value on technology and quality.
Great series of videos looking forward to the Wedge edition!
Played the Wilson FG17 tour blades in my pomp, gave up golf for 15 years and when i restarted need some help, played Maxfli progressive red dots, 3 and 4 cavity, 5,6,7 MB 8-SW blades, game changers. Nike purchased them and built the Nike progressives
Currently playing playing P790 and they are iconic and agree big bertha is great but model shown is the '96 model and I still have a complete set of the '94 's.
My grandfather gave me a set of Ping Eye2 irons back in 2002 that he got new when they came out. I played them all the way up until last year when I got Ping G430's.
The forged PowerBilt irons of the early 1970s were beautiful and king of the hill in their time, as were the persimmon head woods. Wilson Staff and Wilson X31 were also widely popular. As I remember it, both models of Wilsons and PowerBilt were more commonly used than Hogan, Walter Hagen, Spalding, or the early Pings.
I am always on the hunt for the Citation Persimmon driver...talk about iconic!
Wilson staff blades??? Man those take the cake in my opinion.
Would have gone for AP2 myself. Great review
If irons were listed by what they were used to do, the Callaway RAZR Forged (cavity backs) would be on the list. The came out in 2011 and Jim Furyk shot a 58 in a PGA Tour tournament with them. I agree on some of the comments below - the Wilson Stafs, the MacGregor forged VIP irons in the 1990s, etc.
I am impressed that you took on this monumental task. Thank you
Great video - I think the Ping G10's are well placed! They're legit no-nonsense, sensible clubs. They do what it says on the tin. Just consistent. Not epic, but just ... great.
I played them until last year after buying them at release. I switched to the Ping G425s, and I can only hope they last as long (I suspect they will).
Agree with another comment, wilson should definitely be on your list under epic. Sure they made some poo, the 1200e I think the chunky ones were called but they were aimed beginners. But the epic were Wilson Staff Fluid Feel blades. They were unfriendly if you wasn't hitting the middle but when you did you were rewarded with a sublime flight and ultimate stopping power from your Balata ball of choice. I also agree with most of your ratings apart from the AP3's. Even when they came out they weren't anything new, stronger lofts were already out, with mixed results of course
The pictured version of the P790 and the following version on the P770 seemed to have quality issues on the back side of the club head. When you tip them toward a light source, they seem to show a lot of waviness in the metal. Looks like a car door that has a poor metal finish job on it. Not sure if the poor finish is from metal that is too thin or maybe it is similar to “sink marks” in plastic parts from b-side details??? I noticed the newest P790 & P770 irons avoided this by having a matte/blasted finish on the head. Not sure if the change of finish was planned or just a way to cover up a visual design flaw. Callaway, on the other hand, was able to create a hollow body iron with a very glossy finish and not have these surface defects.
The results of the P-series irons are great. People love them and I had a set of each for a while and liked them. But, for what Taylormade charges for their irons, one would expect a bit higher quality in the finish.
Ping Eye 2, definitely iconic. Sold my Berylliums recently, kinda regretting it, they had serious wow factor when buffed to a golden shine finish and performed more than well enough for me.
Oh, man! I hang onto my Ping Eye 2 set and my PIng Zing 2 set because they are just too nostalgic and cool to part with. Those beryllium copper sets used to go under $200, but I guess the collector market is going up now.
@honkerh8r564 I did OK from them, paid £90 for them, played them for around 12 years and sold for £300. Bought some old i15s for £140 and pocketed change. The i15s are very impressive too despite their age, I'll be gaming them for a long time yet.
I still play with my copper eye 2’s nothing compares.I am so used to them and how they feel
@@eskimojoe6564 Since I first commented on this thread, I scored a set of Ping Zing Beryllium Coppers. I thought it would be fun to take them out and play a round or two and then put them with the collection. Well.......I think they became my gamers. They feel so good and are so forgiving, and I don't even have to club up from my "modern" set of irons like I thought I would.
Played those in high school, sold them to buy Maxfli Tour Ltd Forged (loved those things!), was pumped to come across a crazy price for another set of BeCu some years ago and they ended up feeling like crap to me for some reason. Bummer to sell them but I did well on the sale. It was like getting back with a long lost girlfriend and then figuring out you actually don't like her😂
Ram Tour Grind. ⭐️ Early 80’s. Also MacGregor VIP, Epic Big time. Wilson Staff blades. Dunlop Australian Blades.
With you 100% on the Ram Tour Grinds - my personal favourite. Still playing a set of 80-82 Tour Grinds which replace the first set I wore out.
I played Nike SS4D irons for years, that was a fair assessment. I have a cobra one length 3 hybrid and while it's not the best at full shots it works wonders keeping it under branches or any sort of bump and run, made an amazing 2nd shot out of the woods to the green for a 2 putt par yesterday on what is typically a tough par 4. I play cobra forged tec 2020 irons and they are by far my favorite set I've had. Only irons I see as an upgrade at this point are those beautiful mizuno pro 225s!
No Wilson Staff blades? No MacGregor Tourneys? No Cleveland VAS in pit of Hades section?
Pavin won the US Open with VAS's
Titleist AP2 should be at least in the great section, maybe even iconic. They were a great and massively popular choice for lower handicap amateurs, and u could find them all over the tour for years.
What about the Titleist MB 690s? I always thought that they were some of the best looking irons I have ever seen!
I bought a set of new Hogan Apex+ irons in 2000 and they were absolutely amazing. Not sure why I ever got rid of them.
Loved my MCGB’s. What I first started on. Thought they looked awesome 😎
Wonder where the Titleist forged 755 would go on this list my favourite iron still use today 👌
fitted into my P790 a few months ago and love em..
Tommy Armour 845 Silver Scots gave me my only hole in one. They weren't very long, but I could easily work them every direction. I had a set of Big Berthas after those, and their 2 iron changed my game forever.
I recall them being called out by '90s golf equipment Karens for their extra length being due to the lofts being 3* stronger than industry std. Loved those irons until they added a million versions that flew farther and farther away from the originals.
Good job Simon. I agree 100% with your choices. Always look forward to your videos.
Some older mentions that took markets. Ping red eye series. King cobra oversized 90’s version. (first, if not one of the first oversized and was most sold iron for most of the mid 90’s)
Nike vapor fly irons. Peak Nike clubs that may not have been amazing but worth a placement.
Wilson staff as above comments mention.
I would have thought Wilson Staff would have made the list since it has been around for ever, also where was King Cobra 🐍
Forged Tec was on the list
That’s the Big Bertha 1996 model and I play them right now! My dad bought them the day he found out that I was going to be born.
Still using my Callaway Big Bertha irons to this day, upgraded to Titleist ap2 struggled with them so went back to the Big Bertha, super forgiving but not too pleasing on the eye especially the PW and 9 iron chunky as hell!
Great stab at a difficult catagory. Thanks, Simon.
You missed the Tommy Armour 845 Silver Scot. One of the best selling irons of the 90s and they are still in my bag.
I can’t believe the AP2 was left out. I’ve still got the 714s and think they’ve got to be some of the most loved irons ever.
Agreed
Got the 712's and I prefer the feel over the 718 ap3's
Titleist 690 CB, legendary! Big place in my heart, my faces were worn had to remplaced them, i had a lot of mizuno… but never feels the same.
My ping i210 are closed
No love for the slingshot, but The first new clubs I ever bought were the first model of slingshots. I got them on sale for $300. Yes, they sounded bad (especially the hollow ones that howled when you swung). Yes, you couldn't shape your shot. For a high handicap player though, those things were a beast. I got so confident walking up to the ball. Knowing that I could be so far off the center and the most I would lost is 5 yards.
I gave them to my girlfriend when I bought some new Cobras and she is hitting in the low 50s (sometimes high 40s) on nine as a new golfer with them.
Hi Simon, think you pretty much nailed it. Taylormade ICW 11 were prior to Burner i think. Foam filled and better looking. Worth a shout.
My first brand new set of clubs, 3-SW...man, the spin they put on the ball was insane! Funny thing is they were the OG irons of a hollow "blade" that are all over the place, now.
I played the ‘99 Big Berthas throughout high school in the early 2000s. I went from shooting in the hundreds to breaking 80 twice by my senior year. I haven’t sniffed the 70s in almost 20 years now, maybe I should rethink my current MP-62s.
For iconic ping eye 2 stands alone. it should have its own categories maybe super iconic lol. Iconic would then be Wilson's staff blades, McGregor blades (which were far more popular than the top flights, Nicholas played them Watson played them, Weiskopf and Miller played them) a lot of the greats played them. Tommy Armour 845 iconic club. AC 108 was a good choice , incredibly popular in the late 70's. and I might put the AP3 in there as well. To put something current like the taylor made 790 is silly. If you think new is iconic, you don't know what iconic means. you can't be iconic when you're brand new, lmao
If it hasn't already been mentioned Simon, try to find a set of Srixon i302 irons to play. I think you'll be impressed and they might still be the best irons (Z 745's are perhaps a tie) Srixon has ever made and were played and won on pretty much every Tour.
Awesome video even if Adams was not in the lineup. Interesting & informative to the nth degree ! Bravo 👏
Apex CF 16? golf digest just put them on the Mt Rushmore of irons all time. I still play those. Have tried every year to get a new set and half way through the year im back to my Apex CF 16
I think my old Taylormade Rac irons were some of the best I've had. Always thought it was a mistake when I sold them.
Ping Eye 2's are like the Toyota Tacoma when it comes to price retention. I've had 3 sets-1 cast and 2 coppers. Had them a few years and sold them for more than i paid and they were 30 years old.
I actually game those exact Callaway Apex Pro irons, the 2014 models. Still get great distance and control, and they feel like butter off the face.
Got a set of those old spaldings. Think Ill put new grips on and play them for a while. I think 7 iron is 36 degrees.Cheers
As a smi pro who has played blades his whole life from mp14s to p730s, 1 practice session with PXG gen3 0311ts and I tossed all the blades. I feel they will fall in the epic category after the other manufacturers start using pxg's R&D.
Check out some JDM irons such as the TM Burner Forged, or Wilson/Kasco Tab TC-1, great irons.
Cleveland 792 VAS. Gotta be in their own category.
Slightly disagree on Srixon! I was working at Silvermere at the time they released the 506’s and they were like butter and couldn’t get them in quick enough 👌
My zx5s feel like butter and are extremely consistent. Absolutely love them
Pretty sure it must have been at least 2009ish they started producing irons, as I still use my Srixon Pro 100 blades and I had them 2nd hand over 20 years ago. Beautiful irons.
Missed out potentially on the Callaway XR and the Cobra Speed Zone. Honorable mention to the Tour Edge Exotics ?
I like the fact that he recognized the Ping G10. Two clubs I think should have been there were the Titleist DCI or 962 irons. Also the Tommy Armour 845's.
Waited all week for this vid. Bha ha I own a M CGB 7 iron and am close to buying a full set, might reconsider lol
I'd never heard of Burner Midsize. Going to have to try them out.
Ping's original Karston iron series, 1969-1976 changed everything. Really the first perimeter weighting cavity backs. He was learning that wider soles and moving the MOI back could help duffers immensely. In 1978 the Ping Eye, then the Eye 2 in 1982. The Calloway Big Birtha came out 1994. They arrived late to the party. Ping changed the game earlier than all of the rest. I would say the other makers were hung up making "players" clubs far too long and this explains why Ping gobbled up market share quickly. There are far more poor players needing help than pro or scratch golfers. However, being one in the sea of masses, Ping helped me the most and the earliest. I did everything I could to get some Ping Eye 2 irons when they hit the market. I have re-shafted them twice to accommodate my age and re-grooved them several times. I am 65 and those irons are still in the bag. I have no idea how many times they have been regripped. Just my two cents worth. Cheers.
Where are the Tommy Armour 845's?!? They should be in the iconic along with the ping eye 2
Ap1 series grandfather clubs - c16 concept irons 😉
14:48 LOL, I use the Mavrik and is the best set of irons I ever owned. Long, high, forgiving, sound good, fitted by Callaway, still use them and no reason to change. Yeah, if you want all that go get a good used set.
Same! I think they are really good allaround clubs! As you mentioned they tick every box, as they say. I really like that they are long, as a high hcp:per.
How about Mizuno Tzoid pro?
How do you not even mention the Wilson Staff Blades from back in the day?!
Clubs to try please. I played TP19’s from 19-45 but I’m now too old to muscle and shape it. The game moved on without me. I’m now playing 710 AP1’s and their ok, they do the job. I’ve got down to scratch and want to get something that will help me with distance. I can still compress it so bony necessarily need big clumpy irons. What’s out there for trajectory and distance for a scratch golfer in their late 40’s?
Titleist DCI and Tommy Armour 845
I bought the Big Bertha's when they came out in the 90's and have only just changed out of them. They were great and kept my on off experience with golf going. Only changed as I thought 25 years of technology would help my game. How I was so disappointed. Sort of hanker to get them back....
Great video. Thoughts on doing similar videos, but according to player type i.e. high, mid and low handicap or type like game improvement, forged, blades, cavity/muscle back etc.