Ben Hogan Golf has reinvented itself in the last 18 months. Under new leadership, the company has shifted to a direct-to-consumer model that's allowed them to undercut the market in pricing to offer world-class equipment at eye-catching prices.
Building on that success, the company has introduced their new PTx Pro irons, a forged offering with shaping meant to appeal to better, more discerning players, while carrying technology benefiting most any golfer.
The Hogan team took cues from pros and high-level ams in building the set, which breaks down into two types of irons.
In the 4- through 7-irons, a hollow-body construction uses 1025 Carbon Steel for the frame and a MS300 steel face insert. Tungsten is placed in the toe region of each iron to improve forgiveness, launch angle and the spin profile.
In the remaining irons, 8-iron through pitching wedge, titanium inserts are used to optimize the mass properties of the head for a more penetrating ball flight and better control. The goal was to keep the center of gravity position more consistent through the set to avoid ballooning shots with short irons.
Throughout the set, the score lines are milled to deliver more spin, as well remain cleaner throughout contact to avoid flier shots. The company's V-Sole technology utilizes a higher bounce on the leading edge and lower bounce on the trailing edge for ideal turf interaction.
The irons remind me aesthetically of the Hogan Apex irons I bought with my own money when I was in high school. They got the lineage right, and they feel like something another version of Ben Hogan Golf would have created years ago. That's key for so many golfers who identify with the brand's past but need to be drawn to its present.
Ben Hogan Golf is offering the PTx Pro irons for $770 in a seven-piece set (4I-PW), with $90 deductions per club to drop to a six- or five-piece set. The clubs are available only through the Hogan website with a variety of custom-fitting options. If you're skeptical and need to demo some irons yourself, you can get a two-club set to try on course (or wherever) for two weeks for just $20.