They’re Back…Again

After a very solid re-introduction to the golf world in 2015, Terry Koehler and the boys at Ben Hogan have been teasing out bits and pieces of the company’s 2016 lineup.

When Hogan started hiring former Adams engineers it was clear that the company would not be content to offer a single iron set and some wedges. Expansion was inevitable.

For 2016 the company is planning to expand into the game-improvement category and will offer-up a hollow-body hybrid-iron. True to the strength of its R&D team, there’s a hybrid in the offering as well.

PTx Irons

Sadly, I think the answer is: If it means more distance, the majority.

The new irons promise unbelievable feel, unmatched distance consistency, and more spin and green-holding performance than any other game improvement iron. As with the FW15 irons, the PTx will be offered in discrete lofts from 20-47 degrees.

I’m intriguied by the PTx. After watching guys struggle to hit game-improvement irons high enough, or generate anything close to enough spin to stop the ball within a reasonable distance during our Most Wanted Iron Test, I’m convinced the industry as a whole has sacrificed way too much in the way of common-sense playability while chasing a few more yards. If the PTx can deliver, Hogan will have done something not only unique, but necessary within the game-improvement category.

FT hi

Here’s your potential long iron replacements/alternatives for FT. Worth 15 and other players irons. The FT. Worth 15 hi, available in lofts from 20-31 degrees, promise higher ball flight, more forgiveness and increased spin where you need it the most. It’s what Titleist calls green stopping power, and it makes a hell of a lot of sense.

Let’s wait and see…

Ben Hogan Hybrids

If the hybrids turn out to be what I want them to be, then I will have saved the best for last. With Adams basically done, somebody needs to step up and make a world-class hybrid true to the Adams legacy. Who better to do that than former Adams R&D guys?

Couple their experience with the Ben Hogan brand’s commitment to precision, and man…yeah, I’m flush with excitement and optimism.

Don’t screw this up Hogan. DO NOT screw this up.

While Hogan suggests the new hybrids will go against the grain of the industry by offering more authoritative trajectory and increased spin, it should be noted that this idea of hybrids as true extensions of the iron set is all the rage this season. Callaway and Titleist already have higher spinning, green stopping hybrids. The idea is that hybrids are scoring clubs, or at least they should be.

Common sense, right?

The new hybrids will offer the most dramatic weight adjustment in the category, tunable for launch angle and draw/fade bias.

Again…the Adams legacy meets Hogan precision. I’m excited by the potential.

More to Come

Hogan isn’t saying much more than what we’ve shared, but we expect full details to emerge – hopefully along with the hands-on experience – at the 2016 PGA Show later this month.