Ben Hogan PTX Tour Iron Review
Iron tester Joe Ferguson tries out the latest forged iron from Ben Hogan
Without doubt, one of the best looking irons in the low handicap category. Nods to history with touches like the longer banded ferrules are complimented nicely with some more modern branding. A beautifully soft feel and really competitive performance will not disappoint.
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Stunning traditional looks
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Very soft impact feel
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Ideal head profile behind the ball to my eye
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Slightly different feel from short to mid irons
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Having previously played Ben Hogan irons for a time back in my junior days, I was excited to hear that I would be receiving the Ben Hogan PTX Tour irons to review. These irons are aimed predominantly at the low to mid handicap range and are looking to take their place as some of the best golf irons of 2024.
VIDEO: Joe Ferguson tests and compares the leading low handicap irons in 2024
In terms of technology, the traditional looks disguise quite a feature packed head. There is a significant difference in construction between long, mid and short irons in the PTX Tour model. More specifically, the 4 through 8 iron have a somewhat hollow construction and use what Ben Hogan describe as a foaming insert to improve feel and acoustics, whereas the 9 iron and pitching wedge are a fully one piece forged iron.
The look of the PTX Tour irons is nothing short of spectacular - both from a shelf appeal point of view and maybe even more so behind the ball, they hit all the right notes for me. There are some really cool nods to history with the extra long ferrules and the knurling on the hosel, which I think really add to the character and aesthetic.
The overall proportions of the head are really good too, nice and compact from heel to toe, minimal offset and a lovely rounded toe. The leading edge throughout has been ground pretty straight which is a look I always enjoy.
I was eager to see how these irons would perform during testing, so I headed out to the practice ground of Saunton Golf Club with my SkyTrak+ launch monitor and my TaylorMade TP5x practice balls.
Starting with the wedge and 9 iron, the feel was pretty much what I expected from a forged blade. Very soft, with a nice level of feedback at impact giving you a very clear indication of your strike location. I found these two irons in particular really easy to manipulate in terms of trajectory which is a useful option to have in the scoring clubs.
The mid-irons were a touch livelier. Not a massive difference, but certainly noticeable, they just seemed to pop off the face a little quicker and launch a touch higher than their short iron counterparts. In many people's minds this will be a great thing as added speed and launch is something that is often coveted in the mid to long irons, however in this category of iron, I am looking for consistency and reliability throughout the set and felt the performance could blend slightly more seamlessly from the short irons into the rest of the set in terms of launch data.
That aside, the numbers were very good, competitive with any of the best irons for low handicappers in all of the important ball data categories such as ball speed, spin and carry distance.
As a direct to consumer brand, Ben Hogan Golf has cut out a lot of the associated costs of other major OEMs, and as such can provide a slightly lower price point. A 4-PW set will set you back $999.99/£801.49 which for a set of this quality represents real value.
With direct to consumer brands such as Takomo growing in popularity and indeed quality, I can see the Ben Hogan PTX Tour irons being a hit. The classic looks are an absolute joy and I thoroughly enjoyed my testing sessions with them.
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Joe has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles. After a successful amateur career being involved in England squads at every age group, Joe completed his PGA degree qualification in 2014 as one of the top ten graduates in his training year and subsequently went on to become Head PGA Professional at Ryder Cup venue The Celtic Manor Resort. Equipment has always been a huge passion of Joe’s, and during his time at Celtic Manor, he headed up the National Fitting Centres for both Titleist and Taylormade. He’s excited to bring his knowledge of hardware to Golf Monthly in the form of equipment reviews and buying advice.
Joe lives in North Devon and still plays sporadically on the PGA West region circuit. His best round in recent years came earlier in 2023 where he managed a 9 under par 63 at Trevose GC in a Devon & Cornwall PGA Tournament.
Joe's current What's In The Bag?
Driver: Switch between Ping G430 Max 10K & TaylorMade Qi10 - both with Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X
Fairway wood 1: TaylorMade BRNR Copper Mini Driver - Fujikura Ventus Black 7-X
Fairway wood 2: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD 5 Wood - Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB 3-PW with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
Wedges: Callaway Opus 50, 54, and 60 degrees - Project X LS 6.0 shafts
Putter: Odyssey Toe Up #9
Ball: TaylorMade 2024 TP5x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 60R
Bag: Vessel Player IV Pro DXR Stand
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