McLaren Series 1 Iron Review: Unapologetic Butter Knives For The Luxury Purist

McLaren’s entry into the golf space has been one of the most anticipated and talked-about stories in golf equipment this year.

Anyone who read my review of the Series 3 irons will know that I was somewhat underwhelmed with the first offering. While the build quality was undeniable, the looks and innovation left me slightly disappointed.

When I saw the tracking number arrive for the Series 1 model, I wanted to approach this review with an entirely clean slate and see if McLaren has created something to challenge the best golf blades on the market. Ian Poulter and Justin Rose have been waxing lyrical about their sets, so let’s see what they are all about…

Visuals are always a subjective topic, but let’s start with the in-the-bag look. While the Series 1 are undeniably eye-catching from this angle, in my opinion (and if social media comment sections are to be believed) they could be a little divisive.

Generally speaking, players shopping in this category of iron are used to, and even seeking, very traditional and understated looks, whereas the visible honeycomb and the very striking McLaren signature papaya colour on the rear of the Series 1 irons are far from subtle, offering a much more futuristic style.

Initially I wasn’t sure how I felt about the looks from this angle, but I have to say, the more I looked at them sat in the test bag, the more I began to get used to, and ultimately very much enjoyed, the aesthetic. I think the sheer quality of the finish really helped in this regard, with every curve of the main body or junction of the honeycomb structure polished to absolute geometric perfection.

There is one design element I absolutely still cannot get on board with, however: the digital effect numbering on the sole. I said it about the Series 3 irons, and sadly I will say it again: this was a genuine dropping of the ball from the design team for me and dramatically cheapens the overall look of an extremely premium set of irons.

However, while I may be a little mixed in my opinions from the in-the-bag perspective, I am 100% all in from the playing position.

The shaping - particularly from the pitching wedge through to the 7-iron - is nothing short of phenomenal. They aren't overly curvy, nor are they overly angular or boxy; they strike the perfect balance to my eye, and are a joy to look down on. More on how they sit behind the ball later…

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Another thing that tickled my fancy visually was the completely unapologetic look of the longer irons at address.

Often this is dumbed down in modern ‘blades’ to help them feel less intimidating in some way - not so here! The 3, 4, and 5-irons are a complete throwback in the playing position in the best way possible, boasting razor-thin toplines that would make your eyes water on a cold winter morning, and I love it.

I’ve become bored of the sanitisation of these longer irons; if I want ‘help’, there are hundreds of options out there with chunky toplines and longer blade lengths. If I am buying blades, however, honestly I am after pure butter knives, and that is exactly what I've got here. I think it is very important we don't lose this option from the game.

Performance-wise, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my testing sessions with the Series 1 irons. Interestingly, my first session with them coincided with a session testing the full Miura range, which made for a very interesting and useful comparison of feel.

Undeniably, the Miura equivalents felt a little softer at impact, but the Series 1 irons absolutely weren't overshadowed. The feel was responsive, offered plenty of feedback, and was actually a little more forgiving on poor strikes than the overall profile may lead you to believe. Maybe not quite in the Cobra 3DP MB league of forgiveness, but certainly knocking on the door.

Consistency of carry and spin numbers was superb, and the turf interaction was nothing short of joyful.

For me, this ground prowess came from a feature that I loved as much visually as technically: the leading edge is one of the flattest horizontally (when you look at the club face-on) I have ever seen, and very comparable to the TaylorMade P7TW in that regard.

Often, companies try to curve the sole up a touch at the edges, presumably in an attempt to have less contact with the ground and allow the club to slip through more easily, but I never find it that effective in practice, and moreover, it often causes me problems getting the club to sit correctly and stationary behind the ball.

The Series 1 irons sit as flush to the ground as you could ever imagine and don't move a millimetre once in place, which is an underrated feature, particularly when you have just had the summer we’ve experienced in the UK. The burnt-out, tight-links fairways I play on are as slippery as an ice rink for the iron clubhead, and trying to settle the club in behind the ball can be quite nerve-wracking and distracting.

The result through the ball is some of the neatest and most uniform divots I have ever seen! I don't know if this had any real performance benefit whatsoever, but it sure was satisfying.

Distance output on the Foresight Sports GC3 launch monitor was relatively modest, as you would expect with such traditional lofts (the 7-iron sits at 34° and the PW is 46°), but the consistency and feedback were very much in the upper echelons of this category of irons.

Finally, the elephant in the room will once again be the price tag. At £360 per iron, a lot of people will switch off immediately; I get that - and I'm sure McLaren do too. But this is simply the way of the world, and it happens in so many other industries. When you have built a brand and reputation into the luxury sphere, many people are willing to stump up potentially over the odds to be associated with it.

In watches, you can buy a Rolex for ten grand or a Casio for thirty pounds; both essentially do the same job of telling the time. You could buy a plain white T-shirt from Uniqlo for £19.99 and the same design from Gucci for £200, and while Gucci would argue the difference in material quality, they are both plain white T-shirts at the end of the day.

The same applies here. You could buy a set of Vice Golf blades for less than £800, or even a set of Takomo blades for a little over £600, and frankly, you would likely notice very little in the way of tangible performance differences, so logic would dictate that would be the prudent financial play.

However, like it or not, understand it or not, there will always be a market for luxury, high-ticket items that make people feel something different, and it is not for me to decide if that makes any sense.

Focusing purely on the product at hand, what I can say is that for anyone fortunate enough to have the means to purchase a set of the McLaren Series 1 irons, you will absolutely not be disappointed with what they give you back.