Our team gets hold of Callaway's offerings for better players.TESTER: TYSON MANGIONI

HANDICAP: 20

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED:

Callaway Razr X Tour 3-iron to pitching wedge fitted with True Temper DG steel stiff flex shafts.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

While it doesn’t quite have the appearance of a forged club, the head looked great at address. I like how the extra weighting is shaped into the bottom of the club.

VERDICT:

The Razr Tour produced tremendous feel at impact, particularly when you hit it pure. Good shots came off with a great sound and would feel effortless. The ball flight with these irons was lower than what I expected, but it was strong. With this trajectory, it would cut through the air and would allow you to control the shot.

The Razr X Tour wasn’t as forgiving as I would have thought, even for this level of better-player iron. However, even when you didn’t middle a shot, the ball would usually travel with little loss of distance.

Overall, this iron is a good alternative for players looking for something between a game-improvement club and a forged blade. It has some characteristics that better players will want, while still giving the level of forgiveness to those of us who sometimes go long stretches between games of golf.

TESTER: TYLER BOATWRIGHT

HANDICAP: 6

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED

Callaway Razr Forged 3-iron to pitching wedge fitted with Project X shafts.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I’m a blade fan, and these are interesting. The topline on the club is thicker than usual for a blade. The short irons also have a slight degree of offset. In the hand, the head feels heavy – at least too heavy for me.

VERDICT

At impact, I would get really good feedback from the Razr irons. You’d know when you’d hit a shot off-centre, yet at the same time, there would be no jarring. The overall feel was really good, and the heaviness I felt in the head didn’t affect the swing at all.

Ball flight-wise, the shots that were well-struck would just keep going on their line. On poor strikes, you wouldn’t lose too much at all. In terms of workability – always an important test fro a blade – it was easy to shape and control shots both ways.

I got a good idea for what these irons can do when hit a 5-iron into a par-3 during the test. It had a great flight and sat absolutely soft when it landed, and went about half a club longer than my usual 5-iron distance.

By the end of the round, I felt perfectly comfortable with the irons – I’ll give Callaway’s forged sets a look along with the others in the future.

FACTS AND FIGURES

SUITABILITY: Low to mid-handicaps.

SHAFTS: Tour is True Temper Dynamic Gold; Forged is Project X Flighted.

LOFTS: Tour 6-iron 29º, pitching wedge 45º; Forged 6-iron 31º, pitching wedge 47º. A-wedge also available in both.

LEFT-HANDED MODELS?: Yes.

HOW MUCH?: $125 per iron (steel), $165 (graphite); Tour $145 (steel); Forged $150.

CALLAWAY SAYS: “The new Razr X Tour Irons are designed for low-to-mid handicap players looking for a next-generation combination of playability and workability.

“While other irons chase one specific performance attribute, Razr Technology provides the optimal balance of distance, accuracy and feel, with Tour-inspired styling. Razr Technology shifts the centre of gravity 23 percent lower and 18 percent deeper for enhanced playability, while also retaining the turf interaction advantages and workability of a thin-sole iron.

“The Razr X Forged is an uncompromised iron for elite golfers, designed by Roger Cleveland. What sets these irons apart is the unique Triple Net Forging process. This three-step forging yields superior feel and enables grooves to be precision forged into each club face.”

Contact Callaway Golf on 1800 217 777 or www.callawaygolf.com