The Green Fee One of my favorite golf companies is Ben Hogan. In my year and a half of working with them on a regular basis I cant say Ive dealt with a more professional group of people. I want to see them succeed. I love what they are doing by going direct to consumer. It is really reducing the cost of high quality equipment for every day players.
Its always exciting when I wake up to news of a new release let alone one from a company I like as much as Hogan. Today Hogan rounded out their long iron options with the release of the new UiHi and the VKTR+.
UiHi
Replacing the older model Ft Worth Hi the UiHi is a hollow bodied driving iron. The club was designed to be a little thicker which should give golfers a sense of confidence. With that said Id still think this is designed for the better player. A lot of people dislike hybrids because of their tendency to go left. A driving iron with its iron like looks and weighting seems to help with that. Honestly the Ft Worth Hi gave much forgiveness vs the PTX or the Ft Worth itself. The UiHi looks to fix that forgiveness problem. It will be interesting to see in person. At $110 it certainly is at a price point that would hurt to try out.
VKTR+
The original VKTR was a very under-rated hybrid. Adams was one of the best brands for hybrids of all time. They had the shape that good players like but also gave a bunch of everyday players a great option as well. The VKTR was designed with quite a bit of the Adams team. I was a huge fan of the VKTR hybrid. The new VKTR+ iron kept a lot of the same shape as the original. They knew what worked and kept it going forward. The new hybrid was designed to be even easier to hit than the previous version. The biggest change in the design was a change from 3 weights to a single weight. This should actually help lower and pull the center of gravity back. That means higher ball flight with more forgiveness. I think its a great option for a lot of people. Again at $140 it is a great option.
Combo Sets!
One of the biggest knocks on Hogan has been their lack of combo sets. They made you choose between the harder to hit Icon or the PTX Pro. Now they will allow you to blend the sets. They will also allow you to add the hybrid or driving iron to the set. Hogan knew this was one of the biggest issues they faced and adapted. It shows a willingness to adapt. Its something I think can be respected and should be applauded
Final Thoughts
Hogan has one of the coolest ways to do business in the industry. Their direct to consumer approach means quality clubs are available for a low cost. I have hit almost all of the Hogan products from drivers to putters and they are all top notch. I cant wait to see these in bags and hear about people giving these hybrids a chance through the demo program. If youre interested in more information check out Ben Hogan here