EQUIPMENT REVIEW
The feel of forged
KZG’s cheaper version of its forged Evolution irons a good bet for the price
By Tim McDonald,
Contributor
(Feb. 10, 2005) KZG Golf is perhaps best known for its Gemini dual-faced driver, which the USGA ruled “non-conforming” in 2003,” only to reverse itself later.
That little flap brought the relatively small manufacturer based in North Hollywood some needed publicity, and the company has gone on to develop a full line of products.
It introduced its forged Evolution irons recently, and for those who can’t afford the nearly $900 price tag, it has now come out with a set of PCIII irons.
“We’ve duplicated our very popular Evolution irons, which were a forged iron, but not everybody can afford a forged iron,” said KZG vice-president Lisa Jadon. “So we came out with a cast head and it’s made of a proprietary steel that is extremely soft, so not only does it give you the feel of forged, but its bendable for customization.”
In other words, the irons are intended to give the “feel of forged” without the cost of forging.
The PCIII set has the same idea as the Evolution: a blended set in which every club is unique, “designed to maximize performance.” The irons are supposed to give a “seamless progression from one club to the next.”
“It’s not like a normal blended set, where the 3-, 4- and 5-iron are the same model, and the 5-, 6- and 7-iron are the same design,” Jadon said. “On the long irons, you’ve got more of a cavity back, and as you progress into the short irons, more of a muscle develops and you’ve got more feel and control.
“As you progress, it’s like 10 percent more of a muscle developing as you get into the lower irons.”
“Muscle-backs” are designed so that more mass is behind the center of the clubhead. It’s supposed to give a softer feel when struck properly.
The long irons feature a mid-sized head with perimeter weighting designed for maximum distance and accuracy. Perimeter weighting, of course, was popularized years ago by Ping founder Karsten Solheim. The concept revolves around weight redistribution to stabilize the club on all types of impact. In essence, perimeter weighting has more weight around the outside edges of the clubhead to produce a larger sweet-spot. The technology has advanced dramatically in subsequent years.
As the PCIII set continues into the shorter irons, it slowly evolves into a blade design for higher spin rate and, allegedly, pin-point accuracy.
Whatever the technology, the clubs seemed to do what they are designed to do, at least the mid to short irons. On a recent test, the best example was when I able to stop a 5-iron on the back of the green from about 183 yards, something I can rarely do. I thought I had hit the shot too hard, but it landed at the back of the green, where the flag was and plop stayed there.
I was also able to get good spin on the wedge: I hit the ball directly over a greenside bunker from 40 yards and made it back up to within two feet of the flag, another shot I am spectacularly bad at. I also made a 7-iron back up on a 165-yard par-3 to six feet of the cup.
I didn’t get these results all the time, but I got them enough to suspect the clubs made me a little better player, at least from the mid irons to the short ones. I had more difficulty with the long irons in terms of distance and accuracy.
Trouble with long irons: who doesn’t have that?
Now, these irons aren’t as forgiving as, say Callaway’s Big Bertha Fusion, with their extreme perimeter weighting, but those retail at more than $1,000 more than $1,500 for graphite shafts.
The PCIII’s suggested retail price is $449 for steel shafts and $549 for graphite.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
