Irons and Wedges: Keeping it Clean
When buying new equipment, we all approach our purchase from one of many starting points. Some of us start with a certain price range in mind, some have a particular loyalty to their favorite brand. Others start their search based on reviews and word of mouth; and some are simply drawn in by the way a club looks. You can count me as one of the superficial who covet the look of a golf club first and foremost.
Of course, other things matter a great deal. Performance, feel, value; all wonderful things that should be weighed and considered. But odds are I’m not even taking a club off the rack if my eye doesn’t agree with what I’m looking at. I’m one of those weirdos whose brains don’t jive with their hands if their eyes don’t like what they see. I will physically swing a club I consider to be ugly or awkward in an ugly and awkward way. And to be honest, if I’m going to drop a bill on a wedge, or many bills on a set of irons, I want to look at those shiny golf ball hitting sticks in my bag and feel excited that I own them. I want my clubs to be the prettiest girl at the dance.
To my eye, the prettiest tools are the cleanest tools. I’m strange that way. I constantly wipe down counter-tops, I organize my books, CD’s, and DVD’s in alphabetical order, I enjoy sweeping, and I like my golf clubs to be clean and simple. Below, we will examine a group of irons and wedges that I consider to be properly clean and properly simple, and in some cases, outright works of art. Golf clubs that feature gratuitous name branding, logos, or flashy badges need not apply.
Bridgestone: A sleeper iron amongst online golf nerds and scratch golfers alike, the J36′s offer a clean look three different ways. The Pocket Cavities offer forgiveness without being bulky, I find the Cavity Backs to be the best looking of the group, and the Combo Set allows you the best of all worlds, a sampling of the PC’s, CB’s and even a couple blades. Replace the blue paint fill with black, or remove it all together for an even cleaner look.
Titleist: A longtime producer of very traditional and classic golf clubs, Titleist delivers on a number of current models as well. The brand new CB and MB irons are both about as clean as you can get, while the Z Blends are no slouches themselves.
Mizuno: With few exceptions, the Mizuno line of irons and wedges consistently offers some of the most aesthetically pleasing golf clubs you can find. If you’re in the market for a new set of MX irons but find yourself turned off by the colors and stickers found on the cavities, I have it on good authority that these stickers are purely cosmetic, and can be removed from both the MX-200 and MX-300 irons. You’re just a few dabs of Goo Gone and elbow grease away from a purely custom and clean set of irons.
TaylorMade: I have to give credit where credit is due and include the new R9 and R9 TP irons on this list. Known more for a modern aesthetic and brand heavy presentation, there’s no denying TaylorMade has gone for a more traditionally simplistic look with their new line of irons.
Nike: Another company that typically offers up more flash than others, Nike has turned clean with their Victory Red Wedges. Both the chrome and black finishes are solid options, but I’m going to give my own personal nod to the black version because it’s my lack of color of choice.
Cleveland: While logos, colors, inserts and technology abound when it comes to their iron sets, Cleveland has no problem going classic when it comes to wedges. Both the CG12 and brand new CG15 lines don’t mess about when it comes to traditional looks. And while minor points can be deducted for the “Zip Grooves” stamping, we’re not here to argue considering all the choices available when it comes to finish, loft, and bounce.
Keeping it Clean on a Budget: Just to prove that us neat freaks don’t have to spend more to love how our clubs look, both Adams and Wilson present killer wedges at more than reasonable prices. You can snag three classic wedges for the price of one if you fancy the Tom Watson Wedge Set, while the Wilson Harmonized wedges are available in both chrome and black.