2012 PLAYERS' IRONS TEST: The results

GOLD MEDAL

Mizuno MP-59
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“I’m not bowled over by how this looks on the shelf but when you put it down it is trademark Mizuno. Fantastic to look at. This felt and sounded better than anything.” DM
“This had by far the nicest wedge on test. The shapes are lovely and the sound is fantastic.” MT
“These come off the face really quickly but still feel full of finesse.” JW
DETAILS
SRP: £120 per iron
AVAILABLE: 3-PW
SHAFT: Dynamic Gold
GRIP: Mizuno M-21
LOFTS: 4-iron 24°; 7-iron 34°; PW 46°
w: mizuno.com
t: 01189 362 100

SILVER MEDAL

Titleist CB 712
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Wonderful shapes that really look the part but are much less intimidating than you would expect. If they seem too much in the long irons there is lots of potential to blend them with the more forgiving AP2s.” DM
“They feel superb and sound even better. After a few swings I totally trusted them. Definitely playable.” MT
“They look much harder to hit than they are. The cavity design really helps you out on mis-hits. Saying that, you can certainly feel when you don’t quite catch them!” JW
DETAILS
SRP: £110 per iron
AVAILABLE: 2-PW
SHAFT: Dynamic Gold
GRIP: Tour Velvet
LOFTS: 3-iron 21°; 6-iron 31°; PW 47°
w: titleist.co.uk
t: 01480 301 114

BRONZE MEDAL

Cobra S3 Pro
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Consistently good in every department. The long irons launched high and the short irons were superb.” MT
“Ball speed was consistently high and the shapes, although small, were by no means intimidating. Excellent.” JW
“The surprise package of the test. More forgiving than you would expect and superb performance.” DM
DETAILS
TESTED: December 2011
TESTERS: Dan Murphy (3hcp), Mark Townsend (7hcp), Joe Whitley (9hcp)
SRP: £799
AVAILABLE: 2-GW
SHAFT: Dynamic Gold
GRIP: Tour Velvet
LOFTS: 4-iron 24°; 7-iron 34°; PW 46°
w: cobragolf.co.uk
t: 084512 378 628

Nike VR Pro Combo CB
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The long and mid-irons are superb but the wedge isn’t the best shape. Overall the set feels very solid and together.” DM
“The standard grip is seriously slippy, which doesn’t inspire confidence. An easy problem to solve, though.” JW
“I found the grip got tackier the more I used it so don’t think it is a major problem. I loved the powerful mid-irons.” MT
DETAILS
SRP: £524.95
AVAILABLE: 2-PW
SHAFT: Dynamic Gold XP
GRIP: Tour Velvet
LOFTS: 4-iron 24°; 7-iron 35°; PW 47°
w: nikegolf.eu
t: 08000 561 640

Titleist AP2 712
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Titleist are targeting owners of the original AP2s with this iron – if you have the 710 AP2s you might not need to update – but there is no doubting this is a top performer.” DM
“The short irons look much better than in the previous model but the same performance and forgiveness is there” MT
“They are really fast off the face and are a lot more forgiving than they look.” JW
DETAILS
SRP: £114 per iron
AVAILABLE: 3-GW
SHAFT: Dynamic Gold
GRIP: Tour Velvet
LOFTS: 4-iron 24°; 7-iron 35°; PW 47°
w: titleist.co.uk
t: 01480 301 114