The first club I ever owned was a sawed-off Ben Hogan 7-iron that my grandpa gave me. That name on the back of the club seemed magical, maybe because I couldn’t yet read cursive. It seems that ever since those days, the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company  has been struggling to maintain its one-time pre-eminence in the golf club market. Or really, even a viable position in the market.

The august company’s more recent strategy has been to eliminate the middleman and market its excellent clubs directly to players on the internet. Using this new marketing approach, Ben Hogan is introducing and re-introducing irons and wedges to the market, aiming to recapture some of its former glory.

Edge, Ft. Worth BLACK, and Equalizer models new for 2018

Ben Hogan Edge Irons

Some 30 years ago, Ben Hogan Golf introduced its Edge Irons, one of the first “game-improvement” irons on the market. 2018 brings the re-introduction of these iconic clubs, tricked out with cutting-edge engineering upgrades. These upgrades include 2-part forged heads, with the hosel and back forged separately from the face, which is then laser-welded to the back. This process allows for perimeter weighting of these “game-improvement” irons inside the clubhead, which is hollow to verying degrees as you move up and down the set. Finally, the VSole leading edge helps eliminate digging into the turf. Finally, Ben Hogan Golf is committed to maintaining 4 degrees of loft difference between clubs, to allow for precise yardage calculations.

I’ve tested and reviewed a lot of game-improvement irons over the years, and although many have been very solid, none have grabbed me personally. Until now. The Edge Irons ($670/set) are not overly chunky at set-up, and also not overly offset. On contact, the ball rockets off the clubface, and the feel is buttery. The Ben Hogan Edge Irons will definitely be on my list of game-improvement sticks to look into when I age a bit more, and my swing slows a bit. I wish I had considered having my son, who got his first set of real clubs this year, test some out before I invested in more expensive irons from another top company.

Ft. Worth BLACK Irons

Whereas the Edge Irons are aimed at mid- to high-handicappers, the spanking new Ft. Worth PLACK Irons ($635/set) target low-handicap players – like, serious players. These muscle-back blades feature the same VSole design as the Edge Irons, and pair it with progressive weighting and some cleverly disguised perimeter weighting. All these features are wrapped up in a patented Diamond Black Metal coating that is more durable than nickel-chrome. And it looks REALLY sharp.

I tested these on the range, and my first couple of swings were pure. The ball flight was piercing and true, and I thought maybe they were for me after all. Then I took four less-than-pure swings in a row, felt noticeable vibration on the toe- and heel-shots, and watched the balls travel quite a bit less distance (and off-line). After that, I hit another few pure shots, and was amazed again. Nevertheless, if I were a *bit* of a better player, these would look awfully good in my bag and feel awfully good carving into tight pins.

Equalizer Wedges

Ben Hogan’s pitching wedge was called The Equalizer because he played it with such deadly perfection. Ben Hogan Golf’s new Equalizer wedges ($100 each) come in 8 lofts, from 48 to 62 degrees. Unlike most modern-day wedges, the Equalizers feature a somewhat higher center of gravity to promote a slightly lower ball flight with more spin. As a result, they are excellent in the wind.

In my testing, I don’t actually recall hitting a shot with the Equalizers that was not dead solid. Even slight mis-hits felt like that came off the face with the right trajectory and the right amount of spin. In all honesty, I’m pretty sure that any amateur golfer, at any level, could trade in his old wedges for the Equalizer and save 2-3 strokes a round without changing a thing. They are that good.

These irons and wedges aren’t your grandpa’s old Hogans. Despite the decades that have passed, Ben Hogan Golf is producing some top-flight, high-tech irons and wedges that would blow Grandpa’s plus-fours off. And with the factory-direct marketing, you can get them at a fraction of the cost of most of the other big-name companies.