Callaway XR pro, Cobra forged tec or similar....

[beaney]

Hi all,

 

Just wanted a bit of help from those of you who have tried/owned the above or similar irons.

 

I was previously playing 2013 Ping Anser irons with PX 5.5 shafts. I bought them (very lightly used) because I had had other Ping irons and liked the idea of the forged head. They were nice, but I'm not sure that they felt hugely different to my old I15s (not a bad thing), but i really struggled with balooning, and because I play on the coast in the UK that was a big downside.

 

Added to this, we had our first kid a year ago, so I've not been playing as much and therefore decided to try something with a bit of forgiveness and a KBS shaft (which i know i like the feel of). Similarly, I'm not a big hitter, so whilst i wasn't adverse to gaining a few yards, I certainly didnt want to lose any!

 

I tried a few irons at the local range with varying results, and one of the irons that i liked the most was the Cobra Forged Tec with C Taper lite. The range doesn't have Trackman etc, so i could only go on sight, but they seemed like decent distance, had good dispersion and the shaft felt good!

 

I also hit the Callaway XR Pro and the TM tour Preferred CB, both of which seemed very nice. Those that didn't suit me were the Srixon 5 and 7s and the AP2s.

 

A bit of searching found a set of XR Pros with KBS 90 for a fantastic price (same as i sold the Ansers for) so i pulled the trigger. They are a great head size, i like the shaft and they are very forgiving especially on thin shots, which are my typical miss. I have been really impressed with how straight they fly and there is no balooning. BUT, the distances are crazy - my PW has gone from 120yds to 130, and the 4 iron from 190 to 205-210. It means that i have a massive gap between my 50deg wedge (108yds) and the PW, and that is a horrible gap to have for someone who isnt playing as much and therefore doesn't have the distance control on punch shots that i used to!

 

I do love the forgiveness, but I'm nowhere near convinced that i made the right decision!! They seem to have created as many problems as they solved.

 

I wondered if anyone else has hit the XR Pros and could comment on the distance of the Cobras in comparison. Because the range doesnt have trackman I cant get an accurate idea of how they perform. The Cobras have similar lofts, but I think its the face of the Callaways that gives them the extra ooomph! If the cobras were 5yds shorter but with similar forgiveness I think I will try to find some, but dont want to make a purchase in case they are just as bad - funds are limited!!!!

 

Any help or suggestions would be very welcome!

[Fubuman]

I play XR-Pro / KBS C-Taper lite x, had all callaway forged irons before & was not really sure why I went with these because my Diablo Forged irons flew almost just as far & were forged.

Thing is, since I've had these, I've gone from a 6 to a 4 hcp & my iron play has never been better, straight mid/high flight that stop on a dime from as far as 180 out.

I have never hit the cobra you mention but can safely say that I am not looking at new irons at all.

To answer the gaping question, I'll try give what I have done & if that makes sense then cool!

I made sure to keep a 5* loft difference from my 9iron to LW, this has worked out just fine for me & don't seem to have any gaps, so 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, no complaints from me.

Also what I've done is to really spend some time at the range to practice my middle of the grip swing and distances, so that let's me hit a PW 120-140 depending on where I grip, thing is, the XR-Pro irons are so good that I have done what it takes to iron out any possible kinks.

[Fubuman]

Oh!!! BTW!

The XR-Pro on center strikes are butter, if I did not know they were not forged, I would've bet that they were.

[CharlvdWest]

I recently got 545 irons for a steal. If the cobra forged tec were the same price...... I would have had a HUGE problem. Very very underrated irons imo.

[TheMotorCity]

I owned both the Callaway xr pro and the Srixon 545. After hitting the Cobra Tec irons , I can tell you for me the Cobra Tec are safely stuck in my bag. Gives you all your looking for. Looks ,feel, playability and tons of forgiveness.

[Jtoep]

I hit the XR's pretty well when the first came out, !but the cobra forged are a very underrated iron. Like most have said, you will be surprised.

[gdb99]

I had a fitting last week, and was looking for a set of irons a little slimmer than my AP1's.

I really liked the Ping Ie1's.

I don't personally don't like the look of the Fordged Tech irons. The top line and short blade length look weird to me.

I do like the look of the Callaway XR Pros too. I did not try those though.

[guy9999]

Picked up a mint set of Cobra forged tec at the end of the season and cant wait to get them outside. Solid feeling irons.

[Wlaffey]

Played the xr pros for 2 seasons. Loved them . Only changed because I stupidly got a combo set with the standard xr in the 5 and 6 iron. They are long and super forgiving.

[beaney]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

 

Took the xr pros out again today and they were much more settled and starting to get used to the yardages. The forgiveness is unreal and the flight is unbelievably straight - things went well today so I'm much more happy!

 

Fwiw the Cobras are great irons and I think I'd be very happy with both, but now that I have had a bit more time with the callaways I'm certainly starting to appreciate them even more!

[beaney]

I play XR-Pro / KBS C-Taper lite x, had all callaway forged irons before & was not really sure why I went with these because my Diablo Forged irons flew almost just as far & were forged.

Thing is, since I've had these, I've gone from a 6 to a 4 hcp & my iron play has never been better, straight mid/high flight that stop on a dime from as far as 180 out.

I have never hit the cobra you mention but can safely say that I am not looking at new irons at all.

To answer the gaping question, I'll try give what I have done & if that makes sense then cool!

I made sure to keep a 5* loft difference from my 9iron to LW, this has worked out just fine for me & don't seem to have any gaps, so 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, no complaints from me.

Also what I've done is to really spend some time at the range to practice my middle of the grip swing and distances, so that let's me hit a PW 120-140 depending on where I grip, thing is, the XR-Pro irons are so good that I have done what it takes to iron out any possible kinks.

 

Thanks Fubuman. I've taken your advice and changed to a 50deg gap and that's also helped. And I also agree that they feel very good when struck well - to be honest they feel pretty good even when you hit them a little thin!

[Fubuman]

Yeah they do actually!

Glad you liking them more with time, I personally think 5-8 games are what's needed to bond with new irons anyway.

However, I saw improvements after just 2 rounds & the honeymoon has not stopped yet +- 20 rounds in.

[1puttTUT]

I owned both the Callaway xr pro and the Srixon 545. After hitting the Cobra Tec irons , I can tell you for me the Cobra Tec are safely stuck in my bag. Gives you all your looking for. Looks ,feel, playability and tons of forgiveness.

 

 

I've been looking all over metro Detroit for some lefty Forged Tec's to demo, but apparently none exist. I might just score some on ebay regardless and hope they work out. I currently use 714 AP2's. Can anyone tell me what to expect?

[BHGolf]

I bought the xr-pro this last year after playing the X-forged for about 2 years. I really love them and can ay that it was my best purchase .

They are really forgiving and are super long. with any new set of irons they keep changing lofts and what was a 7 iron in the past might be an 8 or even 9 so it just

takes some getting use to the different yardages for them.

I have no desire to look at any irons now and would definitely recommend the xr-pro's. like someone said on here is you hit the center of the club face you would

never think it's not a forged club.