Cleveland CG1 Tour Irons Review

First of all, I would like to thank Cleveland Golf and GolfWRX for this great opportunity. I think it's a wise move on the part of these manufacturers to seek the opinion of the un-biased player and to try to spark interest. I can only hope that my review is satisfactory, and that a member or two on here finds this to be helpful.

The set: Cleveland CG1 Tour 4-PW, Std L/L/L, Dynamic Gold R300. I just don't like S300s, and I've never had decent results with them. It could be due to them not working well over standard length (I play +1/2"). Nevertheless, I don't like their feel or performance with blades, so I went with the R300s.

The player: Former college player, very unspectacular in every aspect of my game. I hit the ball reasonably straight off the tee and my length isn't terribly deficient. I have a decent iron game, and the ability to shape it both ways while varying trajectory, but am by no means a "great ballstriker." My short game is substandard for my level of play but is being addressed. I still compete at the amateur level, and my handicap fluctuates between a 1 and a +1 throughout the year. Stats - 108mph avg Driver SS, 40* 8 iron flies 155yd. Favorite iron sets ever: MacGregor 1025m, Titleist 690.CB/690.MB, Taylor Made TP MB (06 model), Callaway X-Tour. I gave SGIs a brief run somewhere in there, and will never go back. I need the versatility provided by compact head sizes and narrow soles.

Looks:

The clubs showed up the other day, and out of the box I was greeted by a very familiar face. I have some experience with the original CG1 blades, and the appearance of these is similar. The muscle placement has been lowered slightly and is marginally more spread out, which gives the clubs a little less (very slightly, not that noticeable) meat behind the sweet spot. These irons are all business though, and are not designed to be a "players club" that will forgive you on sloppy days (if you are interested in such a club, research the CG16 Tour which would be more up your alley). That said, if you are reading this review, I would assume you are a player who is looking into blades or currently plays blades. These fit the bill. The laser milling on the face is very detailed and the satin finish is top notch. The first club I hit and chose to work with was the 8-iron. The 8 is a club that visually bothers me with a lot of other player's sets. For some reason, OEMs feel a need to try and blend the irons into the look of the wedges (raise the heel and round the toe), and the 8 iron winds up being the stepchild. I think it's a difficult task for most manufacturers, but the best looking sets to me accomplish said blending beautifully. This set is one of them.

If I was going to change anything about the look: I would like to see a slightly sharper toe, and I could do without the actual wording of "laser milled" being etched onto the face of my club. Its unnoticeable at address and you REALLY have to try and see it when it's held in front of you, but it's there. Use the website and the product release info to let me know about the technology, I don't need it milled into the face of my blades.

Performance: (this will be edited when I have a chance to get some extended work off the turf. Most hits today were off mats)

These clubs were a delight to hit, plain and simple. The trajectory was easily varied, as was the curvature. The one thing I would say I was most "iffy" about prior to receiving the clubs was the feel. I have played some great forged clubs, most recently Mizuno MP62's, so I'm a little spoiled when it comes to the feel of my irons. These are in no way a step down. Certain forgings have a feeling where the ball is almost "melting" into the face (Miura comes to mind). These CG1s do not have that same feel, but they are equally solid. They are more similar a firmer forging. I actually like the feel a lot, and thought the feedback was exceptional without being at all harsh. My swing today was decent, but the 40mph winds and light drizzle were somewhat daunting. I hit one or two thin off the mat, and some shots a couple grooves high (range is a little shaggy early in the season), with most balls finding the button. I would say the striking today was pretty representative of my game, maybe a little above average for 2 weeks into the season. The only thing I'm not sure about is the turf interaction. I will give them a better run on the course this weekend to see what they're like on a variety of lies. The one factor that is TOTALLY necessary for me on a good set of irons these days is bounce. I have become more of a digger with the short irons, and I don't need my irons to help me get into the turf. This is the reason I got rid of my Mizunos.

If I could change anything: Upon first inspection, the irons either need more bounce, a little more aggressive camber, or a slight leading edge grind. Aside from that, I wouldn't touch a thing. The irons strike a nice balance between rewarding perfectly struck shots, and keeping fractionally off shots from straying offline. Judging from the pattern of my shots today you would have thought I was really "on," but I definitely missed a few and got away with them.

Overall: While I am going to continue to test them, I'm VERY impressed. I'm picky when it comes to the look, feel, and performance of my irons, and websites like this don't help. You become so keenly aware of every other option available, that you always assume something better is out there. I have quelled that tendency to continue looking for the sake of looking, but I am still demanding. These irons definitely fit the bill with look and feel. Whether or not the short iron's turf interaction is enough to keep me interested has yet to be seen. STAY TUNED!!!!!

Nice review. Would you compare the feel similar to Titleiest MB's?

Great review... I honestly have always been curious about the CG1's... But never read anything that pushed me further into exploring them as a real option but this review has changed that.. I need to go check these out. Thank you!

[quote name='Metalhead' timestamp='1302145957' post='3128376']
Great review... I honestly have always been curious about the CG1's... But never read anything that pushed me further into exploring them as a real option but this review has changed that.. I need to go check these out. Thank you!
[/quote]
Thank you, and you're welcome! I really do believe these are worth a serious look for the blade player. I know the long irons are a CB, but you wouldn't know it at address. They are the same size as the other irons, and the fractional extra margin for error they provide is probably a good thing.

[quote name='scratchswinger' timestamp='1302145745' post='3128362']
Nice review. Would you compare the feel similar to Titleiest MB's?
[/quote]
Yes. More 'click' than 'puff', if you will.

Great review, that iron looks really good!

Thanks, bud. I had a chance to get a little more work in off the turf today, and I have to say I'm not sold. In the northeast, I'm not playing off of hardpan on a regular basis. I like everything else about these clubs, but there's simply nothing to shallow out their path through the ground. For the pure sweeper, I would imagine these play like a dream.

This is not a fault exclusive to the CG1. As I mentioned above, the Mizuno MP-62 (as well as pretty much anything in their MP-line), and Miura's Tournament Blade and CB-202 all suffer from the same ailment. I honestly may just hit the leading edges with a grinding wheel and see if we can't get the short irons to behave properly.

[quote name='PreppySlapCut' timestamp='1302278899' post='3132909']
Thanks, bud. I had a chance to get a little more work in off the turf today, and I have to say I'm not sold. In the northeast, I'm not playing off of hardpan on a regular basis. I like everything else about these clubs, but there's simply nothing to shallow out their path through the ground. For the pure sweeper, I would imagine these play like a dream.

This is not a fault exclusive to the CG1. As I mentioned above, the Mizuno MP-62 (as well as pretty much anything in their MP-line), and Miura's Tournament Blade and CB-202 all suffer from the same ailment. I[b] honestly may just hit the leading edges with a grinding wheel and see if we can't get the short irons to behave properly.[/b][/quote]

Solid review! Appreciate the time spent on putting this one together.

Interested to hear your thoughts if you do put them under the knife.

[quote name='Sakman' timestamp='1302282172' post='3133061']
[quote name='PreppySlapCut' timestamp='1302278899' post='3132909']
Thanks, bud. I had a chance to get a little more work in off the turf today, and I have to say I'm not sold. In the northeast, I'm not playing off of hardpan on a regular basis. I like everything else about these clubs, but there's simply nothing to shallow out their path through the ground. For the pure sweeper, I would imagine these play like a dream.

This is not a fault exclusive to the CG1. As I mentioned above, the Mizuno MP-62 (as well as pretty much anything in their MP-line), and Miura's Tournament Blade and CB-202 all suffer from the same ailment. I[b] honestly may just hit the leading edges with a grinding wheel and see if we can't get the short irons to behave properly.[/b][/quote]

Solid review! Appreciate the time spent on putting this one together.

Interested to hear your thoughts if you do put them under the knife.


[/quote]
Yea, Sak. I think I may do it. I like the shape, like the flight, like the feel. But I think Callaway got it right with the Protos (narrow sole with lots of bounce) and the Razr Forged (slightly less bounce, but slightly wider sole and leading edge grind). I feel like many manufacturers overlook this aspect of design, and it's unfortunate. To give you an idea, I'm not moving MASSIVE divots here. [media]http://www.youtube.com/user/Plankton1414#p/u/3/Clh8lzQQiQQ[/media]

almost look like mp29s... but smoother...

look good... thanks for the review...

why such flexy shafts though in your irons - you did say you dont like s300 but why???

Irons look good, but I do not come close having the game for these. Good review.

[quote name='scott_Donald' timestamp='1302288800' post='3133305']
almost look like mp29s... but smoother...

look good... thanks for the review...

why such flexy shafts though in your irons - you did say you dont like s300 but why???
[/quote]
I have no idea, to be honest. I really don't like DGs that much, but I've always gotten along better with R300s. Could be a tempo thing, or the lack of lag that I create, I don't know. All I know is at impact I maintain some leverage, I hit it off the button more often than not (certainly not amazing, but if you look closely at the blurry pictures you'll see ball marks in the middle of the face), and flight it with a mid trajectory. I wish I could give you some better data, but I guess its a feel thing. Other iron shafts I like: KBS Tour (prefer 5.5 hardstepped, but 6.5 softstepped also works) Project X 5.5, ZZ65s, and DG Lite X100.

The final verdict: These clubs simply do not have enough bounce for my swing and the turf conditions I see regularly. They are made for the sweeper, or at the very least someone playing a bulk of their rounds on fine fescue (they are INCREDIBLE out of the rough though). Just hitting the leading edge with a grinding wheel wouldn't be enough to speed these things out of the turf for a digger. The flight on them is pretty perfect to my eye and shaping shots is a breeze. The ever so slight reduction of depth to muscle has increased one's margin for error fractionally, a nice bonus for the mid single digit looking to game a players club (like the sweet spot goes from a dime to a nickel). Perhaps the best feature, for many of the members here apparently, is the finish. Many blades and players clubs today are shiny chrome. These clubs have a gorgeous satin chrome finish that is absolutely top notch. I can't speak to the durability of said finish, but in terms of looks out of the box...there may not be a better looking set in the domestic market. Cleveland has a winner here for the better player, but I would need the Tour Department to help me out with the sole if they were going to make my bag. I hope someone finds this useful, and I would love to see Cleveland take these notes to heart.

Ten years on...and I find this great review while looking at a left handed set on Ebay. What a website this is.

heyhey i just bought one for practice 90 days ago! Cool design.

How do you like it?