New Level Appreciation Thread

[kovacs1027]

Hello all,

 

 

I'm very excited about my 902-OS irons I'm about to start gaming.  I got the demo 7 iron with a DG S-300 and was hitting it very well.  Love the feel and launch.  

 

I am getting the heads only and want to have my steel fiber 125cw's put in there.  I'm a little concerned about the swingweight.  Does anyone have experience dealing with this and any suggestions to keep the swingweight up other than lead taping the heck out of them?  What is their typical 7 iron head weight?

 

 

Thanks for any help!!!

[Sparty4202]

On 12/17/2023 at 8:46 PM, Yzmerf said:

Did a little extra work while I was regripping. 

I did that with my 902-PDs as soon as I got them…love the look!

[TmagBryce]

Anyone know what hosel the 902OS are? .355 or .370?

 

thanks

[hammergolf]

32 minutes ago, TmagBryce said:

Anyone know what hosel the 902OS are? .355 or .370?

 

thanks

.370

[TmagBryce]

5 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

.370

Thanks 

 

I figured they were just making sure. Was sizing up some .355 in new heads and was surprised they were snug more than other .370 heads i have. 
 

Thanks for the quick info 🤙

[B_of_H]

Played 3 rounds with the 902 OS in Arizona last week.  Roughly 3k feet elevation and high 50s to mid 60s temps.  I was flying pins/greens the first day.  I knew these irons would be longer than my mp 18s (my 902s are bent a degree weak) but with the elevation change they were going a full club longer. (12 yards perhaps) it took me a while to trust the yardage in my head and swing within myself.  They performed great but my swing is kind of a mess right now.  I might bend them a touch flatter and another degree weak as the pw was going a full 20 yards farther than my 49* gap wedge.  Coming from blades the forgiveness is a huge difference, in fact I don't think I had a shot that seemed to be effected by heel or toe miss at all.  a pull draw off the heel got me in trouble a few times because it went long left instead of being short left (as it would with a blade).  I was on the fence about keeping these irons before the trip but now i'm pretty confident i'll keep them through the spring.  my only gripe is the pw size is still difficult to look down at but its getting better.  IF i designed an update i'd definitely want the head size to get a little more compact starting at the 7 and get progressively smaller each iron from there.  maybe even raise the cg a bit too in those irons progressively.     

[Yzmerf]

For me the 8 is the last iron I really like the look of. 9, pitch and gap just don’t fit my eye. I’d like to get something different for those two but want to see what the new ones look like.

 

[B_of_H]

FWIW a few things: 

 

- These irons (stock length and lie) are roughly 3/8"? longer than my mizuno MP18s.  As some may know OEMs measure clubs differently.  to clarify: callaway and mizuno tend to be a touch shorter than titleist in my experience.  (at least in previous years models) For instance titleist and mizuno both say their PW specs are 35.75 but iirc one measures with grip at a certain lie angle and the other measures without grip at a different lie angle.  The end result is between 1/4 and 1/2" difference in length.  (if i'm wrong please fill me in but that is my understanding).  SO.... the lie angle of these clubs might play a touch more upright if you are looking at the specs and comparing it to others (mizuno irons specifically, maybe others?).  fwiw, my SPN wedge is the same length as vokeys off the shelf too (which are almost 1/2" longer than callaways/mizuno wedges in the shop).  

 

The 902 OS launch pretty high for me and spin PLENTY.  (disclaimer: this is from testing without a launch monitor but i'm decent at guessing launch/spin) I've hit some clubs like the p770/p790, the t200, etc... that definitely spin lower than these.  If you are on the fence about 2 different shafts I'd say go with the lower spin/flight option.

[compulsion]

New irons just dropped

[TmagBryce]

Just now, compulsion said:

New irons just dropped

Saw those. 😬 not sure that on the

looks at least. 

[dmeeksDC]

5 minutes ago, compulsion said:

New irons just dropped

I like these a lot. Simple and clean true forged 1020 steel — that’s what I love about New Level — only now with center weight adjustability. And you know they’ll feel great. Interesting that the low bounce option is the TC iron and mid-bounce is the MC. 

I wonder what the difference is between the TC and the DB they tease here that is coming out in March?

[compulsion]

25 minutes ago, dmeeksDC said:

I wonder what the difference is between the TC and the DB they tease here that is coming out in March?

 

Totally guessing - but it appears to be a slightly larger/more forgiving blade with lower CG

[B_of_H]

One of the things I liked about the previous irons was there was no tungsten.  i'm not anti-tungsten plug at all but just didn't like the feel in the irons i've tried with them coming off my previous irons.  It looks like the DB is a PD replacement.  If the lofts are consistent with the PD then i'll probably get a PW.  

[vandyfan]

15 hours ago, TmagBryce said:

Saw those. 😬 not sure that on the

looks at least. 

 

My first thought was that these are a step back in the aesthetics department. Maybe it is just the angle but the TC and DB look....odd. The MC looks okay. 

[B_of_H]

looking at the specs the MC has more offset than the TC fwiw.  Perhaps they are the same bent to the same loft (ala mizuno MP)?  I'm not good at that kind of math.  

[dmeeksDC]

I emailed NL last night and asked which new model is the most like the og 902, which I really liked. They wrote back and said if I liked the og 902 the closest is the 480 TC, which was built off the 623 CB platform. One big difference is the 480TC has much less offset in the scoring clubs compared to the og 902, which was probably the weakness of that model. 
 

Changes from the 623CB: They said the 480TC has a slightly thinner top line and the angled weighting along the bottom and the centered weight port, along with the cavity design, creates both a larger sweet spot and more perimeter weighting vs the 623CB. They can hit custom swing weights via the port. The 480TC has a little more bevel on the leading edge of the sole. The offset ranges from not much in the long irons to miniscule in the scoring irons.

 

I like simple, clean designs. I bet in hand it looks even nicer. Have yet to hit a New Level iron that felt bad. I’ve still got a 4-6 of the MODB-1 half-hollow heads and even those felt nice and are really good, forgiving golf clubs. Personally, I liked them better than the larger GI22 head they replaced them with. I also have an 1126 6 and 7 iron. A pure forged iron with a bit longer blade length. PF2 was so pure, a little harder to hit. But the 902 was always my favorite. Of these new ones the 480TC is where my game fits. 

[TmagBryce]

What are the average swing weights on the stock 623CB and 902OS sets with basic 120 gram shafts? Seem on the lite side. C7-8ish on the two i demo’d

[dmeeksDC]

I ordered a half-set, the 480TC in 8-P with C Taper Lite stiff. Since these are pretty typical lofts, I’ve got other 5-7 irons I can pair them with no problem. I enjoy pure forged short irons, they’re a lot of fun to fire at greens. Asked for D-1 swing weight. I’ll post some pics once they arrive. 

[Yzmerf]

2 minutes ago, dmeeksDC said:

I ordered a half-set, the 480TC in 8-P with C Taper Lite stiff. Since these are pretty typical lofts, I’ve got other 5-7 irons I can pair them with no problem. I enjoy pure forged short irons, they’re a lot of fun to fire at greens. Asked for D-1 swing weight. I’ll post some pics once they arrive. 

Really tempted to order at 8 and 9 1 degree weak to go with my 902pds. Just means I’d have 2 8 irons

[dmeeksDC]

4 minutes ago, Yzmerf said:

Really tempted to order at 8 and 9 1 degree weak to go with my 902pds. Just means I’d have 2 8 irons

I have done that quite a bit. Almost inevitable these days if you try different heads. Works fine. Fourteen clubs to do the job, can be any 14 you want!

 

I figure while there is some risk in buying blind, I have played several of their irons and wedges, they answered my questions about comparables, and there is very little offset in these heads so they are likely to look fine. (Offset is 36 percent less in the 480-TC short irons vs the og 902). Thin sole and top line, leading edge relief, blade length is compact but not scary compact. Checks a lot of boxes.
 

Rep I talked to there said they have hit them, the feel is incredible and so I went for it. It’s 1020 carbon steel with nothing added. What’s not to like? Not much to worry about with short irons. I also like my irons 1/4 inch short of standard and they can do that and hit swing weight easily with the adjustable weight. And I got 10 percent off. So $135 a club shipped with my shaft choice. 

[subrew]

I'm going down a little rabbit hole of building short sets based around demo iron heads.  I had noticed quite a few places selling 6 and 7 iron demo heads quite cheap, like $10-25 each.  In many cases you can find a 6i in a stronger lofted club (P790 or P770) then a weaker lofted 6i in a P7MC then a 7i in a P7MC/MB.  Adjust loft angles 1-2* and you can get a nice spread from essentially 5 to 8 iron lofts.  Then throw in a 9 or PW single iron on the bottom end for a 4 club short set.

 

And my first set I built was using New Level heads.  These were nearly new 6i heads that were something like $23 each.  1126 6i bent just a little stronger, and a 1031 6i bent a bit weaker, then a 1031 8i and PW I found a guy selling as singles adjusted to give me a nice 27* to 42* range.  Total build was just under $110.  

 

It's also fun juggling swingweights across different heads, building shaft lengths to match something like a 5.25 iron or a 7.75 iron.

 

I played a round yesterday and enjoyed them, and got used to the distances.  Then today got a hole-in-one using the 1031 head playing at 32*.  I didn't realize I did it until I got close, as the ball was only half way in the hole leaning against a slightly angled flag stick.  Let out a little girl yelp.  

 

 

Edited January 27 by subrew

[dmeeksDC]

7 hours ago, subrew said:

I'm going down a little rabbit hole of building short sets based around demo iron heads.  I had noticed quite a few places selling 6 and 7 iron demo heads quite cheap, like $10-25 each.  In many cases you can find a 6i in a stronger lofted club (P790 or P770) then a weaker lofted 6i in a P7MC then a 7i in a P7MC/MB.  Adjust loft angles 1-2* and you can get a nice spread from essentially 5 to 8 iron lofts.  Then throw in a 9 or PW single iron on the bottom end for a 4 club short set.

 

And my first set I built was using New Level heads.  These were nearly new 6i heads that were something like $23 each.  1126 6i bent just a little stronger, and a 1031 6i bent a bit weaker, then a 1031 8i and PW I found a guy selling as singles adjusted to give me a nice 27* to 42* range.  Total build was just under $110.  

 

It's also fun juggling swingweights across different heads, building shaft lengths to match something like a 5.25 iron or a 7.75 iron.

 

I played a round yesterday and enjoyed them, and got used to the distances.  Then today got a hole-in-one using the 1031 head playing at 32*.  I didn't realize I did it until I got close, as the ball was only half way in the hole leaning against a slightly angled flag stick.  Let out a little girl yelp.  

 

 

Heckuva story. Congrats on the hole in one! 
 

How do the 1126 and 1031 heads compare? I have an 1126, have never seen a 1031. 
 

I am putting together a New Level set now. The feel of their irons is so nice, very much a favorite. I have the MODB-1 in 4,5 and 6 iron (26 degrees), 1126 6 and 7 irons bent 2 degrees weak (30 and 34 degrees) and am awaiting delivery of the new 480-TC in 8-P. They shipped yesterday. I could continue the set with the 480 if I love them. The 1126 is a little longer heel to toe than I like, but it’s easy to hit and performs well. The 480 will be more compact. I appreciate tech in golf clubs but I like having a set of pure forged clubs around too. 

 

[dmeeksDC]

Not a bad debut for the new irons…..

[Yzmerf]

On 1/21/2024 at 4:31 PM, dmeeksDC said:

I ordered a half-set, the 480TC in 8-P with C Taper Lite stiff. Since these are pretty typical lofts, I’ve got other 5-7 irons I can pair them with no problem. I enjoy pure forged short irons, they’re a lot of fun to fire at greens. Asked for D-1 swing weight. I’ll post some pics once they arrive. 

did you get them yet?

[dmeeksDC]

48 minutes ago, Yzmerf said:

did you get them yet?

Delivery expected Wednesday or Thursday. I’ll post photos once they arrive. My experience with NL is the irons look better than the photos on their site. 
 

I found this snippet on these irons in Golf magazine’s November issue. This is Ryan Moore talking about his new irons, which as it turns out are the 480-TC:
 

“I honestly changed a set of irons. Even though I played pretty solid in Napa, I got a new set of irons right after that and I just fell in love with (the irons) and instantly started feeling better and more confident.”

The irons Moore was talking about are a set of unreleased forged cavity backs from New Level Golf that feature a weight port in the back of the head to fine-tune the head weight for the precise feel a player is looking for.

 

[philsRHman]

I have to admit, I’m not all that into these new irons. I can’t put my finger on it but they don’t build upon the look of what came before. Maybe you guys know better, but is it a red flag that the equipment guru owner/founder sells the company and Ryan Moore’s brother is going to come in and put his stamp on things? 
 

I’m glad I finally pulled the trigger and bought my 623-CB and MB combo set in the fall. I really love the look even more in person, not sure how much longer they’ll even be around. 

Edited January 30 by philsRHman

[TmagBryce]

11 minutes ago, philsRHman said:

I have to admit, I’m not all that into these new irons. I can’t put my finger on it but they don’t build upon the look of what came before. Maybe you guys know better, but is it a red flag that the equipment guru owner/founder sells the company and Ryan Moore’s brother is going to come in and put his stamp on things? 
 

I’m glad I finally pulled the trigger and bought my 623-CB and MB combo set in the fall. I really love the look even more in person, not sure how much longer they’ll even be around. 

So New Level sold? I am

confused with this post.  

[dmeeksDC]

1 hour ago, TmagBryce said:

So New Level sold? I am

confused with this post.  

Yes, Eric Burch sold it to Ryan Moore, but I don’t know if Moore is the sole owner. He owns a golf apparel company too. Not unusual for players to be involved in club designs. Some of them have proven to be great at it. I don’t know that Ryan Moore’s brother is making all those calls. 
 

I have zero concerns about it. I can’t look at a web site photo of a golf club and determine much of anything. If you don’t hit the club, you don’t know. But they didn’t exactly upset the apple cart here. I welcome Ryan Moore’s stamp on things if it was his idea to take the 623-CB chassis and refine it with a little more perimeter weighting and add in an adjustable weight dead in the middle — no need for any weights in the hosel or lead tape. That’s a better golf club without overhauling it.
 

I’m not surprised they toned down the milling. Pros like clean. I loved the 1126 and og 902, but didn’t care for the busier backs of the 902-PD or the 623-CB. To me those were the departures. I think the 480TC is cleaner, more of a return to how NL looked in earlier heads. But I played the 623CB; it is a great iron and I liked how it played. I did think the og 902 was more forgiving. But I don’t care much either way about what patterns they mill into the backs. Best I can tell they made changes to the 623CB head to improve performance and the new clubs won a Champions Tour tournament the first time Alker put them in play. And you know he was only comfortable making that move because from address the 480-TCs look close to the 623CBs he had in play and there are features in the new club he likes better. 

[dmeeksDC]

Here they are. Look very nice. I only have hit the 8 iron but the feel was the same as always — excellent. Kevin

Kraft, who has a very solid golf swing, also hit them and liked them a lot. Also commented on the great feel. 
 

From address I cannot see any difference vs the 623CB. Certainly aimed at the same player. if I had the 623CB I would doubt a change would do much but if I was in the market for a CB I think these New Levels have a lot going for them. 
 

They look clean and snazzy. Here are some pics of the 480TC 8 iron with a Srixon ZX7 8 iron. Similar sizes. The 480 is slightly shorter heel to toe, has a softened top point of the toe vs the ZX7 and less bounce. And there is a nice relieved leading edge on the 480TC. ZX7 is 2 degrees stronger in loft stock but the NL is a soft forging so easy to adjust lofts. I’ll be putting the 8-P in the bag for a round today. 
 

480TC and Srixon ZX7 8 irons

[Yzmerf]

1 hour ago, dmeeksDC said:

Here they are. Look very nice. I only have hit the 8 iron but the feel was the same as always — excellent. Kevin

Kraft, who has a very solid golf swing, also hit them and liked them a lot. Also commented on the great feel. 
 

From address I cannot see any difference vs the 623CB. Certainly aimed at the same player. if I had the 623CB I would doubt a change would do much but if I was in the market for a CB I think these New Levels have a lot going for them. 
 

They look clean and snazzy. Here are some pics of the 480TC 8 iron with a Srixon ZX7 8 iron. Similar sizes. The 480 is slightly shorter heel to toe, has a softened top point of the toe vs the ZX7 and less bounce. And there is a nice relieved leading edge on the 480TC. ZX7 is 2 degrees stronger in loft stock but the NL is a soft forging so easy to adjust lofts. I’ll be putting the 8-P in the bag for a round today. 
 

480TC and Srixon ZX7 8 irons

I thought I read you were getting the MC. In any case how’s the heel height? That’s what I didn’t like about the short irons 902 pd