New Level GI22 ???

[Millhill88]

Anyone try these irons yet?   The GI22's are touted as New Levels longest irons yet.  But does that mean 2- yards longer, or a full club longer?  I played the 902-OS irons for a bit earlier this year.  Great feel and control, but 1.5 clubs shorter than any iron I've played over the last 6-7 years.  I just couldn't figure out the top end of my irons to fill gaps.   

[dmeeksDC]

These are their half-hollow heads with strong lofts so they will be longer by a good bit. I would bet they will perform as advertised. Their original iron in this category was the MODB-1, which is really good, didn’t take off for New Level. 
 

I don’t know what else you were playing. The 902-OS is not short, but it doesn’t have jacked lofts and a thin welded-on face, it is forged from a single billet of steel. 

[Millhill88]

12 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

These are their half-hollow heads with strong lofts so they will be longer by a good bit. I would bet they will perform as advertised. Their original iron in this category was the MODB-1, which is really good, didn’t take off for New Level. 
 

I don’t know what else you were playing. The 902-OS is not short, but it doesn’t have jacked lofts and a thin welded-on face, it is forged from a single billet of steel. 

I am in the 165 - 170 yard range with a 7 iron.  Been that way with my PXG's, Maltby TS2's, Wilson D7 Forged, Mizuno 921 Pro's, etc.  I was 150 with the 902-OS, with a solid full swing. The 8,9,P were also quite a bit shorter than other irons.   I used the NLU-01 (27*) in my 6 iron spot and that went 175-180.  25-30 yard gap between a 31* 7 iron and 27* NLU was very trouble some for me.  And they all had the same shaft.

 

PXG lofts are jacked, but the rest are either the same loft or within 1 degree.  I'm not nocking the 902-OS's.  I really liked the feel and control.  They just didn't carry the distance I am used to with similar lofted irons.  The reason I am asking about the GI22's is I want to give New Level irons another go.  I just want some feedback on how they perform.

[dmeeksDC]

7 hours ago, Millhill88 said:

I am in the 165 - 170 yard range with a 7 iron.  Been that way with my PXG's, Maltby TS2's, Wilson D7 Forged, Mizuno 921 Pro's, etc.  I was 150 with the 902-OS, with a solid full swing. The 8,9,P were also quite a bit shorter than other irons.   I used the NLU-01 (27*) in my 6 iron spot and that went 175-180.  25-30 yard gap between a 31* 7 iron and 27* NLU was very trouble some for me.  And they all had the same shaft.

 

PXG lofts are jacked, but the rest are either the same loft or within 1 degree.  I'm not nocking the 902-OS's.  I really liked the feel and control.  They just didn't carry the distance I am used to with similar lofted irons.  The reason I am asking about the GI22's is I want to give New Level irons another go.  I just want some feedback on how they perform.

Get the 7 iron demo. 

[Feelingofgreatness]

3 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

Get the 7 iron demo. 

That's what I was going to say. 

 

NL says the GI22s are based off the design of the NLU. I imagine they will be quite similar to your 27*.

 

If pxgs work better, why fiddle with New Level? 

 

I asked Eric about gi22s but with the shaft I wanted they would be c9 swing weight... I love that with pxg you can get a wide range if swing weights. 

Edited September 2, 2022 by Feelingofgreatness

[5 O'Clock Charlie]

 

I have the 623 CB's and have gamed them all season. I have a demo of the GI22 as I'm looking for more forgiveness in a larger profile and want to get into graphite. Here is what I have found in the real world, and pretty much what I expected when I looked at the specs.

 

For anyone interested, I am a 6 that used to be a 3 and my iron play is the weakest part of my game. I need to make some changes which will take time, but I also want to take advantage of tech as I near 50. I got the demo as I am interested in the forgiveness aspect of them. I didn't think I would get that much more in terms of forgiveness in the 902 OS versus the CB's, so I am giving these a whirl.

 

Current Sticks -

623-CB AMT White S300 (Standard Length, Loft, 1 flat)

7I - 160

6I  - 172

 

GI 22 Steelfiber 110 Stiff (Standard Length, Loft, 1 flat)

7I - 170

 

The 2 best shots I have hit with them in the past couple of weeks actually came out of fairway bunkers. 178 out both times and hit the 7 and was about 20 feet short on the green.  (170-172 yds). I flushed one today from the fwy where I was 179 out and it was about 20 feet short as well.

 

I'm coming around to letting my ego go and it's hard because the 623 CB's look so good. The loft of the 7 iron in the GI 22 is the same as the loft of the 6 iron in the 623CB - 30 degrees. My experience can confirm this. Here are a few pics of the GI 22 and my gamer 623 CB as a comparison. CB is on the LEFT in the last 2. 

 

Mini review - After a couple of range sessions, small buckets before playing and then hitting this on the course as much as I could, I'm pretty much addicted to them. Feel is a muted "click" with some nice pop off the face, nothing like a hot spot though. I didn't have trouble controlling the distance and none of them got away from me.

 

Misses, while they don't feel great, don't feel horrible either and they still get up and go. If you are looking for forged feel, move on as this is a 431 SS cast head.

 

I was able to get down in the bermuda rough and dig the ball out even though these have considerably more bounce than the CB's.

From a stock lie in the fairway, you can launch these up, or you can trap them and hit lower penetrating shots. 

 

I'm still debating on the shaft, I wanted a demo with Recoils, but you couldn't get it, yet it is available to order with the set (just not a demo option). I'm not 100% sure I want the 110 weight, I may go 95. Either way, I'm going to go 6-AW in these and then throw in the NLU 21 degree bent 1 weak. That makes it basically 4-PW in terms of what I am used to loft-wise.

 

Bravo New Level on these, they look fantastic!

 

 

 

 

Edited October 30, 2022 by 5 O'Clock Charlie

[vandyfan]

Thanks for posting this and, in particular, the part about there not being "hot spots" for you so far. That was my issue with previous game improvement irons (Cobra, Ping) is that you could hit a 7 iron twice in a row with the same strike conditions (as confirmed on trackman) but still have a vertical dispersion difference of 10 yds due to one just being a low spin nuke. 

 

I got along quite well with the MODB-1s and was very close to buying them. I think my ego got in the way a tad. The irons I ended up buying have been very good for me but I still think about New Level (and Sub 70 which I was also close on) quite often. I'll be watching this space @5 O'Clock Charlie and will be interested if your feelings change in the coming months. 

[vandyfan]

@5 O'Clock Charlie Are you still getting along well with these? Any updates on impressions or feelings about the GI22?

[Shilgy]

@5 O'Clock Charlie sorry but I gotta ask…..why switch to the new when the 623 gave you the same results?  The two models give you virtually the exact same yardages, the only difference is what number is on the club. Does it really matter if your 170 yard club has a 6 or a 7 on it hen their respective specs are identical?

  I had this discussion with a low handicap friend that plays the PXG 0211.  Club for club they hav the exact same specs as does the Srixon I play.  Difference is only the number on the club.  His 7 iron is the same length and loft as my 6 iron.  Does that really mean he PXG are longer?

 

I don’t think so.

[vandyfan]

34 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

why switch to the new when the 623 gave you the same results?  

 

I will let him answer, of course, but I didn't read his review as saying he had the same results. Yardage-wise maybe but it sounds like he is always reaping rewards on off-center strikes. It sounds like the trade off is the feel is not quite the same but he noted he was able to hit it high and low. 

[dmeeksDC]

5 hours ago, vandyfan said:

 

I will let him answer, of course, but I didn't read his review as saying he had the same results. Yardage-wise maybe but it sounds like he is always reaping rewards on off-center strikes. It sounds like the trade off is the feel is not quite the same but he noted he was able to hit it high and low. 

Agreed. The differentiator is not on center strikes — a lot of clubs produce very similar numbers on those — it is how little the ball speed drops on mishits vs more traditional construction. There is more margin for error, no doubt, so It is easier to get decent results when the swing is not working well. 

[5 O'Clock Charlie]

19 hours ago, Shilgy said:

@5 O'Clock Charlie sorry but I gotta ask…..why switch to the new when the 623 gave you the same results?  The two models give you virtually the exact same yardages, the only difference is what number is on the club. Does it really matter if your 170 yard club has a 6 or a 7 on it hen their respective specs are identical?

  I had this discussion with a low handicap friend that plays the PXG 0211.  Club for club they hav the exact same specs as does the Srixon I play.  Difference is only the number on the club.  His 7 iron is the same length and loft as my 6 iron.  Does that really mean he PXG are longer?

 

I don’t think so.

 

Hey! Yea the yardages are basically the same, albeit I can get more out of the gi22, but the results are not necessarily the same as the CB (more on that below). For instance, yesterday I had 125 over water and hit a full AW, which is the same loft as the 623 CB PW, where I was only able to get 115 or maybe 120 out of it.

 

The real place these shine is on off center hits. I miss on the toe a good bit, not out on the shiny part, but just off center. and still on the grooves. There is virtually no loss in performance on mis-hits like that.

 

The longer irons are also rockets. I went 5-AW in these. The 5 is basically my old 4. I could hit the CB 4 iron 200 on a pure strike, but it was my 190 club. I can hit the 5 gi22, 200 regularly. Played a par 3 yesterday, it was 190 up hill into a light breeze and the temps were cool, like 58 or so. It ended up 30 feet short to a back pin, middle of the green.

 

There is also a good bit of bounce on these, so if you tend to get steep, there is another benefit. I have hit shots where it would be an absolute heavy hit (10-15 yards short), but the gi22 will assist and I end up with a GIR. 

 

I never got these with the intention that they were longer, I could care less about those claims. The loft is the loft. I was intrigued by the looks, profile and "baked-in" forgiveness these have. My biggest gripe with the CB was the feel on a miss-hit, it was bad, heavy and dull. But it should be, it's a players club.

 

I actually kind of like the feel, it provides a soft "click" when you hit them. And as i have stated before, you can flight these or launch them up. I'm just still getting used to processing which club to hit. I'll get my yardages and then if it's 160 middle, I have to go "oh that's my 7, but now its my 8". It get's a little more dicy on in-between shots because then I have to think and do an extra step in the calculation.

 

Do I still have bad ball striking days? Yea for sure. When I first got these, I had rounds where I hit 5 or 6 greens only and was having and adjustment getting used to them.  Since Nov 1, I'm averaging a little more than 8 greens with them. The last 2 rounds have been good with 11 and 13 respectively. The round on Nov 26, I went back the the CB's and hit more GIR (9), but my score was worse. I played the white's with a guy I got paired up with and had a lot of wedges that day and the mis-hits were "blah". We also waited ALL day and pace was bad. When I added that up and it was worse, I was like what's the point of having those in the bag.

 

For where my game is at, I'll take the extra help now and leave my vanity at the door.
 

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by 5 O'Clock Charlie

[DB Golf]

On 8/31/2022 at 8:37 PM, Millhill88 said:

Anyone try these irons yet?   The GI22's are touted as New Levels longest irons yet.  But does that mean 2- yards longer, or a full club longer?  I played the 902-OS irons for a bit earlier this year.  Great feel and control, but 1.5 clubs shorter than any iron I've played over the last 6-7 years.  I just couldn't figure out the top end of my irons to fill gaps.   

@Millhill88, coincidentally, I went through roughly the same thing. I bought a 902-OS demo since it was marketed to the weekend warrior, but I was having trouble with consistency. So then I bought a gi22 demo. Played with it yesterday and loved it. Next I’ll take it to a fitting and see how it does against the big dogs before deciding what set to buy. 

[gerger]

Have any of you that are playing the NL irons used the Mizuno HM? Curious what your experience with both was.

[vandyfan]

Well, I just won an ebay auction for a Gi22 7 iron (really a 6 iron based on the loft) so I will see how I get along with it. I really liked the MODB-1 when I tested it two years ago so if this is an improvement on that then I should dig it. I would love to go Gi22 5-7 irons (again with the lofts it will really be like playing 4-6 irons) and then transition into my PTxPros 7-PW. Just have to see how this 7 irons gaps. 

 

When I get it I will put it on trackman against my PTxPro 6iron and 7 iron to see where it falls in terms of carry, spin, dispersion and land angle (plus all the other numbers but I feel like those are the most important). Also, one other wrinkle, I got the Gi22 in a Dynamic Gold R300 as I have wanted to test out regular shafts for a while. I have KBS Tour 120 Stiff in my PTxPros but I don't think it will matter that much since I have a Senior Flex (see Autoflex experiment) in my Driver and it is working out GREAT compared to my former 6.0 Hzrdus Smoke Yellow shaft which I hated. 

[DB Golf]

On 12/30/2022 at 8:50 AM, DB Golf said:

@Millhill88, coincidentally, I went through roughly the same thing. I bought a 902-OS demo since it was marketed to the weekend warrior, but I was having trouble with consistency. So then I bought a gi22 demo. Played with it yesterday and loved it. Next I’ll take it to a fitting and see how it does against the big dogs before deciding what set to buy. 

UPDATE: After a few consecutive rounds of golf, I’m finding the sweet spot on the 902-OS more than before, and it’s like butter. I’m not ready to game a full bag of them yet, though. But I can’t wait to get there.
 

For now, I still want more forgiveness and the confidence-boosting look at address of GI irons. The 902-OS has a remarkably thin top line relative to its forgiveness. 

[vandyfan]

Well got one off ebay to demo and it is pretty large which isn’t the worst thing. I was just surprised how long is heel to toe. Significantly longer than my Ben Hogan PTxpro. A few pictures here:

 

[vandyfan]

Played 18 holes with the 30* 7 iron yesterday and tried to hit it as often as possible. I thought it did quite well and I was able to hit it 6 times. Had 4 centered strikes that all flew high and straight, one wipey block that still went the correct distance and then just a horrible swing that went about 90% of the distance. Generally able to get about 170-175 yds off turf with it and 180 yds off the tee. Will hopefully get on Trackman in the next week or so and test it against my current 6 iron (30*) and see if it fits in the gaps and has the appropriate land angle. 

[5 O'Clock Charlie]

I'm still really liking these, a lot. I've got 11 rounds in with them since I got them last November. Over that span I'm averaging 9 GIR with a 77.82 scoring average. Short game is brutal now with the dormant bermuda.

If I look at mid December to now, it a tad better with 10.57 GIR and 76.57 scoring average.

 

Just as a comparison, I built up some Maltby DBM Forged and have played some rounds with them and the gi22 since the new year. I've got 3 rounds each since Jan 1 with them.

 

DBM - 9 GIR, 77.67 scoring avg

gi22 - 11.67 GIR, 74.33 scoring avg

 

It's hard NOT to like the added assist that you get and from my experience, I am seeing on average 2-3 more GIR with the gi22.

[vandyfan]

I bit the bullet and bought the 5 and 6 iron in the Gi22 (really lofted like a 4 and 5 iron) despite the ridiculous price increase on all New Level Clubs. So now I will see how they blend with my set when I get them. Still haven't gotten on trackman with the 7 iron but based on what I have seen on course it is holding greens fine and flighting the way I would want it to. Trackman will hopefully shed some light on how the two irons fit together for gapping and such. So now I will blend my set like this:

 

22* 5 iron - New Level Gi22 - TT R300
26* 6 iron - New Level Gi22 - TT R300
30* 7 iron - New Level Gi22 - TT R300
34* 7 iron - Ben Hogan PtxPro - KBS Tour 120 Stiff

...etc

 

So a few experiments going on including the "regular" flex (whatever that means these days between manufacturers) in the longish irons and then stiff in the shortish irons with the shafts weighing about the same. 5/6 iron should be here in a few weeks. 

[vandyfan]

Got on Trackman today with the Gi22 and I think most of the boxes were ticked. Granted, I was hitting off a mat indoors so I don't know much about the turf interaction and the spin will be a little bit off but, I think, I should be encouraged by the Land Angle and carry consistency. I didn't center several of these and they still carried well. Peak height seems okay for a 6/7 iron and overall dispersion was a bit loose but still acceptable (for me at least). I am working on the NTC as well so I have a tendency to block some shots which the dispersion chart reflects. I think these numbers confirm what I saw on the course. 

 

 

 

 

Surprisingly, my Ben Hogan 7 iron isn't that far behind the Gi22, distance-wise even though it is 3-4 degrees weaker. The Gi22 definitely feels more "point and shoot" and the numbers on my Ben Hogan 7 iron are not that different (spin/launch/land angle). Dispersion is slightly better but that is to be expected as the ball doesn't fly quite as far with these. 

 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by vandyfan

[dmeeksDC]

Good numbers. On your best strikes you actually are getting a nice carry distance  increase with the GI22. I think over time that will prove out. No issues with stopping at all. Spin will be more accurate off grass but it looks fine and the landing angle is as good as it gets. 

[vandyfan]

If anyone wants to try a 7 iron (30*) or 6 iron (26*) with True Temper Dynamic Gold R300 (regular) shafts in them let me know. These aren't quite working out for me at the moment.