Wilson D9 irons vs Cleveland UHX irons (for forgiveness)

[OverActiveRightHand]

Hi all,

 

I am looking for a bit of insight. I'll start with context. I'm an 7 handicap, 150 7i (35 deg) and 250 driver. I currently play old Wilson deep red 2 irons (fatshafts) and Adams XTD ti driver/3-wood/hybrid. I've looked at new equipment many times over the years and always conclude that whatever purchase I was looking at, my scoring would remain the same, so I keep my old s***. 

 

I want a new set of irons. Of all the bullxxxx tech out there, the one thing that I buy is that modern SGI irons appear to be more forgiving through clever weight placement and MOI increases. I like hybrid irons, and I like the idea of progressive sets. The two brands that seem to be the least inflated due to marketing is Wilson and Cleveland. I've narrowed it down to Wilson D9 and Cleveland UHX. I have no issues with chunkiness, and don't care about offset, topline, sound/feel, resale value, and I certainly don't care about "bag appeal". My only concern is forgiveness on off center strikes. 

 

I know it's unlikely that anybody has compared D9 vs UHX but does anyone have any insight?? Is there a clear winner as far as forgiveness goes? Are there any significant differences these days within the "SGI" category? Are looks the only real differentiator? Should I just get the measurements of both and get the largest head?

 

Kind regards,

 

 

[PJE]

The UHX has the V sole. Some people don’t get along too well with it. 
I have a UHX 4 iron and it’s a super easy to hit club. 
I’ve hit the other UHX clubs and they are a good GI set. They are essentially a cheaper version of the Srixon ZX 4 in the non hollow body irons. 
I have not hit the D9s. Although they are a GI iron, I don’t think Wilson makes particularly forgiving clubs. 
Perhaps consider the Ping G425s as well?

They are discounted and they are a fantastic GI iron. If your primary criteria is off center forgiveness it’s hard to overlook the Ping. 

[OverActiveRightHand]

Thanks for the reply,

 

Everywhere I look Ping 425s irons are more than double the price of the UHX and D9 😞 . Maybe the discounts haven't made it north of the border yet. For now though, the price is outside of what is acceptable for me. Maybe I should take advantage of Globalgolf's Utry program and give both the Cleveland and Wilson a shot.  

[ephmen]

New Srixon Zx4 mk ii are awesome too. I had the uhx for a while but lack of feel. Zx5 i almost as forgiving and much better feel. 

[OverActiveRightHand]

1 hour ago, ephmen said:

New Srixon Zx4 mk ii are awesome too. I had the uhx for a while but lack of feel. Zx5 i almost as forgiving and much better feel. 

Lack of feel meaning it sounded tinny? The entire set or just the hollow ones? Was the v-sole an issue for you?

[Lftygolfnut]

I’ve briefly played the uhx irons and the Wilson d9 forged version. The uhx are very forgiving and have the added v sole which could help improve your turf interaction. The long irons are also hollow body vs a large cb in the short irons which adds extra forgiveness. I did get some fliers in the short irons hitting into greens which I wasn’t fond of. The UHX are a utility iron set imo; They’re forgiving but they’re not precision clubs. They do not feel or look great but they do the job. 
 

the D9 are going to be more refined. I think they actually modeled these GI’s from a players package but are still confidence inspiring. They should feel better, offer more consistency, but Ive gotten this impression from some reviews I’ve seen and seeing them in person. I have never hit the cast D9 version. 
 

if I had to choose a GI iron to keep for a long time I would probably choose the D9, but for pure forgiveness might go to UHX.
 

 

[JAM01]

Have played both, have D9 in my back up back and now ZX4 (prior Gen) in my main back. Wilson staff are steel Srixon are graphite. I think the D9 s are a touch longer, the speed pockets or whatever they call them do improve the feel and sound. The Srixons are hollow with goo I think. The main difference is the sole. If the v sole works for you… instead of the Cleveland’s, see if the Srixons are on sale. I have heard there’s not a whole lot on difference in the ZX4 different generations. 
 

edit- the chrome on the Wilson’s does seem to show wear though over time, of course my home track doesn’t have the best maintenance crew! 

Edited March 24, 2023 by JAM01

[Roejye]

When I had my custom fitting the top 2 performers were the Cleveland Launcher XL's and the Wilson d9. They were basically neck and neck. Honestly the main reason I picked the Clevelands was they were easier to bend. I personally am extremely satisfied with my Clevelands. 

 

I didn't notice any difference in forgiveness, but one thing to keep in mind is gapping, you're already hitting a 35° 7 iron 150, you'll probably be hitting either one of these fairly far.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Roejye

[Zeebedy]

7 hours ago, PJE said:

The UHX has the V sole. Some people don’t get along too well with it. 
I have a UHX 4 iron and it’s a super easy to hit club. 
I’ve hit the other UHX clubs and they are a good GI set. They are essentially a cheaper version of the Srixon ZX 4 in the non hollow body irons. 
I have not hit the D9s. Although they are a GI iron, I don’t think Wilson makes particularly forgiving clubs. 
Perhaps consider the Ping G425s as well?

They are discounted and they are a fantastic GI iron. If your primary criteria is off center forgiveness it’s hard to overlook the Ping. 

 

I know this isn’t about the forged D9’s, but I have them and for a forged club, I find them to be very forgiving compared to some. For sure.

[PJE]

1 hour ago, Zeebedy said:

 

I know this isn’t about the forged D9’s, but I have them and for a forged club, I find them to be very forgiving compared to some. For sure.

Yeah, I've played other Wilson irons (Ci, X31s, Staffs -long ago-) and I've hit the D7 Forged and C300s. I think they are fine clubs but I think they can be a  little tough on mediocre swings. But, I've always had a soft spot for Wilson. 

[jdubbya1981]

I'd consider the Tour Edge Hot Lauch C523 set as well

[boggyman]

14 hours ago, PJE said:

The UHX has the V sole. Some people don’t get along too well with it. 
I have a UHX 4 iron and it’s a super easy to hit club. 
I’ve hit the other UHX clubs and they are a good GI set. They are essentially a cheaper version of the Srixon ZX 4 in the non hollow body irons. 
I have not hit the D9s. Although they are a GI iron, I don’t think Wilson makes particularly forgiving clubs. 
Perhaps consider the Ping G425s as well?

They are discounted and they are a fantastic GI iron. If your primary criteria is off center forgiveness it’s hard to overlook the Ping. 

W/S makes some very forgiving clubs. For the money hard to beat. 

[boggyman]

D9 are a tad lower in price but for $799, don’t overlook the new Dynapower by W/S either. If you like the hybrid iron style club, how bout the W/S Launch Pads? Super forgiving. 

[OverActiveRightHand]

Thank you gentlemen, this was very helpful. Appreciate it.

[Langaandy]

I'm running the D9s now, and i cant say that I've had any issues with them that I'm not causing myself (like the occasional slice).

 

You will feel it if the ball comes off the heel or toe, it certainly feels different, but even so they don't seem to go too far astray in my experience. I sent one off the toe of my 9 the other day, properly too - left a nice ball imprint on the chrome, and it only went about 10 metres to the right of where i wanted it.