New Cleveland ZipCore XL Irons just released...

[m4harrah]

First round in the books. Was my first outside round of the year here in Michigan so hard to read too much into it but the Cleveland’s performed as advertised. Long, high, straight and saved a few really awful swings and left me better than I deserve. V sole as advertised in the soggy turf. They are still a lot of club to look at down by the ball but I started to feel more comfortable with them as the round went on. Definitely had an easier time turning them over than I did hitting a cut but was able to flight a couple low when the shot called for it so they’re not just a 1-trick-pony. Jury is out on if they’ll stay in the bag but excited to keep putting them through the paces

[ski350]

What shaft did you get in them?

[m4harrah]

6 minutes ago, ski350 said:

What shaft did you get in them?

I bought them with the stock KBS Tour Lites but pulled them and put in PX Rifle 6.0’s…I’ve tried to go away from PX several times in the past and always come back so finally quit fighting. If a set of iron heads don’t work in them, then they don’t work for me.

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, m4harrah said:

First round in the books. Was my first outside round of the year here in Michigan so hard to read too much into it but the Cleveland’s performed as advertised. Long, high, straight and saved a few really awful swings and left me better than I deserve. V sole as advertised in the soggy turf. They are still a lot of club to look at down by the ball but I started to feel more comfortable with them as the round went on. Definitely had an easier time turning them over than I did hitting a cut but was able to flight a couple low when the shot called for it so they’re not just a 1-trick-pony. Jury is out on if they’ll stay in the bag but excited to keep putting them through the paces

Good to hear. How was the sound and feel? Is there another iron you would compare it to?

[m4harrah]

4 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Good to hear. How was the sound and feel? Is there another iron you would compare it to?

Best thing I can say is that I didn’t really notice sound or feel. Well struck shots felt solid. Won’t be confused for one piece forging but worlds better than the Ping G425’s I tried earlier this winter. One of my playing partners has 921 Hot Metals, seemed to be a similar sound. I did notice the long irons were a bit louder than the short irons but I could have also just not struck them as well. 

[hammergolf]

18 minutes ago, m4harrah said:

Best thing I can say is that I didn’t really notice sound or feel. Well struck shots felt solid. Won’t be confused for one piece forging but worlds better than the Ping G425’s I tried earlier this winter. One of my playing partners has 921 Hot Metals, seemed to be a similar sound. I did notice the long irons were a bit louder than the short irons but I could have also just not struck them as well. 

That’s is great to hear. Hot Metals are on of they few GI irons that don’t sound clicky or have the hollow sound to them. Can’t wait till mine get here.

[sevenputts]

On 3/2/2024 at 12:13 PM, ski350 said:

Has anyone had their Zipcore XL irons bent weaker?  Are they bendable?

I bent a Launcher XL 7 iron to 33 degrees from 29. I have a Mitchell bending machine. Definitely bendable but takes a little skill and power. Not easy but definitely doable. Cleveland will bend them any direction 2 degrees. 

[erock9174]

On 3/2/2024 at 3:13 PM, ski350 said:

Has anyone had their Zipcore XL irons bent weaker?  Are they bendable?

If you custom order Cleveland will go up to 2* either way 

[m4harrah]

Got another round in. Probably honeymoon phase but performance has been awesome. I have really started to notice the difference in sound/feel from the 8-PW with zipcore compared to 7 and longer than don’t. Long irons sound and feel a lot more like the traditional “clack” of GI irons where 8-PW are as good as any GI I’ve played. Kinda disappointed it doesn’t continue through the set. Could also be geometry that’s more responsible for the change than the material but it is a marked difference from 8 with it to 7 without. 

[sevenputts]

On 3/12/2024 at 6:21 AM, m4harrah said:

Got another round in. Probably honeymoon phase but performance has been awesome. I have really started to notice the difference in sound/feel from the 8-PW with zipcore compared to 7 and longer than don’t. Long irons sound and feel a lot more like the traditional “clack” of GI irons where 8-PW are as good as any GI I’ve played. Kinda disappointed it doesn’t continue through the set. Could also be geometry that’s more responsible for the change than the material but it is a marked difference from 8 with it to 7 without. 

I’ve noticed this as well with Z355, CBX, Launcher XL and these. I think the 8-PW are one piece or more geared around scoring and the 7-4 are multi construction. Wish there was a ZX Special iron or something 2-PW were exactly like the 8-PW. My dream club…

[m4harrah]

I’ve been enjoying mine so much I talked my neighbor who is just getting into golf to buy the prior gen UHX irons since they were only $399 new at Maple Hill. Snapped a few side by side pics. The new Zipcore XL blade lengths are definitely longer but they also have less offset. Sole width of prior gen is thicker in the long irons but probably a fraction thinner in the short irons.

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, m4harrah said:

I’ve been enjoying mine so much I talked my neighbor who is just getting into golf to buy the prior gen UHX irons since they were only $399 new at Maple Hill. Snapped a few side by side pics. The new Zipcore XL blade lengths are definitely longer but they also have less offset. Sole width of prior gen is thicker in the long irons but probably a fraction thinner in the short irons.

Can’t wait for mine to arrive and put them up against my Gen4 XP’s. I LOVE the looks at address!

Edited March 23 by hammergolf

[hammergolf]

Really good review on the irons. Can’t wait until mine arrive to test them against my PXG 0311 Gen4 XPs. 
 

 

[ski350]

Has anyone hit these with the Helium shafts?  Wondering if they play true to flex.  I’m between an F2 and F3 I think…

[hammergolf]

Just got my Zipcore XL irons! Will be heading out to him them tomorrow. I took some side by pics with my Gen4 XP’s for reference. Very similar profile, which is one big reason why I like them. Slightly longer heel to toe, another of my personal preferences. Just chipping with them, 8-GW have a soft feel for a cast club, but 5,6, and 7 have a much more clicky sound…. I hate that, but maybe outside they won’t sound a feel that bad. If so, I’ll be experimenting with some sound deadening material to try and fix it. I’ll have an update tomorrow on performance. 

PW

 

8 IRON

 

6 IRON

Edited April 8 by hammergolf

[leegee38]

On 4/8/2024 at 6:42 PM, hammergolf said:

Just got my Zipcore XL irons! Will be heading out to him them tomorrow. I took some side by pics with my Gen4 XP’s for reference. Very similar profile, which is one big reason why I like them. Slightly longer heel to toe, another of my personal preferences. Just chipping with them, 8-GW have a soft feel for a cast club, but 5,6, and 7 have a much more clicky sound…. I hate that, but maybe outside they won’t sound a feel that bad. If so, I’ll be experimenting with some sound deadening material to try and fix it. I’ll have an update tomorrow on performance. 

Should we take your lack of a glowing report as a negative?  🙂

 

[hammergolf]

6 minutes ago, leegee38 said:

Should we take your lack of a glowing report as a negative?  🙂

 

No, we’ve had bad weather this week but I’m going to get out tomorrow.

[hammergolf]

Was finally able to get out today to test the new Zipcore XL irons. Great day to test with not much wind and 75*. First, I will say the shafts I ordered (SF i70 Reg) just did not work for me. I didn’t try this shaft before I ordered, but guessed based on previous sets I’ve had with SF. They just are not the proper fit for me. I went out with the idea to compare these to my Gen4 XPs, but it wouldn’t have been fair since my XP’s fit perfectly, and the Zip XLs don’t. That being said, these are really good irons. Very easy to launch and great forgiveness, v soles do a great job getting in and out the turf. Feel on the 8-GW are very good for GI irons. 5,6 and 7 iron are a bit more clicky but not as bad as others. For reference the 5,6 and 7 sound much better than i525 or other GI models. No trouble stopping them on the greens and was also able to hit knockdowns, draws and fades. Simply put, if you’re looking for a really forgiving easy launch iron that feels better than most you just can’t go wrong with these. I have not made my mind up if I’m going keep these and order a set of Axioms for them, or just sell this set and order another set with Axioms. 

Edited April 13 by hammergolf

[rlb4]

1 hour ago, hammergolf said:

Was finally able to get out today to test the new Zipcore XL irons. Great day to test with not much wind and 75*. First, I will say the shafts I ordered (SF i70 Reg) just did not work for me. I didn’t try this shaft before I ordered, but guessed based on previous sets I’ve had with SF. They just are not the proper fit for me. I went out with the idea to compare these to my Gen4 XPs, but it wouldn’t have been fair since my XP’s fit perfectly, and the Zip XLs don’t. That being said, these are really good irons. Very easy to launch and great forgiveness, v soles do a great job getting in and out the turf. Feel on the 8-GW are very good for GI irons. 5,6 and 7 iron are a bit more clicky but not as bad as others. For reference the 5,6 and 7 sound much better than i525 or other GI models. No trouble stopping them on the greens and was also able to hit knockdowns, draws and fades. Simply put, if you’re looking for a really forgiving easy launch iron that feels better than most you just can’t go wrong with these. I have not made my mind up if I’m going keep these and order a set of Axioms for them, or just sell this set and order another set with Axioms. 

What shafts are in your Gen 4's?

[hammergolf]

8 minutes ago, rlb4 said:

What shafts are in your Gen 4's?

Axiom 75 R2

Edited April 13 by hammergolf

[rlb4]

5 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Axiom 75 R2

What didn't you like about the SF i70's vs the Axioms?

[hammergolf]

24 minutes ago, rlb4 said:

What didn't you like about the SF i70's vs the Axioms?

Less feel, less distance, more spin.

[hammergolf]

On 4/13/2024 at 11:43 PM, rlb4 said:

What didn't you like about the SF i70's vs the Axioms?

Well, as much as I wanted to put the new Zipcore XL irons in the bag, they aren’t going to make. I absolutely LOVE the profile and longer blade length. The irons are very forgiving, and the short irons (8-GW are really good and feel very good for a cast club. However, I just can’t do the clicky sound of the 5-7 irons. As crazy as it may seem, the longer irons don’t feel as harsh as most GI irons but they do have that clicky sound to them. I’ll say this, if the longer irons sounded like the short irons, or my Gen4 XPs these would be my unicorn irons, but I just can’t do that clicky/loud crack sound. They will be up on BST and my search continues. 

Edited May 2 by hammergolf

[mrdctaylor]

10 hours ago, hammergolf said:

However, I just can’t do the clicky sound of the 5-7 irons.

 

That's interesting.  Maybe I'm missing it, but I really cannot tell the difference between the irons in the previous generation Cleveland Launcher XL irons, which I currently play.   7 and up and hollow body while 8 and down are cavity backs and for the life of my I cannot feel the difference.  I can go back and forth between the 7 and 8 at the range and they feel/sound the same to me.  Is it possible I'm just a sh** golfer and can't tell?  Maybe, but I can *really* tell a difference between my irons and the hard sound of the TM Sims or hollow sound of the Ping G700 irons my son currently uses.  I also played with ancient Ping ISI-K irons up until about a year ago, so it isn't that I'm just used to GI irons.

 

So it is crazy that Cleveland would (seemingly) hit the mark with the Launcher XL irons but drop the ball with their ZipCore XL irons.  That's kind of a bummer.  It is one of the things I like so much about my Launcher XL irons.

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, mrdctaylor said:

 

That's interesting.  Maybe I'm missing it, but I really cannot tell the difference between the irons in the previous generation Cleveland Launcher XL irons, which I currently play.   7 and up and hollow body while 8 and down are cavity backs and for the life of my I cannot feel the difference.  I can go back and forth between the 7 and 8 at the range and they feel/sound the same to me.  Is it possible I'm just a sh** golfer and can't tell?  Maybe, but I can *really* tell a difference between my irons and the hard sound of the TM Sims or hollow sound of the Ping G700 irons my son currently uses.  I also played with ancient Ping ISI-K irons up until about a year ago, so it isn't that I'm just used to GI irons.

 

So it is crazy that Cleveland would (seemingly) hit the mark with the Launcher XL irons but drop the ball with their ZipCore XL irons.  That's kind of a bummer.  It is one of the things I like so much about my Launcher XL irons.

I’m the first to admit that I’m over sensitive to feel and sound. I wish that wasn’t the case but I just can’t get over that. It is definitely a personal preference thing as most guys I play with don’t even notice it. 

[Mike_C]

These basically look like an oversized blend of a ZX4 and ZX5, which is a complement.  They do have with a tab bit more offset, tho. 

 

You can get a 7 piece set with quality graphite shafts, Mistubishi MMT, KBS TGI, UST Recoil 95 or Dart 65, for $1,000, a pretty good deal all things considered.  

[m4harrah]

Unfortunately I came to the same conclusion as you that I couldn’t get over the sound and feel of the longer irons so I’m moving on. Now it’s a shootout between the ZX4/5 and my old Nike Covert Forged.

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, Mike_C said:

These basically look like an oversized blend of a ZX4 and ZX5, which is a complement.  They do have with a tab bit more offset, tho. 

 

You can get a 7 piece set with quality graphite shafts, Mistubishi MMT, KBS TGI, UST Recoil 95 or Dart 65, for $1,000, a pretty good deal all things considered.  

I mean for me 8-GW are damn near perfect for me. Part of me is thinking about doing some experimenting with sound deadening tape in the cavity of the 5-7 and see if it helps because I like the cosmetics and performance so much.