purchased a new custom-fit set of bh-5 irons about a month ago--my first custom fit set of irons ever. i have 3-pw in the 3-flex (regular) steel shafts in the standard (non-offset) version. can get them for $420 from greatgolfdeals.com w/ free shipping, or some sites will match (polargolf.com). if you are standard you can get these for nearly $300 on ebay. at these prices, these irons are unbeatable for the aspiring mid-high handicapper. after some time off and some lost confidence in my game, i had started playing some jumbo game-improvement irons (macgregor m455). finally had the opportunity to play enough to get my handicap back below 20, and those shovels got in the way of further improvement quickly. i decided i was ready for something with a thinner top-line, less offset, more feel, more feedback, and a more traditional look. but as a bogey golfer i still needed some forgiveness on mis-hits. i needed some transition clubs that would serve me until i could get my hc down near single digits. after being fitted for regular steel shafts 2 degrees upright, i ordered my clubs through the internet. the clubs came straight from hogan in less than a week. first thought, these clubs are the most classy looking cavity backs out there. the finish, lines and logo are all timeless and sophisticated. i have received numerous complements on the course in the last month. they look like serious clubs, and that gave me confidence before i ever swung them. when i first got the clubs the upright lie and regular shafts had me going left all the time. now that i have removed the errors in my swing that had creeped in to correct for prior improperly fit clubs, i am really enjoying the bh-5s. my second and third rounds with the bh-5s were 84 and 85—previously averaging about 91-92 for the season. i am no pro with shaped shots, but i like the fact that i can turn the ball both ways at the range—i’m yet to really be confident enough to shape shots on the course. the trajectory of the bh-5s is a tad lower than your usual game-improvement iron (mid-high overall). and, if you have the skill, you can definitely hit knock-down shots when need be. i would say the distance is fairly average with these guys. i haven’t noticed much change as compared to my previous irons or others i have tried. i have noticed that as my swing has gotten more confident (due largely to easier alignment with the thin top line and the custom fitted lie), i am able to go after the ball a bit more. in fact, i am afraid my swing speed may soon make the regular flex shaft a tad too weak. we’ll see. if i have any complaints about these iron, it’s that they don’t offer the feel of a forged club (of course, i knew that going in). for me the feel loss was worth it for the lower price and the increased forgiveness. and don’t get me wrong, these still offer at leat as good feel as any other cast cavity backs i have tried (e.g., callaway x-18), but for someone who has a handicap lower than 15, they may find the marginal increase in the feel of a forged club to be worth the marginal loss in forgiveness. i would recommend the bh-5 for anyone with a handicap from about 12.5-22.5 the offset version might work well for those in the 20-30 range. overall, i found these to offer the best available combination of price, feel, forgiveness, playability and looks. plus, there is something invigorating about playing ben hogans—a great line of clubs, and you won’t see them in every other player’s bag.

Customer Service

outstanding. my club-fitters were very attentive and knowledgable. hogan got the clubs made and shipped from ca to ma in a week and a half.

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i wound up looking at the mizuno mx-23, titleist 704, callaway x-18, taylor made lt and the ben hogan bh-5. the mizunos and titleists are forged, so they offer more feel than the other two, but less forgiveness too it seemed. i didn’t like the look of the back end jutting out of the mizunos, so maybe that was why i never hit them very well. the tm lts were not forgiving enough for my game and not worth the price for me. the callaways have too thick of a top line for my tastes, and offered nothing beyond the hogans for 1.5 times the price. if price were no issue, i would have purchased the titleist 704. i hit them as well as the hogans, and the titleists gave me much more feel and feedback. i just couldn’t justify paying double to cost of the hogans for a slightly better feel. i think the hogans may be a tad more forgiving too. finally, at the demo day where i tried all of these out, there were two hogan people eager to help me out, and i couldn’t get the attention of the titleist staff for the life of me.

The company overview of these irons is that they are a forgiving but workable set of cast cavity back irons. I tested them next to a set of MacGregor 1025C from the mat in the simulator, which doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but this is the impression I got from my brief encounter with them. Though they didn't have the soft feel of the MacGregors (forged), they did not feel bad either. They come in two models no offset and offset...I tried the BH 5 (no offset) because I am not a fan of offset irons. I averaged a respectable 167 yard carry over 50 balls, including a couple that went past 200, roll included (6 iron)...these were very clean shots with a bit of a draw. The trajectory was very nice with the club I tested, and it felt very smoothe to swing. The conact was crisp off of a fairly large sweet spot. I was still hitting long shots with balls that were not right on center, but the workability is definitely there, and is not that hard to induce (I am no great ball striker and I was able to move the ball around a bit with them, so a more experienced golfer would definitely have some fun with them). They are a very classy looking club for a cavity back. The cavity is not one of those trench-like undercuts...it is a simple flat open space that meets the widened sole at an eye-pleasing angle. The head seems to be just below mid-sized, and the top-line is not too large looking (achieved partially because it is bevelled at the top so you only see 2/3's of the topline looking down over the club. I think these would be very appealing clubs to a player such as myself, who is in between the game-improvement irons and true blades. Their size demands a well-controlled swing, but there is enough forgiveness to compensate for the occasional wayward shot. The lack of offset will give honest shots, going in the direction they were hit without any bias, and the cavity, such as it is, will still help you get under the ball. I feel that they are a bit pricey for a cavity back iron, but they are much better priced than many other top OEM offerings out there, and every bit as good...but don't take my word for it...give them a try yourself.

Customer Service

I can't imagine a company using the name Ben Hogan and not standing by their equipment, and Callaway is supposed to be really good as well.

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Wilson Pi5, Taylor Made RAC LT, Mizuno MX 23