See my review of the Mizuno MP30s. It's a toss up in my mind as to which is the better club. I've used the PMBs for over a year now and the MPs for a week. Occasionally i'll hit a nasty hook with the PMBs but usaully with a nice draw. Both are the same distance and feel wise. I mentioned I played only one round with the MPs so it too soon to tell if I prefer them over the PMBs

Similar Products Used:

Hogan Apex2 and Apex+

This is by far the best left handed irons I have ever hit. They are not as forgiving as Hogan Apex Plus but with a consistent ball strike, you will appreciate the precision they offer unmatched in any other. Note that the loft are set a couple of degree weaker than normal irons out there, but that also means you can get the ball airborne easier for the long irons. There is also minimal offset which forces you to be more disciplined with your downswing and release. Just like any other forged clubs, they ding easily, but that's part of the appeal, right? BTW, I have switched to Rifle FCM from Dynamic Gold. Best move for me in terms of equipment change. Those of you who have the Rifle shafts in your bag can attest to this.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Hogan Apex Plus, Titleist 981, Taylormade lcg

I see that others have already praised these clubs effusively. I want to add that I am a 2 handicap who plays a course with very tight lies and these are the only clubs I've tried that give you enough forgiveness to play out of muck and goat pasture fairwaays as well as the ability to truly pick and spin the ball from tight lie fairways. If you don't play blades but have a repeating swing, you should try these...they will help you become an even better golfer.

I think those that started with cavity back clubs may never appreciate the quality of feel that comes with a really good forged blade. I've played nearly ever brand and model on the market. The last couple of years I've been a big fan of the I3 blades. The only drawback (and a similar one to the Callaway series as well) was the touch around the greens. But the Pings don't hold a candle to the PMB by Macgregor. Irregardles of the stigma associated with blades, these are easier to hit, longer in flight, and more consistant than the I3's, the X12's, X14's or the may last blades, the Ram Tour Grind. The addition of the mass at the very bottom of the longer irons is hardly perceptive until you strike a 3 or 4 iron (I'm on my way to get a 2 iron right now). The immediate jump of the ball to a medium high trajectory and suprisingly far carry seems almost uncanny for a true blade. Usually I would except a med-low trajectory in an almost piercing angle that relies more on roll than carry. In short, do yourself a favor and experience real control.

Customer Service

non required

Similar Products Used:

Titleiest DCI & 762, Ram Tour Grind, all Callaways, Ping I3, Zing, Eye2, T Amour 855, Ram Pro Set, Mizuno TP9, Golden Bears, MacGregor Murfields.....

None

None

These clubs are excellent. I''ve played with a set of Macgregor Jack Nicklaus VIP irons which are stainless steel cast blades for around the last 28 years and decided to treat myself to a new set and chose the PMB having looked at PCB Tours, Hogan Apex, Mizuno MP33 and Titleist 681. I chose the PMB mostly because they look so similar to the VIPs. The other clubs are all good with the Mizuno and the Titleist being particularly good looking clubs. The top edge on the Hogan was a little too heavy for my liking. Comparing the PMBs to my VIPs the main difference is the extra feel you get with the forged heads as against the VIP''s cast heads. I believe that anyone who''s prepared to invest some time in their game would benefit from playing with forged blades. Set up is so much easier with blades as the ability to line up square to the line is much enhanced by the fact that the club automatically lines up square to your intended line of flight. It''s correct that extreme off centre hits are punished but these blades are nothing like as unforgiving as some reviewers would have us believe. In fact the PMBs are more forgiving than the VIPs. I''m getting a good consistent distance and flight with the S300 shafts which seem to be fitted as standard. I would agree that if you are a high handicapper with no great desire to improve these are not the irons for you. However, if you want to improve then the feedback you get from a forged head and the ability to work the ball with a blade should only improve your game. Aso you should find the game more aesthetically pleasing looking down at a neat forged head rather than a cast iron oversized shovel! Workability with the PMB looks as if it should be very good although I''ve yet to work out which ball will suit best. The Pinnacle Titanium Precision Spin seems to offer a good combination so far. If anyone has any other suggestions let me know.

Customer Service

I emailed Macgregor US to ask for their recommendation on what sort of shaft I should put in the VIPs ( I''m having them reshafted as there is no point in selling them ) but never got a response. Macg

Similar Products Used:

Macgregor Jack Nicklaus VIPs

I know what your thinking the price is unreal. Normally they cost around 900 but I had mine customed fitted at Macgregor headquarters which costs about 8000 dollars. These irons are the best. They offer the best feel possible, with the best control and accuracy. Forgiveness on extreme off centre hits is poor; however, with slight mishits they are remarkably forgiving. If your a 10 handicap or less, these are a must have iron. I'd guarantee that if Tiger Woods had to choose any iron without all the contracts he'd pick these, infact I heard a rumor that Jose Maria Olazabal lent Tiger a set to try out??????? Who knows???

Customer Service

Perfect, getting your clubs customed fitted by the same guys that customed fitted Jack Niclaus' irons during his prime is unbelievable.

Similar Products Used:

Mizuno Mp-33's, Ben Hogan Apex, Maxfli A-10's, Cleveland Ta 1's and Titlesit Forged Prototypes.

A. INTRODUCTION:

I will do something quite uncommon for most in this board. I will write a full-length review of the clubs I own now - which is exactly one year after I acquired them. I understand many are in the market for forged blades, and since the PMB Tours are still currently part of the MacGregor lineup I will write this review. I feel this review is more credible and helpful than most "first impression" reviews, as long as I will try my best to be unbiased and impartial. So here goes .... (oh and sorry if this is so long!)


B. REVIEW FOR MACGREGOR TOURNEY PMB TOUR IRONS:

1. TELL US A LITTLE SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF ...

Height: 5'5"
Weight: 135 lbs
Driver Carry: 250 yards
Driver SS: 103 mph
7-iron Carry: 150 yards
Handicap Index: 3.6
Previous Set: Wilson Staff Ultra 45, Firestick Graphite 3.5 (R-Flex)


2. TELL US ABOUT YOUR CLUBS ...
(see http://www.macgregorgolf.com/ for info on standard specs)

Clubs: 3-PW, Tourney Forged 52 (GW), Tourney Forged 56, Tourney Tour 56
Loft: Standard
Lie: -1 degree
Length: -1/2"
Swingweight: 3-PW,GW C-9 to D-0; 56 wedges D-2
Shafts: Rifle Flighted 6.0
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Wrap
Purchased At: http://www.edwinwatts.com/
Price Paid: $1,250
Date Purchased: August 2001


3. HOW DO THEY LOOK?

The most beautiful clubs I have ever seen. The chrome was perfect and the clubface at address just looked so ...natural. The toe had a lower profile than most blades which makes it look more of a players' club than other rivals. Aesthtics Rating: 10/10


4. HOW IS THE QUALITY CONTROL AND DUABILITY?

Off the box, there was a slight mark on the hosel of the 5-iron, maybe 1.5 mm long and 0.5mm wide (ok I know that is just nitpicking but this review supposed to be impartial and unbiased right?). I presume that mark came from the lie adjusting. After maybe 80 to 90 rounds and countless trips to the range, the chrome is still intact, the markings in the sole are still there, but on some irons, the paintjob on the sole is gone. Also the ferrules in 3 clubs are a little lose - you can't move it up and down but you can rotate them maybe up to 60 degrees. There are more dings now perhaps due to the irons bumping each other when in the bag and the softness of the metal(yes, we have caddies who carry our bags here in the Philippines so that may be the reason). But the grooves show no signs of wearing out, and the chrome is still as good as new, except for the sole of the 9-iron which has an ever-so-slight hint of rust. And it's not like the 9-iron is my favorite range club so overpractice can't be the reason. Durability Rating: 8.5/10


5. HOW DO THEY WORK?

Rifle shafts play as advertised - long irons go high. These clubs listen to you - high, low, hook, slice, you name it! Mishits lose me 10 to 15 yards but that is expected. Feedback is just like any forged blade (no better, no worse), hit it in the sweetspot it is like butter, otherwise prepare for the worst feeling. But even though you get the bad feeling of mishits they don't stray too far off-line at all as compared to the my old set. Dispersion was much much better than with my previous set. As I said before, the unforgiveability of forged blades are overrated. But for some reason, this club begs for solid contact, it lets you hit the sweetspot more often. It seems like it has a magnet to the ball. It is worth noting that the sweetspot is not the dead center of the clubface but is slightly closer to the heel. MacGregor said the sweetspot is really there that way, that is why blades are workable. However, my shots go 1/2 club shorter than my previous set. I would attribute it to the weaker lofts and shorter clublength. I have hit a few nasty shots with the 3-iron and 4-iron in some rounds though - these clubs could just have been better off with a slightly wider rounder sole and longer face from heel to toe. Also, I had problems controlling the spin and distance with the pitching wedge for choke-down shots and punch shots. Perhaps this is due to the lower trajectory of the Flighted shafts, I am not sure. I may be nitpicky with these bad points but I have to write bad points to make this review credible, right? Performance Rating: 9.5/10


6. HOW IS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE?

In a word, unsurpassed! Edwinwatts was very easy to work it. They did not charge me any extra for requesting the Rifles and the custom specs. But the set had to be factory built so I had to wait three weeks. And factory-built they were indeed! I had an exchange of emails with Jim Bode of MacGregor Golf and he gave me information about my set that I don't think any other OEM would have had on file for their own sets. He told me who assembled my clubs - Arthur "Lockey" Lockett - over 30 years experience in MacGregor. Lockey handpicked the heaviest heads so that he culd still give me a swingweight of D-0 despite my request for 1/2" shorter in length. To get a perspective, Blade Golf can only do C-8 (as stated in their website) when the club is -1/2". But Lockey did not fix the loft and lie, MacGregor had it done by their loft and lie expert, Walt Davis - the same guy who has been fixing the lofts and lies of tour players since time immemrorial. I can just imagine the same hands that fixed the lie angles in Jack Nicklaus' clubs during his prime also fixed mine! But the story does not end there. I told Mr. Bode that I realized the 52 wedge had a rounder toe than the 56 wedge, and that I preferred rounder toes and was not aware that 56 wedge has a raised toe. Well, he told me to send back the 56 and he will replace it with a 56 Tour wedge - free of charge. I told him it was not possible for me to send back my 56 wedge because I was in the Philippines and costs would be prohibitive. So he told me he will give me the 56 Tour wedge at cost which is 40 dollars! Jim even had my initials carved in the head! Lockey and Walt also worked in this club just like the rest of my set. $40 is not bad for a high-quaity forged clubhead with Rifle Flighted shafts assembled by a guy wth 30 years experience, and whose lie angle was fixed by the same guy who does the tour players' lie angles! I don't think I can ask for more. Customer Service Rating: 10/10


7. DID THEY IMPROVE YOUR GAME?

I was hovering around a 6 and 7 handicap (although I as 4.4 in 1998) when I got this set a year ago. Now my index is 3.6. In the first tournamet I joined with the new set, I shot a 75 on a rain-soaked course that I have only previously played once in my life. In that tourneament, I hit my best long iron shot ever - a 4-iron against the wind on a par 3 to within 6 inches of the cup (I finished 2nd in the tournament thanks to the blind callaway system)! I have also shot a 1-under 71 and even got it to 4-under after 14 holes - the lowest I have ever been at any point in any round - and that was a tournament which I won and it got my name in the local papers the next day (ok, so I used a Precept Lady then). I shot my lowest nine holes ever in my home course, a bogey-free 3-under 33. I have also been making more birdies (almost two per round) than I have ever been before. In 1998 my index got to 4.4 but I did not make as many birdies. Now I have stuck it close on par 4s in many ocassions. For the first and second time in my life, I have made 3 consecutive birdies! With this set, I holed my longest shot in my life - a 155 yard shot against the wind with a 6-iron that directly carried to the cup for an eagle. Hmmm, maybe MacGregor should market this as game-improvement clubs - they surely have improved my game despite the fact that I am now 1/2 club shorter with the irons. Sorry no perfect score until I make an ace with this set. Game Improvement Rating: 9.9/10


8. ARE THEY WORTH THE DOUGH?

They were $999 for 3-PW at Edwinwatts when I got them. That is the same price as smaller companies like Bladegolf.com or the Chipshot.com blade, and it is much cheaper than the Titleist 681s. But I got something not offered by many rivals - craftsmanship with a personal touch by a cubmaker with more club-building experience than most companies have been in existence. To put things in perspective, MacGregor's Personal Irons are $8000, while the Tourney Custom is $2000. The Personals send you to Albany to have a clubmaker see you in the flesh and make clubs, then tweak them over and over for you over the months. The Custom program lets you choose the head design, sole, hosel, toe and topline options. But for me, I liked the stock options for the sole,topline, head, and hosel best. After all that is why they are the stock options - they are what works best for the majority of us golfers looking for blades. So why go through the more expensive process of the Personal or Custom programs if what you want is the standard version? Thinking of the custom and personal programs makes the stock option look like a bargain. Besides custom lofts, lie angles, and lengths are part of the stock options - as well as handpicking clubheads and sometimes stamping intials. But now I heard these clubs go for $799 now in Edwinwatts, so if you look around you may even find cheaper deals. Now $799 is a tremendous value for the money, which in my opinion is worth the extra cost over the $599.95 KZG Blades (customgolf.com), and is cheaper than the $995 (maybe more perhaps with Rifle Flighted?) BladeGolf Irons - while still offering similar customization options done by craftsmen with much more experience. Value Rating: 10/10


C. CONCLUSION:

If you are shopping for blades, you should add the PMB's to your short list of clubs to test. The price is just average, not the most expensive and not the cheapest. But you get something you don't always get from many other companies, you get your clubs assembled by craftsmen who have been around before some of us were born - the very same craftsmen who made the clubs that have won more majors than any other forged blade in the history of the game. You get a personal touch which in my case was them hand-picking the heaviest clubheads (without me asking for it!) and stamping my intials in my 56 Tour wedge for free. Oh, and didn't I already mention that this club is a great performer on the course ... and a game-improvement iron too?


TOTAL AVERAGE RATING: 96.5%

Review written by:

Jovi Neri
Cebu City, Philippines

Similar Products Used:

None

Golf at its best.

Similar Products Used:

A variety of Pings, Wilson Staff, blades from Titleist and Mizuno

Outstanding clubs ,First time out shot a 76 ,Was a little suspiscious about the result ,next game 78 .Since then enjoyed them immensely!!Relative to my other set I found these more accurate easy to control with no appreciable distance loss ,overall performance excellent and a pretty forgiving club, miss hit and you'll know feedback is immediate,find the sweetspot on these sticks ,nothing like it!! These irons are little more money,but if you get an opportunity to demo these you'll understand why.

the extra cash

Customer Service

Delivery on my sand and lob about 2 weeks late ,it was worth the wait

Similar Products Used:

962's,RAM Tour Grinds,Hogan's Mizuno's.

Very clean and square look at address with no offset. These clubs give you exactly what you put into them, no suprises. The lack of forgiveness on muscle backs is over rated. If your a 10 handicap or less and have the time to keep your swing sharp you'll have no problem with these irons. Greatest benefit is the easy workability. Painfully expensive, these clubs are an investment. One of only a few forged muscle backs available in left hand, easily the best of the bunch. If you like to work the ball these are the ones.

Similar Products Used:

Mizuno tp9, Titleist 962