A premium set of irons for a fraction of the price: Ben Hogan PTx Tour Irons Review

The majority of golfers will have heard the name Ben Hogan, but are you aware it’s a golf brand? I received the PTx Tour Irons and here’s my verdict…

When you’re in the market for the best golf irons, you’ll instantly start thinking about brands such as Mizuno, Titleist, Callaway, Srixon, TaylorMade, Ping, etc. but how many of you have ever considered a set of Ben Hogan irons?

I know that I hadn’t before I received a set of the Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons. I would categorize this set of irons among players’ irons. Typically, this category of irons is aimed at low-handicap and elite-level golfers. They aren’t as intimidating as blades and they’re packed with technology some of the world’s best iron players enjoy using, including Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa.

However, they aren’t playing with a set of Ben Hogan irons. Although, if they did they certainly wouldn’t be disappointed. Upon reception of my PTx Tour irons, I was instantly intrigued and I couldn’t wouldn’t to give them a hit at the driving range and on the golf course. They look incredible, feel great, carry far, spin easily, and are amazing value – what more could you want!?

It has taken me quite some time to determine exactly how I would score the PTx Tour irons, where I would mark them down, and where I have to tip my hat and give them their praise. I knew that overall they would end up hovering around the 4-star area (3.875 to be exact) because they’re an incredibly solid set of irons that deliver in every area you want a set of irons to.

That being said, there are reasons why the PTx Tours didn’t receive a 5 out of 5, so I’ll explain my entire thought process that led me to score them just below 4 out of 5.

Technology and Components

I won’t bore you with an in-depth analysis of all of the modern technology you can find packed into these classic, timeless, and stunning heads. But I will say that there is a lot of highly appreciated technology that helps to deliver a consistent and preferable ball flight that helps to generate distance, spin, and control.

From the semi-hollow four-piece construction of the 4-iron and 5-iron to the one-piece 9-iron and Pitching Wedge, every single head has been carefully considered in such a way so that no matter which iron you have in your hands you’re guaranteed peak performance fit for Ben Hogan himself.

I have awarded the PTx Tour irons 3.5 out of 5 for their technology and components, and that’s mainly due to their components. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the way the clubs are built or the quality of the components themselves, I’ve marked them down here because there just aren’t as many options with shafts and grips as what you get with other brands.

Now, that’s to be expected because Ben Hogan is a smaller company than some of the main protagonists within the world of golf irons being a DTC golf brand. I probably wouldn’t expect Ben Hogan to offer more shafts than what they do, but it also becomes an issue when it’s difficult to get custom-fitted for these clubs.

I did a little bit of research to see which shaft would work best for me based on what they offer, and since I know my lie angle, I have been able to build a really good spec for me. However, that might not be the case for you. For this reason, I found it hard to award the PTx Tours anything higher than 3.5 stars for technology and components.

Looks, Sound, and Feedback

I genuinely believe that the PTx Tour irons take the biscuit for being the best-looking players’ irons. I simply cannot pick a fault with the aesthetics of these irons and for that reason, on looks alone, they get a 5 out of 5. However, I don’t think they feel or sound as good as they look, which is a shame, but it would have been hard for Ben Hogan to design a set of irons that felt and sounded as good as they look.

I wouldn’t say that the PTx Tour irons feel or sound bad. I’ll start with sound, it’s just a little bit muted. Sometimes it’s hard to really hear when you’ve crunched one, and every golfer knows how sweet that striped iron sound is. Also, the acoustics are fairly low which I only realized when I compared them to other irons within this category of irons and my current irons – Ping i210s.

Moving onto feel, overall, I like the feel of the PTx Tour irons, but I don’t think that everyone would. They aren’t really soft, and if you hit a bad shot you’ll know about it. Out of the middle of the club face, the feeling is very solid which is something I prefer in an iron head because I think I get more feedback from this than if the head is soft and almost springy.

The sound of the PTx Tour irons definitely lets them down here and that’s why they scored 4 out of 5. But for looks alone they’re a definite 5 out of 5, I mean, just look at them!

Distance and Spin

I’m going to discuss distance and spin together because in irons the two should go hand-in-hand. Personally, I don’t want to play with a set of irons that travel ridiculously far and don’t spin. Likewise, I don’t want to game a set of irons that spin ridiculously high and don’t get any distance.

Thankfully, neither is the case with the PTx Tours. As you can see from the chart below, these irons are carrying considerably farther than my current Ping i210s.

I was surprised to see the PTx Tour irons consistently carrying farther than my i210 irons because the lofts are almost identical. I had my Ping i210 irons lofted at 4° increments, with the 4-iron having 22° of loft, the PW having 46° of loft, and the 7-iron having 34° of loft. This means the PTx Tour irons are only 0.5° stronger than my i210s throughout the 4-PW set.

The fact that there’s only 0.5° between my i210 irons and the PTx irons, I wasn’t expecting there to be such a difference in carry numbers. However, the extra distance didn’t impact my ability to hit and hold greens whether I was going in with a 4-iron or a Pitching Wedge.

I have noticed that the ball flight is slightly lower with the PTx Tour irons compared to my i210s but I’ve grown to like it. Playing at Cleveland Golf Club – a links course – it helps me keep the ball out of the wind, but I don’t lose out on any carry distance or spin.

Thanks to the enhanced V-Sole design, I have no issues cutting through the rough and the turf interaction is really solid whether I’m on the fairway or in the whispy grass. As a result of this, I don’t really lose any distance when I’m playing out of the long grass, which I’m in more often than I would like to admit.

Forgiveness and Control

Being a players’ iron, the PTx Tour irons obviously aren’t as forgiving as the most forgiving irons in the game, but I think it would be unfair to say they’re completely unforgiving. I wouldn’t say that my iron play is particularly special, I can easily miss the middle of the club face, and when I have with the PTx Tour I’ve never noticed that the performance has completely fallen off.

Obviously, this has no impact on how forgiving the iron head actually is, but because they are so inviting behind the ball it makes you feel like it’s going to be easier to make good contact. The top line isn’t tiny (even on the 9-iron and PW) and there’s a generous amount of offset.

I think my Ping i210s are more forgiving but I get much more control from the PTx Tour irons. My bad shot is left… way left, and I feel as though that shot just hasn’t crept in as much since I’ve had the PTx Tours in my bag. Also, I’ve been able to play softer shots easier.

I awarded the PTx Tours 4 out of 5 for forgiveness and control on the basis that they scored 3.5 for forgiveness and 4.5 for control.

Final Verdict

Taking everything into consideration, it’s difficult to criticize the Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons because they’re a high-performing, quality set of irons that look fantastic. However, there aren’t many shafts or grips to choose from so building the perfect set-up for some golfers will be difficult.

If you can find the perfect set-up, this is the ultimate combo set because it delivers in every area you want from a set of irons. They’re long, easy to launch, high-spinning, easy to control, and have I said they look amazing?

The PTx Tour irons have dethroned my i210s, which have been in my back since they first launched in 2018. I’ve honestly never found a set of irons that have performed better than the i210s in six years until the PTx Tours came along.

These irons won’t be everyone’s cup of tea so I’ll leave you with a couple of alternative options to consider.

Alternative options

About the author

James Hogg – Golf Equipment Writer

James Hogg is a golf equipment writer for todays-golfer.com. He has a degree in English Language from Newcastle University and an MA in Journalism from Kingston University.

James previously worked for American Golf alongside his studies as part of the sales and fitting team. Having worked in golf retail for seven years he has all the skills and knowledge necessary to review and recommend the perfect equipment for golfers of all abilities and has a strong knowledge of putters, golf balls, and golf apparel, including trousers.

Away from golf, James enjoys a multitude of sports, specifically watching Formula 1, American Football and Horse Racing. He’s also a proud supporter of Middlesbrough FC, likes cooking and reading travel literature.

You can contact James via email for loads more golf equipment insight.

Ben Hogan PTx Tour Irons

RRP: $899.99 / £699.99

Stock shaft: Dynamic Gold

7-iron loft: 33.5°

Category: Players’ Iron

Forgiveness rating: 3.5/5

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