Equipment

Should you be playing game improvement irons? Testing PXG’s Black Ops irons

Published

1 year ago

Mar 17, 2025

According to the National Golf Foundation, the average score of golfers who regularly keep score is 94. The same study shows 32 percent of golfers report average scores between 90-99, with 29 percent of golfers reporting average scores between 80-89.

While many of us want to play players irons, the reality is that most of us should be using more game improvement-style irons, or at least strongly considering this category. PXG wants to show you that just because you need game improvement irons doesn’t mean you have to give up soft feel, great sound, and classic looks.

Where we come in

GolfWRX took to our forum to find two gearheads who not only wanted, but needed to make a chance when it came to the irons in their bag. That’s where Dan and Joe come in. Two longtime GolfWRX forum members and Scottsdale, Arizona, golfers who were looking for added distance, forgiveness, and were interested in the tech behind the PXG Black Ops irons.

About the members

Dan aka dahn (Member since 2008)	Joe aka puttnforthe8 (Member since 2009)
13.2 handicap	10 handicap
Current Irons: Callaway Paradym	Current Irons: Srixon ZX5 & Ping S56

.. and how the PXG Black Ops irons could benefit them:

Dan: “The dual cavity will hopefully give me the added distance while maintaining the aesthetics that we all want from a players/players distance iron.”

Joe: “I personally could benefit on a number of fronts. Firstly, the forgiveness the Black Ops technology is providing will be truly welcome. The mishits have increased right along with age – so need some irons that reverse aging! The distance provided of course is going to be beneficial, but if I am going to get forgiveness and length back – sign me up. Mentally, the look is going to be a big win – some of the GI/SGI irons look like a shovel and my head gets wrecked looking at those. These look streamlined and thinner at the top so as not to cause a mental breakdown.”

Getting fit

PXG welcomed each member to their Scottsdale location for a fitting. Remember, getting fit is a vital step to find what clubs will work best for you and uncovering the most optimal setup to unlock your full potential as a golfer. Dan was fit into a set of Black Ops irons (4-gw) with Aerotech SteelFiber 95s shafts. Dan picked improvement in distance (approximately 5 yards), but his “dispersion and ball descent was much better.”

Joe had never been fit for irons. He came into this fitting looking for better distance, more forgiveness and to hit the ball higher. After working through a few different options, Joe and his fitter settled on the PXG Black Ops irons with the Accra I-series Graphite shaft. Joe stated that this setup was “balanced, the head felt great and it really inspired confidence“. With this setup, Joe was able to achieve a faster swing speed, more distance, and a 30 percent increase in height.

Hitting the course

By this time we had seen the improvement in their numbers following their fitting, but we wanted to see how it impacted their game on-course in a location that they frequent, one they’re familiar with, and perhaps have proved challenging to them in the past. We hit Camelback Golf Club’s beautiful Ambiente Course, a 7,225-yard, par 72 course that challenges players with several striking features: eye-catching elevation changes and rolling fairways with significant drops.

No. 4, a long par-5 on Ambiente, is one that has particularly proven to be one that is tough to overcome for Joe. This time, though, it was different. He came equipped with the PXG Black Ops irons, a set of irons that was more suitable for his game and packed with technology, ultimate forgiveness, and maximum distance for a mid-handicap player like Joe.

Tune in below to see how both Dan and Joe fared.

For more information on the PXG Black Ops irons, visit the PXG website here and be sure to schedule a fitting at one of their 200+ fitting locations. Read more about this experience from Dan and Joe, and get in on the action by visting our forum.

This article is presented in partnership with PXG.

Equipment

Slab city on the Korn Ferry Tour — Lead Tape Report

Published

13 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.

Joel Thelen

Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.

First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.

Mitchell Meissner

Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.

Whats in the Bag

Bud Cauley WITB 2026 (June)

Published

13 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: Titleist GTS3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 70 TX

7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 80 TX

Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist 620 MB (4-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 8 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putters: Scotty Cameron Tour Prototype, Scotty Cameron GOLO 6.3 Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

See more in-hand photos of Bud Cauley’s clubs here.

Equipment

Name every set of irons you’ve owned – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

13 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has offered up a prompt for the true sickos, inviting fellow forum members to share every set of irons they’ve ever owned. As to be expected, this is a lengthy forum topic.

@Lamosteve began:

Can you name every set of irons you’ve owned? Here’s mine

Spalding Dots
Spalding Eclipse
Ram Lazer FX
Lynx Parallax
Mizuno EZ Comp
Ben Hogans
Cleveland CG Red
Taylor Made R9s
PING i20
PING iE1
Taylor Made M6

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own collections. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

macedan: “Started with a hand-me-down Golden Bear set from my brother when I was in high school, never really played more than once a year or got into the game until about summer of 2017. First purchased a set of Cleveland CG4’s (I actually really miss this set sometimes, soft & not terribly large for a GI iron), moved into Nike Vapor Fly’s by the end of the year. Those lasted until spring of 18 when I decided I wanted new, so I traded them in for TM Rbladez. Honestly, although I liked the Rbladez, poor decision on my part, I think this was really about the only time so far that after a week or two I was kicking myself for not staying with what I had. Rbladez stayed with me until late last summer when I switched to P790’s and (knock on wood) I am hoping this will be my longest lasting set.”
JimmyC59: “MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Triple Crown. Palmer The Standard. Still play these.”
jgrzask: “Tommy Armour 845u
Mizuno MP-32
Mizuno MP-33 (2 sets)
Bridgestone J33cb – still own
Srixon i-302 (2 sets) – still own
Tourstage X-Blades – still own
Mizuno Hot Metal – still own
Nike Forged Blades – still own
Titleist 714 AP1 – still own
Cobra Forged SS – still own”

Entire Thread: “Name every set of irons you’ve owned.”