Ben Hogan Edge Irons Review (Worth It or Not?)
Meet Jake
Jake was a competitive golfer for over a decade dating back to the days of being the Captain of his high school golf team. He has played more than 200 courses across 32 different states in the US. Now semi-retired, Jake continues to golf 3-4 days a week with a current 2 handicap, gives golf lessons to his friends and family, and provides a wealth of knowledge to Golf Circuit from his competitive playing days. Jake combines practical expertise with technical knowledge to create golfing strategies and training techniques for both beginners and scratch golfers.
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For this Ben Hogan Edge irons review, I got these clubs out on the fairway and on the range as much as possible to try all the shots I could. I found that they performed well in all conditions. They tend to put a lot of loft on the ball and are not well-suited to low shots that you want to slip under a tree branch.
Edges are perfect for all mid-handicap players as they hit the ball high and far with ample forgiveness. Even low-handicap players can appreciate how well they hit the ball.
They are also attractive clubs, so they bring a lot of pros with very few cons. This Ben Hogan Edge irons review will take a look at the set and the features you might expect from these clubs.
September 2022 Update:
The Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company went out of business in July of 2022 due to not financially surviving the pandemic-related economic crisis.
Perry Ellis International (PEI) is the owner of the Ben Hogan brand and mentions that they’re seeking a new licensee for the golf equipment product category.
However, just because the company no longer manufactures these clubs does not mean you cannot find a seller online.
My Ben Hogan Edge Irons Review
I got lucky with the weather and got these clubs out on the range and course several times to get a good feel for my Ben Hogan Edge Irons review.
The Look
The Edge has a thick top line with a minimal offset that looks attractive and unique compared to other clubs.
Sitting in the bag, you can easily describe these irons as looking conservative, but they are not boring or plain. The Ben Hogan logo, which most golfers recognize, sits in the cavity.
Below the cavity back, two sleek red lines guide your eyes to the engraved word “Edge.” The engraving has the same silver color as the head with no color filling.
The Sound and Feel
The sound is one of the most noticeable design features of using these irons. The Ben Hogan team designed the face to produce two different sounds, depending on where the ball strikes the club head.
Having two different sounds provides excellent feedback for each swing. You also learn about your stance and swing overall.
When you find the sweet spot in the center, the sound is quiet, and the feel is soft. When you miss the center, the sound and experience are slightly more harsh and jarring.
How the Ben Hogan Edge Irons Perform
Ben Hogan had an unsurpassed dedication to quality both on and off the course, so the solid performance should not have surprised me.
After looking these irons over, I was not expecting a hot club that launched the ball upon impact. I was wrong. The heads have a “player look,” which I initially found intimidating because my irons are a bit larger.
I had nothing to fear. Edge irons launch the ball on a high trajectory which is very good for sticking the landing on the green. You can also hit straight, draw, or fade with ease. The club face provides you with the control to accommodate your skill level.
Upon impact, the feel impresses me too. You get all the feedback you want without any harshness.
Most irons with large trajectories have to sacrifice distance. Edge irons do both well. Low handicap players might not like irons that always get a good loft, but most golfers will enjoy this feature.
While having good trajectory and distance, you can also maintain control when you want to draw or fade. These irons are also forgiving, and you can still expect good performance when you hit off the toe. I still got over 90% effectiveness when my form was off, and the forgiveness in the design saved me.
What Makes the Great Performance Possible?
In short, sophisticated technology powers high performance. The center is foam, which feels nice when the head strikes the ball. Around the foam, two forged iron pieces come together with a laser weld.
By having a two-piece design, longer irons can have a thinner taper for more head speed. Shorter irons can be thicker, which offers more feel.
The other innovation we have to talk about is Ben Hogan’s Enhanced V-Sole Technology. The name V-Sole refers to the bottom edge of the head’s ability to adapt to any kind of lie, even tight lies, to make an effective shot.
V-Sole adapts to soft and hard lies, so golfers have one less thing to worry about. For me, Edge irons did not dig and had desirable turf interaction, even on steep swings.
The cumulative effect of everything the Ben Hogan team put into these irons is that they are reliably consistent.
Low handicap players might get frustrated by the high trajectory shots. The shot distance is not the longest of any irons, but a majority of golfers will feel that these clubs tick all the boxes.
What Type of Golfer Should Buy Edge Irons?
If you have a low handicap in the single digits, Edge Irons might do what you need. The constant high trajectory could throw your game off. Low-mid to mid-handicap players will probably love everything about these clubs.
Apart from how Edge irons hit, there is also the psychological effect of looking down at a narrow topline when you line up on the ball.
The narrowness makes the head look smaller, which can eat away at the confidence of less skilled players.
Edge irons have a thicker topline which makes mid-handicap players feel like they are holding an iron with a larger head. There is also plenty of technology packed into that space, allowing for consistent shots.
There are two categories of golfer the mid-range leaves out—low and high-handicap players. Low-handicap players may enjoy Edge irons in terms of performance.
There is a good chance this type of player will want a less bulky head with less offset, though.
The type of player who should be the most optimistic is the high-handicap player. With a well-built design, these clubs are forgiving enough that you will grow into them as your game improves.
The consistency of the shots will probably help your handicap improve to the mid-range.
What Technical Details Decide the Performance of Edge Irons?
Ben Hogan uses forged iron for Edges, just like all the other clubs they make. They achieve a unique difference from most forged irons called perimeter weighting. Forged iron means a solid piece of metal gets shaped into a golf iron head.
Instead of shaping one piece of metal, Ben Hogan shaped two sides, and laser welded them together. Two sides create many advantages, pouring polycarbonate foam in the middle being one such advantage.
The foam helps create the spring, a better feel, and is responsible for these irons launching the ball upon impact.
The other advantage created by welding two sides together is having club faces with different thicknesses.
Longer irons need more distance, so they have a thinner face. Shorter irons need more feel, so they have progressively thicker faces as the clubs get shorter.
Ben Hogan has another popular set of irons named PTx Pro, and they are not quite as forgiving. The main reason is that Edge irons are 12% larger, on average, to provide a more effective hitting area.
More offset lines up better with the hands, creates more loft, and allows the ball to hold greens better.
Mid-handicap players feel more confident looking down at a thicker topline which will improve your shot quality.
FAQs
Since Ben Hogan is one of the greatest players of all time and the name of a golfing equipment company brand, questions vary widely.
Are Hogans good golf clubs?
Yes, these are good irons. Any irons that are forgiving enough to allow high-handicap players to grow and improve must be good.
At the same time, all mid-handicap players should enjoy these clubs and see their handicaps improve.
Finally, if low-handicap players do not mind the loft, they can also appreciate these clubs and still hit the ball very far. Not many golf clubs offer something all skill levels can appreciate.
What happened to Ben Hogan golf clubs?
The company, unfortunately, went out of business due to pandemic-related reasons. They also relied on funding from an investment firm that filed for bankruptcy due to the impact of the economic fallout of the pandemic.
What clubs did Ben Hogan use?
Ben Hogan mainly used modified MacGregor clubs. His modifications fixed his imperfections, such as a slice. He also made some modifications to compensate for his height, which was only 5’7″.
Presumably, his fondness for modifications led to his decision to start his own company in 1953.
Final Thoughts
This Ben Hogan Edge irons review shows that the irons deliver just about everything a wide range of golfers could ask for unless you are a single-digit handicap player.
Less experienced players can grow into these irons, and mid-handicap players can enjoy all the loft, power, and forgiveness they need to improve their scores.
I recommend these clubs to a majority of golfers. If you can find somebody selling a set online, do not pass up the opportunity.
