WHAT IT DOES: Cleveland’s Launcher line of irons has long focused on helping golfers who need a boost of forgiveness and assistance getting the ball airborne. The company’s latest version, the hollow-body Launcher XL Halo, really excels at both. The clubhead is driven by artificial-intelligent design, a process that produces far more potential clubhead designs than humans are capable of in any time period. The backside of each iron face is milled in a variable-thickness pattern made up of various indentations to provide extra ball speed and remove mass. For the 4- through 7-irons, wider, flatter grooves minimize distance-robbing spin. In the 8-iron through sand wedge, deeper grooves are more closely spaced to enhance spin.

WHY WE LIKE IT: This technology can benefit almost anyone. Key to that is a head design that increases the moment of inertia to help mitigate the effect of mis-hits. According to Cleveland, the increase in MOI is 17 percent compared to the previous iteration to provide extra forgiveness for a player type that needs it. For those seeking even more control, the company is offering what it calls an “accuracy build” that is half an inch shorter than standard. Read more >>