Ben Hogan ICON irons geared strictly for the better player

The Ben Hogan name is one of the most iconic in sports. Now the company he founded has delivered a set of forged muscle-back blade irons that feature many of Bantam Ben’s design philosophies.

Named ICON, the irons are clearly aimed at better players with a desire to work their iron shots. While providing a throwback muscle-back design with minimal offset, a thin topline and relatively short blade length, they are contemporary in the sense that attention has been paid to optimize the center of gravity location in each iron through what the company is calling a “progressive center of mass” weighting system. The system positions more mass higher in the short, scoring irons to generate a lower ball flight for better control, while weight is located progressively lower on the mid- and long irons to boost height and create more spin. Each iron has a visible weight pad in the rear, with a unique size, shape and position for that specific loft and clubhead while also featuring a V-sole, which provides a high-bounce leading edge and soft, lower-bounce trailing edge to promote forgiveness and prevent digging. A consistent four-degree loft gapping throughout the set—a Ben Hogan signature design element dating back to 1953—remains to prevent wide yardage gaps.

“Ben Hogan always had exceptionally high standards … especially for his blade iron designs,” said Scott White, CEO of Ben Hogan Golf in a statement. “In the hands of accomplished players, ICON Irons offer an unmatched combination of performance, feel and eye appeal as compared to any muscle back blade on the market. This was Mr. Hogan’s mission and we’ve continued that tradition.”

Like all Ben Hogan products, the ICON irons are offered only direct-to-consumer at the company’s website, BenHoganGolf.com. The price for a seven-piece set in chrome is $770 (4-iron through pitching wedge), while a seven-piece set in Diamond Black Metal is $800. While pre-orders for the chrome model will be taken; due to the coronavirus pandemic, there will be a delay in pre-orders for the Black model. All models are offered in a variety of after-market steel and graphite shafts and free domestic shipping for orders over $500.