Adams Golf is quietly becoming an industry leader and consumers are finally taking notice. The company has established itself as a leader in the hybrid/combo set market and the majority of their products are geared towards the mid to high handicapper.
It wasn’t until recently that Adams Golf started to make some waves in the “players” market. The Idea Pro Forged irons are the centerpiece of the company’s movement into this category.
What The Company Says…
The Adams Idea Pro Forged were inspired by the A-Tour iron… a beautiful looking club that we actually got a lot of email about last year. There was some talk that the A-Tour’s would come to retail but they were never released. Think of the Idea Pro Forged as a “retail friendly” version of the A-Tour.
It’s not everyday that better players are offered a combo set. Sets with hybrids are sometimes snubbed by better players that I talk to… even though hybrids will help almost every golfer. Adams has created a beautiful hybrid that features a very clean look and minimal offset… things a good player looks for. The company also offers a more forgiving TriTech iron in place of these hybrids… giving the golfer even more choices.
The irons themselves are very traditional in their appearance and design. They feature a small cavity, a thin topline and sole and are forged from soft carbon steel. The stock shaft options in both the hybrids and irons are good the custom department at Adams Golf can handle most requests.
What Our Readers Say…
Most of the comments here are very positive…
I am very happy with my Adams Idea Pro Forged irons. I would put these up against any forged irons from some of the other big companies.
These clubs are a bit longer than I’m used to but that’s easy to adjust. The Black Gold shafts aren’t my first choice but I have been pretty happy with the results.
The irons and hybrids produce a good ball flight. It’s not too high and not too low. Probably the best hybrids I’ve ever hit!
What Our Customers Say…
The “players” category is a relatively new one for Adams and it sometimes takes a bit of work to get people to try these. I think it will still be a few years before people recognize Adams as a major player in this market.
One positive comment we hear a lot surrounds the overall look of both the hybrids and the irons. These are great looking clubs and better players are always looking for a clean look and traditional lines.
The Idea Pro Forged are also quiet forgiving and easy to hit in relation to other “players” offerings. The smallish cavity in the irons provides enough forgiveness without sacrificing performance and workability. Having hybrids replace the long irons doesn’t hurt either. The ball flight is a bit lower (thanks in part to the stock Black Gold shafts) but most decent players don’t have any problem getting the ball in the air. These feel great… a real accomplishment for a company that doesn’t really specialize in forged irons. Most sets that we sell feature two hybrids but it’s nice to know that other options (including the TriTech iron) are available. The stock shafts in the hybrids are great and work very well in these clubs. The Idea Pro Forged come in at a very attractive price point and offer exceptional “bang for the buck”.
I think the biggest knock on these has to do with the stock steel shafts. The True Temper Black Gold are great but not enough people know about them and I feel that this lack of knowledge sometimes hurts sales. I often find myself having to explain the shafts and not the clubs. I think a stock Dynamic Gold would have been a bit better but I applaud Adams for trying something different.
I’ve also talked to some people that don’t feel hybrids have a place in a “traditional” set. It’s unfortunate that some shy away from these because the hybrids are some of these best on the market. I also see some higher handicappers looking at these because they associate the Adams name with “easy to hit”. It will take a few years before most people realize that there is much more to the company that just hybrids and game improvement irons.
Most people I talk to say that they’re still a tad behind Mizuno and Titleist when it comes to feel. Feel is such a personal thing but it’s a comment that we hear on a fairly regular basis. I think the next generation forged iron from Adams will be even softer and comments like these will go the way of the 2 iron. I do find it a bit strange that they have decided to make their irons slightly longer that most. A lot of people don’t even notice it but it’s strange nonetheless…
Overall… a solid forged combo set. Adams has managed to combine a traditional looking forged iron with an easy to hit hybrid. We may be a few years away from Adams becoming a major player in the “players” market but clubs like these will close the gap pretty quickly.