Cleveland Launcher Iron Review

95% of all golfers need a game improvement iron. They want something that is forgiving. They want something that hits the ball high. They want something that gives them some confidence when they look down on it.   It used to be that any cavity backed iron was considered a game improvement iron. Then companies …

95% of all golfers need a game improvement iron. They want something that is forgiving. They want something that hits the ball high. They want something that gives them some confidence when they look down on it.

 

It used to be that any cavity backed iron was considered a game improvement iron. Then companies started adding sole weighting to lower the center of gravity. Then they made the cavities bigger by adding more perimeter weighting. Then they put the two together… and we started to see some huge irons! The Callaway Big Bertha, the Ping G2, the Nike Slingshot… and the list goes on. Better add another one to the mix… say hello to the Cleveland Launcher.

 

Let’s get one thing straight… the Cleveland Launcher iron is big. It features a really wide sole, a very deep cavity and a very large offset. Cleveland knows exactly who they are targeting here and they have gone to the extreme to attract golfers. The Launcher has a very high M.O.I. . English translation… they are good on miss hits. It’s like the Titanic on a shaft… and I bet it would hold up better against an iceberg too. The stock shafts in the Launcher are good enough for the type of golfer that might hit the iron. You’re not going to see a 5 handicap hit these so there is no need for a True Temper Dynamic Gold shaft. The True Temper Action Lite steel and Action Lite graphite are just fine for a high handicapper.

 

There is game improvement and then there is game improvement that has gone too far. There are a lot of companies that have been able to combine game improvement with somewhat of a traditional look. No matter what handicap… a golfer wants to hit a club that he/she likes looking down on. Our testers didn’t like looking down on this club. Most thought it was very bulky and ugly. The top line is huge and the sole is even bigger. The longer irons are easy to hit but the shorter “scoring” irons are too hard to handle because of their size. There are lots of great game improvement choices out there… and the Cleveland Launcher isn’t one of them

 

Overall Rating – 40%

 

Target Handicap: 20+

 

Ball Flight: High

 

Offset: Maximum

 

Construction: 17-4 Stainless

 

Stock Shafts: True Temper Action Lite steel, Action Lite graphite

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