Cleveland CG7 Irons Review

Pros

• Sweet looks
• Very easy to hit
• Forgiveness
• "Flushed" feel at impact

Cons

• Trajectory a bit too high with stock R shaft

Looking at the new 2009 CG7 irons from Cleveland had me thinking: Could these irons be as easy to hit as the company says they are?

From the moment the light hits these gleaming beauties, you can sense there is something familiar, yet new with these irons. Familiar because Cleveland has retained their "CG" naming convention and because of the clean lines which have always been a hallmark of Cleveland irons. New because these are supposed to be game-improvement irons, yet for a moment I thought I had opened a box marked "low handicappers only."

So it was with anticipation and trepidation that I traveled to the range and onto the course.

The topline look on these irons is pleasing. Large enough to instill confidence, but also a clean look which made for easy alignment.

Working through the irons from short to long (the standard configuration is 4-P), my first reaction was, "when am I going to hit a bad shot with these?"

What Cleveland calls their 360-degree Gelback Technology made each shot feel flushed. The company has equipped each CG7 iron with a molded lightweight insert which Cleveland says "provides vibration dampening across the entire face." Now, that's a good thing for mid- to-high handicappers. Perhaps the Gelback has taken any hint of mishit - a chance for feedback - out of the equation. Then again, do you really want to drive a car without shock absorbers?

Can the CG7 irons give you the feel of a luxury car in a golf club? Yes they can!

The stock steel R-flex shaft I tested looked like a Cleveland-branded True Temper offering. The shots flew high and seemed to hang there. Again, something that is, in a mid-to-high handicapper's hands, great, but that might put off some of the more accomplished iron players.

I did, however, find it easy enough with the CG7 irons to hit knockdowns and draws. Fades came with a little more effort.

There is a slight offset to the CG7 irons which is maintained through the set. Cleveland offers a full range of shafts which should be able to lower the ball flight for those who desire such an effect.

The company has progressively sized the microcavities of each iron and equipped each with a high MOI.

As for distance performance, the CG7 irons performed to the same distance as other major-branded irons; however, there was more forgiveness and less loss of distance on off-center hits.

By this point in my play with these irons, I'd gotten used to the higher flight and enjoyed hitting solid shot after shot. It really was tough to hit a truly "bad" shot with these clubs.

Can Cleveland deliver on a promise to make a mid-to-high handicapper's club look, feel and perform like that of a lower handicapper's club? With the new CG7 irons, why, yes, they can.