Nickent 3DX Irons

Nickent's 3DX Irons have received some of the highest marks of any game-improvement irons from the group of golfers who help us test-drive new equipment. Based on their pedigree, that shouldn't be a surprise.

What pedigree? Well, there's the pedigree of the 3DX brand, which has led Nickent Golf to much greater prominence over the past several years. 3DX has become best known in Nickent's hybrids, which have gained great popularity among touring pros and weekend hackers alike.

"3DX" refers to the tungsten-plug weighting system used, and that system has now been incorporated into the 3DX irons by designer John B. Hoeflich.

Which brings us to the other part of the 3DX Irons' pedigree: Mr. Hoeflich. Hoeflich joined Nickent Golf late in 2005. As designer or co-designer, his name is attached to some of the top iron sets of the past 25 years. Among the irons Hoeflich has helped create are the original Tommy Armour 845, Titleist DCI and TaylorMade rac sets.

With these irons, Hoeflich has taken Nickent's 3DX approach and created a game-improvement tool to rival the best irons in that category. Mid- and high-handicappers should love these irons, and most low-handicappers aren't likely to turn up their noses either.

The Nickent 3DX Irons feature widened soles and 20 grams of weight repositioned to the rear of the clubhead at the head and toe in a couple of triangular "notches" (the 3DX element). Add in a thick topline, very deep cavity and thin face, and you've got extreme perimeter weighting with a very low center of gravity.

The ball seems to rocket off the face of these irons, launching and flying high with great carry and soft landings. Nickent Golf touts the distance of these irons, albeit without providing any independent studies to back up claims of wow-factor distance. But there's no doubt these clubs get the ball out there - everyone agreed the distance results were excellent.

With game improvement clubs, forgiveness is key and the 3DX Irons don't disappoint. We seemed to suffer less distance loss on off-center strikes than with many other game improvement irons we've tried; in addition, the feel remains comparitively good. That may be in large part to the form of the triangular "3DX" plugs on the back of the clubhead. In the 3DX Irons, those plugs are a tungsten polymer, and they help absorb vibration at impact, dampening the effects of the poorly struck shot.

"Stability" was a buzzword for most of the golfers who tried these clubs along with us. The 3DX Irons are remarkably stable through impact.

Drawbacks? The mid- and high-handicappers - those golfers most in the market for game-improvement clubs - we shared these clubs with couldn't find any. The 3DX Irons even look great, with an attractive red background in their deep cavity.

Some low-handicappers, while praising the performance, weren't as thrilled, however, with the thick topline and offset. There's no doubt that any mid- or high-handicapper would do well to give these irons a try. Low-handicappers who prefer a traditional blade are the golfers who probably won't react as strongly to these irons.

More information about Hoeflich, the tech specs of the Nickent 3DX Irons, and the shaft options and prices are available here.