Review: Dynacraft Prophet Tour Irons
I predict these will be winners
Many golfers are attached to the OEM’s of golf. But hopefully Dynacraft will get a second look because the Prophet Tour Irons are awesome. Not matter what you think about component clubs; these irons are one of the best-looking irons anywhere; period. The black glossy finish is simply outstanding and the small compact blade-like appearance is appealing to even the most discerning of golfers.
I was happy that my set came unassembled. That way I could put them together and tweak them just how I wanted. If I would have just slapped some epoxy on them and called it good, they would have come in around D2 which is a standard swingweight, but I wanted them to be a little heavy so I added a tip weight and brought them up to D6. After I got the set assembled and took some practice swings in the shop, I was happy with the feel. The .370 tip DG S300s are a pretty standard straightforward kind of steel shaft. I added some flare with white and black ferrules and topped the irons off with white Itomic Grips. These grips have a great tacky feeling. While the new rubber compound is moderately firm, it takes almost no pressure to keep a grip on these. They clean off nicely with a little water, even though they are white. They are though just a touch thicker than other grips. They feel about 1/64 bigger than a typical grip.
If you are not a club-builder, you can do a custom build right off the Dynacraft/Hireko website, which is very smooth and easy with so many options of shafts and grips. You can make them very stealthy or bold and bright like mine. When all is said and done, it is still considerably cheaper than a set of irons from the store.
I was finally able to find some dry snowless ground in Kansas City for my review rounds of these irons. Being rusty from not playing golf for 3 months, the first round was a little tough, I kept digging these irons into the ground. The D6 swingweight and numerous swing flaws made it difficult to make solid contact and have good results with these irons. But on my second, third and fourth round, I got things worked out and started striking the ball very cleanly. They look very compact at address, with just the slightest touch of offset. The black/grey groove area frames the ball nicely and made alignment a piece of cake. The leading edge has a nice radius and is blunted enough to reduce digging on good swings.
I was very impressed by the feel of these clubs. They are cast, but don’t feel very cast. While they are not Mizuno buttery soft, they do feel better than some forged clubs I have hit. The pocket cavity really works at softening the feel off the face. It also serves to offer ample forgiveness on shots not hit perfectly on the sweetspot. It is often what many golfers are looking for. A compact head, with ample forgiveness. Many golfers will also like the cast factor because these heads are really quite durable. As I said, my first round was pretty abusive; these heads still look to be in very nice shape. The black does have a few marks/ scratches on it, but not bad considering.
The lofts are traditional and hit a noticeably high ball for most clubs. Not one club was difficult to elevate. It seemed that the distances were just off a touch for me, about a ¼ club. I also found that once I switched balls that helped too, I had started using a soft, spinny ball. So a combination of factors might dictate distances with these irons. I don’t think you’re going to hit these and say that they were the longest you’ve ever hit, they aren’t designed to be. Also remember that these irons have non-conforming tour grooves. The amateur is good for another 14 years, but understand that these grooves do impart a good deal of spin.
The only complaint that I could find with these irons is the lack of a Gap wedge. My set went from a 47* pitching wedge to a 56* sand wedge. A 51* or 52* Gap wedge would be perfect. I suppose if you’re going to do that, adding a 60* would be fitting too. The compact shape and design I think could work for adding both of those club heads.
For the money, I think you would be hard-pressed to find a better-looking, performing or feeling set of irons.
For more information: www.hirekogolf.com
If you are not a club-builder, you can do a custom build right off the Dynacraft/Hireko website, which is very smooth and easy with so many options of shafts and grips. You can make them very stealthy or bold and bright like mine. When all is said and done, it is still considerably cheaper than a set of irons from the store.
I was finally able to find some dry snowless ground in Kansas City for my review rounds of these irons. Being rusty from not playing golf for 3 months, the first round was a little tough, I kept digging these irons into the ground. The D6 swingweight and numerous swing flaws made it difficult to make solid contact and have good results with these irons. But on my second, third and fourth round, I got things worked out and started striking the ball very cleanly. They look very compact at address, with just the slightest touch of offset. The black/grey groove area frames the ball nicely and made alignment a piece of cake. The leading edge has a nice radius and is blunted enough to reduce digging on good swings.
I was very impressed by the feel of these clubs. They are cast, but don’t feel very cast. While they are not Mizuno buttery soft, they do feel better than some forged clubs I have hit. The pocket cavity really works at softening the feel off the face. It also serves to offer ample forgiveness on shots not hit perfectly on the sweetspot. It is often what many golfers are looking for. A compact head, with ample forgiveness. Many golfers will also like the cast factor because these heads are really quite durable. As I said, my first round was pretty abusive; these heads still look to be in very nice shape. The black does have a few marks/ scratches on it, but not bad considering.
The lofts are traditional and hit a noticeably high ball for most clubs. Not one club was difficult to elevate. It seemed that the distances were just off a touch for me, about a ¼ club. I also found that once I switched balls that helped too, I had started using a soft, spinny ball. So a combination of factors might dictate distances with these irons. I don’t think you’re going to hit these and say that they were the longest you’ve ever hit, they aren’t designed to be. Also remember that these irons have non-conforming tour grooves. The amateur is good for another 14 years, but understand that these grooves do impart a good deal of spin.
The only complaint that I could find with these irons is the lack of a Gap wedge. My set went from a 47* pitching wedge to a 56* sand wedge. A 51* or 52* Gap wedge would be perfect. I suppose if you’re going to do that, adding a 60* would be fitting too. The compact shape and design I think could work for adding both of those club heads.
For the money, I think you would be hard-pressed to find a better-looking, performing or feeling set of irons.
For more information: www.hirekogolf.com