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The Ben Hogan PTx Tour Irons are a ready made combo set of players irons. Pure blades in the scoring irons with a slight cavity and more help in the mid and long irons. Traditional address look and great shot control.
Introduction
As custom fitting has become more and more prevalent, so has the notion of combo iron sets – blending multiple iron models into one set. The new Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons are a ready-made combo set, blending four different constructions into one cohesive line up. Can all these different styles work together harmoniously or is this set a chaotic mess? I tested them to find out.
Looks
In the bag, the different iron constructions are obvious. The 9I and PW look like blades with four different levels but no cavity whatsoever. Moving to the mid irons, a very small cavity emerges. Finally, the 4I and 5I display a larger cavity and a bigger difference between the sole width and the thickness of the upper portion of the blade.
Across all the different constructions, the graphics and branding are identical. The classic “BH” sun logo is on the toe beneath a centered “Ben Hogan” signature. “PTx Tour” branding is on the toe beneath the sun. This all sits on a finish that’s not matte but it’s not the shiniest chrome, either.
At address, the Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons have a harmonious look from the 4I through the PW. The top lines look thinner in person than they do in photos, which I suspect is due to the lack of beveling. Better players will appreciate the minimal offset and the compact blade length.
Sound & Feel
Though the Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons use different constructions, each of them has a 1025 forged carbon steel face and body. I was very curious to see if this shared trait was enough to deliver consistent feel and sound throughout the set.
I started my testing with the one-piece 1025 forged carbon steel PW. My first shot found the center of the face and elicited an “Oooooh” and a speedy reload to try to catch the same feeling again. This is one of the softest, sweetest impact sensations I’ve experienced in a while, and it’s blended with a quiet “thud.” There is gentle feedback as mishits have a little softness but also feel a bit dead.
When I moved to the three-piece 7I, there was a noticeable change. Centered shots still feel very good, but they’re not as soft as the one-piece irons. The feel is a little quicker, and the sound is more crisp. I would also note that the feedback is slightly less precise.
Finally, getting into the four-piece 4I, I found a sensation that was different again but just as rewarding as the scoring irons. On center, the long irons produce a quick feel with a heavy thump behind it. It’s not traditional like the short irons, but it feels awesome. The long irons manage to communicate that you sent the ball a mile without feeling too modern.
Performance
The Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons are actually four different models in one set. This starts with the 4I and 5I which utilize a four-piece construction with both tungsten weighting and a foam filling to maximize launch angle and forgiveness. The 6I stands alone as the bridge club – it has a three-piece construction with foam filling but no tungsten weight. Both the 7I and 8I are also three-piece heads but with titanium cores used to raise the CG. Finally, the 9I and PW are one-piece forged irons meant for precision.
I think Ben Hogan Golf did an excellent job scaling up the forgiveness as the clubs get longer and lower lofted. In my testing, I felt that the demand on my ball striking was fairly consistent throughout the set thanks to the increased forgiveness in the longer irons. I would rate the forgiveness of this set as equal with most players cavity backs. A small miss will typically find the green, but hitting shots substantially thin or off center will result in a significant loss of yardage.
Where the Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons shine is in their shot control. Even in the longer irons, the PTx Tour puts the responsibility for trajectory and shot shape in the player’s hands. Its as easy to hit boring stingers as it is to launch the ball skyward. The minimal offset and compact blade make curving the ball left or right effortless.
As you’ll notice in the chart below, the Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons use fairly traditional lofts. They are half a degree stronger than PTx Pro [review HERE], putting the pitching wedge at 45.5 degrees. This creates distances that may feel short by modern standards, but they are not short if you compare like lofts. Ben Hogan Golf continues to use consistent four degree gaps between clubs which creates sensible distance gaps throughout the entire set.
Finally, another hallmark of recent Ben Hogan irons that has carried forward is the V-Sole. As in other V-Sole clubs like the Edison 2.0 wedge [review HERE], the leading edge has higher bounce and the trailing edge has much lower bounce. This gives you insurance against digging without the sole feeling unwieldy. I enjoyed the turf interaction of these clubs a lot as they allowed me to succeed with a variety of swings, from shallow to steep.
The Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons are sold direct to consumer via the Ben Hogan Golf website. You have the ability to order the clubs as heads only or built clubs, and they can be built to your specifications. They will adjust the lofts and lies up to two degrees in either direction, and the length can be modified up to two inches from standard. You cannot return custom orders or used clubs, so make sure to have your specs dialed in before you place your order.
![](https://pluggedingolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Ben-Hogan-PTx-Tour-Irons_0663.jpg)
Conclusion
The Ben Hogan PTx Tour irons give strong ball strikers a touch of forgiveness in a traditional looking players iron. Though the set is made of several designs, they all blend together into a cohesive whole.