CLEVELAND LAUNCHER XL IRONS
Bigger equals better in Cleveland’s new XL iron range...
Cleveland have done a brilliant job of reinventing themselves as the brand that caters for club golfers over the last few years.
With the previous Launcher UHX and brilliant HB Turbo hybrid iron now past their second birthdays, the company have had plenty of time to figure out how to improve their older models, and this is what they’ve come up with.
Both Launcher XL designs are easy to flight and with tons of forgiveness, while golfers get the choice of whether to go with slightly easier-to-hit hybrid irons or the more traditional hollow/cavity back iron shapes.
LAUNCHER XL
£499 (s), £599 (g)
Availability 4-PW, GW Stock shaft True Temper Elevate 95 (s), Project X Cypher (g) 7-iron loft 29º Forgiveness rating 3.5/5 (mid-high-handicap)
Thanks to the XL’S size (hence the name), Cleveland say it has the highest MOI of any iron they’ve ever made. The long and mid-irons have hollow heads to ensure fast, long and forgiving performance, whereas the short irons cleverly morph into more accurate and precise cavity backs. It means you get the best match of distance, forgiveness and added control at both ends of the bag. Inside, each clubface has a variable thickness pattern that’s designed using artificial intelligence to ensure maximum ball speed and forgiveness wherever golfers impact shots on the club face.
Put all that together and it sounds like a heck of a lot of club for what is a sub-£500 price tag.
LAUNCHER XL HALO
£499 (s), £599 (g)
Availability 4-PW, GW, SW Stock shaft True Temper XP 90 (s), Project X Cypher (g) 7-iron loft 30º Forgiveness rating 5/5 (hybrid iron)
The Halo has large shoes to fill as the previous HB Turbo was a top performing award winner here at
TG. Cleveland say the Halo’s large, friendly heads are very similar to the XL iron for MOI performance, but it’s worth remembering that thanks to the Halo having a fraction more loft, they will be slightly easier to flight at more moderate swing speeds. The Halo’s soles morph from Gliderails in the long and midirons (which encourage golfers to sweep shots off the turf), to V-shaped soles in the short irons (which encourage golfers to hit down and engage the turf, without digging).