iHi hybrid/iron set

In these times of austerity, with fuel, heating and food bills rocketing, even golfers considering freshening up their sets of clubs need to look at cutting back on the expense.

Not only saving cash but saving shots, too.

And while everyone aspires to play the clubs the pros play, as the leading brands continually promote themselves, there are club-makers out there providing good value equipment for those on a budget that will more than adequately serve the needs of newcomers and game improvers.  

Though I have more than 40 years experience of the game, I still consider myself a game improver  and found this Forgan combination set of irons and hybrids from the legendary Scottish clubmakers easy on the eye and easy to hit.

The Forgan iHy hybrid-iron nine-club set (£179.99) is the company's first-ever combination endeavour, replacing the more demanding 3- to 6- long and medium irons with lofted rescue clubs.

I found the hybrids incredibly easy to hit solidly with a consistency that belied their price tag, especially the iHi No.6. With more loft and a larger than a standard hybrid head it delivered a clean strike with soft feel and a high trajectory that brought the ball down softly. Optimum distance was around 165-170 yards - about 10 per-cent further for me than a normal iron.  

Similarly with the other hybrids compared to iron equivalents but perhaps with slightly less forgiveness and consistency.

In addition, the stainless steel 7- to sand-wedge irons, which complete the set, feature deep-cavity wide-soled clubs, designed to get the ball in the air with power, accuracy - even from miss-hits.

Again, with their wide-sole, bulbous back and ultra-thick top line - only some Callaway irons compare in my experience - they were confidence-inducing at address. They also delivered the ball solidly into the air.

Verdict

Forgan has built its reputation on the traditions of the game and their MD Simon Millington, in announcing the new iHy set is quick to paint a picture of stacks of imported hickory laid out to dry in the 1800s beside the Old Course's 17th fairway in St Andrews before being fitted to Forgan clubheads.

And to his credit, he has helped to bring the brand into the 21st century with innovative clubs that reflect the times in which we live and reduce the need of the improving golfer to shell out for extra hybrids when the longer irons prove too hard to hit consistently.

The clubs come highly recommended with the caveat that likely purchasers should ensure they take care in providing clear concise information for online custom-fitting