“Solid” describes the new AFX Pro Series irons, the latest offering from Air Force One, the company that brought nitrogen-charged technology to golf. The AFX Pros have a thinner top line and less offset than many game-improvement irons yet still allow the less-than-tour-caliber player to succeed with less-than-perfect contact. I gave them a trial run and can attest to that capability.
True to its parentage, the AFX Pro Series uses nitrogen gas inside a hollow-back iron supported by 50 pounds of pressure in the three and four iron in the set. This means you have a super-thin face with no internal bracing—a recipe for a big sweet spot and consistent ball flight. I’ve always had trouble with distance control and workability with hybrids for some reason, so this is a viable option for me.
The rest of the irons, from five to pitching wedge, feature an undercut cavity that promotes a higher ball flight. I also found they gave me a couple more yards than the irons I’ve been playing, which certainly never hurts. Center hits felt like center hits should—smooth and solid—while my near-misses gave me plenty of feedback about what went wrong.
The AFX Pro Series also has matching muscle-back 52-, 56- and 60-degree wedges. The wedges have cast heads, which produces soft impact and workability.
Not long after my test, the company released AFX Game Improvement irons, which use hybrid-style nitrogen-charged heads for the three and four irons and adds the nitrogen-charged technology to the five to seven irons, which also have oversized club heads. The short irons, eight through pitching wedge, have oversized heads and progressive offset, which gets the ball in the air more easily.
Depending on the set makeup, the street price of the AFX Pro Series irons range from $399.99 to $699.99. The AFX Game Improvement irons, which have graphite shafts standard, start at $499.99.
