In a world filled with at least fifty shades of gray, it’s nice to know some things really are black and white.
Like irons.
The Ben Hogan Company continues its march forward today with another new iron set, but with today’s release of the new Ft. Worth White, the newness is only cosmetic.
Whiter Shade of Pale
Hogan introduced the Ft. Worth Black irons back in April, and the big deal was that they were, you know, black.
The Ft. Worth White irons aren’t.
But then again, they’re not really white, either, unless you think of chrome as white.
“We brought out the White version in response to consumer demand,” says Hogan CEO Scott White. “We were overwhelmed by the number of accomplished players who wanted that iron with a more traditional finish.”
Ebony & Ivory
Outwardly, the new Ft. Worth Whites look an awful lot like Hogan’s original Ft. Worth 15 irons, which isn’t a bad thing, but they are chrome versions of the Ft. Worth Black. That means a slight bounce alteration to the V-Sole for better turf interaction (especially on partial shots), and CG adjustments iron-to-iron.
“We’ve optimized our Dynamic Progressive Weighting System,” says White. “It’s size, shape, and placement of the Depression Cavities on the rear of the club throughout the set. This provides higher trajectories on long irons and lower, more penetrating flights on the short, scoring irons.”
And as with the Ft. Worth Black irons, the new Whites feature traditional club numbers instead of lofts.
Looking Ahead
Scott White has been nothing if not consistent in guiding Hogan back from the brink, repeatedly stating it’ better to do a few things well than a lot of things poorly, and that new product introduction will be deliberate and measured.
That said, even though the Ft. Worth White is more line extension than new product; it is the fourth new club in the Hogan arsenal introduced this year – joining the Ft. Worth Black and Edge irons and the Equalizer wedges. Apparently, Hogan’s Direct-To-Consumer and Factory-Direct Pricing strategy is working.
“We’ll probably have some additional products, or product line extensions this year,” White tells MyGolfSpy, “and DEFINITELY (his emphasis) in 2019. Because we aren’t beholden to retailers’ demands, we’ll bring them out when they’re ready. We don’t have – or need – a formal new product launch schedule.”
White also says it’s possible they may add to the Hogan Tour Staff (currently consisting of J.J. Henry and Mark Brooks, but the company won’t add costs that would have to be passed on to the consumer. Instead of a Tour Staff, Hogan has created something fairly unique with its Brand Ambassadors, a social media army of Hoganistas to help promote the brand.
Ft. Worth White Price/Availability
The new Ft. Worth White irons are available starting today on the Hogan website, at $700.00 for a 4-PW set. Shaft options include KBS Tour V, KBS Tour 90, True Temper Dynamic Gold and UST Recoil. As is the Hogan way, there’s no upcharge for graphite, and loft, length, lie and swing weight adjustments are free.
As of right now, both the Ft. Worth White and Black irons are available in right-handed versions only (the Edge and PTx irons, and the Equalizer wedges are available for lefties). Currently, only the Black versions are available in Hogan’s two-club, two-week demo program.
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