The New Ben Hogan Irons...

Most of you know how little I care about the new stuff debuting at this week's PGA Show in Orlando (longer, straighter, softer, etc...), but how can anyone who has been around a while not get excited at the sight of the new Hogan irons? Maybe I'm just a sucker seeing that iconic signature, but the design and perimeter-weighted forged concept sounds (and looks) incredible.

Mike Johnson has a short write-up with images in Golf Digest Styx today, with the revelation that the irons will not be stamped with numbers, but instead with lofts.

Steve Kaskovich profiled the company in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, explaining the planned April launch of the club design. While the heads will be made in China, the assembly will take place in Hogan's Fort Worth. They've gotten the band back together, with several ex-Hogan employees and they have an interesting distribution concept used previously by CEO Terry Koehler's previous ventures.

With that in mind, the new set of Hogan clubs being unveiled this week, dubbed the Fort Worth 15, combines the sleek look of traditional “blades” with state-of-the-art perimeter weighting technology to offer a high-performance premium club for the serious golfer. (The company can no longer use its famous Apex model name, which was retained by Callaway Golf, the old Hogan Co.’s last owner.)

And in a novel approach, the company will allow golfers to create their own set from a selection of 44 different irons, including 16 wedges, numbered by loft angles from 20 to 63 degrees instead of the traditional 2-9 plus wedges.

The clubs will be sold exclusively through golf professionals at country clubs and learning centers, where players will be custom-fitted and provided help to choose the lofts that fit their game. They’ll be priced at $149 apiece with steel shafts, and $165 with graphite.