Lynx Golf: Prowler VT, Forged CB, and Tour Blade Irons

A few months ago, Golficity commented on two noteworthy golf iron releases: the second generation of PXG’s 0311 irons and the return of Lynx Golf.  While PXG has never shielded away from its luxury (see: ridiculous) pricing, it everyone wondering whether $400 per iron offers any justifiable performance advantages.

On the other end of the spectrum is Lynx Golf.  For those unfamiliar with the brand, Lynx was previously owned by Golfsmith…. and than Golfsmith filed for bankruptcy in 2016.  Fortunately for Lynx, Steve Elford and Stephanie Zinser worked out a deal with Dicks Sporting Goods and have since taken several measures to revitalize the brand that previously helped Fred Couples and Ernie Els win a few majors.

And “revitalization” might have been an understatement, because since Steve and Stephanie took over, Lynx has achieved double-digit annual sales increases every year since 2013.  So for 2018, Steve and Stephanie have a new goal in mind: expanding Lynxs’ reach from Europe to the rest of the world.  But how does Lynx expect to compete with the more established brands?  By offering a high quality product at a more affordable price point:

• For approximately $500, the Lynx Black Cat irons (5 to SW); comfortably positioned in the Game Improvement segment.
• For approximately $700, the #BB Irons irons (5 to PW) (pictured below); Lynx’s flagship model and single piece casting.
• For approximately $800, the Prowler VT irons (5 to PW); a 2-piece construction (forged face and cast steel body) slotted in the Distance/Better Player’s Iron category.
• For approximately $900, the Prowler Forged CB irons (5 to PW) (pictured); a traditional, fully forged cavity back better player’s iron that provides great feedback, but also some perimeter weighting forgiveness.
• For approximately $600, the Tour Blades forged irons (5 to PW) (pictured); the classic, thin topline, minimal offset blade iron that every golfer aspires to master.

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That’s right, you can buy any of the Lynx iron offerings for less than the cost of 3 PXG irons.  And don’t for a second think that Lynx is cutting corners with materials.  In fact, the Prowler Forged CB and Tour Blades are both forged from 1020 carbon steel, just like Srixon’s Z765 CBs and 975 Blades, Bridgestone’s Tour B X-CBs, and Callaway’s Apex Forged, all of which are recognized for their high quality and precise feedback.  In addition, Lynx offers premium shafts from True Temper and KBS.

Fortunately, Golficity was lucky enough to obtain a 6 iron from the Prowler VT, Prowler Forged CB, and Tour Blade iron sets, which is great since most custom iron fittings are conducted around 6 irons and, therefore, should provide a more apples-to-apples comparison.

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Prowler VT

As briefly mentioned above, the Prowler VT is a 2-piece construction iron, featuring a hollow head with a forged face and cast steel body, packaged in a muscle back design.  As a result, there’s plenty of forgiveness that will help promote a higher ball flight and higher ball speeds.  All that makes the Prowler VT a great option for the mid-handicapper who wants something with a better player appearance, but could also use a little extra help.  Likewise, the Prowler VT is a great option for golfers using forged cavity back/blade irons that could use a little help with the longer irons because while the standard Prowler VT set consists of 5 to PW, 3 and 4 irons are available.

The Prowler VT 6 iron measures in at 28º of loft, and a 37.75” long shaft.

Prowler Forged CB

The Prowler CB is a fully forged, cavity back better player’s iron.  While this is certainly for the better ball striker, the perimeter weighting will provide some forgiveness on off-center strikes.  In addition, the narrower sole, thinner top line, and minimal offset will help better players cut through the turf and provide the launch characteristics commonly associated with a player’s iron.

Ironically, the Prowler Forged CB 6 iron comes in the same specs as the Prowler VT: 28º of loft, and a 37.75” long shaft.  This lends further support for doing a combination set, as there’s no direct overlap in lofts and properly gapping the irons shouldn’t be too difficult.

Tour Blades

Finally, the Tour Blades.  While blades haven’t really undergone any substantial changes over the years, modern tweaks have made them more friendly to play with.  The Lynx Tour blades replicate the traditional design with some subtle modern tech.  In fact, in contrast to the industry-wide trend of jacked up lofts, the Tour Blades feature very traditional lofts and, instead, prioritize accuracy and precision over absolute distance.  As a result, 6 iron measures in at 30º of loft and 37.75” length.

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NOW, before we dive into the data, it’s worth noting that a custom fitting is necessary to maximize performance with any club (from driver to putter).

To demonstrate how the Lynx clubs stood up against a mainstream OEM option, I compared the Lynx irons against my Srixon Z765 CB (28º loft) (gaming set) and 975 Blade (29º loft) (practice 6-iron).  That said, I was custom fit for the Srixons and, as a result, they’re optimized for me (for example, both are equipped with KBS C-TAPER shafts that are 37.5” in length).  After warming up, I took 15 shots with each club and took averages from the 5 best shots.  All data was recorded with a Trackman 4 Launch Monitor at All Weather Golf (Huntington, New York) using Titleist ProV1 balls.

As seen above, both Srixon clubs (which were custom fit for me) performed the best.  Surprisingly, the Z965 blade returned the highest ball speed and greatest carry and total distances.  That said, this data is limited to the 5 best shots and, as a result, doesn’t reflect the substantial drop in performance when the ball is squared up.

Otherwise, I was very impressed with how well the Lynx Prowler CB performed.  Ball speed and distances were marginally below my Z765 CBs, and I expect that being properly fit for a shaft would help tighten the difference between the two (along with the difference in dispersion).

With respect to the Prowler VT, the data doesn’t give a complete picture.  While the numbers might not look great, this could largely be attributed to the fact that I hit the Prowler VT last and was probably starting to get a bit tired.  In fact, my best strike demonstrated the clear performance advantage of the VT’s two-piece design: 126.8 MPH ball speed (second highest), 180.1 yards carry, 186.8 yards total distance, and 5,879 RPMs of spin.

And, of course, the Tour Blades.  These were beautiful clubs and performed exactly as they should when hit properly.  And while that’s the inherent fatal attraction with blades, the Lynx Tour Blades would certainly be on the top of my list if I were looking to pick up a few clubs (or maybe even a full set) to really practice my ball striking skills.

In sum, Lynx Golf has created a wide variety of quality irons that are available at a very reasonable price point.  As a result, whether you’re shopping for that first set, looking to pick up a back-up set, or considering giving forged cavity backs or blades a try, Lynx Golf should definitely be one of the manufacturers that you consider.

Cover Image via Instagram