The Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face irons are certainly not subtle. Their extremely large head profile, coupled with a very unusual matt black cavity insert make for a striking visual. Packed with some interesting features, I was keen to get them to the course and try them out to see if they could rank alongside the best game improvement irons…
From a shelf appeal point of view, eye-catching is probably the best description I can come up with. Some people will love them while others won't... Either way, I would bet most people in a shop will take a closer look just to figure out what is going on.
Aside from the head-size and the unusual back, the sole is probably the most unorthodox part of this iron. Or should I say, soles plural. That's because Cleveland has introduced what it refers to as ‘three sole transition’, which essentially means that the sole topography changes throughout the set.
The longer Irons (4–7-iron) feature Cleveland’s GlideRail soles, which are designed to improve turf interaction and promote solid contact on the shallower attack angles of the long irons. Into the short Irons (8–9-iron), and they feature V-Shaped soles, designed to cut through turf so you can hit down on the ball without digging. The wedges (PW–SW) feature a more cambered ‘Three-Tiered’ Sole for maximum forgiveness on pitches, chips, and bunker shots. All of them however are very wide. More on that later…
Other notable tech features include the full-face grooves that are nestled into the A.I.-designed ‘Mainframe’ face.
The full-face groove movement is something that is really growing on me, almost to the point where I don’t really know why it’s not been universally adopted yet. With manufacturers clambering to save even the smallest amount of weight to distribute precisely where they want, why not mill out a little more from the face, and in doing so increase the usable surface?
In this particular instance it really does serve to increase confidence. The already substantial clubface is enhanced even more by the extension of the grooves all the way to the perimeter, and the usable hitting area just looks huge which is obviously a big plus for the target demographic of this iron.
From a performance standpoint, I was genuinely impressed by the Halo XL Full-Face irons. I tested them using Taylormade TP5x golf balls and my SkyTrak+ launch monitor and the data was very solid. They gave me the second longest carry of any game improvement iron I have tested this year, behind only the Cobra Darkspeed. However, it probably provided me with a slightly more optimal ball flight than the Cobra iron from marginally higher launch and spin numbers.
The sole is really interesting and I think all sorts of different swing types will find success with it. On the tight links turf of Saunton Golf Club, I found that it allowed me to swing fairly steeply into the turf without any fear of digging and when I wanted to sweep one off the top a little more, the sole width seemed to compliment that delivery too throughout the set.
One slight reservation I had was performance out of the rough. I was interested to see how they would cope with a ball sat down in some fairly juicy lies, so I chucked a few into the long stuff to find out. When the ball wasn’t too low into the grass, they were great, however as the lies got worse, I did find the additional mass of the head snagged up a bit and maybe didn’t cut through the grass as easily as a more narrow sole iron.
They are not alone in this, the Eleven Golf hybrid irons that I recently tested had the same issue, you just have to weigh it up with the benefits the sole provides from everywhere else. A very minor point, but worth noting.
The feel and sound is pretty lively which I really liked. Impact does feel a touch more hybrid like, rather than resembling some of the best golf irons for example, but I felt that feel and acoustic actually suited them. They don't claim to offer a soft, buttery, forged feel, or maximum workability, and the powerful, lively sensation really matches up with the overall personality of this iron.
Available in 4 iron through to SW, a full set in KBS Tour Lite steel will cost you $899.99 and the stock graphite UST Helium Nanocore comes in at $999.99.
The Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face iron was created to make the game as easy as possible, and in my eyes at least, it’s mission accomplished.
