I've become accustomed to playing hybrid irons over the past few years due to buying a used set of Cleveland HiBore irons. I love them. They're the best set of golf clubs I've ever played and that was hard to come to terms with because I was in serious love with my Tommy Armour Silver Scot 855s. I never thought I'd love another set of irons the way I did the TA's until I got my set of Cleveland's. 

Now everything seems to be changing again, and I have the TaylorMade Rocketballz irons to thank for that. TaylorMade RBZ Rocketballz Iron Review

The thing that struck me immediately about the RBZ irons was the distribution of weight. They have the look of a nice cavity back set - not too wide like most hybrids - and are weighted with the perfect amount of bottom heaviness. It makes for a really nice sight line down the shaft and the same comfort most of us know from standard clubs at the address. Even after two years of playing hybrid clubs, I felt comfortable after a couple practice swings the first time I set up a shot from the fairway. 

In this day of golf club manufacturing the balancing act of making a club feel right and look right without compromising the actual club head too much can be difficult. There have been many irons I've picked up over the past two years that simply felt either too light or just didn't look right when placed next to the ball. None of those problems exist with the RBZ irons. Needless to say, upon first impression, I was very impressed... and I hadn't even hit the ball yet. 

A huge reason I chose to go with hybrid clubs was because I was looking for a little extra forgiveness. My swing never seems to be the same on consecutive strokes as much as I'd like, so having that little bit off leeway was something I really thought would help my game. I improved about 4-5 strokes per 18 holes over the last two years playing my Cleveland HiBores and was worried that a few rounds with the RBZ irons would add those strokes back. 

Once again, I was wrong. Being a brand new set of clubs, I knew I was going to get a little extra pop and probably some forgiveness, but I didn't expect to be rewarded with the same amount I had been getting with my hybrids. It didn't seem logical. Especially for the first couple of rounds as I was getting used to irons. 

What you come to learn quickly with the RBZ's is that the learning curve from playing a different set of irons to the RBZ's is very, very small no matter what clubs you are playing prior to trying these. I had a few golfing buddies try out the irons over a few holes and each was impressed by how natural it felt to swing the RBZ's even the first time. That's the sign of a really good set of irons, being able to transition without negatively impacting your game in any major way. 

When I got the RBZ's dialed in well enough, I noticed the flight path of my ball flying extremely straight and I was hitting the correct distances that I had hoped for. I didn't get a ton of extra yardage out of the irons, but I'm glad that wasn't the case. I didn't want to have to relearn my distances just because I was trying out a new set of irons and I didn't have to. That was a nice perk. 

Overall, I would highly recommend this set of irons, even at the high price tag. They're durable and an investment that will pay dividends now and also down the road as you make the minimal adjustments necessary to really become one with the RBZ's. I ended up playing about 6 18-hole rounds with the RBZ's and I improved by at least a stroke each round. Part of that was due to the confidence I was gaining with the RBZ's, knowing just where the ball was going to go and that I had a little bit of play if I didn't come through the ball cleanly. 

That kind of peace of mind on the course is hard to come by, and well worth paying for. 

Oh, and they look pretty awesome, too.