William L. Coney Blog: Spy Pics: Ben Hogan Ft. Worth Black Iron

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Spy Pics: Ben Hogan Ft. Worth Black Iron

Don’t look now, but rumblings out of Fort Worth are hinting at another new offering from Ben Hogan. Just in the past month, Hogan announced its new Equalizer wedges and the new Edge irons, both further indications that this version of the company might just stick around.

Sources are now telling MyGolfSpy Hogan is preparing another new set of irons: the Ft. Worth Black - a unique alteration to its Ft. Worth 15 blade.

What in the name of Henny Bogan is going on here?

Beyond the color, there are a couple of minor differences between the nearly 4-year old Ft. Worth 15 and the Ft. Worth Black. First, Hogan’s unique V-Sole design is getting a little facelift by way of a slight bounce alteration for better turf interaction. We saw similar sole changes in the Equalizer wedges compared to the older TK 15’s.

The other key tech change is a slight adjustment to Hogan’s Dynamic Progressive Weighting – essentially center-of-gravity alterations throughout the set to produce a more penetrating ball flight and better distance for off-center strikes.

From the Captain Obvious department, the other big difference is, of course, the color. The Ft. Worth Blacks are finished with a Diamond Black Metal coating similar to the finish used on other premium irons – most recently the Cobra Forged Tec Black. The concern with any black coating is how long it stays, you know, black. Black Oxide starts wearing off once you take the plastic off. Black Nickel is a little better, and PVD is a lot better, but independent testing shows Diamond Black Metal lasts seven times longer than PVD.

One other benefit of Diamond Black Metal, since the material chemically infiltrates 1025 carbon steel, is longer lasting grooves. The process makes the club face just a touch harder for better durability.

Oh, and those club lofts that some of you hate so much? From what we hear they’re gone: you’ll be able to buy a 4-PW set. Hogan still believes in 4-degree gapping, and these sets will start with a 22-degree 4-iron and end with a 46-degree pitching wedge.

Sources tell us there will be a $5.00 per club upcharge for the Ft. Worth Blacks under Hogan’s Factory Direct sales model, or $700.00 for a seven club set of 1025 carbon forged irons (the standard Fort Worth 15’s sell for $665.00/set). We’re expecting the Blacks to be available with any of Hogan’s standard shafts (KBS Tour V, KBS Tour 90, UST Recoil 760, UST Recoil 780), with no upcharge for the graphite options.

No word on when the Ft. Worth Blacks will be available for pre-sale, but we’re expecting it’ll happen within the next couple of weeks.