Review: New Level Golf 1031 Forged Irons

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, August 6th, 2018
Categories: Golf • Golf Clubs • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear • Reviews
Tags: New Level Golf

What a fun time I’ve had “working” on this review, and rejuvenating my love of the game of golf at the same time. You see, for the last 2-3 years I’ve been playing “iron roulette” between my old 2001 Hogans and many other modern models, several custom fit to my swing. The quality level of my iron play has been slowly dying and it has been all I could muster not to bail on golf and take up something less painful, like plucking my own fingernails out with a pair of pliers. My greens in regulation tanked to the lowest of lows this spring. I realized how bad it was after reviewing the Shot Scope GPS watch and shot tracker. 20% greens in regulation isn’t going to cut it. My scores had gotten worse and worse but the most frustrating part was the poor contact. The feel of bad shots was driving me nuts. I started calling myself “Colonel Klank.”

Enter New Level Golf

I had discovered New Level Golf on Twitter earlier in the year and lustfully looked at their super sharp looking selection of forged irons, almost daily. At the time of this post, New Level offers three sets of irons: 610, 902 and 1031. They also make high end wedges, and I hope to be reviewing those later.

Thankfully I somehow manifested a set of the 1031 Forged irons to review. Typically New Level irons are custom fit to the player. Since there was no place near me which dealt New Level, and since all of the fittings I’d had in the past were failures, we decided to go standard loft and lie with KBS Tour 105 steel shafts.

1031 Forged Irons

The 1031 Forged Irons are super strong irons with a mid-sized forged head. The heads are forged out of 1020 carbon steel. The fine details and texturing is milled. I must say, the milling looks fantastic. The head has such a unique look.

The 1031 is what I’d call a muscle cavity back. It’s a cavity back iron but has a lot of muscle (mass/steel) at the bottom of the head. The topline of the club is thin while the sole is wide. This design puts more of the club’s mass very low and and back. A low center of gravity makes it easier for the player to launch the ball higher and in more control.

When I said strong I meant it. The lofts, even by modern standards, are very strong. The pitching wedge is 44 degrees of loft. Old school pitching wedges are often in the 48 degree range with more “modern” ones clocking in at 46.

Specs

Club	4	5	6	7	8	9	PW
Loft	22	25	28	32	36	40	44
Lie	60	60.5	61	61.5	62	62.5	63
Offset (mm)	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.5	4.5	4.5
Weight (grams)	247	254	261	268	275	282	289
Swingweight	D-1	D-1	D-1	D-1	D-1	D-1	D-2
Length (inches)	38.5	38	37.5	37	36.5	36	35.75

Available Shafts

I chose the KBS Tour 105 steel shaft. I’m quite happy with that choice. I feel like it provides consistent feel and control and is suitable for my swing speed (driver around 95-100mph). Other than the Tour 105’s there are many shaft options, none of which cost any extra money to upgrade to. Some of the key shafts available are from Aerotech, Fujikura, KBS Tour, True Temper, Project X.

Grip

The default grip provided is a “New Level” model by Lamkin. It’s a decent grip to start with, but I’ll be changing that out soon. I tend to be very picky with my grips, and because of the golfer’s elbow issues I’ve battled with over the years. There are many other Lamkin grip models available.

Custom Options

Every aspect of New Level’s irons is customizable: loft, lie, shaft model, shaft flex, shaft length, grip style.

The Experience

Countless times on the course I’ve had golfers walk up to my bag and ask about my irons. They are visually stunning. The 1031’s are a pleasure to look at and when standing over them, they definitely help build confidence. Lack of confidence in irons is death. Total death.

The feel of the 1031’s is terrific. The perimeter weighting and low center of gravity help increase forgiveness. I can sense where on the club face I’m making contact and make adjustments when my swing changes, as needed. Naturally, as with any club, hitting the sweet spot results in perfect distance, trajectory, and accuracy. Shots which are not quite perfect still come off like a rocket. Very little, if any distance is lost depending on how far from center mis-hits are.

I’ve been spending the summer getting used to the 1031’s and I’m gaining more and more confidence in trying to “work” the ball and control the trajectory. “Working the ball” refers to controlling left-to-right or right-to-left curves. Trajectory is what angle of ascent the ball takes off from the club. Since I play many tree-lined courses, I’m often having to hit low shots under trees when I don’t place my drive in the proper place. So far so good. Still work to do.

I’ve gamed the 1031’s in a very wide variety of conditions. My current home conditions are very soft and heavily watered due to the summer heat and the attempts of greenskeepers to keep the grass green. In these conditions I’m able to throw darts with the 1031’s and watch them stick when they hit the green, even the long irons.

I also had the pleasure of playing the 1031’s in very different conditions at Bandon Dunes Golf resort. Bandon Dunes is “hard and fast” where the fairways and greens are so firm that it is nearly impossible to take a divot. Tight lies abound and there’s plenty of wind. Think Scotland. In those conditions low punch shots are best. I was able to club down and follow through lower to execute low punches and running shots, instead of the high shots needed for soft conditions.

I still have some work to do with the 1031’s in certain conditions. If I come down too quickly or too far behind the ball in thick rough the club can grab hard, killing distance and sometimes shutting the face down and sending the ball left. I need to make sure my angle of ascent to the ball is right on in those situations.

Final Thoughts

The New Level Golf 1031 Forged Irons are precision golf instruments which offer fantastic feel, accuracy, control, and massive distance. They’ve rekindled my game and helped me resurrect my greens in regulation by 40%.

Don’t be afraid to try forged irons. Some golfers hear the word “forged” and think the clubs are too hard to hit or are only for scratch players or pros. That is far from the case with the 1031’s from New Level Golf. The 1031’s design helps the golfer launch the ball easier, longer and more accurately.

Related

New Level Golf image gallery

Talking Bandon Dunes on the Back 9 Report Podcast

Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, August 2nd, 2018
Categories: Golf • Golf Courses • Golf For Women • Golf Life • Golf Lifestyle • HOG World Tour • Interviews
Tags: #GolfBlogWorldTour • Bandon Dunes

Below you can find the Back 9 Report podcast in which myself and fellow #GolfBlogWorldTour buddy Bill Cuebas (a.k.a. The Golfather) talk about our recent visit to the amazing Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Enjoy. To go directly to the Bandon Dunes segment, scroll to the 94 minute mark.

Thanks to buddy Fred Altvater for inviting us on to talk about such a great subject!

Bandon Trails

First Look: 2018 Bridgestone Golf Tour B Series Golf Balls

Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, August 1st, 2018
Categories: Golf Balls • Golf For Women • Golf Gear
Tags: Bridgestone Golf • Golf Balls

In for review are samples of the four different Bridgestone Golf “Tour B” golf balls.

The Tour B series is the modern day B330 series of recent years. All of these balls feature a urethane cover, the magic ingredient for short game control found in most “Tour” balls. Other features include a gradational core and dual dimple design. You can see the dual dimple design in the photo below.

The Tour B X and Tour B XS are for higher swing speeds and the Tour B RX and Tour B RXS are for slower swing speeds.

I’ve gamed the Tour B330 for a long time and I’m anxious to check out these and see how the Bridgestone Tour B series has changed and improved.

I’ve got a few golf ball entries I’m still in the midst of reviewing, so it will be a few weeks before I will be posting my full Tour B review, so stay tuned.

HOG World Tour Visits Canyons Golf Club in Park City, Utah

Written by: Tony Korologos | Sunday, July 29th, 2018
Categories: Golf Courses • Golf For Women • HOG World Tour
Tags: Canyons Resort • Golf Utah • Park City • Utah • Utah Golf

Yesterday I took the HOG World Tour to play one of the few Utah golf courses I have not played, Canyons Golf Club in Park City, Utah. Canyons Golf is part of the Canyons Ski resort.

Many of the holes are on ski runs, which reminded me of some of the golf in northern Michigan where in the winter it is skiing and the summer it’s golf. The reverse is true of Michigan ski/golf. The skiing in northern Michigan sucks, but the golf is fantastic. Here at the Canyons it is the skiing which is far better than the golf.

There were a couple of decent holes, but overall I’d rate this course poorly. There is a lot of Mickey Mouse design and crowbarring them in to fit in awkward spaces, like the 2nd hole below.

I did have a few fun shots, like the tee shot on the 4th hole, where the drop is so huge I carried my driver 355 yards. Then there’s a par-5 on the back which is drive-able because the drop is so severe. I’m not kidding.

I may post a full review in the winter, when it is ski season. Otherwise if you are considering golf in Utah, Canyons would be one of the last places I’d recommend, especially for their asking price of about $100/round.

Related

Canyons Golf Course photo gallery

Review: Bandon Dunes Golf Course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

Written by: Tony Korologos | Saturday, July 28th, 2018
Categories: Course Reviews • Golf • Golf Course Architecture • Golf Courses • Golf For Women • Golf Lifestyle • HOG World Tour • Reviews • Travel
Tags: #GolfBlogWorldTour • Bandon Dunes

Bandon Dunes Golf Course was the first course built on the incredible property that is Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Bandon Dunes first offered up its challenge to golfers in 1999 and was designed by Scottish golf course architect David McLay Kidd. Brilliant idea having a Scottish designer work his magic on land which is quite similar to Scotland complete with ocean views, mild temperatures, wind, and even gorse. I’m sure Kidd felt right at home.

Location Location Location

Bandon Dunes is located about five hours southwest of Portland, Oregon, on the Oregon shoreline. Getting there is easiest via the airport in North Bend, a mere 40 minute drive. North Bend is likely not the cheapest option. One can typically fly into Portland for a fraction of the cost to North Bend, but then have to deal with the five hour drive. It’s quite scenic and goes by quickly though.

Bandon Dunes Design

David McLay Kidd’s design smoothly winds its way over the natural sand dunes with scenic overlooks, thrilling elevation changes, and a natural flow which is often overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Having played many of the great seaside courses in Scotland, the visual and stylistic similarities are stunning to me. Scotty could have beamed me to Kingsbarns Golf Links or Cruden Bay Golf Club from Bandon Dunes and I might have had a hard time telling the difference. Bandon Dunes even has some riveted bunkers. Riveted bunkers have steep walls which are made up of layers of sod, popular in the UK.

Bandon Dunes Par-3 6th Hole

Par value at Bandon Dunes is 72, with the longest tees (Black) measuring 6,732 yards. The course rating from the tips is 74.1 with a slope of 143. Scottish translation: “She’s a challenging wee bugger.”

Seven of the 18 holes are waterside, ether running by it, ending up by it, or starting by it.

Tee

Tee shots at Bandon Dunes are challenging, interesting, and present the golfer with numerous options. All this while giving the golfer stellar surroundings and vantage points of the beautiful terrain as well as the Pacific Ocean. Different tee boxes not only change the yardages of the holes, they change the tee elevation and angles to the targets. I’m a big fan of variances like this, rather than having three sets of tees on one 30 yard flat rectangle of grass. This isn’t the local muni.

There are many situations which the tee shot is forced to carry over natural arroyos, canyons, or native sand areas. Nothing too extreme or unplayable from the proper tees, but challenging enough to get in a golfer’s mind and penalize a bad tee shot.

Fairway

Most fairways at Bandon Dunes are fairly wide and not overly difficult to hit, barring the 30mph winds I played in. The sloping and curvature of the fairways is smooth and natural, and can on occasion produce uneven lies. Errant tee shots will find some strategically placed, but not overly extreme bunkering or perhaps native dunes or washes.

Par-4 16th Hole

There are a few fairways which are split or give the golfer different options like the 16th hole above. The golfer could layup short of the dunes dissecting the fairway, or try to blow a driver over the dunes favoring left. I chose latter, which I was successful in doing. But with the extreme tailwind I had, my drive went so far it went by the green, past the next tee box and off a cliff never to be found again. Strategy!

Green

The putting surfaces at Bandon Dunes are quite enjoyable and manageable. They’re an oasis amongst the ruggedness of the dunes. Natural sloping gives the golfer a chance to be creative when putting, or chipping. I found putting on the smooth surfaces at Bandon Dunes to be challenging enough for me to keep my focus to insure a one or two-putt, but not so crazy that I’d introduce 3-jacking or more by making small mistakes.

I appreciated that the green complexes offer a chance to putt from off the green and not force the golfer into a high shot unless there was a bunker or native area to carry.

Bandon Dunes Advice

I’m happy to offer a little advice for playing Bandon Dunes. First off this is a walking-only course. No carts (or buggies for you in the UK). Be ready for some solid walking on hard ground, and some minor elevation changes. Get a caddie to help you navigate the course, or snag a pull/push cart from the starter to make the walk a little easier and less tough on the back.

If your ball manages to find a gorse bush, let it go. Seriously. It’s not worth it.

Have your wind game ready.

Have your apparel game ready as well. Bring a sweater and some waterproof outerwear. The temperatures are mild all year, with the high temperatures reaching the 60’s in the summer.

Bring your camera and make sure your battery is fully charged. You’ll be glad you did when you’re at home looking back at the tremendous golf course and wonderful experience you enjoyed.

Amenities

Bandon Dunes starts and ends at the main lodge, where one can find numerous dining and lodging options and a finely stocked pro shop. A short shuttle ride away are the other Bandon Dunes courses, more lodging, and some of the best practice facilities in the world.

Final Thoughts

Bandon Dunes is a stellar and challenging golf experience. I appreciate playing the course more and more as I think back about each hole through my dozens of photos.

This is the course that started it all at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. It’s a fantastic foundation which the resort has built upon and staked its claim as the #1 golf resort in America.

Related

Visit the HOG Bandon Dunes photo gallery.

13-hole par-3 Bandon Preserve course review.

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