LA QUINTA, California Keeping a few older clubs in the bag is common among PGA Tour players, particularly when it comes to a putter or a beloved fairway wood that consistently delivers the desired results. Conversely, clubs like irons and wedges that come into frequent contact with abrasive surfaces tend to be upgraded to new models and replaced more frequently.
There are, however, lone survivors, such as the fifteen-year-old pair of irons James Hahn had in his purse at the American Express.
This week at PGA West, James Hahn’s irons were very noticeable. They were a set of Adams Golf Idea Pro Black MBs from 2009.
JONATHAN WALL
These irons are from the days when Adams was a stand-alone OEM based in Plano, Texas, with a significant interest in the hybrid market and an aggressive CEO (current Callawy TopGolf CEO Chip Brewer) focused on increasing market share. However, the Adams Golf brand was reintroduced to the market by TaylorMade last year.
Adams was well-known for their hybrid combo sets with mid-to-high handicaps, but in the middle of the 2000s, they started to focus more on irons made for low handicappers, introducing the Idea Pro and later the Pro Gold. But what really made them stand out and drew golfers’ attention were their Pro Black MBs.
In response to a question concerning why he was returning to these older Adams irons, Hahn told GOLF.com that he preferred the way these older models looked, having a little larger head shape than contemporary blade irons and offering more forgiveness on mishits because of their larger footprint and sole profile. Speaking of these older clubs, he also remarked that they were “some of the best-looking irons ever made,” which is quite the compliment from someone who has spent the last ten years playing and testing practically everything.
Other vintage clubs seen this week at the American Express include Cameron Champ’s original Ping Rapture driving irons, Brandt Snedeker’s Bridgestone J15CB irons, Daniel Berger’s 2010 TaylorMade MC irons, Chad Ramey’s 2017 TaylorMades Tour Proto 750s, and Michael Block’s beloved TaylorMade M5 5-wood.
