What would you say to a 17.5-degree driving iron that we mere mortals could actually square up regularly and hit consistently?
I know what I’d say.
“Gib es mir. Jetzt!”
(That’s German. It means “Give it to me. Now!”)
The reason I’d say it in German is this seemingly wondrous little driving iron comes to us courtesy of the Männer und Frauen of the Munich-based Vice Golf.
Vice Golf driving irons: playable and affordable?
That’s what die Lieben at Vice are telling us. The new Vice Golf driving iron is a two-piece casting. At 17.5-degrees, it’s built on the same platform as Vice’s most forgiving iron, the game-improvement VGI02. It’s a hollow-body design with a thin, flexible face for high ball speeds. The platform includes optimized heel-toe weighting to help keep the face square as well as a high bounce sole for better turf interaction and cleaner strikes.
All of that is, in theory, really nice to have in a driving iron.
According to Vice, the head of its new driving is 232 grams, which is light for the category. The lower weight is a Vice thing. The company’s design philosophy centers on irons and metalwoods that are playable for regular golfers as opposed to Tour-level players or elite amateurs. A big part of that philosophy is centered on weight, as in the lighter the better. The lower weight allows you to swing a little bit faster and square up the club face a little bit easier. This new driving even has a bit of a draw bias, which helps minimize the big right miss.
As a result, Vice says its new driving iron gives you the distance of a well-struck 2-iron with the playability of a hybrid.
Also nice to have in a driving iron is the price tag. The new Vice driving iron sells for $179.99. Most driving irons (or, as others call them, utility irons) are generally well north of that.
Who is this driving iron for?
Vice Golf is good at many things. Regardless of what you might think of its golf clubs, you have to admit Vice excels at identifying what kind of golfer each club it makes works best for. Vice says the new driving iron isn’t for beginners but you don’t have to be a stick to use it, either.
Instead, they say it’s for the golfer who takes lessons and plays and practices often but who can still get a little squirrely with the driver (sheepish columnist raises hand). That golfer might want something they can control on tight driving holes that’s not a mini driver or a fairway wood.
Give Vice credit. They even have names for these golfers.
- The “driver doubter” – who doesn’t always trust his or her driver
- The “long iron gapper” – who hits it OK but needs a trusty 200- to 220-yard club
- The “wind player” – who needs a low, penetrating flight for Scotland or Bandon
- The “versatile bag” golfer – who needs a club to do multiple jobs
- The “Vice loyalist” – who believes if it’s from Vice, it’s gotta be nice.
I don’t know about you but I love it when Vice does this. It shows remarkable self-awareness.
Chrome and “Rainbow”
The standard Vice Golf driving iron is pretty basic. There’s just the single 17.5-degree loft option. It’s available for righties only with Vice’s proprietary lightweight shaft in either R- or S-flex.
As mentioned, it sells for $179.99.
Just for fun, Vice is also offering its driving iron in an iridescent finish called “Rainbow.” Vice is really good at limited editions and is making this one more limited than most with only 200 Rainbow models being made. They’ll sell for a still reasonable $199.99.
Both the standard and Rainbow driving irons are available starting today.
Leave A Reply