The name MacGregor to me conjures images of golf's golden era, a brand steeped in history, used by some of the true legends of the game. In recent times, while perhaps not always at the premium, tour-led end of the market, it has quietly continued to produce clubs. So, when I got my hands on the MacGregor MT-86 Pro irons, I was intrigued to see what this somewhat iconic brand had to offer me. Could they be a dark horse to rival some of the best irons in the game? Let’s find out…
My first impression of the MT-86 Pro irons was generally a positive one. They offer up a reasonably no-fuss, classic players’ iron aesthetic combined with some subtle nods to modern design, while in the playing position, they present a surprisingly clean and compact profile. The topline is fairly thin, which will immediately appeal to the eye of the better player, and there’s a relatively small offset to match, which gives the irons a much more sophisticated visual than I had anticipated.
The finish is quite a high-gloss chrome, which is not a finish I am generally keen on, and to be honest, it does glare a little in bright sunshine, which I find a little distracting. However, others will love to see them gleaming in the bag. One other small detail that I didn’t love about the appearance was the shortened ferules. This is very much just a personal preference, but I find longer ferules create a nicer transition from club head to shaft, offering a more premium look.
In terms of the technology, there are a few features to discuss in these irons. At their core, a thin (2mm) MS300 face boasts a high tensile strength (295kpsi) and a very high Coefficient of Restitution (COR). MacGregor says that this translates to fast ball speeds and a penetrating trajectory, further amplified by what MacGregor is calling the power slot positioned directly behind the face.
The hollow head is filled with a proprietary polymer, aiming to deliver a soft feel at impact while also fine-tuning the acoustics. Like so many of the best compact distance irons, this internal filling is designed to dampen unwanted vibrations at impact.
Furthermore, an internal co-forged tungsten weighting system is strategically placed towards the club's toe to lower and deepen the center of gravity (CG) within the clubhead, promoting easier launch and increasing the Moment of Inertia (MOI).
Performance-wise, I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Because they aren’t lofted too aggressively (7-iron comes in at 33˚), I found them a lot easier to launch than some irons in this category like the Ping i530 or the TaylorMade P790 that sit closer to, or even sub-30˚, and the resulting spin produced a very stable ball flight for me throughout testing.
Probably due to the more conservative lofts, the distance output was a little underwhelming for me personally, with the spin hopping up above what would be considered optimal for my speed. However, these irons aren’t really designed for my club head speed, and more moderate swingers will actually likely experience a distance boost from being able to keep the ball airborne for longer.
Moreover, the performance benefits of added spin and descent angle are refreshing to see from a category that is normally determined to push to the lowest lofts possible to win the ball speed battle on the launch monitors.
The feel off the face sits in a decent middle ground between firm and soft, and you can certainly feel the familiar lively or springy sensation so often apparent in the hollow-bodied compact distance iron category.
Overall, I quite liked what I saw from the MacGregor MT-86 Pro irons. The looks, feel, and performance on offer here once again showed me that it is absolutely possible to manufacture high-quality sets of irons for well under the $1000 mark.
Truthfully, there are one or two other models on the market that I would recommend trying just for comparison before committing to a purchase, such as the Takomo 101T irons, the Hogan Legend, and also the Tour Edge Exotics C725, but the MacGregor MT-86 Pro irons should certainly be in your thoughts.
A 4-PW set will cost you $899.99, and you can choose between steel (KBS Tour) or graphite shafts (UST Recoil) in flexes from Senior to Extra Stiff. You can also customize your length requirements on the website at the purchase stage.
