REVIEW: Fourteen Golf TC-888 Forged Irons

Fourteen Golf isn't a household name among most golfers' circle of friends just yet. However, while most independent golf equipment companies are swallowed by a sea of names like Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist and others, Fourteen Golf is quickly making a name for themselves in a rough industry. We had the opportunity to test their TC-888 Forged irons recently, and after just one hour we are convinced that this company is going to cause a stir among their big-name competitors.

Let's get to the facts.

Specifications

The Fourteen Golf TC-888 Forged irons feature a muscle-back design with a half-cavity back to increase forgiveness on miss hits. Each clubhead has a nickel chrome-plated pearl satin finish that looks as great as it feels. Our review set were equipped with N.S. Pro Modus³ Tour 120 Steel (Stiff: 114g) shafts.

While there is no such thing as a "standard" specification for any club these days -- every manufacturer offers custom fitting in some manner -- the TC-888 Forged irons are similar in loft compared to competing irons of their category.

The lofts on my current set of clubs can be considered 'strong' (i.e., my 7-iron loft is 32-degrees compared to 33-degrees in the TC-888 Forged), so any distance reading or overall performance won't be a true 1-to-1 comparison.

Appearance and Feel (10/10)

Good. Lord.

Not only are the Fourteen Golf TC-888 Forged gorgeous pieces of craftsmanship to look at, they might be the best feeling clubs we've ever hit that don't feature the "Mizuno" brand.

At address, the irons feature a compact head design that will appeal to the better player while the semi-thin topline is just meaty enough to not scare away a higher handicap player. These clubs inject a shot of confidence into the golfer right from the start. Is there anything more important than that outside of impact?

Speaking of impact, the TC-888 Forged irons offer a soft feel with each strike; a feature that readers of this site know we adore. The ball jumps off the clubface when hit square, leading to a high, floating ball flight that will undoubtedly sit softly on any green.

While purists may frown on the cavity back design, we can not think of a single negative thing to say about the TC-888 Forged irons in terms of look or feel. Bravo.

Performance (9/10)

In terms of distance, the TC-888's did fly slightly shorter than my current clubs. Again, this can be attributed entirely to the difference in loft (plus there was a moderate headwind during our test), but it was negligible.

Shot-shaping was a cinch as I was able to work the ball in any direction on demand. Fades seemed to fly a bit shorter than to what I am accustomed, but other variables could have contributed to this dip. Adjusting trajectory was more difficult for me, however, as the TC-888's yearned to send the ball high into the air.

But then again, however often do you have to adjust your shot height? Not often.

Overall (9.5/10)

We test a lot of clubs on this site. Most are from the big-name OEMs that you can read about almost anywhere else. The majority of irons on the market today do roughly the same thing.

However, the Fourteen Golf TC-888 Forged irons are truly something special. They feel fabulous, shots fly pure and true, and any qualms one may have about switching to an indie brand are squashed after the first swing.

You will not hit many irons this season that are better than the Fourteen Golf TC-888 Forged irons. These could easily be in my golf bag right now, and my game would benefit immediately.