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Innovex RLS Irons
Andrew Penner

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Every now and then, like a good martini, the golf industry gets a good shake. Recently, the introduction and incredible success of hybrid clubs has gotten manufacturers scrambling. Kevin Downey, the owner and inventor of Innovex Golf, hopes his unique idea of a much more uniform set of golf clubs will have an equally dramatic effect on the business. Time will tell, but Downey’s system is certainly turning some heads.

Basically, the “big sell” with the Innovex RLS (Revolutionary Loft System) Irons is their uniformity and their allowance of more full-swing options when handling distances under 125 yards. Traditionally, after the pitching wedge, golfers have no consistency in their sets and struggle choosing clubs in this all-important range. The new Innovex RLS Irons – a full set features 11 clubs, a 4 iron to a 64 degree “ultimate” lob wedge – are equally spaced in terms of loft angles. Obviously, if hitting three-quarter wedges and nuked sand wedges is your forte, you might not be interested. But, for most of us, these “scoring” distances can be a struggle, often a make it or break it factor in the round.

Last week I put the RLS Irons in my bag for a couple of rounds and enjoyed the experience. The clubs are fairly simple in appearance and felt light but reasonably solid. The mid-size cast heads are slightly offset and constructed with soft 431 stainless steel. But I was most interested to find out whether or not the non-traditional set make-up would make a difference. To make a long story short, the wedge-filled set performed nicely and it was a real treat always having the correct club for the shorter approach shots. In addition, using wedges that had the same look and feel of the other irons made perfect sense and helped my game. Actually, the experience got me thinking (just like all the manufacturers who are now making millions on hybrids): just why the heck hasn’t this been done before? www.innovexgolf.com

Andrew Penner is the author of the award-winning golf humour book, One Flew Over The Caddyshack. The book is available at Amazon.com.