Today I’m going to look at the PRGR RED 505 Irons. The RED Series from Pro Gear the golf division of Yokohama Rubber Industries has typically been aimed at the average golfer looking for ease of use and performance.  While the new RED 505 irons certainly fill that bill they actually bring a lot more to the table. They are an iron even the mid handicapper and improving player can definitely consider.

For the average and mid handicapper…

While last season we saw PRGR release both a GN502 Maraging face iron along with a 05 Premium Red iron. The new RED 505 for 2010 in fact fills both shoes and does so admirably. The 505 is a mid sized pocket cavity back with long heel to toe blade length and wider rounder sole. The sole is completely tungsten (Ni, W, Fe) which bring the CG almost towards the bottom of the iron at 19.5mm high. For the average golfer who hits thin shots this is a good thing as even catching the ball low on the face will still provide top notch results and performance.  The pocket in the cavity is deep and aids miss hits all across the face of the iron.

Click here to read more of the PRGR RED 505 Review!

All Tungsten Sole…

The all tungsten sole is wider and rounded with leading edge relief and trailing edge relief. PRGR calls this an All Condition sole meaning its perfect for all lies and course types. There is of course some offset as there always is in any average golfer iron but at address it does not look overly distracting. In fact the RED 505 looks very confidence inspiring at address with its long heel to toe and thicker but not chunky top line.

High Maraging Face…

The RED 505 uses a high maraging face which is very common these days as an alternative to the titanium faced irons. Maraging steel is durable yet can be made thinner than cast stainless steel or forged steel. This creates a high repulsion face with very high ball speeds at impact. Because the face is so thin, again weight is allowed to be shifted to the tungsten sole.

Easy to hit distance…

So the important part as always is, how does it perform? Starting with looks, the RED 505 has the look of a high tech and high quality iron. Aesthetically it has nice lines and curves and is not bulky looking. I liked the way it looked at address, not huge but not too small where I feel like I really have to make the shot. For the average golfer it sets up as if it will automatically make the shot. And it does. The RED 505 is very easy to hit. It rivals my 2010 XXIO irons for ease of use meaning its easier than ONOFF Red and the AF-701 which I previously gamed. Feel of the maraging face is crisp but for some it may not provide enough feedback on MISS HITS due to the pocket cavity. Others will appreciate the lack of vibrations and the minimal loss of distance.

More penetrating trajectory with less spin…

As for actual ball flight and distance, the RED 505 hit the ball with a more penetrating trajectory, quite a bit lower than my XXIO. This is even though the RED 505 also comes standard with similar weighted 50-60g graphite shafts (made this time around by Mitsubishi for PRGR). It turns out according to Choice magazine, that compared to most irons, the RED 505 spins much lower which is why it has such strong distance performance. I gained a whole club’s distance when I moved to the XXIO but hitting the RED 505 side by side with XXIO, the RED 505 is even longer due to a more piercing trajectory. For the average golfer segment, Choice Magazine rated it number one in distance ahead of ONOFF, XXIO and Yamaha’s D-Black iron. I have to agree with them on the distance front, this automatic iron is very long.

Very forgiving…

The round sole again while wide is not overly huge. It does work though and its width coupled with shape reduce fat shots. As I mentioned earlier trying to hit thin shots did not result in much distance loss. The 505 is forgiving.

I’d bag it…

So now here is my dilemma. I am torn. I am playing the best golf I’ve played with the XXIO but for the sake of change… we all know what that’s like… I want to play new irons. I was looking at going more towards a forged mid to improving player CB (yes from the group of irons I am currently testing for our forged shootout) but the RED 505 has peaked my interest. One can never have enough forgiveness. Golf is not an easy game, equipment should make it easier not harder. The RED 505 would be an automatic addition to anyone’s bag.

You can check out the RED 505 in the pro shop here.

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