About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the irons, which I purchased with my own money in March of 2020.

My take

The Cleveland Launcher UHX Irons are great for mid to high-handicap golfers looking for added distance, forgiveness, and launch to hit more greens and lower their scores.

About the club I own

• Model: 2019 Cleveland Launcher UHX
• Loft setting: Standard
• Shaft type: Project X 6.5
• Shaft flex: X-stiff

About me

• Average score: 70
• Handicap: +2
• Experience: 5 years of playing golf
• Right/Left-Handed: Right-Handed
• Typical ball flight: Mid-high
• Golf ball used: TaylorMade TP5x
• Club swing speed: 95 mph (7-iron)

Test conditions

• When I bought the club: March 2020
• Days tested: 70+
• Where I’ve used it: TrackMan simulator and various golf courses
• Weather and wind conditions: High and low winds, rain, warm, and cold

How it performs

What I was looking for

I wanted to test out a set of game improvement irons to help people find the best set for their game. I wanted to understand better the performance and feel of game improvement irons to assist customers.

Why I chose this club

I chose the Cleveland Launcher UHX because of its sleek design, and I wanted an affordable set of irons to recommend to players on a budget.

What I love about it

• Distance: These irons go extremely long and far. I typically hit my blade 7-iron about 190 yards which is already pretty far compared to the average. However, with this UHX set, I effortlessly hit the 7-iron 210-215 yards. These irons are very long, and I am surprised that they do not have the same problem other game improvement irons have. Many game improvement irons go exceptionally far when hit well and out of the center, but off-center strikes have a significant drop-off in distance up to a 20-yard difference. However, I did not notice that at all with these irons, which makes them great for consistency.
• Forgiveness: The Launcher UHX irons are very forgiving due to the larger head shape and thick top line. These irons give me added confidence, feeling that I can hit the ball anywhere on the clubface and the ball will go straight where I aim.
• Feel: I gave this iron set a 4 out of 5 in feel because the forged model irons from Mizuno are the best feeling irons on the market. However, these irons are some of the best feeling game improvement irons I have ever felt. Typically, improvement irons have a dull or clunky feel on most shots, but these irons feel incredibly soft and responsive on every shot.
• Shaft Feel: The Project X rifle shafts have my favorite feel out of any iron shafts. These shafts do not have a designated kick point, so the whole shaft feels stiff and strong through the golf ball, which is perfect for my faster aggressive swing.
• Shaft Performance: The Project X 6.5 shaft is perfect for me due to my faster swing speeds. The extra weight helps prevent the ball from spinning too much and lowers the launch angle. These shafts are also extremely responsive, allowing me to feel where the golf club is at all points in my swing to help hit the center of the face more often.
• Aesthetic Appeal: The Cleveland Launcher UHX irons have a lot of similarities to the new Srixon ZX line of irons—a very modern muscle look that I think looks very nice. The only thing I do not love is the thick top line, but that is standard with game improvement irons.
• Launch Angle: These irons launch really well due to the low center of gravity that helps launch the ball even higher. I can hit the long irons, such as 6 and 5 irons, into greens, having confidence they will launch really high and ultimately land softly on the green and get close to the pin.
• Spin: These irons are surprisingly spinny for a game improvement iron. Most of these irons are typically low spinning for maximum distance, but I have found these irons spin really well. I have had multiple instances where the ball stopped right where it landed on a green or, in some cases, would even spin back. This is great for consistency and control in a high launch and distance iron.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Sound: These irons generally sound great on all well-struck shots out of the center of the clubface. However, on big mishit shots, these irons sound dull and clunky.
• Workability: These irons' high launch and distance factors make it more difficult to shape golf shots. Players should be fine with a small fade or draw, but players looking for an iron with a lot of workability should avoid this model.
• Adjustability: These irons have no adjustability once purchased. The only way to adjust these clubs is a complete reshaft or using a machine to adjust the loft and lie.
• Grip Feel: I have the Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips on these irons. This grip is great for the first 2-3 months of use, but I have found that these grips are the fastest to wear out and will need a deep clean or regripping much sooner than other grips. I recommend the Tour Velvet Z-Grip or MCC, which will last much longer and offer a great grip.

Best shot with this club

The best shot I hit with these irons was on a long par 3. I played my home course from the tips and was on a 230-yard par 3 with about 10-15 yards of wind into the face. This made the par 3 play closer to 240-45 yards, and I hit the 4-iron from this set. I started the ball just left of the pin and hit a small cut that started turning back towards the pin, and the ball ended up just short of the pin leaving me seven feet left for a birdie putt. Thankfully the putt was very flat and straight uphill, so I was able to put an aggressive stroke on the ball and made the putt for birdie.

Value for the money vs. other options

The Cleveland Launcher UHX irons cost roughly $500 with great performance and design. Similar new high-end models are the Callaway Paradym X (~$1,280), the TaylorMade Stealth (~$990), and Titleist T300 (~$1,100). All of these irons have very similar performance, so I would say the Launcher UHX irons are the best value set of game improvement irons.

Final verdict

The Cleveland Launcher UHX irons are perfect for mid and high-handicap golfers looking for more distance without sacrificing spin. These irons have a great feel and control to help players hit more greens and shoot lower scores.