MacGregor Golf is re-establishing itself as a brand worthy of your attention after a successful 2023

By Tony Dear

Last year’s long-overdue return of the once universally-revered MacGregor brand was welcomed by many a seasoned golfer who’d played its beautiful clubs back in the day (I’m not that seasoned but know plenty who are). The MT86 Pro and MT86 OS irons were handsome but offered more than just good looks. Designed by industry legend Austie Rollinson who spent many years at Acushnet/Titleist and Callaway/Odyssey (now the lead man at Titleist putter R&D), they had their share of tech and earned a bevy of positive reviews from far and wide.

Rollinson had been hired by Englishman Simon Millington who now resides near Las Vegas and who’d purchased MacGregor (along with Ram, Zebra, and Teardrop – all now part of Millington’s Golf Brands Inc.) from Dick’s Sporting Goods in 2019/20.

This year’s offerings from MacGregor look equally neat and sophisticated and will further the brand’s wish to be regarded as a legitimate club-maker designing its own clubs, rather than one of a handful of profit-driven, but creativity-lacking, companies selling largely-generic clubs thrown together in the same factory.

Millington played a larger role in developing the 2024 line-up and this time worked alongside Callaway/Odyssey’s Larry Tang (Millington has now taken on former Adams Golf Club designer Gavin Wallin full-time).

MacGregor clubs and, indeed, all those in the Golf Brands Inc. stable (Millington also negotiated a licensing agreement with Pery Ellis for the Ben Hogan brand in October last year) are sold directly to consumers meaning that, though you may not see them on the rack in a retail setting and be able to pick them up and give them a waggle, they cost a great deal less than similar-looking and similarly-performing clubs.

The MACSPD, for instance, looks like a club that costs twice as much. A hollow-body, foam-filled, player’s distance iron, it has a slightly wider sole and higher Moment of Inertia (MoI) than the MT86, and is more affordable, too. Tungsten weights in the heel and toe do what heel/toe-positioned weights in other hollow-body player’s distance irons do – lower the Center of Gravity (CG) making the club more forgiving and helping you launch the ball a little higher.

Then there’s the MT Milled and MT-Pro whose milled backs scream refinement. Forged from a single piece of 1020 carbon steel, the entire back of the MT Milled, including the cavity, is CNC-milled which, Millington says, helps achieve optimum weight consistency. The semi-rounded sole promotes clean turf interaction.

The MT-Pro is likewise forged from 1020 carbon steel and, while not technically a blade, looks, feels, and performs much like one. The weight has been pushed down in the clubhead to promote a higher launch than you might get with a more genuine blade, but the forged feel is that of a club built for the discerning. The semi-rounded sole improves turf interaction just as it does with the MT Milled.

For those who enjoy building their own clubs, you can also purchase the heads only.

If you needed convincing that 2023’s MT86 irons weren’t a one-off, MacGregor’s 2024 line-up should confirm the brand is well and truly back.

MACSPD
$430 (5-PW) / $500 (4-PW or 5-GW) / $550 (4-GW). Heads only – $340-$450
Lofts – 4 – 20.5˚, 7 – 30˚, PW -44˚
Shafts – KBS Max 85
Right and left-hand (though GW is right-hand only)
Finish – Satin Chrome or Black Diamonized Black Metal

MT-Pro
$500 (5-PW) / $550 (4-PW or 5-GW) / $600 (4-GW). Heads only – $410-$480
Lofts – 4 – 23˚, 7 – 33˚, PW -45˚
Shafts – KBS Max 85 (True Temper Dynamic Gold, KBS Tour, KBS Tour 90, KBS Tour V, and graphite UST Recoil also available at no extra charge)
Right-hand only
Finish – Satin Chrome

MT Milled
Satin chrome – $550 (5-PW) / $600 (4-PW or 5-GW) / $650 (4-GW). Black – $650 (5-PW), $700 (4-PW or 5-GW) / $750 (4-GW). Heads only – $460-$530 (Satin chrome) / $560-$630 (Black)
Lofts – 4 – 21˚, 7 – 31˚, PW -44˚
Shafts – KBS Max 85 (True Temper Dynamic Gold, KBS Tour, KBS Tour 90, KBS Tour V, and graphite UST Recoil also available at no extra charge)
Right and left-hand (though GW is right-hand only)
Finish – Satin Chrome or Black

macgregorgolf.com

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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