50 Words or Less
The Vice Golf VGI02 irons are extremely low launch and low spinning. Very good ball speed. Solid forgiveness. Strong value if well fit.
Introduction
Vice Golf got their start offering players a great value in golf balls. By selling direct to the golfer, they cut out the middle man and delivered more performance per dollar. With the big OEMs almost universally charging over $1,000 for an iron set (in some case way over), golfers need that kind of price relief in clubs, too, and Vice is ready to provide it. At $799 for a 7-piece set, the Vice Golf VGI02 irons represent a significant financial savings, but do they have the performance to make this set a good value? I tested them to find out.
Curious about Vice Golf balls? Check out our review of their Pro Soft and Pro Zero HERE and a review of the Pro and Pro Plus HERE.
Looks
Vice states that the VGI02 irons are made for the players “who want the most help from their choice of irons.” That would lead us to expect an enormous, thick iron, but the VGI02 is not nearly that extreme. Compared to others in the game improvement category, the Vice Golf VGI02 irons are about average. They are long from heel to toe with a medium thick top line. What makes them distinct is the low heel, tall toe, and rounded face. There’s also a healthy dose of offset. While the face shape and offset don’t appeal to me, I’m not the target player.
In the bag, I think the Vice Golf VGI02 irons look great. The subtle Damascus-like pattern in the cavity adds visual interest without being over the top, and the branding is minimal. Vice offers three different looks: silver with black paint, silver with lime paint, and a black finish with black paint. You can also customize the paint color and ferrule with Vice’s custom program.
Sound & Feel
Given the discrepancy in looks, I expected the Vice Golf VGI02 irons to sound significantly different than the VGI01 [review HERE]. However, these larger irons are just one step away in terms of sound and feel. Through the hands, impact is solid with a little bit of snap. They have a faster, more modern feel than the VGI01, but it’s not a world apart.
The sound of impact is similarly split between modern and traditional. It’s average in volume and low pitched without any metallic chime. On the other hand, the sound is snappy, more alive than a forged “thud.” Both the sound and feel provide subtle feedback on good strikes, only announcing your error when the strike is way off target.
Performance
The Vice Golf VGI02 irons are among the lowest launching, lowest spinning irons I’ve ever tested. Since my testing “career” spans over a decade, it’s impossible to say that these are the lowest since the data is not apples-to-apples, but they’re are in the conversation, without question. Even when I was holding off the face to try to hit a cut, I was not getting playable landing angles. My average with a 6I was in the low 30s (for reference, 45-50 is considered optimal). I am a low spin player, so your numbers may not be as extreme as mine, but these irons will produce a strong ball flight.
Another thing I noted about the VGI02 irons is that they were either very straight or very crooked. I attribute this to the low spin. When I started my testing, the offset was encouraging me to send everything left. These weren’t little pulls or pleasant draws, they were running left. After I got adjusted to the offset, however, they were point and shoot. If you get along with the offset naturally and find the right shaft, these could be very accurate irons.
In addition to being low spinning, the Vice Golf VGI02 irons are very fast. The ball speed is excellent on center, and you need to make a pretty large error to see it fall off dramatically. For the player that wants to hit each iron longer, the combination of spin and low launch could be just what they’re looking for.
I’ll close with what is, hopefully, an obvious point for the regular readers: these irons need to be fit. Club Champion fits Vice Golf clubs, and they can make sure that you get the optimal combination of launch, spin, and speed to hit playable approach shots. Vice Golf does offer a 60-day trial, but you need to read the details: you can only hit the 7I on a “mat or non-abrasive surface” before returning them. While it’s better than nothing, you’re not going to figure out if this is the set of your dreams by hitting the stock 7I off a mat. I’ll continue to say it: buy-to-try is more expensive than fitting in the long run.
Conclusion
For the player seeking a lot of distance and solid forgiveness, the Vice Golf VGI02 irons deliver exceptional value. Given their very low launch and spin, it is important to make sure you get fit for them, but in the right hands, they’ll perform wonderfully. Kudos to Vice Golf for offering players a solid iron set well below $1,000.
Buy the Vice Golf VGI02 Irons HERE
Vice Golf VGI02 Irons Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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