REVIEW – MacGregor Golf MT•86 OS Irons

“Worthy of an Iconic Brand”

The Set-up

When it comes to golf, there are names that are unique and synonymous to the game. Legendary, iconic, and timeless. Names like Jones, Snead, Nicklaus, and MacGregor Golf.

MacGregor Golf, established in 1897 as the “Crawford, McGregor & Canby Company”, became one of the first American manufacturers of golf equipment. As a brand only Wilson has more Major victories than MacGregor Golf’s 59. While MacGregor Golf has had high moments ‘o’ plenty during its rich history, it hasn’t always come easy. MacGregor Golf has also faced adversity and near extinction from the game.

Over the decades MacGregor Golf has seen more than its fair share of ownership changes. Brunswick Corporation and Amer Sports (currently the holdings company for Wilson) have had their respective hands in MacGregor. In 1997, Amer Sports sold the company to The Parkside Group, a British-led group. Another six years passed and once again there’d be yet another change in ownership. The six year cycle would continue. In May 2009, MacGregor was acquired by Golfsmith International.

Golfsmith International would end up going bankrupt in 2016 and since MacGregor Golf was an asset of Golfsmith, MacGregor would be sold off to and acquired by Dick’s Sporting Goods. A golf equipment manufacturer once rich in heritage and quality now had the notorious stigma attached to it. MacGregor Golf was now viewed as being nothing more than a cheap “box brand”.

Golf Brands Inc., led by CEO Simon Millington owns several of golf’s greatest equipment manufacturers in the history of the game. Brands that seemingly fell off of the face of the Earth have been brought back from the proverbial dead. Ram, Zebra, Teardrop, Forgan of St Andrews, and MacGregor Golf all fall within Golf Brands Inc’s umbrella. The latter being resurrected in 2022. It was at the 2023 PGA Merchandise Show where they announced to the golf industry that they were back. Producing equipment with a commitment to excellence.

Inspired by the MT Tourney M85 irons circa 1950 came the MacGregor MT•86 OS irons.

The Transition

Being excited to receive this opportunity to test the MacGregor MT•86 OS irons left me in a state of near salivation. All that I could see when I closed my eyes were these irons. Seeing them on the show floor in Orlando gave me a sneak peak into their aesthetics. These irons are a “muscleback-blade” in drag, but in reality are a hollow-bodied game improvement iron.

At the show, the MT•86 OS irons were without a doubt the best-looking irons in the Game-Improvement Iron category. Overall, they were an easy Top 5 in the looks category. Their chrome finish glistened and the lines, clean and elegant. The way that MacGregor’s design team added the “wings” to pay homage to irons of the past was nothing short of sheer class. Aesthetically speaking, the MT•86 OS irons had me “hook, line, and sinker”.

The set that was sent to me for testing was 4-PW shafted with UST Mamiya Recoil 660 (Regular Flex) shafts. The grips were the stock Lamkin Crossline grips. All high-quality components. Speaking of components, you will notice on the head that it says “Forged.” The construction of the MT•86 OS is multi-material in nature. While the body itself is forged, the face is actually maraging steel (MS 300). A metal that’s known for being used in the construction of objects like bridges, buildings, and ships. This particular type of metal is very hard thus making it a perfect metal to deliver a high “Coefficient of Restitution” or COR. With the face being a measly 2 mm in thickness and the materials used, MT•86 OS’ face delivers an explosive feel at impact while also helping to create a penetrating ball flight.

Say what?!

COR is the measure of the elasticity of a collision between two bodies higher ball speeds

When the testing was completed I concluded that MacGregor Golf’s of added distance were true in every sense. I loved the feel at impact! A “crisp, piercing thwack” is the only way that I can describe it, in words. Watch the beginning of the accompanying review video to hear the acoustics. It was just such an authoritative feel, especially when compared to my Titleist 718 AP3 gamers. That said, the ballflight was more penetrating as well. All of which equated to being 10-15 yards longer than my gamers (measured through the use of target greens and rangefinder). Also contributing to the feel of the MT•86 OS irons is the foam that fills the heads of these “hollow-bodied beauties”.

***Note that the operative word here is penetrating and not lower or flatter

In my experience, I found the MT•86 OS irons to be a very forgiving iron, living up to its Game-Improvement classification. While shots struck lower on the face or out towards the toe traveled less distance and saw the acoustics diminish… what didn’t happen was a loss of direction. While flying lower on these subpar types of strikes, the MT•86 OS irons never strayed off of the intended line. The results were definitely in the “good miss” category. No doubt that the forgiveness is aided by its internal weighting system, which consists of tungsten weights that are married towards the toe of the club. With this placement of weight, the centre of gravity ends up being placed lower and deeper in the club, increasing the MOI (Moment of Inertia) or resistance of twisting at impact.

While being an “oversized” head the MT•86 OS is not bulky. It has a terrific look in the address position due to its moderate top line. While there is some offset – typically the case with a GI iron – it isn’t a distraction. These irons are not the shovel that sits in your garden shed.

MT•86 OS Iron Specs

	#4	#5	#6	#7	#8	#9	#PW
Lie	60.5	61	61.5	62	62.5	63	63.5
Loft	21	23.5	26.5	30.5	35	39	44
Offset	4.6	4.1	3.6	3	2.8	2.7	2.5
Head Weight	246	253	260	267	274	281	288
Std Length	38.5	38	37.5	37	36.5	36	35.75

The Finish

In conclusion, there’s a lot to love about the MT•86 OS irons and not a whole lot to gripe about. From its exquisite aesthetics to its eye-popping “thwacks” at impact, the MT•86 OS irons are an iron set that’s definitely worthy of having an iconic name attached to it.

It feels good, looks great, and delivers lost yardage. It’s forgiving too! `While workability with the MT•86 OS can definitely be had, players looking for that characteristic may want to look into its stablemate. The MT•86 Pro.

For more info please visit MacGregor Golf.

Until The Next Tee!!

#fightandgrind #seeuonthenexttee