Bettinardi MB24 Iron Review
One of two brand-new iron releases from Bettinardi, Joe Ferguson takes a look at the MB24 model...
The MB24 is a solid first entry into the blade iron market from Bettinardi. From the back, the head is dripping in shelf appeal and the quality of finish is there for all to see, although behind the ball they are larger than others in this category. A nice soft feel at impact and some good launch monitor data will please potential suitors.
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Look fantastic in the bag
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High-quality finish
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Satisfying impact feel
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The address profile isn’t to my taste
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Bettinardi has produced some of the best putters in the game for a number of years now, so when I heard it was releasing some iron models to market, I was very curious to see what it would come up with.
Watch: Joe Ferguson discusses his best blades of 2024
The Bettinardi MB24 is the first of the models I have gotten my hands on, so let's see if they can compete with the best blade irons on the market.
In terms of the technology, as you would imagine with irons sitting in the blade category, the MB24 isn’t swamped with features, but there is some engineering lurking within. The head is a one-piece forging of 1025 carbon steel but within that, they also feature what Bettinardi refers to as tri-material construction. Essentially, this is the internal introduction of high-density tungsten and military-grade CMC (Ceramic Matrix Composite) that is aimed at maximizing forgiveness and also allows Bettinardi to pinpoint CG locations depending on the loft of the club. This is aimed at providing more launch in the long irons and better spin control in the scoring clubs.
The aesthetic profile of the MB24 is an interesting case. From the back, they are stunning. The brushed satin finish gives a very premium look and the minimal branding complements that perfectly. As with its sibling the CB24, the fine detailing in the lower portion of the head looks fantastic sat in the bag, so from a shelf appeal point of view they are up there with any of the best irons in the game.
In the playing position down by the ball, however, I am not quite sold. The overall footprint just feels a little too big to me and the top line is not as thin as I would like it to be in this category of iron. For example, when placed next to the Callaway Apex MB or Titleist 620 MB, the blade length and top line, in particular, become very noticeable. Similarly, shape-wise, the profile just doesn’t quite suit my eye, the transition from hosel to head is a little too high for me and overall they just look a bit clumsy at address compared to some of the other best blade irons.
Performance-wise, the MB24 irons stack up nicely against the competition. I did my testing at Saunton Golf Club using my FullSwing KIT launch monitor with TaylorMade TP5 golf balls. Across the board, the MB24 was competitive with anything else in the category in all major ball data parameters such as ball speed and carry distance, and delivered a nice, mid-spin number of 6744 rpm which produced a very manageable flight window.
In terms of workability, I found it relatively easy to manipulate the trajectory both from a height and left-to-right point of view and there was good feedback from strike.
From a feel point of view, the MB24 is excellent. There is a real depth to strike and when I missed the centre of the face, they didn’t feel as harsh as some blades suggesting the internal weighting is doing a good job.
The MB24 irons come with an RRP of $1600 for a seven-iron set and come with a couple of stock shaft options (KBS Tour and Dynamic Gold MID 100) and numerous other custom offerings. The stock grip is a Bettinardi logoed Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360.
The Bettinardi MB24 is an excellent blade iron in many ways and a strong first entry to the market. The slight reservations I have over the address profile are of course subjective, some players may absolutely love them. Based on the feel and performance, I would certainly recommend trying them to find out.
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Joe has worked in the golf industry for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles. After a successful amateur career being involved in England squads at every age group, Joe completed his PGA degree qualification in 2014 as one of the top ten graduates in his training year and subsequently went on to become Head PGA Professional at Ryder Cup venue The Celtic Manor Resort. Equipment has always been a huge passion of Joe’s, and during his time at Celtic Manor, he headed up the National Fitting Centres for both Titleist and Taylormade. He’s excited to bring his knowledge of hardware to Golf Monthly in the form of equipment reviews and buying advice.
Joe lives in North Devon and still plays sporadically on the PGA West region circuit. His best round in recent years came earlier in 2023 where he managed a 9 under par 63 at Trevose GC in a Devon & Cornwall PGA Tournament.
Joe's current What's In The Bag?
Driver: Switch between Ping G430 Max 10K & TaylorMade Qi10 - both with Fujikura Ventus Black 6-X
Fairway wood 1: TaylorMade BRNR Copper Mini Driver - Fujikura Ventus Black 7-X
Fairway wood 2: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD 5 Wood - Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB 3-PW with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts
Wedges: Callaway Opus 50, 54, and 60 degrees - Project X LS 6.0 shafts
Putter: Odyssey Toe Up #9
Ball: TaylorMade 2024 TP5x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 60R
Bag: Vessel Player IV Pro DXR Stand
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