McLaren Irons Are Going To The Dark Side: Series 1 and 3 Get A Diamond-Like Carbon Finish

It's almost standard operating procedure now for OEMs to give their second-year iron sales a little kick in the pants by offering a blacked-out version.

McLaren Golf wants you to think it's not your normal OEM and, in truth, it's not. Yet here we are, with McLaren giving its Series 1 and Series 3 irons a little kick in the pants by offering a blacked-out version.

Delicious irony? Perhaps, but if you're McLaren, why the hell not do it?

McLaren Golf irons in Diamond-Like Black: What's the deal?

McLaren launched its golf project in April to great fanfare and considerable skepticism. After all, an F1 powerhouse knows racing but what does it know about golf? Well, the company hired some top-shelf golf engineering minds including former COBRA product development chief Ryan Badgero. It also partnered with Michelle Wie West, Ian Poulter and, most prominently, Justin Rose as brand ambassadors, investors and product consultants.

When the Series 3 irons debuted last April (the Series 1 muscle-cavity hit the streets in September), many choked on the $375 per iron price. The new blacked-out versions, available starting today, come at a premium at $430 each.

The only difference, of course, is the Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) finish. It's a very thin, very hard coating of carbon. Its atomic structure is partly like diamond and partly like graphite. It's only a few microns thick and is applied in a vacuum chamber through a vapor-deposition process.

It's a logical choice for McLaren as it's often used in motorsports for parts like piston pins and valve train components. DLC is also often used in golf for its durability. It's been known to outlast such high-quality finishes as QPQ (Quench-Polish-Quench) and PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition). DLC does hold up better but it's not indestructible.

Are McLaren golf clubs worth $430 each?

The obvious answer here is, "compared to what?"

The second most obvious answer (or maybe the first), is "Hell naw…."

Seriously, McLaren is a luxury product aimed at luxury golfers. Money can't buy you a golf swing but it can buy you a golf club that makes you feel rich. It won't keep you from shanking but you'll probably be able to hire someone to go find the ball for you.

McLaren's claim to fame is full Metal Injection Mold (MLM) construction. The company says it's an advanced manufacturing process typically used to make medical devices, aerospace components and high-end precision electronics parts. McLaren says it uses a proprietary steel blend.

MLM sounds great and it does allow for precision molding but it doesn't necessarily make for a better golf club. A more precisely manufactured one, perhaps, but "better" is in the eye of whoever's using the club. For its part, McLaren says the process allows its engineers to deliver the sound and feel of forging with greater technical precision than casting.

The Series 1 iron is a muscle cavity-back featuring McLaren's signature Structural Mesh design on the back. Series 3 is more of a player's distance cavity-back with a wider sole, lower CG and more loft.

The new McLaren irons in DLC Black are available in right-handed only in 4-iron through pitching wedge. They go on sale today on McLaren's website and through select McLaren fitters including Club Champion and True Spec.

For more information, hit up www.mclarengolf.com.