The performance that enables "constantly hitting the same distance" sought by Lydia Ko

Lydia Ko, who has been using PROTOCONCEPT since the beginning of 2022 and has regained the No. 1 spot in the world rankings, will continue to use the C05 and C07 iron combo set for this 2023 season.

Lydia Ko, who has been using the PROTOCONCEPT clubs continuously for more than a year and a half already, is actually the type of player on tour who changes clubs frequently. She possesses deep knowledge of clubs and is very discerning, but Ko also repeatedly tests to see if she can find even better clubs. In fact, over the past year and a half, her choice of clubs other than irons have changed quite frequently.

Amid her routine, PROTOCONCEPT irons have become a club that acts like an unswerving standard for Ko. While a club set will lack unity if every club chosen is different, having the irons as a standard allows her to test different clubs and see if they will work as one of the 14.

There are many things that Ko likes about the C05 and C07, but the highlight feature is their minimal margin of error in distance. She places emphasis on being able to constantly hit the same distance without falling short or flying too far in hitting anticipated distances. This feature is pivotal in always being able to hit the pin at the right distance in different lies, wind and pressure changes.

However, as far as the average amateur golfer is concerned, very few seek the feature that enables "constantly hitting the same distance" from irons. A golfer might seek greater distance while another might seek the soft feel of soft iron forging when hitting. Many golfers also look for mis-hit forgiveness. However, amateur golfers rarely focus on being able to "hit the same distance," which is critical for improving scores.

Since the end of last year, Ko has also been testing the new C03TC iron model, which she provided very positive feedback on. However, the reason she does not transition from her current irons is that it poses significant risk to change her feel of distance that she has developed over the years.

Of course, the C03TC is also an iron that "can always hit the same distance," but its distance tends to be slightly shorter.

She is not a distance player on the U.S. LPGA Tour, which attracts long-distance hitters. However, her accurate shots, in which she hits distances in increments of one or two yards, is her major edge. And PROTOCONCEPT is a major contributor to draw out such extraordinary technique.

Iron types manufactured by welding high-strength face materials tend to show more variation in distance even when hit in the same way. This is because it is easy to make errors in height and spin. It is not easy to enable hits constantly carrying the same distance like the C05 and C07.

Most amateur golfers have probably never made their club selection with the perspective of "constantly hitting the same distance" in mind. I feel that this has resulted in many irons displaying variations in distance that are not small.

However, if you are an improvement-oriented golfer seeking to improve scores like Ko, this is a feature that should not be ignored.

PROTOCONCEPT Brand Producer

Yasufumi Kawasaki