Launch Monitor Tested: Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face irons Review

The new Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face irons are designed to make the game easier for everyone. I will see if they deliver.

Golf is hard. You don’t need us to tell you that.

But while many of us hang onto the thought that we’re better than we actually are (sound familiar?) lots of new players and golfers who just like to have fun want as much help as they can get from their clubs – and they’re exactly the players drawn to Cleveland’s new Halo XL Full-Face irons – among the best irons of 2024 for high handicaps.

These irons – launched alongside Cleveland’s ZipCore XL irons – feature the brand’s highest MOI ever, aiming to be the best golf irons for those who want maximum distance, forgiveness and accuracy.

The Halo XL irons are a hybrid-iron design, aimed at helping you develop a better and more consistent strike while making the game more fun.

Some golfers will baulk at the hybrid-iron design – but our test pro can’t understand why more people don’t use them, as they make the game easier.

The structure of the all-new Halo XL Full-Face irons begins with their XL head design. This hybrid-iron profile shifts more mass away from the centre of the club, increasing MOI for more forgiveness, a high-launching ball flight, and straighter shots.

For the first time ever on an iron, Halo XL Full-Face features full-face grooves to ensure consistent spin performance no matter where the ball is struck, with a 20% larger sweetspot than the last version.

HydraZip works alongside these full-face grooves to maintain consistent spin performance in all conditions.

A new two-groove alignment system keeps the face square at address and centered behind the ball for extra accuracy.

The shorter, lower groove promotes correct ball position alignment, while the longer groove helps align the clubhead to the target.

And to help the clubs get through the grass, a three-sole system is designed to fit long, mid, and short iron swings.

GlideRail in the long-Irons improves turf interaction, promoting solid contact, while mid-range lofts feature Cleveland Golf’s V-Shaped sole to cut through the turf for cleaner contact.

In the short irons and wedges, the three-tiered sole provides maximum forgiveness on pitches, chips, and bunker shots.

Halo XL Full-Face Irons also feature Action Mass CB, an 8g counterweight placed inside the shaft at the top of the grip to promote a more balanced, consistent swing.

What Cleveland Golf say about the Halo XL Full-Face irons…

“Want to get better?,” asks Joe Miller, European Product Manager, Cleveland Golf Europe.

“Go bigger! The Halo XL Full-Face Irons give you both. Bigger, hollow heads for more forgiveness. Better spin thanks to HydraZip face blasts. Better turf interaction from three enhanced sole designs. And bigger, full-face grooves – an industry-first for an iron – for better strike performance across the face.”

Cleveland Golf Halo XL Full-Face irons: Key technology

XL Head Design

A bigger head lets Cleveland position more mass away from the center of the club for more MOI. That boosts forgiveness.

Full-Face Grooves

For the first time ever in an iron, Full-Face grooves help you get consistent performance no matter where you strike the ball. A two-line, groove-based alignment system helps you squarely address your ball line up to your target.

HydraZip finish

A dynamic blast system designed to maximize spin in wet or dry conditions, and from anywhere around the green, to ensures consistent performance in all conditions and from any lie.

Three Sole Transition

1: Long irons feature GlideRail, which improves turf interaction and promotes solid contact on sweeping swings.

2: Mid-range lofts feature a V-Shaped sole, designed to cut through turf so you can hit down on the ball without digging.

3: In the short irons, a Three-Tiered Sole provides maximum forgiveness on pitches, chips, and bunker shots.

MainFrame construction

Designed using artificial intelligence, MainFrame uses a variable thickness pattern to increase ball speed, while unique weight pad designs ensure maximum forgiveness across the face.

Action Mass CB

An 8g weight tucked into the end of the shaft counterbalances the club for more control without extra effort. This counterweight helps the club feel lighter on takeaway and stay stable through impact.

Video: How does the Cleveland Halo XL Full Face compare to other leading 2024 High-Handicap irons?

Verdict: Cleveland Halo XL Full Face irons

Every time our pro tests hybrid irons he ends the session with a smile from ear to ear and finds himself questioning why golfers insist on making the game harder than it needs to be by using smaller more compact irons.

In the past the Halo has been super easy to launch at very average club golfer speeds, however this time around thanks to a slightly stronger 7-iron loft (it’s 0.5° stronger than the previous model) I feel you’ll need nothing less than average levels of speed to get the very best out of this model. Our test pros data highlights how the Halo launched and flew lower, with less spin and a shallower descent angle than our test averages, so just be warned there might be slightly more friendly models out there if you don’t have speed in abundance.

The Halo won’t win any beauty contests, especially not now as this generation comes with the addition of unnecessary full-face grooves, but this model as it always has, will help a mishit shot carry a lake, bunker, or hazard, which will aid your enjoyment of the game, cut down on lost balls and shave strokes from your game.     

Data comparison: How does the Cleveland Halo XL compare to leading competitor High-Handicap Irons?

Iron	7-Iron Loft	Ball Speed	Launch Angle	Backspin	Height	Descent Angle	Carry Distance	Carry Distance Drop Off	Shot Area
Yonex Ezone Elite 4		125.6 MPH (3)	13.9°	4752 RPM	28 YDS	41.6°	187 YDS (1)	14 YDS	219.8 SQ YDS
Callaway Paradym AI Smoke HL	30°	127.4 MPH (1)	14.8°	5654 RPM	32 YDS	45.2°	185 YDS (2)	6 YDS (T1)	103.8 SQ YDS (2)
Cleveland Halo XL Full Face	29°	123.9 MPH	14.8°	5079 RPM	29 YDS	42.2°	184 YDS (3)	13 YDS	399.1 SQ YDS
Ram Wizard	30°	125.1 MPH	14.4°	5526 RPM	29 YDS	43.8°	181 YDS	6 YDS (T1)	172.8 SQ YDS
Eleven	31°	127.2 MPH (T2)	15.9°	6454 RPM	34 YDS	47.4°	180 YDS	9 YDS	169.2 SQ YDS
TaylorMade Stealth HD	30°	123 MPH	15.8°	5300 RPM	30 YDS	44.1°	180 YDS	7 YDS (T2)	140 SQ YDS (3)
Cobra Air X	31.5°	123.6 MPH	14.9°	6053 RPM	30 YDS	44.8°	176 YDS	7 YDS (T2)	53.2 SQ YDS (1)
PXG 0211 Z	31°	123.3 MPH	15.5°	6334 RPM	31 YDS	45.6°	175 YDS	15 YDS	318 SQ YDS
Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal HL	31°	122 MPH	16.5°	6025 RPM	32 YDS	45.7°	175 YDS	14 YDS	231 SQ YDS
Average		124.6 MPH	15.2°	5686 RPM	30.6 YDS	44.5°	180.3 YDS	10.1 YDS	200.8 SQ YDS

About the Author

Simon Daddow – Today’s Golfer Equipment Editor

Having tested and played more than 10,000 clubs in his life, what Simon doesn’t know about golf clubs isn’t worth knowing.

He’s a specialist in all things metal having spent a large part of his career as a golf club maker and product development manager, and has worked in the golf industry for more than 30 years.

He joined EMAP Active (now Bauer Media) as Equipment Editor in 2006 and has made todays-golfer.com the most reliable source for golf club testing.

You can contact Simon via email and follow him on Twitter for loads more golf equipment insight.

– Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections.

Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face irons

RRP: Graphite £699 (6-PW); Steel £719 (6-PW)

Stock shafts: KBS Tour Lite steel; USE Helium Nanocore 60 graphite

7-iron loft: 29°

Grip: Lamkin Crossline 360

On sale: February 17, 2024

Visit the Cleveland Golf website here