Adams Tight Lies GT irons

(£799 3I-sw, £699 ladies 4I-sw, Nevada Bob's, Kimmage; £699 Golf Style, Tuam)

Seven years ago, clubmaker Barney Adams first got the idea of constructing a shaft that combined the consistency of steel with the shock absorption, vibration and light weight of graphite. What did he do? He chopped up one shaft of each kind, glued them together, stuck a head on the shaft and went to the range. On the third shot, the head flew off.

That was then, this is now. Technology has come a long way and Adams has been to the fore in developing that technology. The Tight Lies GT Irons are the first to feature the revolutionary multi-material steel and graphite shaft. As the marketing men say, they're the only irons to "deliver straighter shots, better feel and the easy-to-hit performance of Tight Lies woods".

The multi-material GT Shaft uses a high-strength graphite tip that is 50 per cent stronger than steel and has up to 50 per cent thicker walls than conventional graphite. The low-torque shaft is designed to square the club at impact for greater accuracy. The high-strength graphite is built into every shaft and into every club head.

These are the first clubs to integrate steel and graphite. The multi-material shaft is the result of over seven years of research and come on to the market on the back of an intensive promotional campaign and some impressive research statistics. The clubs come with a five-year limited warranty and come in two models, the GT Irons and the Tour GT Irons.