Ben Hogan Apex (1972) Irons Specifications
Full factory loft, lie and length chart for the Ben Hogan Apex (1972) irons, 1972–1979.
- Years produced
- 1972–1979
- Category
- Blade / Muscleback
- Construction
- forged blade
- Material
- forged carbon steel
- Set makeup
- 2–PW
Loft, lie & length chart
| Club | Loft (°) | Lie (°) | Length (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 19.5 | 56.5 | 39.25 |
| 3 | 23 | 57.5 | 38.75 |
| 4 | 26.5 | 58.5 | 38.25 |
| 5 | 30 | 59.5 | 37.75 |
| 6 | 33.5 | 60.5 | 37.25 |
| 7 | 36.5 | 61.5 | 36.75 |
| 8 | 41 | 62 | 36.25 |
| 9 | 45 | 62.5 | 35.75 |
| PW | 51.5 | 64 | 35.5 |
Lofts and lies are the factory standard build. Individual clubs may differ if they have been bent, re-shafted or re-gripped during their life.
About the Ben Hogan Apex (1972)
The 1972 Apex was the first Hogan iron to carry the Apex name — a compact forged muscle-back blade for low-handicap golfers, built in Fort Worth on essentially the head shape of the 1970 Bounce Sole and paired with Hogan's lightweight Apex steel shaft, whose numbered stiffnesses (Apex 2 through 5) the model shared its name with. It began a blade dynasty that ran through the Apex II, PC, Redline and later generations. Specs are pure early-seventies Hogan: very flat lies (56.5 degrees at the 2-iron), a 36.5-degree 7-iron, and a 51.5-degree Equalizer pitching wedge — the strongest-numbered wedge of any Apex generation, later Hogans settling at 50 degrees or less. The stock set ran 2-iron through Equalizer (recorded here as PW), with the Sure-Out and other wedges sold separately. The factory chart misprints the 2-iron steel length as 37.25 inches (duplicating the 6-iron); 39.25 is recorded here, the only value consistent with the chart's own half-inch ladder and with every other Hogan chart of the era.
Stock shafts
- Ben Hogan Apex (steel) — steel
Related models
- Late Fort Worth Apex generation: Apex Plus (1999)
- Modern Fort Worth revival blade: Ft. Worth 15
- Compare: Ben Hogan Apex (1972) vs Ben Hogan Apex Plus
Frequently asked questions
What is the loft of a 1972 Ben Hogan Apex 7-iron?
The original 1972 Ben Hogan Apex 7-iron has a loft of 36.5 degrees, with a 61.5-degree lie and a 36.75-inch steel length — roughly three clubs weaker than a typical modern 7-iron.
What is the Equalizer on the 1972 Ben Hogan Apex?
Equalizer was Hogan's name for the pitching wedge. On the 1972 Apex it is 51.5 degrees — the highest-lofted Equalizer of any Apex generation; by the early 1980s Hogan had moved it to 50 degrees.
Why is the 1972 Ben Hogan Apex famous?
It was the first iron to carry the Apex name — taken from Hogan's own lightweight Apex steel shaft — and it began the forged blade dynasty that ran through the Apex II, Apex PC and Redline into the 1990s. The head shape itself carried over from the 1970 Bounce Sole.
What clubs came in a 1972 Ben Hogan Apex set?
The stock set ran from the 2-iron through the Equalizer pitching wedge; sand wedges such as the Sure-Out were sold separately.
Finding a used set
The Ben Hogan Apex (1972) ran from 1972 to 1979 and is no longer in production, so the used market is the only source. Search eBay, 2nd Swing, Golf Avenue and the PGA Tour Superstore trade-in listings, and check the loft and lie against the chart above before buying — sets this age have often been bent from standard.
- Ben Hogan company official 1972 Apex spec chart, served as 70c_specs.jpg on the old benhogan.com 'iron tour' history section (archive.org capture of 13 July 2003) — the full 2-E table of loft, lie angle and steel length used above, including the 51.5-degree Equalizer. The chart's 37.25-inch 2-iron length is an evident misprint duplicating the 6-iron; 39.25 follows the chart's own half-inch progression and matches the 2-iron length on the company's Apex Plus and Apex Edge charts
- GolfWRX forum thread 'Vintage Ben Hogan. Iron Specs' (April 2021) — collectors citing the same old-Hogan-site spec archive confirm the 51.5-degree Equalizer as specific to the 1972 Apex (later Medallion-era Equalizers were 50 degrees, and 1950s-60s sets measured about 52)
- golfwrx.com 'The greatest Ben Hogan irons of all time' and pitchmarks.com 'Ben Hogan Apex Irons By Year' — the 1972 debut as a compact muscle-back for low-handicap players, the head shape carried over from the 1970 Bounce Sole, and the Apex II following in 1979, which sets year_discontinued on the successor convention. The old benhogan.com model chooser likewise lists '1972 Apex' and '1979 Apex II'
- The Apex name came from Hogan's lightweight Apex steel shaft with its numbered 2-5 stiffness scale, the stock shaft throughout this model's run; no offset, bounce or swing-weight figures were published for it
Last reviewed 2026-07-29. Spot an error? [email protected]