Let’s Play Thru LSF 25 Irons Review: These Surprised Me…

I’ve known Gabe Aluisy, better known as the guy behind Let’s Play Thru, for years.

When it comes to YouTube reviews of golf clubs and equipment, few people do it better. We’ve even had a chance to take a Bandon Dunes trip together a while back.

But I’ve gotta say, I was a little surprised when I saw he was releasing his own irons.

There are so many solid options out there. Designing something compelling is one challenge. Marketing it, building clubs, and handling customer support? That’s a whole other business.

Still, I was excited to find out if they were any good.

They’re called the LSF 25 Mere Mortals. If you know Gabe’s brand, the “mere mortals” part will sound familiar.

LSF stands for Long, Straight, Forgiving. Which, fortunately for me, is exactly what I’m looking for out of my irons.

And after three rounds? These have exceeded my expectations.

Note: Use the code BREAKING80 to save 10% off the LSF irons! 

First Impressions of the LSF 25 Irons

 

Gabe calls these “player’s improvement” irons, aimed at golfers with handicaps from 5 to 25.

The idea is straightforward: give everyday golfers distance and forgiveness without completely sacrificing the looks, feel, and control of a better player’s iron.

They use a foam-filled hollow-body construction, with a center of gravity positioned low and toward the toe. According to Gabe, that design is intended to help get the ball airborne and make off-center strikes more playable.

There’s a little more to the design story, too.

Gabe and his son sketched the initial concepts, then worked with former Adams Golf designer Gavin Wallin to develop the finished clubs. Sets are hand-assembled in the USA, with options for shafts, grips, and length.

So while this is a content creator’s brand, he brought in someone with actual club-design experience.

Overall, I think they look really good. They remind me of the Takomo 201 irons I reviewed a few months ago, with that clean, blade-style appearance you see in plenty of modern hollow-body irons.

My favorite detail? The ferrules in Let’s Play Thru’s colors.

You don’t see many manufacturers having much fun with that part of the design out of the box. Usually, interesting ferrules are something golfers add afterward. These give the clubs some personality.

I tested the 5–PW set with the stock KBS Tour steel stiff shafts.

Build quality feels solid, although compared with my PXGs and some bigger-brand irons, the overall presentation feels a little simpler.

Which is fine. At this price, I care much more about how they play.

Price and Lofts: What Are You Getting?

The LSF 25 set currently starts at $499.95 for six clubs, 5-iron through pitching wedge. An optional 4-iron and gap wedge are $99.95 each, and some shaft and grip choices cost extra.

For reference, I’ve primarily been playing the PXG 0311 XP Gen 7 irons for about 2 years. When I switched to those, I picked up about 7–10 yards across the set, helped by their strong lofts.

Here’s how the two sets compare:

The LSFs have 3 degrees more loft at every club in this comparison. Their 5-iron actually has the same loft as my PXG 6-iron.

That makes my on-course results more interesting: I was seeing distances close in line with my PXGs despite the additional loft. This wasn’t a controlled test with matching shafts and lengths, but I certainly didn’t feel like I was giving up distance. Maybe 2-3 yards per club.

Overall, I think it’s fair to say that the “Long” in LSF lived up to it’s name.

Taking Them Straight to the Course

I took these straight out to Ghost Creek at Pumpkin Ridge.

The first thing I noticed was how light they felt to swing. Despite moving from graphite shafts in my PXGs to steel here, this particular setup felt a little more effortless.

For my casual introduction, I started on the 13th hole: a straightaway, uphill par 4.

Five-iron off the tee.

The result?

Long. Straight. Forgiving.

About 195 yards, dead center of the fairway.

Naturally, I hit another.

This one came off the toe with some slice on it. But it finished just a few feet off the fairway and lost only about 10 yards.

That was a pretty compelling introduction to the “F” in LSF.

Over the next three rounds, I kept finding myself surprised by how much I enjoyed playing them.

Distance, Launch, and Forgiveness

My distances were close to what I get with PXGs, and I still had the high ball flight I’m used to.

But honestly? The LSF25s felt more forgiving.

This is based on three rounds of actual play, rather than a controlled launch-monitor comparison. Still, the results gave me confidence quickly.

Getting the ball airborne was easy. Gabe talks about the low center of gravity helping launch, and the flight I saw certainly fit that description.

High launch has never been a problem for me, but into greens, I liked the way my shots landed with minimal rollout.

Off the tee or when playing for position, that same flight meant I wasn’t seeing much run after landing. Whether that’s helpful depends on the shot.

I also noticed myself turning the ball over more often than usual.

They seemed to have a slight draw tendency for my swing. It wasn’t as pronounced as what I experienced with the Stix Perform clubs, but I hit more draws than I typically do.

As someone whose big miss is a slice, that was a welcome sight.

The Feel Was My Favorite Part

If I had to pick one thing I liked most, it would be the feel.

When you catch one well, it just feels pure.

My PXGs feel fine. But I rarely get that “I just absolutely flushed that” sensation you associate with a great strike from a blade.

With the LSFs, you get more of that feel than I was expecting.

I’m not saying they feel identical to a forged blade. But well-struck shots have a satisfying feel that made me want to hit another.

Even the less-than-perfect strikes felt pretty good, which fits with the forgiveness I was seeing on the course.

For a set starting around $500, that combination impressed me.

The Biggest Hurdle: Buying Without Trying

My biggest reservation is about the buying decision.

There are so many iron brands now, including plenty of direct-to-consumer options. Asking someone to spend $500 or more on clubs they haven’t hit is a tough proposition.

Gabe has earned credibility as a reviewer. Building that same confidence in a new equipment brand obviously takes some time.

The published return policy allows returns within 30 days, but items must be unused and in their original packaging. It also excludes custom or personalized items, so confirm how that applies if you order a customized build.

This isn’t an on-course trial. You’re making a bet on whether they’ll suit you.

That’s the biggest obstacle I see, especially for golfers who can test more established brands locally.

Final Thoughts: Would I Keep Playing Them?

Overall, I came away really impressed.

And I’m not just saying that because Gabe is a friend.

I’m a 10 handicap, and these feel like they’re made for the kind of golf I play. They’re easy to swing, launch high, and have been forgiving when my contact hasn’t been perfect.

For me, they’ve lived up to the Long, Straight, Forgiving name.

I personally prefer them to all of the Takomo sets I recently tested. Those are good clubs, but the LSFs delivered a combination of feel and performance that suited me better than I anticipated.

The best praise I can give them happened after my first two rounds.

I was packing for a trip down to Eugene Country Club, one of the best courses in the Pacific Northwest, and not the type of round where I’d take a chance on testing out new clubs.

I left my usual irons at home and kept the LSFs in the bag.

I shot 83 and felt confident in my iron play throughout the round.

Three rounds won’t tell me everything about a set of irons. But choosing them for a round I was especially looking forward to tells you how comfortable I’d already become with them.

You’ll have to take a bit of a chance buying without hitting them first.

But based on my experience? Gabe knocked these out of the park. 

And at $450 after the discount BREAKING80? That’s a pretty compelling price for a set of irons that’s as good as any other similar iron I’ve tested.

A set of player improvement irons that live up to their "Long, Straight, Forgiving" moniker.

9.3 Great

The LSF25 irons performed better than I expected them to on the course, and I even prefer them to some other direct to consumer iron brands I've tested out recently. That said, without being able to hit them first, you're taking a chance that they're going to be right for you. But based on my experience, if you think they're a good fit? I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Good

1. The feel is excellent for a player improvement iron
2. Long, straight, and forgiving? Check.
3. Nice design touch with the Let's Play Thru ferrules.

The Bad

1. Refund policy doesn't allow you to return if you've hit balls with them.

• Presentation 9
• Performance 9
• Price 10
• Personal Affinity 9