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NE
New Level is one of those brands most golfers have never heard of, and the people who play them tend to like it that way. Founded by longtime club designer Eric Burch, the company sells direct and through a small network of fitters instead of big-box shelves. The 1031, released in 2021, is their take on the players cavity, a forged iron aimed at golfers who want a compact look at address without going all the way to a blade.
The pitch is simple. You get the soft feel and clean shaping you'd expect from a boutique forging, with a cavity design that gives you a little margin on mishits. It's not trying to be a game improvement iron in disguise. The head is small, the offset is minimal, and the topline is thin. If you can't strike the center of the face with some regularity, this iron will tell you about it.
Where the 1031 earns its keep is against the usual suspects in this category. Compared to the mainstream players cavities from Titleist or Mizuno, it holds its own on feel and craftsmanship, and because New Level runs lean, the price often undercuts them. The tradeoff is availability. You'll probably need to order these or find a fitter who carries the line, because you won't be hitting them at your local retail store.
In short
The New Level 1031 (2021) is a players cavity that adds forgiveness without much extra size.
Refresh due soon
Brands in this category update about every 2 years, and the 1031 is 5 years old with no successor yet, so a new model could land any time. Grab it at clearance pricing now, or wait a few weeks to see what replaces it.
Based on release timing and this line's typical refresh cycle, not a live price quote.
Stock steel shaft. Lofts are approximate and subject to manufacturing tolerances.
The 1031 is a forged carbon steel iron with a machined cavity in the back, which is where the muscle of the design sits. Pushing that mass toward the perimeter raises stability on off-center strikes without inflating the head size, so the address view stays clean. Blade length is short, the sole is on the narrower side, and offset is kept low through the set, all choices that favor players who like to work the ball and control trajectory. Feel is the calling card. New Level's forgings are notably soft, and the 1031 delivers that dense, quiet sensation at impact that better players chase. There's no fast-face technology or hidden speed story here. Lofts are traditional for the category, which means honest distances and consistent gapping rather than one-club-longer marketing numbers.
Realistically, it fits players from scratch up to the low teens. The cavity design adds forgiveness over a true blade, but the compact head and thin topline assume you find the center of the face most of the time. Mid and high handicaps would be better served by a larger head with more perimeter weighting.
They're forged from carbon steel, which is a big part of why the brand has a following. The soft impact feel is comparable to what you'd get from established Japanese-style forgings, and it's the main reason people seek out New Level over mainstream options.
It plays in the same players cavity space. Feel and shaping are competitive with both, and the 1031 typically comes in at a lower price. Where the big brands win is fitting access and resale value. You can hit a T100 at almost any shop, while the 1031 usually requires a direct order or a specialty fitter.
Yes, and it's a common setup. New Level sells its irons individually, so plenty of players run something more forgiving in the long irons and switch to the 1031 in the scoring clubs. A fitter who carries the line can help you sort out the transition point and gapping.
New Level sells direct through its website and through a network of independent club fitters. These aren't stocked at big retail chains, so expect a built-to-order process with a short wait rather than an off-the-rack purchase.
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