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Why "not" use game improvement clubs?


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In another thread there was mention of Roger Maltby's website.  So I use what Roger Maltby says are "super game improvement clubs".  I'm thinking why "not" use these clubs?   Why would anyone use anything other then the easiest clubs to hit straight, get in the air, not end up in the woods, or in my case the desert, etc.

I'm a decent player, 5.5 handicapp and I'm using Ping G10's.  The only disadvantage I can find, maybe, is the ability to work the ball more then say 15 yards left or right when needed to get to a hidden pin position.  I guess I could be loosing yardage with these clubs?  I have no idea.  My 7 iron is used from 155, so I'm not real short by any means for my age, 55.  I play with people that can hit an 8 iron 185 yards, but consistancy kills him (shoots over 100) .....so why not use a club that is easier to hit straight and accurately like  "super", or "ultra" game improvement clubs?

Please someone tell me why I should be hitting a harder club to hit (if this is true), but gain distance (?) maybe and be able to work the ball more and attempt to lower my handicapp.  I'm not sure working the ball will lower my handicapp?

Driver Callaway Diablo Edge --- Custom Sonartec 3, 5 and 7 woods made +1" stiff shafts --- Irons 5-L Ping G10 +1" 4.5* upright reg shafts --- ---Putter Tiger Shark

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Let me start off by saying I'm sure there are a number of very good reasons for good players like yourself to use players irons over GI irons.  A few being the ability to hit it longer and the added workability, feedback, etc.  HOWEVER,  I sometimes get the feeling that a lot of people use players irons over GI irons for the "machoness" or coolness factor that comes with them.  Similar to using a stiff flex shaft when a regular flex might be more suited for a person's swing.  Maybe I'm off base but it's just something I've noticed around the courses I play.

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the number one difference is feedback!  with a player's club you feel something and with a GI club each hit feels nearly the same...or at least the ones i used to have.

its not like all of the players clubs are hard to hit, if you are a 5 handicap you are probably hitting the center of the face pretty consistently.

with players clubs you have more control of the shot...with GI clubs the club controls more of the shot...it kinda tries to steer it and robs you of any feel.

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Originally Posted by 596

Please someone tell me why I should be hitting a harder club to hit  . . .



Who said you shoud do this? Sounds like you've found your niche. Personally I don't care for the G series, so it's a moot point.

I did just purchase a GI/blade combo set with R300 shafts for pretty cheap (less than the price of a single used PING wedge). I'll try them next summer and see how it goes.

Mizuno MP600 driver, Cleveland '09 Launcher 3-wood, Callaway FTiz 18 degree hybrid, Cleveland TA1 3-9, Scratch SS8620 47, 53, 58, Cleveland Classic 2 mid-mallet, Bridgestone B330S, Sun Mountain four5.

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I like having hard to hit blades to practice with, game improvement to play with.

With blades you get more of an idea of your misses and how often you hit a really solid shot.

Also, if you've never hit a blade in your life and people talk about the different feel with blades, you get curious and at least you know what they're talking about.

Steve

Kill slow play. Allow walking. Reduce ineffective golf instruction. Use environmentally friendly course maintenance.

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Honestly, I don't pay any attention to what kind of clubs I've got. I'm pretty sure I've got Game Improvement but I've never looked into it.

Career Bests:

9 Holes--37 @ The Fairways at Arrowhead-Front(+2)

18 Holes--80 @ Carroll Meadows Golf Course(+9)

 

Home Course:

1) The Fairways at Arrowhead

2) Mayfair Country Club

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Thanks for the replys....but I'm still at a slight loss here.  Some are saying to use blades so I can "feel" each shot......what the heck?........is the "feel" of each shot going to lower 2-3 strokes off my handicapp?  I don't beleive it will, please correct me if I am wrong.  I lose a few shots each round from just plain old shitty shots or a lipped out putt or a crummy chip/pitch.  Blades....I don't think will help this.  As far as distance is concerned I believe I have enough distance on 95% of all holes, so going with a blade to gain distance but lose shots that I hit off center does not sound like a net gain to me.

I am not trying to agrue with anyone and respect all the opinions posted, but I still don't get it?  I'm 55 years old and the macho-ness of stiff shafts and baldes have no meaning for me.  I beat most people I play against with my GI clubs with regular flex shafts. There ain't no macho there : )  But I could consider "macho clubs" IF I can lower the handicapp without any major problems from the switch.

Driver Callaway Diablo Edge --- Custom Sonartec 3, 5 and 7 woods made +1" stiff shafts --- Irons 5-L Ping G10 +1" 4.5* upright reg shafts --- ---Putter Tiger Shark

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I always smile when people say they "don't like the look of the club" at address or whatever.....what the heck does that have to do with it? : )  Not trying to be mean...but if that shitty looking club allows me to score well..........well I LOVE that club.

Driver Callaway Diablo Edge --- Custom Sonartec 3, 5 and 7 woods made +1" stiff shafts --- Irons 5-L Ping G10 +1" 4.5* upright reg shafts --- ---Putter Tiger Shark

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Originally Posted by 596

I always smile when people say they "don't like the look of the club" at address or whatever.....what the heck does that have to do with it? : )  Not trying to be mean...but if that shitty looking club allows me to score well..........well I LOVE that club.


Looks matter. The odds of a club performing well in your hands when it doesn't look good to your eyes is decreased. Looks inform performance and play a role psychologically.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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GI clubs are just huge and very ugly once youre used to the smaller heads on some of the players clubs...

and i havent seen you play or anything, but i would say that you would be better with players irons.  since i switched i hit my irons much better and really didnt find it to be harder to hit like some people are saying.  if i hook the crap out of it, i deserve for the ball to go way left...or if i miss it off the heal i deserve for the ball to go where it goes...but when i hit my old irons i would push everything cuz it wouldnt want to draw a little.  i had a set of Adams GT2 irons which were super game improvement...and now i have titleist dci 990s which are an older set.  Im looking for a nice set of MP-67s...cant wait to try forged...

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That makes sense in a way.  But even though I don't like the looks and end it hitting just fine and use the club to score well.......well, the looks of that club would not bother me.  If your setup and swing with that club allow you to score....then the "look" of that club shouldn't matter.  If you can't hit the club....thats the basis for changing clubs.....not the look.

Driver Callaway Diablo Edge --- Custom Sonartec 3, 5 and 7 woods made +1" stiff shafts --- Irons 5-L Ping G10 +1" 4.5* upright reg shafts --- ---Putter Tiger Shark

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Originally Posted by 596

That makes sense in a way.  But even though I don't like the looks and end it hitting just fine and use the club to score well.......well, the looks of that club would not bother me.  If your setup and swing with that club allow you to score....then the "look" of that club shouldn't matter.  If you can't hit the club....thats the basis for changing clubs.....not the look.


Again, the form informs the function. I don't just "dislike the look" of clubs with thick toplines and huge soles, they're tougher to line up, don't feel the same, don't interact with the turf the same way, etc. Many can tell by "looking" at a club how it will perform.

I don't like GI clubs because of the way they perform, and to perform that way they have to look a certain way, too.

Also, if you struggle to get past the basic looks of something, even if the performance is good, you're likely not going to hit successful shots with it, so the odds of that club making it into your bag are slim to none. I can give you a weird looking putter with good science behind it but if you don't like how it looks, you're probably not going to putt with it long enough to get past the looks and into the benefits.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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Originally Posted by 596

I always smile when people say they "don't like the look of the club" at address or whatever.....what the heck does that have to do with it? : )  Not trying to be mean...but if that shitty looking club allows me to score well..........well I LOVE that club.


Golf is a visual game for me and it starts with looking down at the club at address and personally, I can't stand looking down at an oversized or an offsett iron.  I like a thin top line and a traditional sized head but not necessarily a forged iron.  As far as some of the GI clubs, many of them are like putting a bandaid on a carotid artery, sure it may work for awhile but it's not going to correct the real problem.

I have 3 sets of irons, 2 of which I switch between to use out on the course.  The third set is a set of Nicklaus Muirfield forged that I'll take to the range to practice with but not for distance, they are for trying to hit the ball solidly.  My other sets are Taylormade ICW5's and Spalding Tours which are both what, 15 years old?  The Muirfields are probably 30 years old.  The Taylormades and the Muirfields are muscle back and the Spaldings are a cavity back but they all have a traditional size head and a thin top line.  All 3 sets have the same shafts, same grips, same loft/lie and the same swing weight for consistency.

As far as why you should use a blade over what you're using, I don't see why you would want to.  If you're comfortable with what you're using, why change?

How's that for typing a bunch of stuff that in the end, doesn't really matter?

Steve

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I would put forward the argument that "Game Improvement" clubs do not necessarily "improve" one's game.  I played X22s throughout 2009, and despite hitting the long irons reasonably well for a 28HC, I couldn't really get on with the short irons.  "Game Improvement" clubs and I never broke 100.

Yet this year I finally broke 100 after switching to i15s (mostly because I preferred the appearance of the smaller clubhead).  Ok, i15s aren't exactly in the same league as something like the fg59s for example, but I think some people automatically think that "Game Improvement" will have them shooting lower scores.

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I don't like SGI and some GI irons because of the large soles. I had some before my current set and I couldn't play the shots I wanted from certain lies.

In my bag:

Driver: Titleist TSi3 | 15º 3-Wood: Ping G410 | 17º 2-Hybrid: Ping G410 | 19º 3-Iron: TaylorMade GAPR Lo |4-PW Irons: Nike VR Pro Combo | 54º SW, 60º LW: Titleist Vokey SM8 | Putter: Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas H7

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Good thread a lot of different opinions. Very interesting read. I use X-20's because I was told when buying them they were a good GI club that I could grow with. I love the look of blades but went with what would help me perform on the course.

  :sunmountain: eco lite stand Bag
:tmade: Sim 2 Max driver
 :callaway: Mavrick 20 * hybrid
:tmade: M2 3HL                               :mizuno: JPX 923 5-gw                           

 Lazrus 52, 56 wedges

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:true_linkswear:-Lux Hybrid, Lux Sport, Original 1.2

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Note: This thread is 3240 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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