New Irons

[tiger187126]

I'm heading over to 2nd Swing (my favorite candy store) to get a new set of irons tomorrow. i'm looking at irons that kind of bridge the gap between SGI and GI and of course ones that are fitted to my actual swing. my burner pluses are great, but i'm having trouble with distance control (usually too far) and feeling in the face (what feels like a slight draw is a getting into hook territory and i'll end up straight if i try to fade it or go straight into slice territory trying to over emphasize the fade).

i've been slowly replacing my old clubs as my swing has changed and the burners are the last hold over. i tend to have problems with draw biased clubs so i think i want less of an offset on my new irons. i also would like a less pronounced pocket on the back. basically i have the equivalent to one of those space ship putters on the back of my irons. i love hitting my wedges with full swings, although i feel that they're a little short and i might ask about getting a little put into them while i'm there, so i think less is more for me when it comes to pockets.

anyway, second swing has 20 million clubs, new and used, so i'm going to try quite a few and i'm sure one of their guys will recommend something good, but i come to you guys to hear recommendations for things to try.

here's my wishlist of clubs to hit:

cobra amp

any mizuno (i think the jx800 or some iron around that series is what i'm looking for, beautiful irons)

r11s/cbs (even though i think they have super strong lofts which is what i'm trying to get away from. cbs are on deep discount)

ping series (never tried their irons, but i've never disliked any of their clubs that i've had)

so anything you guys have experience with leave a note. i might as well try as many as i can to find the right fit and someone might have a great one that i wouldn't have thought of.

for price range, let's call it $500-$800. i'm pretty open, but i don't really think i should be going too much higher than $800 for GIs. also, i will never scoff at something under my price range. if it works, it works. it could be all pink with flowers on it, but if i hit it better than other clubs i'll throw it in the bag.

and while i appreciate all feedback, please understand that snarky remarks about my handicap, lessons vs. clubs, you should only buy what the pros use, etc. will be ignored.

so bask in the joy of fresh smelling rubber and metal, the sound of balls being struck over and over again, and the rush/joy that comes with new toys!

Edit:

http://www.2ndswing.com/search.aspx?searchstring=98Product%20Type:GolfClubForSale&sort;=Price:Asc&pagesize;=30&facetquery;=00Club%20Type:Iron%20Set&facetquery;=12Location:Minneapolis&facetquery;=14NewOrUsed:Used

there's a link to the used club selection at the store i'm going to.

[Jon Robert]

I only buy and recommend forged soft steel clubs because the can be bent to fit me.  Cast or brittle stainless snap. I have snapped many and welded back together.

If you have any competition goals then you need them to conform to the new groove rules. Any club you are considering can be looked up on the USGA web site.  I think every Mizuno MP's make the list most others are iffy.

[Alistair]

The 2010 groove rules have no effect at the moment on amateurs other than those playing at the highest levels, and that is unlikely to change before 2024.  However, clubs with the old grooves are no longer being produced by the manufacturers, so it is unlikely a golf store will have many or any still for sale with the old grooves.

[Alistair]

Don't ignore Adams or Wilson as clubs worth a look.  They make great clubs and are probably at a lower price than many others.  Wilson  tries to match their fairway/hybrid clubs with their irons, so that you know exactly the distance changes as you move between clubs.  That could be very helpful for many players.

And don't ignore Titleist AP1 irons. Not cheap, but should be good for someone looking to improve their handicap.

[DufnerDip]

check out taylormade tp cb's or mc's. less offset than most clubs that are similar to them and have a smaller cavity on them than your burner pluses. theyre forged and have a nice feel. you could also combo set these to fit your game better.

[tiger187126]

Originally Posted by DufnerDip

check out taylormade tp cb's or mc's. less offset than most clubs that are similar to them and have a smaller cavity on them than your burner pluses. theyre forged and have a nice feel. you could also combo set these to fit your game better.

a combo set might be a good idea. i think a blade of less forgiving GI for 7 or 8 through PW wouldn't give me problems, and i already have a 3 hybrid. irons lower than 7 i tend to hit a little on the low side, which means massive ball marks on the greens and having to chip back up. btw, i just got a i15 hybrid and 3 wood and they're awesome. the three wood is 20-30 yards longer than my old ping rapture and imparts less sidespin for me. i was starting to really hook the rapture (R flex) and now i'm back to straight or slight draw. the hybrid i'm still trying to adjust to. i had an '08 burner hybrid and this new ping one is about half the weight so i need to work some to get it as automatic.

and for alistair, i will definitely look into wilson or adams. i have no problem getting something for cheaper if it works and the ci series for wilson are really good looking clubs.

they also have these in their other store (i could always try a new set and then buy these at the other store):

http://www.2ndswing.com/p-128881-titleist-712-ap1-iron-set-4-pw-steel-stiff-right.aspx

thanks for the recommendations so far, and keep them coming.

[tiger187126]

Drumroll please.....

i went with the JPX 800s.

i hit i20s, g20s, amps, rbz, and some forged TM TP MCs just for giggles. (i did not have a great amount of distance loss from the forged, maybe 5 yards on average i just don't like weight but they were my second most accurate club)

i got a sweet print out of the ping nflight fitting so i'll drop some metric numbers on you guys. all these are 7 irons:

club speed 76 to 82 (mizzy won)

ball speed 98 to 106 (mizzy won)

smash 1.29 to 1.3 (i20 won)

launch 14.0 to 17.2 (mizzy won)

spin 4687 to 5463 (i20 won)

bend -1 to -6 (rbz had the least amount of bend, but i was trying to play a slight draw and i actually caught a fade with one of my rbz shots)

landing 30.8 to 38.1 (mizzy won)

carry 132 to 152 (mizzy won

total 149 to 161 (mizzy was closest in carry vs total, which is a win for me)

the mizunos were probably the 3rd club i tried and the rbzs were my favorite up until my first swing with the jpx800s. i hit a huge draw with my first swing, but it felt like absolute butter and i got it straightened out on the next 3 swings to where it was only the slightest of draws between 2 and zero yards to the left.

here's a direct comparison to my old irons:

club speed:

burner plus 78.2

jpx800 82.1

ball speed:

burner plus 100.9

jpx800 105.9

smash

burner plus 1.29

jpx800 1.29

launch

burner plus 14.0

jpx800 17.2

spin

burner plus 4687

jpx800 4722

bend

burner plus -6

jpx800 -2

landing

burner plus 30.8

jpx800 38.1

carry

burner plus 135

jpx800 152

total

burner plus 156

jpx800 159

the carry vs total is amazing to me. i hit both basically 155-160 which is normal for my 7 iron (i had been hooding last outing so i picked up imaginary distance and tons of roll), but the mizunos land at a steep angle and don't roll which has been a big problem for me. i'll land on the front of the green and then roll off the back, so i'm very excited to try to hold greens a little better with these. i got a 1/2" length put in and bent them a little flat (i honestly cannot remember how much, but we spent a lot of time with the lie board and face tape to tinker them to dead center and flat tape marks). i have a flat swing so i don't spin the ball a lot, but i also hit towards the heel with standard lies. i was about as close to the hosel without actually hitting it as i could be when we started out.

i also did the little mizzy fitting to get swing speed, tempo, etc. and picked between the r300s or project x 5.0s, but since i was already hitting the r300s pretty well i just stuck with them. the offset was much better and stopped my draw from getting too severe and the appearance of the thinner topline and no hardware at address was a lot better for me personally.

i cannot say enough about second swing. if you're ever in the twin cities i highly recommend just stopping by and going downstairs to oogle at all the clubs they have. they have $2000 putters to wood clubs and a bunch of tour issue/rare stuff.

the mizzys i got are used, but in excellent condition and they were $499. i might hold off on gripping them, but i didn't know how much they were new until i got home and needless to say i'm even happier about seeing new sets running for $699.

great day and a great new set of clubs. now i need to get my short game tightened up and my score will start to plummet.

(btw, i have an ebay bid in for a set of forged mizunos for $100, so if i win those i'll have a show set and a playing set and the forged will make jon robert happy. i actually bid a couple days ago because they look so good and my wife wants to start a golf wall.)

[Jon Robert]

Originally Posted by tiger187126

Drumroll please.....

i went with the JPX 800s.

i hit i20s, g20s, amps, rbz, and some forged TM TP MCs just for giggles. (i did not have a great amount of distance loss from the forged, maybe 5 yards on average i just don't like weight but they were my second most accurate club)

i got a sweet print out of the ping nflight fitting so i'll drop some metric numbers on you guys. all these are 7 irons:

club speed 76 to 82 (mizzy won)

ball speed 98 to 106 (mizzy won)

smash 1.29 to 1.3 (i20 won)

launch 14.0 to 17.2 (mizzy won)

spin 4687 to 5463 (i20 won)

bend -1 to -6 (rbz ...

great day and a great new set of clubs. now i need to get my short game tightened up and my score will start to plummet.

(btw, i have an ebay bid in for a set of forged mizunos for $100, so if i win those i'll have a show set and a playing set and the forged will make jon robert happy. i actually bid a couple days ago because they look so good and my wife wants to start a golf wall.)

I am thrilled for you. And you did it on specs and data rather than looks.

I could probably be happy with those. They have a pocket for me to pour 2 ounces of lead into. They have conforming grooves, cavity back, Mizuno name,

largest MOI / forgiveness numbers for Mizuno irons, long irons larger than short irons, There is very little not to like.

"...and the forged will make jon robert happy"

The only thing I would be concerned about the JPX800 is my compulsion to bend lies to be correct. The "hot metal" might snap so I would probably pay someone else who is insured to do it rather than myself. Then if they break it their insurance can buy me a new one. Otherwise BRAVO! Great choice.  In fact I have 11 clubs that I will be bending this afternoon to be about 4 degrees flat.