How often should you upgrade irons?

[Return2Golf]

I am about to buy a set of AMP Cell Irons.  I mentioned this to a fellow Tweeter and he just said, 'save your money'. Gosh the technology is only two years old in this set. They have a lot of the features that are in the Cobra Fly-Z so I really can't fathom the bias. My Cobra woods are fantastic. The bias towards the names 'Taylor Made' among others is absurd.  I get no explanation, just 'save your money'.  Heck I am saving money for a set that was originally over $1100 down to $350.  I've read their pros and cons.  I'm just an occasional player, not some poser wanting to be the next Queen of the Green.  The local golf shop here is not going out their way to source a useful set so I guess they lose a sale.  I'll buy a bag from them instead...perhaps!

[newtogolf]

2 hours ago, Return2Golf said:

I am about to buy a set of AMP Cell Irons.  I mentioned this to a fellow Tweeter and he just said, 'save your money'. Gosh the technology is only two years old in this set. They have a lot of the features that are in the Cobra Fly-Z so I really can't fathom the bias. My Cobra woods are fantastic. The bias towards the names 'Taylor Made' among others is absurd.  I get no explanation, just 'save your money'.  Heck I am saving money for a set that was originally over $1100 down to $350.  I've read their pros and cons.  I'm just an occasional player, not some poser wanting to be the next Queen of the Green.  The local golf shop here is not going out their way to source a useful set so I guess they lose a sale.  I'll buy a bag from them instead...perhaps!

Every industry has brand loyalty, so don't be dissuaded to purchase AMP Cell irons because someone doesn't like Cobra, nor should you purchase the irons because another person said they are great.

Go test them yourself and see how they work for your swing.

[Return2Golf]

18 hours ago, newtogolf said:

Every industry has brand loyalty, so don't be dissuaded to purchase AMP Cell irons because someone doesn't like Cobra, nor should you purchase the irons because another person said they are great.

Go test them yourself and see how they work for your swing.

Sage advice.  The problem is I live in a rural area with probably no examples of these irons being played.  I've read some very strong reviews on an equipment review site that seem to far outweigh any negatives I have read about them (mainly trivial things that have no impact on actual performance).  I'm very happy with Cobra.  I accidentally hit a toy rubber golf ball for my daughter high over our back fence in front of the neighbour's dog kennel just with an old Lady Cobra driver in my little demonstration.  I didn't expect the tap to get that airborne!  She now has a story to tell for show and tell this morning.  :/  I told her, "This is why people should never hit real golf balls in the back yard with anything except a putter."

Edited November 15, 2015 by Return2Golf

[inthehole]

I'd say a 5 year turnover is about right, technology-wise.    Now, if a person wants to change categories, say from Game Improvement to Players irons, that's a whole different story ...

[pganapathy]

Only when the irons you are upgrading to show a marked performance improvement over your current set (and not hit it 2 yards longer for example) in terms of dispersion principally, but also in length and consistency.  No doubt clubs have improved but there is a lot of advertising spin when you take clubs a year or two apart

[trombettista_vecchio]

This season I spent $168 per club on a new set of Hogan FW15 irons and TK15 wedges.

They are the most beautiful golf clubs that I've ever owned.

They come in 44 different lofts, 20 to 63º, so one can choose not only his actual lofts but also the loft increments club to club.

They've even incorporated a feature for which I've been calling for years--actual loft stampings instead of club numbers. I hate club numbers because today's number-loft correlation is wildly different than it had been for my first twenty or thirty years playing golf.

In all, I love my new Hogan irons and wedges.

I just don't hit them as well as I hit my Titleist DCI 981s or even my older Wilson 1200GEs. I don't hit any shiny chrome-plated club as well as I hit gray stainless steel ones, and I don't know why.

I was seduced by their beauty, the choices that they offered me, and the nostalgia of forgings similar to what I played as a kid.  And if I were a better ball striker, I might be actually gaming them. 

Instead they're on display in my man cave, resting in an old, AMF era Hogan staff bag.

So no, it's not always necessary to replace one's irons.  Unless, of course, you've got decorating to do.

 

 

Edited November 22, 2015 by trombettista_vecchio

[trombettista_vecchio]

I really like the current Edel irons. Comforting stainless steel instead of shiny chrome.

Probably should have bought these instead of the aforementioned Hogans.

 

[mvmac]

5 hours ago, trombettista_vecchio said:

Probably should have bought these instead of the aforementioned Hogans.

Yes.

The Hogan wedges are just SCOR wedges which don't offer much forgiveness with their sole design.

[Ashley]

Thanks for the thoughtful and detailed responses! 
 

- Ashley, blogger @ www.strivingforescratchgolf.com

[Rainmaker]

I started trying to improve about 5 years ago.  At the time, I bought some used ping i5's.  I liked them but somewhere along the way I decided a more forgiving set so I got some used Callaway Big Bertha 2008's.  Ever since I got those, I have no desire to even try new irons.  I hope they last forever.  I'm not saying they're the greatest . .or even good . .I'm just comfortable with them.  I still have the i5's and I brought the six iron to the range recently . .nope, I definitely like "my" irons, lol.  I feel the same way about my putter . .but the rest of the bag is up for grabs.      ,   

[Mr. Desmond]

20 hours ago, trombettista_vecchio said:

I really like the current Edel irons. Comforting stainless steel instead of shiny chrome.

Probably should have bought these instead of the aforementioned Hogans.

 

Edel Irons and Wedges come in any loft configuration you desire, and have a oouple of bounce choices.

3 hours ago, Ashley said:

Thanks for the thoughtful and detailed responses! 
 

- Ashley, blogger @ www.strivingforescratchgolf.com

The Ping i5's are excellent forgiving "player's" irons made from stainless steel to last a long time. If you are a range gal, keep a wet towel and brush around, and clean the grooves every few shots. I see golfers using Pings over 20 yrs old.

[saevel25]

On 11/13/2015, 12:14:25, Ashley said:

I currently have a set of Ping i15 irons that are 3-4 years old.  I like these irons and I'm not one to upgrade often (I played with my previous set of irons for over 10 years).  However, I can't help but wonder if I could benefit from better and newer technology.  How often should one upgrade their irons?  Has the technology advanced enough in the last few years to justify spending $1200 or more on a new set or is that what the golf industry just wants me to think? 

Depends on your golf swing. I would say properly fitted clubs that give you good yardage gaps, there isn't a significant difference to change clubs from year to year. 

It could be just a particular area in your irons that are not optimal. Lets say you play Ping i15's and you still struggle in the 5-3 iron range to get good gaping in the yardage. Maybe a newer club, or maybe just switching out those three clubs for a more Game Improvement iron form Ping, like Gmax or G30 would benefit you more than replacing the whole set. 

I would say short irons are all pretty much the same. The loft on the clubs just make them more forgiving and more prone to be pulled or pushed than sliced or hooked. The major improvement in irons have come in the long irons. 

It's not a bad idea to get fitted every year or two just to make sure you are not missing out on something that could help your game. Maybe you would like a more GI style club and it gives you half a club more distance. That is something that you should look into. 

In the end you can play good golf with clubs that are over 10 years old. 

[Mr. Desmond]

Ashley's index is 3.7. I assume she can handle the Ping i5 irons. I played the i5's - forgiving, larger than usual for a player's iron with some offset.  I tried to play the G5's in the long irons - but they were gawdawful ugly - not that there's anything wrong with that.... 

After the i5s, Ping went to a more demanding player's club design - which reviewers, from memory, did not enjoy as much as the i5's - because of the change to a more demanding nature.

If the longer irons are giving trouble, a combo of higher lofted fairways/hybrids are an option.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Mr. Desmond

[RussUK]

On 11/13/2015, 7:16:37, mvmac said:

Depends on how much you play and practice. There really is no standard rule. Obviously if the grooves are wearing down it's time to get a new set.

Technology has improved since the i5 irons came out ('05 I think) but whether it's worth $1,200 to upgrade is up to you. I don't think it's a necessity. Go to a store or demo day and try out some irons to see if they're that much of an improvement for you.

Spot on. Sure the tech has moved on somewhat from the i15 but im not sure if many golfers will notice as much difference as a pro (so may some wont). I use Wilson Staff Di9 from what 2008/2009? They do the job and personally id struggle to notice the difference to an up to date club.

Edited November 23, 2015 by RussUK
bad spelling

[rehmwa]

1 - grooves have worn out

2 - decide (or admit) that a different style of club is desired (I'm seeing a lot of VERY good golfers moving from their blades and musclebacks to highly forgiving/cavity back clubs lately - if anything, they are getting more GIR).  I suspect most us will only see differences in 'very' different club styles

3 - you have the money and 'want' to even for any random reason

[possumkiwi]

I'm really attached to my Cleveland CG16s, and I'm not a good enough player to benefit from irons with more workability.  Actually thinking of getting them regripped, though it is hard when you see all the shiny new stuff in the shop.  I hit the new 588 TTs and MTs the other day and to be honest I couldn't notice any difference between my clubs and the two new ones.

[No Mulligans]

(It's fun to buy new stuff.) - (But, it costs money and technology doesn't change much in a year) = Once every five years.

[Grumpter]

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2015‎ ‎9‎:‎51‎:‎51‎, Return2Golf said:

I am about to buy a set of AMP Cell Irons.  I mentioned this to a fellow Tweeter and he just said, 'save your money'. Gosh the technology is only two years old in this set. They have a lot of the features that are in the Cobra Fly-Z so I really can't fathom the bias. My Cobra woods are fantastic. The bias towards the names 'Taylor Made' among others is absurd.  I get no explanation, just 'save your money'.  Heck I am saving money for a set that was originally over $1100 down to $350.  I've read their pros and cons.  I'm just an occasional player, not some poser wanting to be the next Queen of the Green.  The local golf shop here is not going out their way to source a useful set so I guess they lose a sale.  I'll buy a bag from them instead...perhaps!

I am currently swinging Taylor Made irons but have no brand loyalty. My philosophy is buy what feels good to you, is reasonably priced and do a little bit of research (which you seem to have done). I never would have bought my irons at the full price tag... but a few years later at less than 50% of the price? Heck yeah. The best part abut waiting a few years, other than lower pricing, is that you get to hear peoples real thoughts after some lengthy testing.

All of this 'longest, straightest, best ever' etc. every year is almost all just marketing. Is my new set of irons longer than my last set? Yes, by about 20 yards per club. Is it the new technology? No. I added an inch to each club and the loft of the irons is lower (a 9 iron on the new set is about the loft of the 8 iron on the older set).