Why "not" use game improvement clubs?

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.

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.

Quote:

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.

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.

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.

the only thing i can think of is that they look terrible, IMHO, when looking down at the club at address.

Quote:

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.

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...  

Quote:

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.

Quote:

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?

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.

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. 

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.