Looking for some very forgiving irons in my price range. Advice?

Well, I got some new clubs that were as my golfing buddy said "made for good players". I'll admit, I'm not that good. Been playing with Zevo Comp Equipe Oversized clubs I got for $50 off of CL. So, out with the expensive clubs and back to my Zevo's until I can get some new irons.

Looking for some advice:

Shaft type?

My Zevo's are Graphite and the good ones I'm selling are steel. Opinions or thoughts on the difference between these?

Club?

Looking for something very forgiving that will still get me the a good distance. I get 100 yards with my 9i and 150 with  my 7i.

I'd like good loft on them too.

I know very little about clubs but was told to get full cavity back clubs.

I will have about $500 to get the irons and have them fitted + new grips. I've been told that even though I'm 6'2", my long arms allow me to use Standard length clubs so no lengthening. Just grips and angle possibly.

I'd like 4i-pw at least.

Offset or no offset?

Thoughts on this in general?

A guy recommended Callaway Big Bertha 2008 irons. Thoughts?

thanks in advance!

I've been playing since last July.  I was using Callaway X-12's with graphite shafts.  I recently was fitted, and found that I my swing speed warranted steel shafts.  I liked the Mizuno JPX 800, Callaway Diablo Edge, and Ping G15.  I ultimately went with the Diablo Edge because I hit them the most consistently, not surprising since they are SGI, and I already had the Diablo Edge hybrids so it was cheaper to complete the set.

For your price, there are alot of good options if you look around.  I like the look of some of the Wilson line, especially the Di9 and Ci9.  I have hit both and they felt nice.  The Di9's can be had for $300 all over.

ok, so I know what you guys like, but what about my questions and clubs for me? lol

Forgiveness, Loft, length,shaft type, sweet spot size, etc...

I appreciate your responses, but just saying "I like these" doesn't really help me unless you tell me what aspects of what I am looking for the irons cover. Again, thank you for your responses.

What is "good loft?"

Sorry man,I'm new to golf. Not up on my golf terms. When I was at the local golf shop he said some clubs are set at a different angle than others which helped the ball go higher. Some reviews I read talked about weight distribution that helped the ball to go higher more often. Heard the same type of thing on wedge/chipper reviews. I thought the term "loft" was getting the ball up. What's that called? I'm kinda learning the terms for stuff as I go. Guy at the golf shop looked at me weird for not knowing my glove size. I don't have one, so.... lol. I'm just trying to narrow the club choice down. There's a lot out there and obviously I know very little about which clubs can help me and which shafts are better, or which how I can avoid ending up with a set like the ones I have that aren't meant for a new player like me. Any help would be appreciated! :)

The diablo edges make it easier to hit the ball long and straight. It is also very easy to get the ball into the air. I love mine, just wish you could work the ball a little more,

any time someone looks at you funny when you ask a question or make a comment when it comes to cluubfitting- you need to RUN AWAY from them and DO NOT go back to that person!  they are NOT there to FIT you, they are there to MAKE A SALE.  they are on commission.  last year was the first time i started using a glove, just as an experiment because it's so humid here in nashville.  i didn't know what size to buy either so i just picked out a medium.

i've been a clubmaker for ten years which is why i say RUN from anyone who treats you the way you were.  you cannot get "fitted" for a set of clubs at a store.  you will be sold some clubs that "should work well" for you (or some such comment).  only a clubfitter will take the time to work with you, patiently, to help you set up the clubs that will work for you. and it doesn't matter that you're just beginning.  this is the best time to get started in the correct fitting process.  you are developing a "feel" for the clubs that work for you.  the way clubs are made today is based purely on ease of mass production and have nothing to do with a good fit for most golfers.  most golfers just care that they got a "good deal" on a set of (insert name brand here).  it "fits" their ego.  becuase their favorite player uses them, or the pros use them.  what they don't realize (or are in denial about) is that their favorite player, and the pros, have their clubs fitted to THEIR liking.  each and every club.

should YOU be any different?

good luck and i hope you keep searching for more info on clubfitting.  i recommend Tom Wishon for starters.

I just got some Callaway Diablo Edges and I LOVE them.   I'm basically new to the game, and they are very forgiving.  $599 MSRP, but you may be able to find a deal.  I highly recommend them.

Tom Wishon 770CFE and 870Tis are the MOST FORGIVING AND WORKABLE clubs on the market BAR NONE.

I found some of the 770cfe, but I can't find the 870ti's for sale anywhere. How much do they run? From the reviews, the 870ti's sound a bit better than the 770cfe. I see you use the 770cfe's though.

I was wondering if you could kinda break down how this fitting thing works. I'm supposed to go in to a golf shop, and try different clubs and get measured up and someone will tell me what clubs would be best for me? Then customize them for me? Kinda confused on what to ask for when going to a shop.  I was hoping not to pay golf shop prices on clubs, but still have them customized.

thanks for your help! Sorry if I sound like an idiot here, but none of me good friends or family golf so I really don't have anyone to help me out with this.

I went to a local golf store that has been around for 40+ years and just spent an hour or so with the sales guy.   He hooked me up to all the gizmos, watched my swing, and asked a lot of questions.  He had me hit 4 different set of irons, and just asked me what felt best.  It came down to some Pings and the Callaway Diablos for me.

He measured my hands, height, and had me get in a stance for the fitting.  I also hit some balls with some tape on the bottom of the irons on a black mat and he could tell if I was prone to slice or hook (I'm a slicer).   They fitted the Diablos and I got them in 7 days.

Very happy with the experience.  No up-selling; they just wanted me to get clubs that I felt comfortable with.

From what you're saying you want I'd say the Diablo Edge or perhaps the Nike Slingshot could be up your alley. Both have wide soles, a lower center of gravity/back cavity weighting. I've never used the Diablo's but I've given the Slingshot's a few swings and they feel like they get under the ball when you swing them.

You might want to take a look at the Ping G10's.  They are forgiving, have a progressive offset, and they are an older model so they can be had reasonably.  You could find a set on Ebay for 300 I bet, or you can get the G10 XG's(conforming grooves) through Golfsmith's custom fitting center for $62/club.

I'm pretty new too, but if you hang around here a while you'll learn alot.  What I was told during two different fittings from two different stores is that people new to golf, like me, are difficult to fit in the same way an experienced golfer with a consistent swing is.  Our swings aren't fully grooved so changing offsets and lie angles are very difficult to get right.  They both suggested a basic fitting for now.

The basic fitting was to determine club length, grip size and shaft stiffness.  The standard iron length will typically work for most guys between 5' 9" and 6' 2".  Shaft stiffness is determined by swing speed, they will have you take some swings while a computer measures swing speed, ball speed, launch angle and spin.  Since my swing isn't consistent they focused on my average swing speed to determine the shaft material and stiffness.  Slower swing speeds will tend to be graphite or uniflex steel.  Faster swing speeds might require x or xx stiff steel shafts.  Stiffer shafts offer more accuracy but can reduce distance for slower swing speeds.  They will measure your hand to determine grip size, then have you hold a few different grips to verify the results.

GI and SGI irons are designed to give us a large sweet spot, high loft and greater distance, all the things you are after.  SGI are even more forgiving than GI, typically have wider soles and offer hybrids in place of harder to hit 3 and 4 irons.  New SGI irons might be out of your price range, but once you get fit you can look for pre-owned irons on e-bay, or Callaway pre-owned to find a set that meets your specs and budget.  Good luck!

thanks man, and thanks to everyone else responding in here.

So after a bunch of people said get fitted first, possibly the only thing effected by the fitting for me is shaft type. Most clubs are standard length on ebay or CL, which I was told is good for me, and I know my grip size is bigger than normal. The grips on my old clubs are soft oversized Winn grips. I don't know what types of grips are better (soft etc), but I read a few really bad reviews online about the grips I've been using. I don't know what a good grip would be/feel like. Just what's comfortable?

The first guy at the shop basically said "These are $6 each and these are $3 each." Not much more than that. At least the first guy. There were two guys there. One guy tried to get me to lengthen the clubs, get $6 grips, and change the lie angle one way. Then another guy came over and said the lie angle should go the other way because I was pushing it off to the right, the clubs don't need to be lengthened, and measured my hands and fingers to see what grips I need. I took my clubs and left based on just not knowing who to trust. I'm leaning towards the second guy getting me to spend less and actually doing more tests with reasons for why I was buying things.

So from what I'm hearing I should:

1: First, go to a shop and swing a few different full cavity back clubs that were recommended here to see what feels good.

2: Have someone there tell me if I should go for Graphite or Steel based on my swing speed.

3: Then check the feel of different grips and get measured up for grip size.

4: Next, leave the shop and go out and buy one of these iron sets on Ebay or Craigslist  for a price I can afford.

5: After that, take them back and get new grips put on them to fit my hands.

6: Then go out and hit the range with the clubs and see how it goes.

Do I ever go back and get the lie angle adjusted? How would I really know if it's needed?

I hit at this last shop where I had the tape on the bottom of the club and hit on the plastic piece to make marks on the tape. I used a standard club and a club that was an inch longer. The mark on the standard club was on the very back edge of the tape only and only went to the second notch on the tape if you start from the end closest to me. On the longer club, the mark covered a larger section of the tape (not just the back edge) but was still only to the second notch from me on the tape.

The thing is, I've never taken a lesson, or had someone tell me how to swing or hold a club even, so do I actually have my clubs changed if it's possibly a poor swing causing the adjustments to be needed?  I am pretty sure that was your point of not having a new golfer go for the full on fitting for clubs. Still just wanted to clear up my own confusion before jumping into something again.

Again, thank you and thank you to everyone who's trying to help me out here!!

-Eric

Eric-

as a clubmaker/fitter (some would argue that my ten years of experience isn't enough to claim being a "fitter") i can tell you that YOU are the only person who can decide what "feels right" to YOU.  i can help you in your decision by doing the measuring and adjusting but the ultimate decision is YOURS and YOURS ALONE.  the guys in the "stores" have some experience selling lots of name brand clubs and are familiar with SOME of the aspects of clubfitting but i would NEVER go to them for a FITTING.  what they do is NOT fitting.  it's SELLING.

you'll see a lot of good intended remarks on these forums from guys who feel they had a good experience with their local store but most of them will say they they were "2 degrees up" or "one degree down" from "standard".  firstly- there are no "standards" in golf.  if there were there would be a committee or organization that sets the "standards".  since there isn't one- who sets the "standards".  there are averages but not "standards".

to truly get "fitted" for clubs you need to see a clubfitter who will sit down with you and discuss what your goals in this game/sport are.  they will observe your swing,  take various physical measurements, ask lots of questions concerning your perception of what the clubs "feel" like ("feel" being an ethereal thing and cannot be physically measured very accurately, but we're getting closer all the time), and not treat you like a piece of meat.

the cost of the Wishon 770CFEs and 870Tis are about $80 each (any less and we'd go out of business!).  the difference is that the 770s came out first and are more offset.  they are made of three types of steel whereas the 870s are slightly offset, have a titanium face and two other types of steel.  excellent feeling, very forgiving, and workable.

The two "fittings" I had done were paid for without any obligation to purchase clubs.  They may have hoped to "sell" me something but I made it clear I wasn't buying.

They both did exactly as you suggest, spoke to me about my game, my goals, time I'd have to dedicate to playing and range time etc.  They tooks some measurements and watched me swing with special clubs used for fitting.  They suggested some swing modifications, and concluded that changing lie angle or offset at this point would not be helpful as I was not hitting the ball consistently on the club face.  They then pulled some demo clubs that fell into the GI and SGI range for me to swing and took measurements.  At that point is was mostly about feel for me because of winter rust and my limited time playing golf my swing was not consistent enough to truly compare the data from one club to the next.  I limited the choices based on feel to the three I indicated on my previous post and made my decision based on feel, the fact I hit the Diablo Edges longest and most consistently and cost factors.

I'm sure you do an excellent job doing fittings but it's a bit arrogant to assume that everyone else that does a fitting isn't.