Finally broke 100, time to buy some legit irons

Golf started off as a good way to spend a few hours on a sunny day with my buddies, have some beers and have a good time.  I was your straight-up hacker, starting off in the 120's.  But last summer... I caught the bug.  I started really investing some time and effort into improving my game.  Hitting the driving range 2-3 times a week, and trying to fit in a couple of rounds on top of that.  My game slowly progressed, and as the summer winded down I was chipping away at my scores (usually into the 108-112 range).

The point of this thread, is the set of clubs I have.  I started off with hand-me downs from a friend that he started with.  Fairway Target clubs, purchased at SportChek for around $120 (and yes, that's EVERYTHING- driver, 2 woods, irons).  In the summer I slowly began improving the bag with a TaylorMade Burner driver, Cobra S9-1 3W & 5W, and a Cobra Baffler Hybrid.

Just this past Thursday, I finally broke a 100 (shooting a 95 on the par 72, 18 hole course).  A great achievement for myself.  I've decided it's time to ditch the old cheap irons and invest in something decent.  I know they aren't going to miraculously change my game, but anything could be better than the irons I'm hitting.  My question is- Did you guys see a dramatic change in feel when you finally purchased a set of decent irons?  I'm going to hit the range, swing every iron in my price range and see what feels best.  Steel shaft, cavity back and wide-soles seem to be the way to go.  Not worried about shaping, just consistent ball contact.

Fair play 2 ya man ,i would not be happy if i shot over 80.i started when i was 13 im 24 now went for many first round this year yesterday i shot 81 and i was not happy at all with my round.but its class when you first break 100 then 90 then 80 im trying 2 break 70 this year. Alot more practice and you will be breaking 90 next .Practice from 80 yards in and around the greens and you will be breaking 90 in now time..

oh yeah forgot 2 say wilson Ci7s are the best game inprovement clubs in my opinion thats what iv been playing since i was a 16hcp  they are 260euro thats all i know ..these clubs got me from a 16 hcp to a 8hcp

First of all, congrats on breaking 100, that is a pretty big accomplishment as a lot of golfers never get there.  Second, I don't think that you'll notice a huge difference.  I'm not saying that they aren't going to feel different, they will, but don't expect to all of a sudden shoot in the 80s because of them.

Also, going off your post, it seems like you've invested a lot of time into golf.  You are off to a good start by wanting to hit everything you can but also make sure that you get yourself fitted.  Your swing should be consistent enough where this would be highly beneficial.  If for some reason your loft/lie numbers are way off of standard, then you might see a big change with them (I'm assuming your old clubs hadn't been adjusted).

The big improvements will come with instruction, so if you really want to get down low that might be something you want to check into.

Best of luck to you and congrats again on breaking 100.

To answer the OP, I purchased some better clubs once I made a commitment to improving. I wouldn't go all out yet on buying clubs. For irons, I would still purchase more forgiving irons so you can hit them more solidly.

Im playing with Adams RPM irons, which are my first descent set. Im not sure how they stack up against the expensive sets performance wise because ive never hit the nicer clubs, but theyre a hell of a set for $200 and im very happy with em. Theyre also worlds better then the 20 year old irons i was hitting before.

Your handicap is just a guess then? I'd say stick to the SGI irons you descibed, but get something a bit more rugged than the Fairways.

When I switched out my starter set irons, I did notice a bit of a different feel, but that's probably because the starter set was graphite shafts and I've got steel now.  I certainly did not start hitting the ball much differently with them.

I was shooting just over 100 (hadn't yet broken it) when I switched, so I was in a similar place to you.  I decided against SGI clubs, mostly because I prefer the look, and also because I like a bit of a challenge.  I picked up the Mizuno MX-23s used, these are in the sort of mid-range GI camp.  I've been happy with them---they're easy enough to hit, but also give good feedback.

I'd suggest looking into used clubs, you can get a better club for a lot less money this way.  With irons especially you lose very little by going with a set that's a few years old (MX-23s date from 2005, IIRC), as long as you get a set that haven't been beaten too badly.

I started in 2009 with a new set of RPM irons. I played golf way back in the mid-90s but gave it up for about 13yrs. I went to a range with a friend and they had a set of RPMs, an Adams driver, and an Adams stand bag for $200 which I bought to get me started. The got me through 2 seasons but I decided to upgrade this year and went with some TM Burner Plus.

To answer the OP question, I think you will see an improvement with better clubs. I still struggle to break 100 consistently but alot of that is my chipping and putter, I lose alot of strokes there. I upgraded that original driver I had to a TM Burner that same year and it was a big improvement over that Adams driver. And my Burner irons seem to be a big step up over those Adams RPMs also. I am hitting my irons much, much better. Even on off-center shots the ball is going pretty straight. Ive seen ball marks way out on the toe but the flight path was darn near where I was aiming. The Burner Plus an a game-improvement iron and I believe it.

Ive only had then about 3 weeks now, been on the range a number of times and seen alot more consistent ball striking. Ive only played 3 rounds with them. First time out was a disaster, 107, but have been under 100 the next 2 times out, 97 and 94. I shot my best 9 this year on Sunday, had a 43 on the backside.

I would also go as far to say if you can find a good deal on wilson staff ci6s it would be a great purchase.