fitting to last years model?

I have received the approval to get a new set of irons this year.  I am currently using a custom built clone like version of Callaway's 2008 Big Bertha Irons.  The clubs have been a fine companion for 3-4 years but I think I have cut my teeth enough and learned my swing so that I am ready to make the investment in a name brand set.

On courses that I am comfortable with I generally shoot in the 44-46 a side range, with my biggest struggle being off the tee and long approach shots.  When the driver is working I have shot as low as 42 on my favorite par 36 nine hole course and my favorite full distance 18, I shot an 81 over the summer last year.  On those same courses on a normal day I am closer to 44-46 and 88-90.  So I think my handicap is somewhere in the 17-19 range. 

My plan is to narrow down my selection to 1-2 manufacturers, find a demo day and schedule a fitting for each brand.  Then after that purchase the set that makes the most sense.

Thus far in my evaluation, I have liked the Ping G15 and the Titleist AP1.  I like the feel of clubs with TT Gold shafts (the lite and standard seem to be the same) and my club head speed puts me squarely in the S300 range. 

I have not hit too many clubs at a range to see ball flight, just into a net at golf stores.  So I am basing this on address, balance of the club (how it feels in the backswing) and feel at impact. 

If I finally decide on the Ping, is it possible to get a set of Ping G20's made to order even with the Ping G25's on the way out? 

I won't be ordering anything until closer to spring (march time frame)

Thank you

so I went to a golf store yesterday (Puetz in Bellevue, WA) and explained that I was considering new Ping irons, and they actually had the i20/g25 in left handed (which the stores in my area didn't have)

The store was slow so the salesman let me take as much time as I wanted in the fitting station.  The fitting station didn't have any form of measurement system so I am basing this totally off of feel.

I first hit the i20 with the CFS in stiff and I really liked the club, when you hit the ball off the middle of the face you really felt it, I hit a few off the toe, but I was impressed with the quality of the contact, etc. 

After hitting about 35-40 balls in total I could tell you that the toe was marked up quite a bit more than heel so I will need to get fitted and get something upright. 

Then I hit the G25 with the DG S300 (the shaft that I have been fitted for previously). 

So far I really like the i20.  I am still going to wait until the weather breaks in Chicago and hit some balls outside so I can see ball flight, but right now I am really thinking the i20 /w either the CFS in stiff or the DG S300 would be the #1 right now. 

yes, sorry upright - I always get those confused.  The sales person gave me a "guess" that I was looking at 2 deg up and probably 1/2~1" over stock length. 

He obviously said they would do a full fitting when I ordered them. 

I got fit last year for Mizuno clubs, and based on that fitting, and comparing it to a ping chart, I would be a +1/2" green dot.  I was hitting a black dot iron.  Being a lefty the selection is a little more limited.  They had a green dot G25, but the sales person had stepped away and since I wasn't planning on ordering anything that day I didn't want to keep taking him away from other customers. 
 

also one other thing, these were demo clubs, so we didn't tape them.  The mat surface they had was abrasive, so after a while I was polishing the club a little bit and you could see that the material left on the club was focused towards the toe quite a bit. 

The i20 felt VERY VERY nice.