Another player iron vs GI/SGI question

To be honest, play whatever you like better.

The SGI irons would make golf easier for you, which would probably lead to you lowering your handicap more quickly and more enjoyable rounds.  But the player's irons will force you to practice in order to keep your ball striking acceptable.

I guess it all depends on how much time you can or want to spend practicing.  I play MP57's right now, and notice a huge difference on how well I strike them in direct comparison to how much practice I put in.  

I cannot give you any advice other than my personal experience.  I started last season at about a 14 hdcp and I was playing taylormade RAC OS2 game improvement irons.  By the end of the season I had improved to an 8.8 hdcp and I felt that my ball striking was consistent enough that I could make the move to players irons.  My standard shot shape is a slight push draw and my distances are respectable, so I know my swing is decent enough, on plane...blah blah blah.  My miss is a slight toe hit...I also have the occasional fat or thin shot...but not nearly as many as I have hit in the past.  

I went with Titleist AP2s which are probably slightly more forgiving than those MP-30s.  I love the look and feel of the AP2's but can say that they are harder to hit...for sure.  Those slight toe hits or hits higher on the face are definitely not as good with the AP2s as they were with the GI irons.  The switch to the AP2's has pushed me to work on my ball striking more than ever.  I enjoy practicing and I know this will improve my game in the long run, so I dont mind it...but there is some skill required to play these clubs well day-in day-out. 

My advice would be to stick with the GI irons until your ball striking improves.  Hold out until you are hitting the ball consistently enough to know your misses and what causes them. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fromthecoast 

Generally speaking, my mishits are such that I don't think SGI's help that much. For instance, MOST of the time I mishit in a straight line, meaning fat or thin but the ball still goes straight I just end up coming over the top or digging a trench right behind the ball. Other misses are pushes to the right, where an SGI won't help either. 

SGI irons do have more sole area, which generally seem to make fat hits a bit better.  I notice more of a difference with the vertical trajectory help than left or right spin. SGI irons usually have a lot of offset, which helps players who block shots to the right, since it gives you more time to square up the clubface.

They help a lot more than we think they do, and there are quite a few days when I wish I still had SGI irons in the bag, but I have what I have and I need to practice to make them better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fromthecoast 

But slightly different. Today I was playing with some SGI irons and while they sure do seem to offer a lot of help, when I played with my Mizuno MP-30's I didn't notice that big of a difference. Generally I have had the feeling that my mishits were bad enough that no iron was going to make them better and when I make good contacts, well then they both do about the same. One thing that I did notice,  is that for the same lofts, I got more distance from the player irons. I don't think that I will see many strokes difference in a round, maybe less than 5 at worst between the two. Because of that does anyone think that I would be better served going with the mp-30's so that I can get more feedback and improve my ball striking? Right now I am hovering around 100. I know it seems kind of silly to play forged players irons at that level, but if I am not seeing that big of an improvement from game improvement irons, I think that I would be better served learning to hit the ball correctly to avoid getting sloppy (which is causing my mishits with the other clubs). Does this make sense, at least in the higher lofted clubs like 5 or 6 and down? Thoughts? 

I am NOT in the camp that says play less forgiving clubs because they'll force you to be a better ball striker.  Unless you're spending a LOT of time on the range and also playing a lot, you're just not swinging the club enough to build a lot of muscle memory based on that feedback.  That's why I'd say, play the clubs that allow you to score better now, at your current ability.  That's what this game is all about......how many strokes does it take to get around 18 holes.  Nothing more.

If, as you say, you might gain up to 5 strokes with the GI irons, that's a huge difference and I'd jump all over it.  And don't worry about "outgrowing" them any time soon......there are plenty of single digit players out there playing cavity back GI irons!

Quote:

Originally Posted by colin007 

And lest anyone be mistaken, something like an MP52 is a cavity back iron closer to being a GI than a blade.

They cannot be cavity backs as they are forged, get with the program.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones 

Quote:

Originally Posted by colin007 

And lest anyone be mistaken, something like an MP52 is a cavity back iron closer to being a GI than a blade.

They cannot be cavity backs as they are forged, get with the program.

And, they feel sooo much softer than cast irons

Get ready for the rant..

But but but but but but butter!

I have the same problem with offset causing snap hooks, which is why I bought the MP57s.  The MP30's seem to be similar to the 57's, although I haven't looked at the exact specs.  

I have a set of MP52's as well, and they have more of a traditional cavity on the mid/long irons and they seem to be just a tad more forgiving than the MP57's.