Do I NEED new irons? Really?

At what point does an iron set "wear out" or get so old the tech is too far behind?

I've only been playing golf since about 2005 and upgraded myself to steel shafted Ping G2s early on - so they are nearly that old as well.

I love these irons for the feel, control and distance accuracy* - they are evenly spaced about 10 yards difference per club - which I can add or shave +/- 5 yards per club.

* It doesn't matter how far I hit this-or-that iron if the distance is accurate and reliable.

Workability is good - I typically draw the ball but can produce fades on demand as well, though less reliably.  My biggest mistake with irons is usually overcooking it.

I use the stock set including S wedge which I actually like because it doesn't "dig" so much as others I've tried...  The 3 iron has come out of the bag in lieu of a hybrid.

I play an average of probably 100+ rounds/year and hit a low handicap of 3 last fall - but back up to 8 this spring so far after relocating to a new area and still adjusting.

Now I don't have crazy swing speeds and the ball has never spun backwards on greens for me.  It's hard to hold greens around here however - they are like cement - so without backspin it's really hard to hit anything close to front pins without de-lofting, going short and running it up... but that's getting a little O/T.

The question remains - should I even bother looking at new irons at this point?

I've demo'ed quite a few other brands as well as new Pings - I can hit them all just fine and the tech is so competitive they just all seem to blend in with one another.

Back when I bought the Ping G2s - they really stood out to me with better feel.  With the steel shafts they are heavier than most irons out there right now - doesn't bother me though.

What is to be gained in upgrading?  More spin?  BACKspin?

I guess what I'm wondering the most is - at what point do your grooves "wear out"?

A 7+ year old set with 100+ rounds/year + practices = worn out?

If they work for you and you are comfy with them stick with em. Rory changed irons recently, how's it working out for him? My irons are 17 years old and the new irons I have tried out in a simulator don't work any better for me at all. Pings are high quality irons...I doubt there is much groove wear at this point. Besides the purpose of grooves is to funnel water off the face of the club when the grass is trapped between it and the ball. That's it. Like the tread on a tire, it gives the water squeezed out of the grass, after  a 3000 psi whack, a place to go so the ball doesn't skid up the face of the club without spinning on impact. If not in the grass then almost all of the spin comes from the slope of the club. The greater the slope the greater the spin.  Remember..the most important part of golfing is the golfer...if you hit the ball well you can stick with what you have, like a good old friend. IMHO anyway.

PS Francis Ouimet won the 1913 US Open with a set of worn out rock chipped clubs...he shot a  playoff score of 72 in the rain to beat the two best golfers in the world at the time.

There are a few good reasons...

1. Help the economy

2. Have the latest bling

3. Have a back-up set

In reality, I can't think of a really good reason. I played 845s for 16 years and then gave them to my son. There is nothing wrong with those clubs, but I happened to want a change. The way you are able to work the ball and score, the way you have your distances nailed down, it just doesn't make sense unless you can find something to benefit your game. You already have what most people are looking for with control, feel, and accuracy. What else is there? Good luck.

I also in the same boat as the OP. I was always curious what kind of technological advancement that differentiate newer iron sets with older one. Golf clubs isn't a computer that doubles in advancement every 18 months. Also, many of us are tempted to simply buy what everyone else seems to be buying or what Rory/Tiger currently playing.

I bought my clubs from eBay/Gumtree used (see my sig). I made a commitment with myself not to buy any club until I'm able to lower my handicap by at least 5 points. But I'm willing to spend a lot of time (and some money) to get a proper lesson from pro. Do you think it will detrimental to my game?

How long does it take to decide whether this clubs is "work" for you? Do you think that newer clubs are better in adapting with different players? Or is it the player that have to adapt their body movement to the clubs?

Thanks for the replies - I guess I will resist for now!  :-)

My main goal would have been to try for more spin, but that may not even happen on a new set anyway with the newer post-2010 regulations.

R&A; info on that here - http://www.randa.org/Equipment/Equipment-Search/Informational-Clubs/Groove-Rules-Explained.aspx

I say go for it, what the hell. It may not improve your score, or give backspin on the greens but having a new set is like having a new car. I have a set of Ping Eye 2s that I played for years, no they didn't wear out, I just wanted a new set of Pings. And no they didn't help my score but I love the clubs. I still play the Ping Eye 2s just for fun, they are still great clubs.