NEW IRONS.....Advice, suggestions, experiences

Hi all, Hope you all had a good weekend! I have now managed to achieve and surpass my target of 18 by year end! Lets see if i can now stay there and get even lower if possible! I promised myself a new set of irons once I achieved my target in order to to try and futher improve my game and I reckon now is the time! Plus as my 30th birthday is comming up shortly my better half has agreed to purchase the set of my choice!! So need to take advantage! haha I just wanted to obtain your views and advice on which would be best suited for a mid handicapper like myself! I am currently split between 2 sets.....The Nike VR Pro Combo Irons and the Titleist AP1's. I am a sucker for Nike so I am probably more swayted towards the combo irons! The current nike irons (2010 Slingshots, super game improver irons) I game have served me well as I have gone from 28 handicap from May 2012 to 17.8 in September 2013. And this has been achieved WITHOUT any lessons or club fittings whatsoever and by playing once a week and twice a week when i have had the chance! My local is also the San Roque Golf Club which boasts 2 championship courses so I have been tested! I have had my fair share of ups and downs but I feel proud on what I have achieved by working on my game pretty much on my own. I now want to get myself a set of game enhancement irons. I am taking my golf extremely serioulsy now and in order to get better there are a couple of small targets I want achieve perhaps by year end: 1. Have a few lessons with the local pro to try and refine my swing and technique even further to become even more consistent (understanding that in the short term I may take one step back to go two forward) and 2. Actually get fiitted for then new irons. I have done so research on the Combos and AP1's however I would be grateful if any of you who currently game either of theses sets to let me know their strengths and weaknesses and how they have helped you and what i should be looking at in each set! I am also open to suggestions of other sets. Thanks guyssssss

Congratulations on your game improvement!  The very first thing I would recommend is that you get a few of those lessons under your belt and see where your local pro thinks your swing is before moving on to getting fitted for clubs.  The reason being that a significant change in your swing technique can have a real impact on the lie angle you need on those new irons, but even more importantly it can impact which shafts may be best for you!  Lie angles can be adjusted, shafts are a different story.  As you take the lessons I'd suggest discussing new irons with the pro.  He/she should be able to guide you as far as how much change to expect in the near future with anything he may want to get you to change.  He may well try to sell you something, which is normal, that's his job after all.

Now, on to the good stuff.  I got my Ping G20s about a year ago and they have helped me cut my handicap index in half.  I'd strongly suggest you give the G25s they're selling today a hard look.  They are much more traditional looking than the G20s, I'm sorta jealous.  And in November Titleist will be releasing the 714 version of the AP1.  I am going to go take a very very hard look at those myself.

I would suggest you not look beyond game improvement class clubs.  Golf is hard enough without making it harder using clubs that don't match your game.  All the name brand manufacturers have clubs in this class.  If you have one of the big retailers close by, go spend some time hitting various clubs.  See if one really grabs you.

If you like Nike products then check out the pro cavity back irons.  You could probably get a set for super cheap right now

Why is that? I'm looking for new ones currently using my old ping eye 2

Also where at can you get them at a cheap price thanks

I've had the Nikes for a few years now, and still really like them. The AP1s are more of a game-improvement club though - thicker soles, bigger clubheads. Bear in mind that Nike is releasing an updated version of the Combos in November: https://twitter.com/nikegolf/status/378181319685316609

Nike Pro Combos and AP1s are two completely different categories. Titleist MB/CB combos or AP2s would compare more directly to the Pro Combos. I personally think the AP2s are the best irons on the market but every swing and every swinger is different. Don't overlook shaft options either. TTDG, KBS Tour, C-Taper, PX are all going to give you different combinations of feel, spin, and launch angle.

The Mizuno guys (like myself) are going to kill you for saying that. :-P Anyways, at an 18 handicap, I wouldn't recommend going with the pro combo irons. The short irons are not nearly forgiving enough for you. I'd wait until November and go with the cavity backs like Jamo said.

I have to agree, Titleist never really impressed me as much as Mizuno's. I know a lot of people say they can't tell the feel between a cavity back and a forged club, but you can hear it. Mizuno's sound is just far superior to Titleist on a well struck ball. For name brand clubs, i would rather go Mizuno.