Need advice for upgrading to new irons

Hi all,

I'm 65 years old and playing to a 18 handicap (senior)  I've been playing with my Taylormade R7 XDs ( steel, stiff shafts) for almost 10 years now and believe I should make some updates to newer irons. The highest iron now in the bag is a 7 iron.  After in store and online fitting observations, most recommend I should go to senior graphite shafts.  I've never had a fast swing speed but I still hit the stiff shafts in the XDs pretty good. My current swing speed for irons is generally between 75 and 80.  I also want to add that I have tried several steel shafted iron sets and always go back to the XDs.  I seem to hit most of the tried irons fat and/or right shanks.

What I'm looking for is to be more consistent and hopefully gain some distance as I'm only getting 130 yards max from my 7 iron.

I'm currently looking at the Taylormade RSi irons in senior graphite shafts.

So I was wondering what some of the readers here might have for recommendations and/or advice.

I like Taylormade too. R7's are certainly getting old so you are missing out on a lot of technology. But you don't necessarily have to go for the new RS irons from TM.

My favorite thing to do is buy 1-3 years old irons on ebay and then get all the custom work done to them I can. You'll save at least a few hundred bucks that way and it's fun. Taylormade rocketballz, rocketbladez, speedblade, burners, burner 2.0....all these iron heads will probably play just as well for you as the RS's. And you're going to go get the proper shafts you said, that to me is much more important than the iron head.

That's how I think you should do it.

bunks10 ,

I am 64 years old, and we are in similar situations. This past summer, I made a change in my X20 Tours which came with PX 5.0 rifle flighted shafts. The shafts weighted 115 grams, and felt a little harsh (firm tips) on days I wasn't swinging well.

I reshafted this summer with NS Pro 8950GH (R.flex), about 18 grams and a half flex lighter. I picked up about 12 yards a club, and my distance gaps from iron to iron are a lot more consistent.

I was lucky enough to find a demonstrator 6i for my X20T, so I tested out different shafts in the demo before I made the change.

You might want to get a fitting. If you're having the distance loss, finding the right shaft - both weight and flex profile - would probably help as much as the right iron head..

If you like TM, try out the SLDR irons. @saevel25 and did a field test and review on these irons this summer, and I believe they will fit a wide range of golfers - as long as you get the right shaft.

(SLDR reviews, if you're interested: http://thesandtrap.com/products/taylormade-sldr-irons/reviews/4922 )

I dislike the color schemes of their woods, but I'd echo that Taylormade makes some really fantastic irons. Last year's Speedblade and SLDR irons, I've tried extensively in stores, and they're awesome. Looks included: the gunmetal of the Speedblades and the really nice classic looks of the SLDR are very appealing. Despite the cranked lofts, I have a much easier time of hitting their longer irons than my current X-24 set.

I'm 63 and in the same boat you are, lost a lot of distance due to three back surgeries and age. I'm only hitting a 7 irons about 130 to 135 yards these days (on average). I'm upgrading my Ping G15s to the new Ping G30s. I'm a Ping guy, like the look of them without the ferrell. I also like the matt finish, not everyone's cup of tea but I like them. I was fitted the other night and I'm still a blue dot but I went to a senior shaft, 1/2" shorter and was hitting the 7 iron really well. Now I just need to save the money and pull the trigger.