Iron sets questions

First a little background before I get into the questions.  Now that I'm actually practicing and playing a lot more than years past, my game is getting (somewhat?) better and I've been thinking about getting into some local tournaments eventually.  Don't really have any aspirations to win, but I always had fun playing competitive golf in high school, so why not?  Unfortunately the Nike CCI irons I have don't comply with the 2010 groove rule , so before I can start playing in any real tournaments I need to get a new iron set.  I haven't bought an iron set in roughly 6 years, so I'm way behind the times when it comes to know who makes what and what is good/bad/whatever.  I score in the mid to low 80's on most of the courses I play regularly and I'm a decently long hitter.  Not really sure if that makes a difference outside of the shaft, but my current shafts are stiff flex. I'm looking for irons that are somewhere between blades and game improvement irons.  I don't know if I'm good enough to play with blades, but I feel like I have a pretty solid swing and I can work the ball a little bit.  So probably something closer to the 'blades' side of the spectrum?

Since I'm pretty far out of the loop as far as equipment goes, I figured I'd ask all the knowledgeable all people on here for some direction on what sets to maybe start with.  I do plan on going to a few golf stores near me very soon to test a few and get swing speed and so forth, but I wanted to have some idea what to look for before I went it.  I'm not loyal to any brand, so anything works.  I'd like to keep it under $600 or $700 if at all possible because money.  Also, in the short amount of research I did on google, it looks like a lot of sets are 4-PW or 5-AW, etc and have 3H, 4H, and some even 5H?  I currently have a 3 iron and love hitting my long irons so I'd also like to avoid the hybrids if at all possible.  However, if that's the trend, I may be SOL in that area.  Also, they don't have to be newest generation sets either.  Just something newer than the 2007? club technology I have now that complies with the current standards.

Any feedback is incredibly helpful and very much appreciated.  Thank you!

Having a 3-iron isn't the most important thing in the world, just for some reason never liked the hybrids.

I wasn't sure if it'd be easier trying to find out about a few sets before going to a store or just going in cold.  I wanted to some idea what I was looking for before I went to the store so they wouldn't try and upsell me to whatever the newest (and probably most expensive) sets are.  So I figured I'd ask here first.  I've seen a few pro combo sets that might be right up my alley.  Thanks for your reply!

You could give the Nike Pro Combo's a try since you are unsure about buying a full blade set. 3-6 irons would be a cavity back and 7-PW would be your true bladed irons.

http://www.amazon.com/Nike-VR-Forged-Pro-Combo/dp/B00HUEXPEW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid;=1431380321&sr;=8-1&keywords;=nike+pro+combo

You could get older models(2013 or so) Taylormade MC's, Titleist CB/AP2, Mizuno JPX Pro's/any MP models, Callaway X Forged,etc. You have alot of options. This is the way I have gone with my last 2 iron sets. I can't go and spend $900 on the newest irons myself but I have found there isn't much difference in the newer blades or forged cavity back irons compared to the previous models. I bought a used set of Mizuno Mp68 irons which looked like the previous owner rarely used for $300 at Golfsmith. So you can definitely find some good "value buys" with the older model clubs.

You have a reasonable budget and conservatively there are probably at least 30 sets from various manufacturers that would fit your parameters. A good way to start is go to some golf oriented retailers and just look at what looks good to you and read the reviews on ones you may be interested in.

As far as "working the ball", if you mean hitting draws and fades, you can do that with any class of iron. Forged "players clubs" are a little easier so they say to work up and down; I am not really good enough to know, but any club can be "worked" left to right. The "forgiveness" in clubs refers more to trajectory and distance. The more forgiving a club is, the easier it is to get it in the air and less distance is lost when the strike is less than perfect.

If you consistently score between 80 and 85 and that is your real score, i.e. you are counting all strokes, playing the ball down, and hitting one ball (no mulligans) then you are probably "good enough" to play blades but you don't "need" blades. A lot of people will disagree with me here, and from there perspective, they are not wrong, but my perspective is that it depends on what you want out of golf. True blades require a generally well formed and consistent swing to get them in the air and get consistent distance, especially with the long irons down through the 6 or 7. A slight miss will lose 2-5 yards or more. A bigger miss will be felt in the hands and forearms and may lose 25% or more distance for us mortals. A pure shot on the other hand is nirvana, but so is any pure shot. If a lower score is important to you, then you are better off with at least a players cavity, and even GI cavities in the longer irons. I play blades and persimmon because I enjoy it and golf is more to me than just the score. I do plan to play in an individual tournament this summer using vintage gear, but when I play in a "shamble" , needing to contribute to a team, I also breakout the titanium, hybrids, and even a few cavity backs.

As you mentioned, set composition has changed, and more and more sets have a 4 or even a 5 as the highest iron. But in reality, those are the 3 and 4 iron specs of a few years ago, they just have a different number stamped on them. I actually like hybrids, at least the longer ones. I can get about the same performance with less fuss and more consistency as I get from my 1 and 2 irons.

I will suggest you get fit for clubs, even if you don't end up buying new you will have all your specs for shaft, heads(SGI/GI/Players/Blade), loft, lie and such and can use that info to narrow your search for used gear. :)

I'm definitely looking into the value buys/older options.  Mainly because I don't have $1000+ to spend on new clubs, so a couple seasons old is great. Just reading out them, the Nike VR Forged Pro Combo irons seem very similar to the CCI's I'm playing now, so I will take a serious look into those.  Actually just tried some AP2s at a Titleist demo day last week and seemed to be hitting those very well.  Not sure if I was hitting the sweet spot or they just have a little less feedback than my current clubs, but they felt great. I'll also give some of the other ones you mentioned a look. Thanks for the reply!

I kind of always assumed (probably incorrectly) that more game improvement irons were tougher? to work the ball left to right or right to left with because those types of clubs were just focused on getting the ball in the air, and removing a lot of side spin to get a nice solid straight shot no matter where you hit on the club face.  That's probably just my own incorrect perceptions about those clubs.  I have been working a lot more this year than in recent years and plan to keep improving, so blades could very well be the next set I buy after this one.  Just not comfortable with taking that step just yet.

The more I look into the set composition regarding 3i vs 3h and stronger lofted 4, 5, etc irons I find myself very intrigued.  I currently work in marketing so I appreciate the "You'll hit the ball 10 yards longer with our clubs" because we have them a few degrees stronger in each number.  Seems like the day is coming that your 9-iron will be your 3-iron loft, and everyone will just have 10 "wedges" in their bag.  Good ole marketing.  Thank you for your input.  Very interesting to see the difference in how things have changed so much since the last time I seriously looked for an iron set.

Got my current set fitted way back when since I'm 6'4" and those measurements seem to work. Since I'm a lefty, it's not terribly easy finding already lengthened and at the correct lie.   Since I'm more than likely not buying new clubs I've already resigned myself to the fact that I'll need to get the clubs reshafted for +1 inch and then a lie adjustment.  All part of the fun.  Thanks for your reply! :-)

I don't want to hold myself out as an expert, but you do get a little help with direction on GI clubs as the offset helps a little with squaring the face, and the weight distribution helps resist twisting. But I don't think it impairs intentional fades or draws which are created by deliberately altering face angle relative to swing path. Search "ball flight rules" on this forum.

+1 , Good post sir and I agree with your statement.

Here's a suggestion, that may be helpful. Whatever your current lie is on your clubs now, look into a set of Ping blades (S57/58/59) that's one lie up or down from what your playing now. If you should like those particular irons, then when you add the inch extension, it should then be at the same lie as your current set. Could save your self a lot of money, unless you prefer to go with all new shafts and depending on what you buy, those shafts alone could cost you more than you realize. By the time you add both the clubs and re-shafting, you could probably have purchased a new set for almost the same price. Just a thought......