Most Forgiving Irons

[CharlieB]

I am playing Ping G15 irons with Regular soft graphite shafts. I have lost a lot of distance, plus I often hit them dead right. I hit my driver and hybrids straight, but the irons are killing my game. Any opinions on what I can do to correct this? Is there an easier iron to use? If I hit the 6 iron good it only fly’s 100 yards. That is my longest iron.

[Typhoon92]

Don't know any history of your game but is this a sudden loss of distance?  We're u not hitting it to the right last year...is this something new?  Physical limitations?

Pings that you have are one of the easiest to hit.  Maybe check in with a PGA pro and have him check your swing issues before spending a boatload of cash on equipment.

Welcome to The Sandtrap!

[Adam C]

Take some masking tape, foot spray, impact stickers, dry erase marker, etc, and see where on the face you are making contact with these irons. That's a starting point.

How far did you hit your previous sticks?

[ChetlovesMer]

19 minutes ago, Adam C said:

Take some masking tape, foot spray, impact stickers, dry erase marker, etc, and see where on the face you are making contact with these irons. That's a starting point.

How far did you hit your previous sticks?

@CharlieB, This is really good advice. Personally I am a big fan of the dry erase marker. Just make a vertical line on the golf ball (range ball or regular ball) set the vertical line so that it "should" be struck with the center of your iron face. Then hit the ball as normal. You should have a nice vertical line drawn on your iron. If it's a slanted line you can work on lie angle. But my guess is you are going to end up with a vertical line right near the hosel of you club. 

The nice thing about the dry erase marker is it rubs right off. 

[CharlieB]

I have had these clubs since 2011. As I have aged I have lost 30 yards on all of my clubs. Where can I get some of this dry erase marker from?

I work very hard on my short game, but I would like to hit my irons better. I hit my driver, 4 wood and 3, 4 and 5 hybrids good, but not that far. My driver only fly’s about 160-170 yards.

Edited June 24, 2019 by CharlieB

[ChetlovesMer]

52 minutes ago, CharlieB said:

 Where can I get some of this dry erase marker from?

Target, Meijer, Walmat, any place markers are sold. Dry erase markers will usually be right next to sharpies. Normally the office or school supply section. 

[cooke119]

I'm now 68 and have had three back surgeries so I understand loss of distance. But hitting your irons to the right is another issue.

I played G15s for years, easy club to hit, but to answer one of your questions the Cleveland HB Launcher is probably easier to hit, at least for me as I got older. They are based on a hybrid design. I now have a set, 4 through gap, and hit all of them just fine. I too could hit the hell out of my hybrids so I thought why not hit a hybrid design club. Now I know a lot of players would laugh at these clubs, but for me they work well.

But, they will not help you hit the ball straight, that is another issue you'll have to see a Pro about. 

Are you hitting them dead left or slicing?

[CharlieB]

I played this morning and I still cannot hit my 6-7-8-9 irons. I did notice that the grass mark on the face is near the hosel. I hit the pitching wedge from the set straight. Actually I hit all of my other clubs straight. I have a Titleist 915D2 driver, Ping G15 4 fairway metal, Callaway Diablo 3-4-5 hybrids, and Titleist SM6 54 and 58 wedges. I don’t know if this is a mental thing or what?

I hit those four irons 45 degrees right and just above the ground.

Edited July 3, 2019 by CharlieB

[Vinsk]

51 minutes ago, CharlieB said:

I played this morning and I still cannot hit my 6-7-8-9 irons. I did notice that the grass mark on the face is near the hosel. I hit the pitching wedge from the set straight. Actually I hit all of my other clubs straight. I have a Titleist 915D2 driver, Ping G15 4 fairway metal, Callaway Diablo 3-4-5 hybrids, and Titleist SM6 54 and 58 wedges. I don’t know if this is a mental thing or what?

I hit those four irons 45 degrees right and just above the ground.

You’re shanking those clubs. Put a board down outside the ball. With the ball in the middle of your club face at address, the toe of your club should just touch the board or just barely a gap. Now hit those clubs without striking the board.

The shanks are there. Stay calm, stay hydrated, let your family know you’re ok. 

[CharlieB]

Are we talking about a 2 x 4? How long of a board do I need? I’m just curious, why am I just shanking those specific irons?

[Patch]

29 minutes ago, CharlieB said:

Are we talking about a 2 x 4? How long of a board do I need? I’m just curious, why am I just shanking those specific irons?

Don't use a board, or anything else that is hard solid. You would run the risk of breaking a club, or even worse injuring yourself, if you were to hit the hard object in a full swing, forcefull manner.  

Use a head cover, or something else of a soft nature. Even putting a tee in ground an inch or so on the out side, even with the ball works quite well. 

As for your shanking problem, read up on the "one piece take away". Shanks are sometimes caused by a back swing that is too far inside on the the take away. The "opta" helps to solve that back swing problem. 

[ncates00]

The most forgiving irons are the ones struck with a consistent face to path, and ball first, centered strike with less dynamic loft than static loft. Most of them will do it if you work at it. 

[ncates00]

2 hours ago, CharlieB said:

I don’t know if this is a mental thing or what?

definitely or what because you're striking it poorly.  Nothing mental about it.  If you're hitting it out of the hosel, figure out what's causing it by videoing yourself DTL.  Also, if you're hoseling it, try hitting it out of the toe on purpose.  My misstrike is is to hit em out of the heel myself, so I feel like I'm hitting it out of the toe yet start the ball to the right.  It's a feel I've had for a bit and it really helps my striking.

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, CharlieB said:

Are we talking about a 2 x 4? How long of a board do I need? I’m just curious, why am I just shanking those specific irons?

@Patch has a point, but I needed the extreme. I absolutely do not want to hit the board (I have and...no biggie) but it really makes me determined to not hit it. A head cover or a pool noodle didn’t ‘worry’ me enough so I needed further incentive. Of course my shanking lies in an entirely different realm that I hope you never encounter.

 

[Carl3]

46 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

has a point, but I needed the extreme. I absolutely do not want to hit the board (I have and...no biggie) but it really makes me determined to not hit it. A head cover or a pool noodle didn’t ‘worry’ me enough so I needed further incentive. Of course my shanking lies in an entirely different realm that I hope you never encounter.

Is that sand on/near your hosel or is it damaged through repeated contact with the ball?

[Vinsk]

21 minutes ago, Carl3 said:

Is that sand on/near your hosel or is it damaged through repeated contact with the ball?

Lol....that’s MY sweet spot mark. You’ve heard ‘ fix your miss’. Most people slice. Some hook, etc. My entire golf life my miss has always been a shank. I hit slices and salvageable misses every once in a while the same way others hit shanks ever so often. It’s my curse.

Edited July 3, 2019 by Vinsk

[Double Mocha Man]

Doctor, heel thyself.  (heel, as in hosel)

[Typhoon92]

5 hours ago, Vinsk said:

@Patch has a point, but I needed the extreme. I absolutely do not want to hit the board (I have and...no biggie) but it really makes me determined to not hit it. A head cover or a pool noodle didn’t ‘worry’ me enough so I needed further incentive. Of course my shanking lies in an entirely different realm that I hope you never encounter.

 

Oh my God, seeing that is worse than catching your parents having sex.

Edited July 4, 2019 by Typhoon92