Are Oversized Irons a Crutch?

[Quietus]

I’m a typical weekend golfer and the highest I’ve ever scored is more than 30 shots over par. I play just to have fun and reaching bogey golf would already be amazing. I’m currently using a beginner Callaway Strata set I got 2 years ago but because one of the irons broke, I’m thinking of replacing the irons with another second hand set. A friend of mine is selling a King Cobra SSI Oversized iron set. From what I’ve read, they’re great for beginners with a huge sweet spot. That being said, these reviews are almost 10 years old and the clubs came out even before that. 

Two questions:

1. How big of a crutch are oversized irons? Will they make it impossible for me to eventually switch to normal irons in the future? I’ve read two opposing sides to the debate of using GIR/Oversized clubs so I wanted to post the question here.

 

2. How are these clubs in general? I’ve read that while they’re really old and don’t have the tech of newer more expensive irons, the gap in tech isn’t that huge of a deal for a beginner with an index as high as mine. These are the clubs: http://www.golfreview.com/product/golf-clubs/irons/cobra/ss-i-oversized.html

Edited August 10, 2019 by Quietus

[Vinsk]

The technology today is quite improved from even just 10 years ago. That being said if you’re just liking the price and you’ve hit them and like them then have at it. No, using these clubs won’t make upgrading to a new set any harder. However, don’t expect these OI to give you remarkable difference in ease of play. Golf is hard. No club is going to change that. Cheers.

[cooke119]

IMHO, you're hitting a round ball with a flat piece of metal and wanting it to go straight, draw or fade, that is a hard thing to do! Use whatever club you think will help you do that, over sized or not. I like hybrids, always hit them well, so I bought a set of Cleveland HB Launchers which are all based on a hybrid design. I hit them well and don't really care what people think of the clubs, they work for me.

[iacas]

To answer the title… yes. They are.

But so what?

[saevel25]

35 minutes ago, cooke119 said:

IMHO, you're hitting a round ball with a flat piece of metal and wanting it to go straight, draw or fade, that is a hard thing to do! Use whatever club you think will help you do that, over sized or not

At a certain point super game improvement irons are a hinderance to the golfer. 

[mcanadiens]

The real question here ought to be whether or not using oversized/super game improvement irons would actually impact the improvement of a beginning/high-handicap golfer.

Seems to me that if you struggle with the clubs that are supposed to be easier to hit, what are you missing out on?

[Piz]

What is wrong about using a crutch?  It isn't like you will forget how to walk.  

[Double_AA]

Maybe I can't hit well enough to tell, but I can't really tell much of a difference. I use titleist ap2 irons, but I also have a couple of Ping game improvement irons. I hit the Pings worse IMO.

[rehmwa]

On 8/11/2019 at 6:53 PM, Piz said:

What is wrong about using a crutch?  It isn't like you will forget how to walk.  

Seriously, using the correct medical equipment to assist one in walking is just common sense.  One risks a fall injury by improvising with any random object like a broom handle or an over sized golfing iron.

Edited August 15, 2019 by rehmwa

[tinker]

No such thing as a bigger sweet spot.There is only one sweet spot on any club and they are all the same size( about the size of a dime). The bigger heads allow a little more contact on a bad swing ( it will still be a bad shot). Some golfers including me find big heads harder to square at impact. Most novice golfers swing to violently to square the face and hit the sweet spot. Just get a set of irons that look good to your eye at set up and practice smooth swinging with good contact. 

[Buckeyebowman]

On 8/11/2019 at 6:28 PM, iacas said:

To answer the title… yes. They are.

But so what?

Yep. But if you're a "crippled" golfer, maybe you need them? When I was learning to play golf, we played the game with irons, and woods, whose heads were absolutely tiny compared to today's equipment. Somehow, we learned to hit these clubs. Or, we didn't! Back then my eyesight, reflexes, and strength were far superior to what they are today. These days I need crutches!

[MarvChamp]

On 8/11/2019 at 5:32 PM, saevel25 said:

At a certain point super game improvement irons are a hinderance to the golfer. 

Maybe when I get to a 3.6 HCP...In the next life. Best, Marv 😎

[Lihu]

On 8/9/2019 at 8:50 PM, Quietus said:

I’m a typical weekend golfer and the highest I’ve ever scored is more than 30 shots over par. I play just to have fun and reaching bogey golf would already be amazing. I’m currently using a beginner Callaway Strata set I got 2 years ago but because one of the irons broke, I’m thinking of replacing the irons with another second hand set. A friend of mine is selling a King Cobra SSI Oversized iron set. From what I’ve read, they’re great for beginners with a huge sweet spot. That being said, these reviews are almost 10 years old and the clubs came out even before that. 

Two questions:

1. How big of a crutch are oversized irons? Will they make it impossible for me to eventually switch to normal irons in the future? I’ve read two opposing sides to the debate of using GIR/Oversized clubs so I wanted to post the question here.

2. How are these clubs in general? I’ve read that while they’re really old and don’t have the tech of newer more expensive irons, the gap in tech isn’t that huge of a deal for a beginner with an index as high as mine. These are the clubs: http://www.golfreview.com/product/golf-clubs/irons/cobra/ss-i-oversized.html

If it helps, use it! Most normal people will want you to score better unless they’re playing against you for $$ ... then they’d say anything to you to make you slip up like  “you’re cheating because those club swing themselves” or something literal and ridiculous 🤪

The last time I heard someone complain was at a driving range whereupon Karma came to bite the perpetrator and he shanked every other ball... kind of amusing to watch. 

 

[Buckeyebowman]

1 hour ago, tinker said:

No such thing as a bigger sweet spot.There is only one sweet spot on any club and they are all the same size( about the size of a dime). The bigger heads allow a little more contact on a bad swing ( it will still be a bad shot). Some golfers including me find big heads harder to square at impact. Most novice golfers swing to violently to square the face and hit the sweet spot. Just get a set of irons that look good to your eye at set up and practice smooth swinging with good contact. 

Actually, the "sweet spot" is much smaller than that. It's the true center of gravity, which is about the size of a pinhead! The GI clubs are designed by moving some of the mass of the clubhead away from the center. This is to resist twisting on off center hits, out toward the toe or toward the heel. Much like a putter with heel and toe weighting. 

When I got good at the game, 40+ years ago, it was all musclebacks! Tiny little irons with most of the mass concentrated right behind the area of the sweet spot. If you could learn to hit those irons in the middle of the face, Oh! would the ball go far! 

33 minutes ago, MarvChamp said:

Maybe when I get to a 3.6 HCP...In the next life. Best, Marv 😎

Yes! The question to be asked is "which" golfers might SGI clubs be a hindrance to? 

Edited August 16, 2019 by Buckeyebowman

[MarvChamp]

11 hours ago, Lihu said:

If it helps, use it! Most normal people will want you to score better unless they’re playing against you for $$

Yeah...I played like a rotten tomato at two VG Michigan courses last week with my Cleveland SGI irons. Probably going to return to my SGI Mizunos to score better. I hit them very well yesterday, including the Fli-Hi hybrid-irons.  May need to get them adjusted for a little more upright though B/C I like to stand a bit closer to the ball. Thanks to all for understanding that a Very Senior high GHIN golfer may need to get help in the form of SGI clubs as well as instruction. Best, -Marv

[RussUK]

21 hours ago, rehmwa said:

Seriously, using the correct medical equipment to assist one in walking is just common sense.  One risks a fall injury by improvising with any random object like a broom handle or an over sized golfing iron.

Anyway, an oversized golfing iron is much more of a walking stick than a crutch.

On a serious note, if someone came up with a club with the head the size of a dinner plate and it turned me into a golfing god i'd play it, even if i did look a complete bell-end using it.

[Buckeyebowman]

9 hours ago, RussUK said:

Anyway, an oversized golfing iron is much more of a walking stick than a crutch.

On a serious note, if someone came up with a club with the head the size of a dinner plate and it turned me into a golfing god i'd play it, even if i did look a complete bell-end using it.

Never heard the term "bell-end" before. What does it mean?

[JGus]

1 hour ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Never heard the term "bell-end" before. What does it mean?

Just another way (British way) to say looking stupid or foolish.