Looking to move up from x-20 irons

[hammer84]

I bought some x-20 last year. Great irons. They have helped me regain confidence and improves from a low 20 to a ~15 handicapper.

They are stiff flex graphite shafts and with the offset I get a higher than I like ball flight. I'm also looking for more feedback on off center hits so I can improve in that area.

I know I may struggle at first but I'm looking to improve in the long run !!

I bought an Srixon i-506 6 iron for 5 bucks to just try out a forged club. I really like the way I can feel that I missed the sweet spot.

My question is what next !!

Any suggestions some irons to test.

The 4 I have targeted at the upcoming demo day are:

AP1 and AP2 ==> not sure which one but I'm thinking the AP2
Mizuno MP-57
Callaway X-tours


Also what steel shaft is similar to a Stiff graphite ( 5.0, 5.5, S300, r300 ?? ), I'm looking for a starting point. I'll get fitted once I pick the clubs.

Some quick info

Current Handicap according to scorecard software 14.1
Driver speed ~95 mph

thanks
--Myke

[La Costa Golfer]

I think the difference in feel is because you were hitting your X20s in graphite. I am a big fan of forged clubs....but I would suggest you try hitting the X20s in steel to have a apple to apple comparison to other clubs.

[hammer84]

I thought about that but I still want to lose the offset in the clubs.

I'm looking to move away from a game improvement iron to more of a players iron.

[Serenity Now]

Don't do it. If you want ot make a change, get some rifle shafts (Proj X) in your X-20s. Many players like yourself (Me too once upon a time) had the desire to hit better clubs. For an 18 handicap, there is no better club than the X-20s. They are so easy to hit that tour guys have used them. I think that you would love them wiht steel shafts. Make a deal with yourself not to get new clubs until you reach a milestone with your handicap (Single Digit?).

I made the mistake of going to a forged club about 4 years ago against my pro's advise for many of the reasons you stated. It took me a year of going in reverse to where I said I wanted the easiest club to hit and ended up with the X-18s. I have lowered 7 strokes off my handicap in that time.

Players irons are for guys that are better ball strikers (Under 10). Don't put the cart before the horse. Practice hard wiht what you got until you really see some remarkable changes. You will be glad you did

[hammer84]

Good points again.

I went at lunch and hit some clubs. MP-57 and X-20 tours. I liked them both but need to get to a range with them before I do anything.

If I take your advice I think the only thing I would do different is get the X-20 tours with rifle shafts. That way I keep the forgiving head design but lose the offset. It would be like a half step up, or well a baby step.

I'm planning on keeping my X-20s either way. I rarely trade in equipment. I prefer to keep it until I'm sure I like what I bought.

[mutadayen]

What I did before I bought a set of players irons after moving up from game-improvement clubs (from Taylormade r7 Draw iron to my current) was that I settled on 4 iron sets after trying a slew of them out at Golfsmith (Mizuno MP-57, Titleist 755, TaylorMade rac TP/MB, and Nike Forged). What I did is found one club of each set used (its easy to find 6 irons that were demoed) after scouring all the golf stores and online sites and went out to hit each one with a bucket of balls and felt each one out. Here's I ranked them at the end:

1. TaylorMade rac TP/MB - tie
1. Mizuno MP-57 - tie
2. Titleist 755
3. Nike Forged

I really had a tough time between the TM and Mizuno's as I felt they were very equal in performance and feel. I purchased the TM's becuase I got them from $1000 to $500 because only the 6 iron was used as a demo. The 6 iron had a couple of nicks, but the rest of the clubs, nary a scratch.

I would advise you to do the same. I only have the Nike forged remaining because I gave away the other two to friends who were going through the same debate. I know where they're at and who has them incase someone decides to get stupid and tries to sell them, which ain't gonna happen. Hope my experience helps you in your decision...

[jamesbei]

You say you liked the mp-57's, have you tried the 60/67's as i feel they are just as forgiving however they feel just that little bit nicer

i wud definitley recommend steel shafts as imo they are more responsive,

if you want to stck with callaway, X20 tours?

when i bought my new irons last year i thought the best were

1. MP-60/67's (feel v.similar)
2.Nike CCi (forged ones)
3.x20 tours (like the project x shaft)

[williethekid]

graduated from x-20s to 67's, good move