High Handicapper Updating Irons

[TheGolfingDetective]

Hey all. I'm a high-handicapper who, from what lesson pros have told me, doesn't play to my potential. I've recently updated my driver, fairway wood, hybrid, wedges and putter, but my irons are Taylor Made Burner SuperSteel stiff steel shafts. I don't even remember how old they are. Now that I'm seriously into the game, I want to update my irons. I've hit the Taylor Made Burner irons, the Ping G10's and i10's, and want to test the Wilson Ci7's which got great reviews in Golf Magazine. I didn't think a player of my level could hit the i10's, but God, they felt great and looked great.

Any advice? I'm a thirty *cough cough* something H-cap who can bomb it off the tee and hits a 7-iron about 140 when well struck. I'm more concerned with a club that will grow with me as I hopefully progress.

Thanks in advance.

[The Golfing Polack]

There are so many "whats" before this question can begin to be answered. What kind of ball flight do you have? want? Hybrid set or full irons? Hitting a 7 iron 140 is not indicative of someone who "bombs" it off the tee. Super game improvements like the Adams A30s or Berthas might be up your alley. It's going to be a matter of hitting everything you can get your hands on and finding out which set is going to help you improve, but also be able to grow with you.

[TheGolfingDetective]

I tend to hit my long clubs very high, and have a great deal of confidence in them. Ball flight with them tends to be draws to hooks, and I make consistent contact until about my 6 iron. There, my flight leans towards low fades/slices, with weak contact. This may stem that I stand far from the ball and haven't learned to adjust to the shorter length irons. I really don't want to hit a Cleveland Hi-Bore type set, I feel very comfortable and get good results with my long irons now. It's 150 and in where my confidence goes down and my shots right and not far at all. It's definitely a swing issue, (specifically grip, I think) but that's for another thread another day. I'd like clubs that will grow with me, not clubs that I won't like when (and if) I get better.

[LeeFord]

i use the big berthas and I really like them. the faces are so ginormouos they are difficult to mishit too badly. very wide sole eases fatty punishment and they are soo beefy (heavy) that even the skuller balls go long time (bad for those 30 yard pitches!!)

in contrast i have CG 12 wedges and I feel I have to be MUCH more precise on striking the ball, but when I do hit it right..it feels so pure. i have a bad habit of hitting a bit too far behind and taking a huge divot (the size of a section of rolled lawn. Also the faces are much smaller and i have shanked some off the hosel of the shaft.

i dont know if it is the weight of the clubs, but i dont consider myself a big hitter, but my irons have normal distances, 8i = 150, 7i = 160, 6i = 170, ect.

[flyer]

There are alot of choices out there as far as irons go so you better go demo a bunch first and foremost. I am a mid handicapper (mainly due to poor driver performance) and I have demoed/played a bunch of irons on the market. I've owned titleist,tommy armor,wilson staff(ci6),cleveland ta7,and most recently cleveland gold. I saw you mention the ci7's which appear very similar to the ci6's I played last year. I found them to be ok and very long distance wise but lacked the feel I was used to in my cleveland ta7 irons. The reason they are so long is the strong lofts and longer than normal shafts. I am 6'-0 tall and I wound up getting them 1/4 under standard. As for the feel I spoke of, it was not the way the ball felt coming off the face but where the club was during the swing for me it lacked balance and weight making it difficult to time my release.
I would not recommend these to a high handicapper as there is very little offest and a limited sweet spot. They did however produce some good rounds,the ball comes off the face well and I had no problem making clean contact but they never felt quite right. The cleveland gold are pretty close to perfect for me excellent feel and balance, not as much offset as most,very clean at address,adequate distance ( I hit a smooth 9 from 140 yards). As for forgiveness, I hit a few hosel rockets and toe smacks and I didn't loose to much. The dampening pads work,feed back but no sting even in cold weather. The long irons are easy to hit and every club can be worked although they do tend to want to fly straight or a little left.

But you had still try before you buy.

[Akers]

Racs OSC would be great for a high handicapper like you, you can usualy pick up a good quality set off ebay pretty cheap.

[Klean]

Have you tried the 2007 Cobra FP irons? They are a steal at around $350 and are just as forgiving as most, but they can grow with you as you get better.

But the best advice would be to demo as many clubs as you can.

[Island Par]

Demo as many as you can to get what you're comfortable with. I got the Mizuno MX-900, IMPO very forgiving, the feel is great, you'll know when you hit it dead center or off center hits, plus they're forged clubs.

[wrx_junki]

I'm looking at similar irons as yourself since I'm fairly new to the game. I've tried Wilson Ci7's, Titleist AP1, Callaway X-20's, Mizuno MP-57, and Cobra S9. Try those and see what you like out of those as well. All of them felt pretty good but I preferred the AP1 and MP-57 for feel and looks. I believe MP-57 is for low handicappers but I hit them just fine.

[TheGolfingDetective]

I hit four 6-irons today at Golfsmith, and although I heard bad things about their associates, I had a gentleman who seemed very cool and steered me away from the higher priced sets.

I've got it narrowed down to Taylor Made RAC OS, Callaway X20's, Taylor Made Burners, and Cobra FP's, all with stiff steel shafts. For what the simulator is worth, the Burners went farthest, the RAC OS were the most forgiving, but the Cobra FP's were damned near a revelation. Great feel and confidence inspiring look at address: not huge but not small either. Well struck shots with those felt well struck. Good price too at 500.

Thanks for the suggestions and help.

[Machwon]

Ive read alot of good things about the FP's. Have a buddy that loves his as well. Is the 500$ set the 07's or 08's and fitted or not?

[TheGolfingDetective]

I believe they're the 08's and they're standard. The associate measured my floor to wrist and was curious if they felt short for me, but then saw my setup and believed I didn't need any alterations. 500 or 600 is about my ceiling anyway, as I've learned that, being married eight days, I no longer get to just buy whatever I want when I want, especially when we're house shopping.

[InTheTwenties]

Most golfers, hang on to their golfset longer then they stay married, so take your time.

GolfDetective, since you are in the yonkers/nyc araea, you migiht want to try The World Of Golf, down in nyc. The have a nice launch monitor setup, and they give you a break on the price. Golfsmitth is nice but they dont give any breaks. ALso, golfsmith promotionals, always exclude callaway, nike, titelst taylor made.

You should get fitted for lie angle. It take a little longer to get the clubs (5 day), but it is well worth it.