What do "Game Improvement" irons actually Improve?

[pittpanther]

A follow-on to the earlier thread about "Are you Good Enough for your Irons?"...

What aspect of a beginner's (or intermediate's) game would we expect a "game improvement" iron to help with?

The reason I ask - As a relative newbie, I struggle with making consistent contact. Sometime I hit the ball well, other times I thin it and the ball barely leaves the ground. I very rarely hit it fat - huge divot, ball travels 10 yards.

I'm not sure how GI irons can help with bad contact.

Or perhaps it's the case that some of the shots I make that I call "good shots" would actually be terrible hits if I was using a Players iron?

[klaymon]

GI irons will have a wider sole to help prevent digging and to lower the center of gravity to help get the ball up in the air. They also help with off-center hits by not penalizing you as much distance-wise as a blade would.

[flopdarock]

GI equipment emphasizes forgiveability over workability... off center shots tend to go in the general direction the face is pointing... larger 'sweet spot'

[Shindig]

What aspect of a beginner's (or intermediate's) game would we expect a "game improvement" iron to help with?

The short answer is that they improve your misses. If it slices or hooks, it won't as much as it would have on a less-GI club. If you mis-hit and it goes straight, it won't lose as much distance as it would on a less-GI club.

[GaijinGolfer]

GI irons have feature such as larger sweet spots, perimiter weighting, offset and a lower center of gravity that allow you to have a not-so-perfect swing but still get pretty decent results.
The fact is that, no matter how good any of us THINK our ball striking is; about 95% of us should be playing GI irons.

[iacas]

GI irons have feature such as larger sweet spots.

The sweet spot is technically an incredibly small spot on any club regardless of how it's built.

Of course, what's commonly referred to as "the sweet spot" is "the area of the clubface that produces acceptable ball speed and feel (low vibration)." I'm not pointing that out to be critical of you, TitleistWI, but just because it bears mentioning to others. "Sweet spot" is marketing... the only true sweet spot is pretty much where the CG projects through the clubface (on a perpendicular axis).

The fact is that, no matter how good any of us THINK our ball striking is; about 95% of us should be playing GI irons.

Didn't you try telling others what they should or shouldn't be using in the other thread recently? If it wasn't you, it was someone. To anyone and everyone: don't do it. This isn't the topic.

Other things GI irons help with: a) wider soles help to get the club out of the ground b) larger clubface helps to inspire more confidence, reduce shanks with CG located farther from hosel c) offset (already mentioned, but worth repeating) d) some have slightly shorter shafts - or used to - so you could hit the ball better. With distance obsession that's gone by the wayside and some have longer shafts! The rest were mentioned, I think. Basically, they help to cover up your mistakes a little bit at the expense of feel and control.

[TyCobb]

Game Improvement irons don't improve anything. Sure they are good distance wise on off center hits but all that means is instead of my ball being 10 yards short of my target and in play, it's 20 yards to the right and out of bounds.

I play Tour Preferred Irons with a thin sole and top line, little offset, little forgiveness, etc. and my scores are dropping big time. Now if I don't hit it perfect, it's at least still in play...

[Prodigy]

GI irons are wide soled very forgiving and have a high launch angle

[RMD]

And let's not forget that they improve manufacturer & retailer profits.

[Prodigy]

And let's not forget that they improve manufacturer & retailer profits.

Lol......PING!!!!!!! selling cast irons for my whole lifes savings

[bIGwIRE]

A few of the disadvantages :

1:Generally worse out of the rough than a muscle back, some are better than others, though.
2:A shot that does hit right on the sweet spot will generally be better with a blade or muscle back.
3:They are harder to work the ball and play different shot shapes. Some GI irons are accually quite good in the workability catagory, but generally you can be more creative with a players style iron.
4:Muscle backs and true blades will ussually give you better feedback on off center hits.

[Eeryck]

Just an attempt to put it in laymans terms what has already been said:

GI or SGI irons:

1. Attempt to maximize the chance to get the ball up in the air.
2. Attempt to give the best chance of getting the ball moving online regardless of where you hit it on the face.
3. Attempt to keep the club from digging way into the ground on a fat hit and keep it moving toward the ball via a wide sole.

As an asided, I am always shocked at the price tag on the GI or SGI equipment compared to a nice set of blades or muscle backs. If I were buying new I would go with a $800-$900 dollar set of irons, instead of a $1100-$1400 dollar set of GI or SGI clubs. Then take the difference and find a good pro, practice routine and buckets at the range.

Regards,

-E

[tjy355]

And let's not forget that they improve manufacturer & retailer profits.

How so? Other than the obvious selling more clubs by bringing the game and making it more enjoyable to a wider range of people.

I like Ping's terminology - "Game Enjoyment clubs." And where are you folks getting these prices? Ping G10's in steel $700, SAME as all the other big OEM's main line GI clubs. (Callaway X22; Mizuno MX-200; Nike Victory Red; TM Burner XD; Titleist AP1; etc... The only way to go over $1000 is with the more exotic multi-material clubs with titanium inserts etc.

[pittpanther]

1. Attempt to maximize the chance to get the ball up in the air.
2. Attempt to give the best chance of getting the ball moving online regardless of where you hit it on the face.
3. Attempt to keep the club from digging way into the ground on a fat hit and keep it moving toward the ball via a wide sole.

Nice summary. Thanks to you, and everyone who contributed to this thread. Things are a lot clearer for me now.

btw, where are you seeing GI/SGI club sets for $1100-$1400? The Big Bertha irons are $499 at my local rip-off sporting goods store. I paid slightly under $400 on Ebay. (Yes, they are new, and not counterfeit. Fully-registered with Calloway.)

[thr33]

It seems like the general trend for most manufacturers is that they release one set of moderately priced GI irons, a ridiculously expensive set of Super GI irons, and teh players irons are priced somewhere in between. An example of this would be for Callaway the X-22 vs the FT-Ibrid set and for TM the r7 CGB max is the most expensive set of irons they make.

[pittpanther]

It seems like the general trend for most manufacturers is that they release one set of moderately priced GI irons, a ridiculously expensive set of Super GI irons, and teh players irons are priced somewhere in between. An example of this would be for Callaway the X-22 vs the FT-Ibrid set and for TM the r7 CGB max is the most expensive set of irons they make.

Wow, I haven't been paying attention! I looked up the FT-Ibrids - well into four-figure territory.

I'll stick with my Bertha's, thank you...