How much have Irons changed in 16 years?

[NYJetsfan]

I currently have King Cobra oversized irons, circa 1993. I have a terrible time consistently hitting them. When I can connect, the ball goes high and far, but I just have an awful time being consistent with them. I just always feel that I'm fighting my irons to do what I want them to do. How much have irons changed in the last 16 years? Will a newer set be that much more forgiving, or do I just need to get a more consistent swing down?

[chriskzoo]

What you have (as advaced as they were at the time) is light years behind today's technology.

[uttexas]

If you haven't had a new set in 16 years, you should be fitted for new clubs. Over sixteen years, your swing has likely changed and the gooves in your short irons will have worn out.

Advancements over the last ten years (irons):
Groove volume maximization
Materials
Casting equipment
Improved perimeter weighting
Lower and further back center of gravity

[dmband8985]

depends what segment of irons you are looking at. for instance, players irons are pretty similar...improvements in materials and forging and use of computers have made them feel better ever so slightly. on the onther end of the spectrum, there is a whole new market of irons in the super game improvement segment...which include hybrid type irons that make the game simpler and enjoyable for the high handicapper who wants to spend an afternoon out of the house and on a course.

[EGS]

Hate to tell you, sounds like your swing is the problem. Perform this experiment: take painters tape and put it on your favorite iron and try and hit the same shot in the same spot twice (obviously hard to do). If you hit close to the same spot, and have drastically different results, then its the clubs. I have a feeling this is not the case. Usually clubs dont do what you want them to do because your swing will not allow them to. My guess is that if you are a 20 handicap, its not the clubs.

However, investing in a new set of clubs can help your problem. If you want to SOLVE the problem, fix your swing.

[WUTiger]

You might try a combination of the advice from uttexas and EGS. : lessons and fittings.

If you had a big drop in the number of rounds you played the last couple of years, you may have partially "lost" your swing.

Consider leading off with a lesson, practicing some to stabilize your swing, and then trying some new clubs. If you don't plan to play much, the old clubs with a redone swing might do the trick.

A combo of a lesson and computerized ball tracker will let you know what you have (clubs and swing), and what's out there in new clubs that might help.

But, advances in clubhead technology and expanding shaft options make "new" irons worth considering. There's a lot more variety in shafts now than there was in 1993.

It you get the ball too high, you may have shafts with a low kickpoint that causes your iron shots to balloon, especially into the wind. Low kickpoint was a default shaft for a lot of irons in the early 1990s (that's what I had in my 1994 irons I just replaced.).