SGI Irons and Skills

[jdjanda]

Returning to golf after a long absence I am looking to replace my 10 plus year old CB irons that I do not hit well, (short with a low flight pattern). I've really be focusing on my game, swing, ball striking, etc.

My concern is that if I go the SGI route I will never learn to strike the ball well and my skill progression will stop. On the flip side I want to improve and break 90 on a consistent basis, with my current irons and frustration at times I may give up the ghost.

Thoughts, opinions, etc.

[whetstone]

Like you, I recently came back to golf. I replaced my 10 yr old set of irons with a new set of Cobra SZ's. The change is not as drastic as they make it out to be, they just seem to punish you a little less for a slight mis-hit. A thin shot will still be thin, thick will still be thick. The only real difference I notice is that I seem to be more consistant with the new irons, and I hit them longer than my old ones.

[clearwaterms]

A SGI club still requires you put a good swing on it.

Why make the game more difficult by playing with clubs that are designed for people with a consistent swing.

The best advice anybody can give to a player who is starting up or returning to the game then to take lessons from a professional they are comfortable with. You will probably find that lessons are a much more cost effective way to reduce your index, then say something such as a new set of irons.

[NativeTxn]

Go for some GI irons. You can still grow with them, but you won't be/feel as hindered in your progress as you might be with SGIs.

When I was looking at new irons a month or two ago, I hit just about all the GI irons I could find - TM R7s, Cally X-18R, X-20, X-22, Nike VR, Ping G5 and G10, Cleveland CG7, Adams, Cobra, Mizuno MX-200 and MX-100. . . you name it, and if it was available in one of the stores to hit, I hit it.

As you can see, I ended up deciding on the X-22s. So far, I have no complaints about them. Even when I hit a shot fat, the ball still goes where toward where I wanted it to go, just not as far. When I hit a "bad" shot, I can usually tell to a certain extent whether I hit it toward the toe or the heel. I am not at the point in my game where I can worry about working the ball, so I can't speak to their ability there, but from reading what others have said about them, you can work the ball if you want to/need to/are able to.

I liked the R7s and almost pulled the trigger on those. I wanted to like the CG7s because of the deal that Cleveland is offering, but they just never felt right for me.

Best idea would be to go hit as many as you can and see what you like the best.

[glebert]

I had SGI irons a few years ago (Adams GT3) and they gave me a quick improvement in my scores (finally broke 100) but then I flattened out very quickly and didn't improve. I picked up some old blades (Hogan Apex) and started really working on my swing mechanics. Now I am playing something in between and my scores have been slowly dropping (have broken 90 a few times). Maybe I would have gotten there with the SGI irons, but somehow I don't think so.