Cobra s9's vs Callaway Big Bertha IRONS

[bizunit]

Currently I have Wilson Fat Shaft Steel Irons from about 1998.
Im in the market for new irons.
I am a 16 handicap.
Driver swing speed 85-90mph.
I hit 7 Iron 155 yards.
I want graphite shaft.
I have trouble with 3, 4 irons getting them off the ground.

I tried the Cobra S9's and on the launch monitor got 10 yards more distance and greater swing speed then any other iron i tried. The big bertha's were a close number 2 and was set on them until I tried the Cobra's. I feel like the Callaway "name" is whats making this a hard choice. Should I go for the cobra's? Any opinions on people who use either of these irons?
Thanks!

[WUTiger]

With a 16 HDCP, and a 7-iron that carries 155 yds., why are you going with Big Bertha irons? Big Bertha is OK if you have trouble getting the ball up, but BB could be trouble in wind if you have decent ball height already.

Before you buy, at least hit the Callaway X22 irons. X22 sets normally come with 4 iron as longest club. At least check these out.

If you in general have trouble with 3 and 4 irons, consider hybrids as replacements. BB does have i-irons at the low end, which might help.

[NativeTxn]

At a 16 HC, I'd think you'd want to stay away from anything that would be considered truly Super GI, such as the Big Bertha.

As WUTiger mentioned, try out the X-22s. I love mine. But I'd also recommned trying the R7s, Mizuno MX-200s, and several others before you make a final decision. Hit as many as you can. It may be that you come back to the Cobras (or the BBs for that matter), but you may find something you like better.

In the end, I'm sure the BBs would suit you fine, but at your HC, I'd think you'd likely get more mileage from a GI set, as opposed to a Super GI set.

P.S. There is nothing wrong with Cobra's in my humble opinion (though I am by no means even close to an expert). I hit a couple different Cobra sets when I was looking for new irons a few months ago and liked them, but others just worked better for me.

One suggestion would be to spend a couple weeks (or more) hitting different models from different manufacturers and narrowing it down from there. Take 5 or 6 (or more) different models into the launch monitor with you, and narrow it down to 2 or 3. Then come back and hit those same 2 or 3 a different day to see if the results vary. Also, throw in some of the ones that you kind of liked, but maybe not as much as the others on prior occasions, because maybe you like them better the next time around. Reason being, you may be just grooving with one brand/model on a given day and think it's the greatest ever, and the more you're hitting the more fatigued you become so the ones you try toward the end aren't hitting as well. So, if you come back on a different day, you can see if it was from being tired, or the club just didn't work for you.

Plus, if you are liking the Cobra lines, in a couple of weeks, the Cobra S2s come out, and they look sweet (aesthetically at least)! Don't know how they hit of course, but it might be worth holding off until September to at least take a look at them.

One other thing to try to do is to take several different brands into the launch monitor with you, and then pull randomly (or as randomly as possible) and try NOT to see or figure out which brand or model it is - just start hitting it. Then see which feels best without having the name on the club consciously (or unconsciously) swaying your decision. I know that can be hard to do at time because some of them put the names on the grips, etc., but it's worth a try to avoid being tempted into choosing a club because of the name attached to it even if it isn't the one best suited for you.

My $0.02

[deafheaven]

I'm very happy with my S9's.

[bizunit]

Ok so maybe im misunderstanding what kind of clubs I should be looking at.
Theres super game improvments
Game improvments
players club

Maybe I should look more towards the game improvement clubs i guess.
Which should I look at?

[WUTiger]

bizunit,

In your last post, your said: Ok so maybe im misunderstanding what kind of clubs I should be looking at.

To understand the categories of clubs, check out

Ralph Maltby's club design website online. Look at his section on MPF (Maltby Playabililty Factor). In general terms, the higher the club model's MPF, the easier it is for the golfer to get the shot "into the air." The MPF scores are used to put the clubs into one of six categories. The categories range from Ultra Game Improvement (anybody can use them) down to Player Classic (only masochistic pros should use them). Maltby suggests that players focus on selecting clubs from the category that most matches their playing ability and needs. (Note: Ralph M. and Roger M. - from golf TV - are different people)