Second set of irons [UK]

[wubskis]

Hi there, first proper post. I'm a UK resident, played golf recreationally from ~14-16, stopped because of education, and picked it up again. I've since gotten back into it, and I'm looking to completely replace the prefab set I originally started with (notably because I've quite outgrown them~).

I've browsed around this forum through similar threads, picked up a load of recommendations for similar inquiries relating to my budget, wrote down a couple names and off I went. Unfortunately, I'm either stymied by supply stores without the sets I went to enquire about, or I'm missing a major UK supplier that would provide these.

The top of the table (within my price bracket of ~
So, with nothing else at hand, I visited a nearby branch of American Golf and was directed towards this set of Wilson Deep Reds, around my price range and seemingly with complementary fitting.

Reviews online said they were a solid set of irons for the mid-high handicapper, but the sensible consumer in me decided to get opinions and such from other people before diving in headfirst. I hit some in the in-store bay into a net, felt real nice, but without a round/proper range test I can't be conclusive.

Long story short, does anyone have any alternate iron recommendations I could go out and test(specifically available from UK stockists, most US sites refuse to mail over here or the price difference is quashed by shipping), or any superior UK stockists?

Sorry for the mini-essay, by the way.

Edit for afterthought: Overseas stockists that ship to the UK would be great as well.

[glebert]

rockbottomgolf.com will ship to the UK, and I've never heard anything bad about them. Tons of nice looking irons in your price range.

[wubskis]

rockbottomgolf.com will ship to the UK

Wait, really? Seems I didn't do my homework properly, couldn't find anything about international shipping. Having another look, they list a general "set of irons" at 8Lb, which would be an extra $55 on top of the cost. I've seen a lot of deals which would work out cheaper than AG even with that $55 shipping charge.

This raises the issue of being able to test clubs. I would, of course, like to try out anything before I buy it, which would be made impossible unless I can cheekily pop into an American Golf nearby and try the irons there. The big concern if that plays out, and I did buy from rockbottom (and I'm a blank slate here, so bear with me) is getting fitted. Is it frowned upon to attend a course pro shop or similar place to get your fit only to end up purchasing your clubs elsewhere? Morally I'd feel bad about 'abusing' a free service only to leave with no repayment for their charity. I could even walk into an AG with my iron set they sell themselves and tell them I bought them recently and would like them fit properly. Heh. Regardless, this opens up a couple new opportunities. To keep the same budget, I'd be spending £170/~$300 minus shipping. Since I'm unable to access an AG store for testing for a little while, is there anything to put on the "to try" list that jumps out for you guys? Any replies and help is much obliged, trying to sift through amateur review sites is a flurry of all-caps hyperbole

[glebert]

The big concern if that plays out, and I did buy from rockbottom (and I'm a blank slate here, so bear with me) is getting fitted. Is it frowned upon to attend a course pro shop or similar place to get your fit only to end up purchasing your clubs elsewhere? Morally I'd feel bad about 'abusing' a free service only to leave with no repayment for their charity.

Many places here will charge $25 or $50 for a fitting and then credit that towards the purchase of clubs, so you can get a fitting for a small charge without buying the clubs there, don't know what it is like there.

[wubskis]

Yeah, I got a similar response from a friend over an IM.

Iron sets that interest me on there are the Adams A2's , the Wilson Di-7's , and, at a push, the TM r7's .

As mentioned before, it'll be a little while before I can get into an American Golf to test any out, so does anyone have any distinguishing opinions on pros or cons on these? I've read some reviews but would like some extra opinions if anyone would like to offer some!

edit: AG has the Di-7's and the r7's, but no A2's for testing. Would still appreciate any info~

[andef]

I have the same problem as I want to buy at set of AP2 irons from golfbuyitonline.co.uk
and they offer free custom fitting. The problem? I live in Norway so the only option is to spend 30 pounds for half an hour at a pro shop in my area to get the specs right and then buy them over there.
You might want to check that website out as they have very good prices.

[wubskis]

Well, I ended up going into AG to try out the Di-7's and after telling them I could get them for £180 elsewhere, they immediately slashed their price to £180, no questions asked. I was half angry at the fact that they're blatantly just adding ridiculous markup to their prices if they're so willing to cut it from the original £250, but that was quickly replaced with a smile after trying the set out. So, this concludes my search for iron replacements I guess. Next up is a hybrid!

[glebert]

Congratulations! I've heard nothing but good things about the Di7s.

[Kellfire]

wubskis, did you get the deal with American Golf? The Di7s plus a free Wilson Staff bag.

[wubskis]

As soon as I walked in, before I could even say "Hello, I rang ahead to ask about the Di-7's" one of the salesmen told me about a deal involving the Ci-7's, which came with a free bag. The package approached ~£350 which was well above what I was willing to spend, but he still wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise until he was done regailing me with information about it.

As far as I could tell in-store and from looking online, the deal only applies to the Ci-7's

[Kellfire]

As soon as I walked in, before I could even say "Hello, I rang ahead to ask about the Di-7's" one of the salesmen told me about a deal involving the Ci-7's, which came with a free bag. The package approached ~£350 which was well above what I was willing to spend, but he still wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise until he was done regailing me with information about it.

Ah, my mistake.

[Kellfire]

Yep, this month's Today's Golfer magazine says it's Di7s but the AG website says Ci7. D'oh!

[wubskis]

Shameless self-bump I know, but today was the first time I got a proper trial from the Di-7's I bought.

"Holy crap" is an understatement. I was hitting at least 2 clubs 'up' on my previous set, a lot straighter and a lot more often. It's safe to say I won't be replacing these any time soon

[Kellfire]

My brother got the Di9s recently, to replace his ancient John Letters blades. He's a solid 28 handicap like myself and to say they improved him is a massive understatement. He's at least two clubs longer and a lot straighter. He just needs to learn not to try and crush every shot!