Which irons next for shot shaping?

[mike68]

You can see below that I currently am hitting the Callaway X-22 Irons. I am very happy with these and my handicap is coming down slowly. I have been able to hit a draw and to some extent a fade, but it is not consistent. In the coming months, I will want to move on to an intermediate iron. I have looked at the Mizuno MP 52's and 57's and the Callaway X-Forged Irons. Any suggestions on the next evolution of clubs?
Mike

[Sir Hack a-lot]

I would absolutely recomend the MP57's. They are a great club, however Mizuno is phasing them out very soon to my understanding. You can pick up great deals off of ebay for a set.

I play the MP57 3,4,5. Very soft feel, yet you can work the ball however you want! That being said, I was at the Frys open here in Scottsdale, AZ following Rocco Mediate. I was looking in Rocco's bag and he had a set of X-22's (Yes the cavity backs!). He had hit a poor tee-ball and found himself behind a bush on a dog leg left. He hit a beautiful draw right on the green (Of course) with the X-22...So I guess it can be done relatively easy with the X-22 as well =).

[mike68]

Thanks for the information on the MP 57's AND the X-22's. You probably noticed that "Rocco" is in my Avatar picture at a Callaway/Buick event a couple of years ago. I was watching that tournament yesterday and thought for a moment I saw someone with an X-22 in his hand. Then I thought, "No, they would not be hitting a cavity back". Live and learn

[Aaronsrix17]

Your ridiculous . You think that u need to knew irons every time you drop your handicap one stroke. Your saying that you need knew irons every year because the x22s are new for 09. Besides an 18 handicap should focus on hitting the ball straight before working the ball. I'm not gonna lie. As a 9 handicap I don't even need to work the ball that much but when I do my irons can. And o ya by the way there probably as people like you would probably say "too chunky".

[TinCupTampa]

Any iron can will work a ball in any direction you want... use what you have.

[TempoIsKey]

Any iron can will work a ball in any direction you want... use what you have.

True, it's the player, not the club. But, with that being said, if you're not happy with the X-22's, get something else. A big part of the game is confidence. If the 22's don't do it for you, move on. Don't let people on an internet forum tell you what to do.

[Golfaway]

52's or 57's.

[billysandy]

I agree with the post about you not needing new clubs everytime you drop a stroke. But i spose if you have your heart set on some new ones, i guess you should get the the x22 tours. or just ignore the marketing rubbish as new clubs being so much better and get the x20 tours or x18 tours.

[wedge player]

I agree with the post about you not needing new clubs everytime you drop a stroke. But i spose if you have your heart set on some new ones, i guess you should get the the x22 tours. or just ignore the marketing rubbish as new clubs being so much better and get the x20 tours or x18 tours.

im with billy on this one newer is not exactly better.i like the 07 cally x forged i will be getting some as soon as i can

[jamo]

I dont understand what people mean by shaping shots or workability. If your swing is straight relative to the target, but the face is 2* open, your ball flight will be 2* right no matter if you are hitting blades or SGI irons (the values are not real, just for an example).

Forgiveness means that if you dont hit the ball on the middle of the clubface, you dont have a lot of distance loss. It has nothing to do with the direction.

Now, i might not be right, but if you disagree, please give me a reason why dont just say (well cavity backs are more forgiving, so they arent as workable." Seriously, ive had huge cavity backs and tiny forged cavity backs, the "workability" is the same.

[iacas]

Now, i might not be right, but if you disagree, please give me a reason why dont just say (well cavity backs are more forgiving, so they arent as workable." Seriously, ive had huge cavity backs and tiny forged cavity backs, the "workability" is the same.

Simply put, it has more to do with the center of gravity than anything else. In a muscleback it tends to be higher and closer to the ball. In a cavity back, lower and furtehr from the clubface and ball.

Plus cavity backs tend to have more offset, thicker soles, etc. The differences are minor, but some people believe they can feel it. Others probably want to believe they can feel it. I know that workability in the height of a shot for me varies greatly from club to club. If I really want to work the height of a shot, I'll opt for a muscleback. I just reviewed the Ping i15s (well, I wrote it - I haven't published it yet) and they're an awfully tough club to knock down. Every shot wants to come off the face high in the air.

[jamo]

Simply put, it has more to do with the center of gravity than anything else. In a muscleback it tends to be higher and closer to the ball. In a cavity back, lower and furtehr from the clubface and ball.

Thats basically what i was trying to say (note: trying). CG definitely affects ball flight, thats non-disputable, but i dont think any one club adds more or less side-spin than another. Height is a different issue all together.

Sorry for this rant, ill let you guys get back to the original topic. I have the MP-57's and you really cont go wrong there. I will warn you they are very different from the x-22. Not necessarily better at shot shaping and less forgiveness, but sooooo much more feel.

[iacas]

Thats basically what i was trying to say (note: trying). CG definitely affects ball flight, thats non-disputable, but i dont think any one club adds more or less side-spin than another.

The numbers I've seen indicate otherwise. It's primarily about blade length, though, the sidespin issue. Perhaps a shorter blade is easier to manipulate. It's not really the core "if you strike it here from this angle at this speed and so on" discussion, but it leads to differences in workability from a player's perspective.

I've seen numbers from various equipment companies, but I also remember seeing something recently that specifically talked about blade length. Where was that...? I too will let this get back to the original topic (but, frankly, I thought this was it... ).

[Golfaway]

I just reviewed the Ping i15s (well, I wrote it - I haven't published it yet) and they're an awfully tough club to knock down. Every shot wants to come off the face high in the air.

Publish it. NOW!!

I just love those reviews, I wait for them. Best golf reviews on the internet!!

[Dragonsrock]

I recently changed from X20's to MP-52's. For me, the ball flight is definitely lower (I also went from Uniflex to DG S300 shafts), bu thte biggest thing I noticed is if you hit a poor shot u really know about it, the distance is cut significantly.

Regarding shaping the ball, I can play right to left with both sets and a lil left to right, I would not say its that much easier to control the ball (for me), but I am not that consistent.

BTW...don't feel bad for wanting new clubs and don't let some naysayer's put you off, I will be getting some more clubs next year, its not about performance, its not about getting better, I just want them and I figure if I can afford them, then I will buy them

I am all for keeping the economy moving and its noice to have new toys...go for it, the Mizuno's are great clubs, u will love them!

[rebby]

The numbers I've seen indicate otherwise. It's primarily about blade length, though, the sidespin issue. Perhaps a shorter blade is easier to manipulate. It's not really the core "if you strike it here from this angle at this speed and so on" discussion, but it leads to differences in workability from a player's perspective.

You're thinking of the recent Golf Digest article/video about "players irons". They really focused on the blade length as what really gives an iron "workability".

[leo3]

Buy whatever irons you like, the Mizunos and Callaways you are considering are all good clubs. Having said that, don't look for them to be the magic sticks to lower your handicap by "shaping your shots". At an 18.5 hcp, you most likely can't hit the ball straight on a consistent basis, let alone a reliable draw or fade. The X22's are a club that any level player can use, and will shape shots as much as your skill level allows, but if you've got the itch for new sticks, by all means, get them. Just keep the Callys around for a while, just in case....

[kfowler]

I have to tell you I'm really torn on this issue. Let me start by saying I do believe this totally personal preference. What works for one may not for another. I'm at the point right now where I'm considering some new irons. I currently play the Cleveland CG Golds. I'm really torn between going with something like a Mizuno MP-57/58 or dropping to a super game improvement iron like a Adams A4OS.

My iron play is ok. I actually tend to struggle more the shorter iron I use. I've hit MP-57 and MP-62. Liked them both but the dispersion was definitely greater.

When it comes down to it, here's what I'm really looking for out of my irons.
- Lower ball flight.
- Consistency
- I could really care less about shaping shots. I just want to get it on the green. So I want them to be easy to hit.
- Hybrids for 3-5 irons. It's what I'm hitting now and they're just too consistent to give up.

So for what I'm describing, I'm really considering dropping back to a super GI iron. If it helps my get more GIR, I could care less what they look like. My only concern is the higher flight generally associated with super GI irons. I think this can be solved with a good fitting though.