Replacing irons any thoughts?

[Goatster]

hi all i gonna get some new irons this spring and i have been lookin at 4 diffrent sets. wonderin if anyone has used them and has any feed back. callaway x18,callaway ,big bertha 05,taylormade rac os or ht,ping g2.

A little info about my game.

i dont have a usga handicap but on avg. im a bogey golfer maybe a little better.although like anybody i have my days when it all goes right and can shoot par or a couple over.i hit the ball higher than most but distance is not a problem.i hit a good 7 iron or a hard 8 150.normaly i go with the 7 unless im in a groove that day.
im a bigger guy about 5`11 or 6` and about 275.have been playing about 7 yrs.money wise i know most of the clubs ive mentioned run between $500 to $800 depending where i get them.
the set i have now are ram forula x titanium haeds that i bought about 7 years ago.although i replaced the graphite shafts with dynamic gold stiff steel shafts.the club builder that did it had played with me a few times and suggested that i use stiff shafts instead of reg. because of my size and swing speed.as far as the pings go and custom fitting i would have to look at there site and see if there are any dealers near me.i live in northern ny.
almost forgot prob. something that might help the most my iron shots are nomaly straight or have a minor draw.except long irons wich have graphite shatfs they tend to fade.hope some of this can help make an educated guess.any advice is appreiciated.i know its impossible to recommend something without seeing my swing.just hoping for some helpful insight.
thank you for all your help everybody

[gas_can]

hi all i gonna get some new irons this spring and i have been lookin at 4 diffrent sets. wonderin if anyone has used them and has any feed back. callaway x18,callaway ,big bertha 05,taylormade rac os or ht,ping g2.

You sound like you're really serious about golf. Do you really want to get better and improve your ball striking? Or are you pretty happy with where you are now? Most of the clubs you list are game-improvement irons. They've got large cavities in thema nd are going to be very forgiving on mishits. What it really boils down to is personal preference, it's vital that you try as many clubs as you can to see what you like and don't like. The clubs you list are all high quality and you really can't go wrong with any of the sets. However, I wouldn't reccomend the RAC OS, they're not worthwhile as long as you can make consitent contact. I'd compare both the RAC HT and LT. The problem I see with these clubs is you're really not going to be improving your ball striking with them. They don't offer much feedback, they're too large to be really workable and you're kind of limited in terms of their playability. I'd really reccomend considering a set of forged players clubs, either musclebacks or 1/2 cavities. For about a month you're going to want to break them and quit playing, but eventually you'll learn just what perfect contact means and it'll help you groove a great swing. They provide feedback on off center hits and will help you learn how to work the ball both ways. You also have more choices with these clubs, Titleist 690CB or 690MB, Mizuno MP-32 or MX-23, Hogan Apex FXT, Nike Pro Combo (which is about to be reintroduced), Bridgestone Combo set, Ping's S59. I'd also strongly reccomend getting this set of clubs used on eBay or at a second hand store because you'll likely save $200-300 and there's not much you can do to damage a golf club. Hope that helps.

[Goatster]

thanks for your imput.never really thought about going with forged irons.always assumed they were for scratch golfers and pros because they have to be hit so precise everytime.but it is worth looking into.
thanks for your comments and i will take this into considertion before i buy new ones.
know that i think about it i actually have an old set of blades that was my first set of clubs i bought for $20 from a friend.maybe i should dig them out again
and see how they feel.not that i would use them but to see if i can hit them.

[gas_can]

never really thought about going with forged irons.always assumed they were for scratch golfers and pros because they have to be hit so precise everytime.but it is worth looking into.

If you start playing with them, you will be scratch in no time.

New forged irons are much more forgiving these days, so I don't think the old misconception that only scratch players can hit them applies any more. Yes, you'll be able to feel the difference on off center hits, but new irons won't cost you near as much distance or accuracy as the older ones.

[Goatster]

now that would be a miracle.shaving 12 to 18 stroke for 18 holes by buying new irons.but if i feel comfortable with them ill give them a try cant hurt my game that much.i have the golf digest with all the new equipment in it will have to check out the players clubs they have listed.

[flap]

Goatster;If i may add my 2 cents.If yor getting a little older the clubs you mentioned are the way to go.I'm 53 and dont have the swing speed that I used to and realize that it will continue to decrease with age so game improvement irons are a good thing.Remember its not how its how many.

[Goatster]

thats why i poasted the ? so i could get everybodys 2 cents.although at 37 i wouldnt consider myself as gettin older for a couple more yrs atleast.yes and how many is the big key your right.thanks for the advice.

[Goatster]

well the witch hunt is over thanks for advice all. i went out to Dick`s sunday mornin and hit TM LT2,TM HT,Callaway BB,and Callaway X18`s.


AND THE WINNER IS



Callaway X18`s

[iacas]

So you don't find it annoying that the topline is about an inch thick?

[flap]

Hey goatster after playing a few rounds give us a good review cause I'm thinking of HOing me set also.Just seems strange every store in america has them for 699.00 none higher or lower.

[Goatster]

actually iacas i didnt even notice the top line because its the first time ive swung a club since september.was more cocentrating on making good contact and not embarassing myself.
i hit 4 diff. clubs all 9 irons Callaway BB ,X-18,TM RAC HT,TM RAC LT2.the callaways where deffinatly the best feeling.so it was a toss up between the x-18 and the bb.so the x-18 won out with the looks.

flap in about a month i hope to play and ill let you know how they work out.

[djhgolf]

I beleve you guys are so good with your equipment review and recommendations.

Keep up the great work you certainly have helped me alot. Hey iacas whats your thoughts on that 503 you bought has it replaced your two iron??

[iacas]

Keep up the great work you certainly have helped me alot. Hey iacas whats your thoughts on that 503 you bought has it replaced your two iron??

Funny

you should ask .

[Goatster]

flap i found a few sites on the net were you can get them for 635 and free shipping and no tax.

[flap]

Goatster;Bought them last Thursday from the Golfsmith store ordered them 1 degree flat and got the sandwedge to match.Will be here by Friday I hope but we got 5 inches of damn snow last night so I just might be putting them under my pillow!!!

[Goatster]

i thought i would have mine by now but they never ordered them so now im gonna order them off the net.but its prob a good thing still got a week or 2 before i can hit them so if i order by this weekend should have them in time to be here a couple days before i can whack a few.

[Golf Grouch]

actually iacas i didnt even notice the top line because its the first time ive swung a club since september.was more cocentrating on making good contact and not embarassing myself.

It's probably too late, but I don't recommend Callaway shovels to anybody.

I'm a self-taught golfer who learned the game using my grandfather's old Hogan Blades. When I had become a decent golfer(14-handicap), I decided that I deserved a new set of irons. I tried almost every major iron model at the time and settled on the irons that I hit the most solidly and the farthest: Big Bertha irons. At first I was crushing the ball and I thought that I owned the irons of my dreams. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm soon evaporated as I progressively developed a slight push-fade. Long story short, I now realize that those "forgiving" irons were ruining my golf swing. The extremely thick top-line and super offset of the Berthas started to reek havoc on my setup and alignment. This in turn affected my take-away, backswing, etc. My swing was a mess and my handicap ballooned to about an 18. It took me several years to realize the error of my ways, and now I'm back to playing forged blades. Appearance at setup has eliminated my alignment problems. And with blades, I instantly feel the difference between a good shot and a bad one. The good shots feel super sweet, while the bad ones punish. This feedback has allowed me to fix many of the swing flaws that I had developed under the Callaway years. I honestly feel that buying those shovels were the worst golf-related decision that I have ever made. But that's just me. Lots of players are fine with them. Good luck.

[iacas]

We will probably be reviewing some X-Tours soon. You know, those forged irons from Callaway?