Changing out equipment

[PuttPutt]

A tough one but acceptable (I love trying out new irons). I think I need to be honest with myself and admit that changing irons has harmed my game more than helped it. I don't do well with blades nor do I do well with extreme cavity backs. I'll probably just get another set of Ping Eye 2 irons 3-SW on Ebay and say "enough". Irons seem to have no impact on my score. What you think?

[golfro]

  PuttPutt said:

A tough one but acceptable (I love trying out new irons). I think I need to be honest with myself and admit that changing irons has harmed my game more than helped it. I don't do well with blades nor do I do well with extreme cavity backs. I'll probably just get another set of Ping Eye 2 irons 3-SW on Ebay and say "enough". Irons seem to have no impact on my score. What you think?

I'll go as far as to say between all the modern equipment out there, one isn't going to have an impact on your score over another.

"its the indian, not the arrow" comes to mind.

[enis750]

i change gear all the time
i dont think its affects me too bad
maybe one round to get the irons dialed in, a range session or two and im good

[justinp]

I just went through the demo process with irons. I hit the following demos on a simulator: Titleist AP1, TM Burner, TM R9, Callaway X-24, Ping G15, Ping G10, Ping I15, Nike VR Full Cav, Nike VR Split Cav, Nike VR Forged Blade. I think I could play with any of these, but to say there is no difference would be silly. One of the biggest thing I noticed was the difference in clubhead speed I was generating. There was a 5-6 mph spread between the highest and lowest, which made a decent difference in the carry distance. Feel is also a big thing. Some just felt better than others. Honestly, the X-24 and Burner irons felt clunky and heavy. These were at the top of my list going in, and I'm glad I tried before I bought. The Nike VR irons were the ones I kept coming back to followed closely by the Ping irons. I ended up getting the VR Full Cavity for the added forgiveness (and they are far less expensive than their forged siblings). I didn't like the feel of the VR Split Cavity for some reason. The VR Blades felt sweet but as you would expect from a blade, unforgiving when you make a less than perfect swing. It was funny because the first swing I made with the blade (6-iron) I hit it dead straight with more carry distance than any other demo I hit on the simulator. But after a few more swings I realized that I'm not good enough to play those consistently week in and week out. The forgiveness of the Full Cavity is nice to have when your swing just isn't quit on it.

[WUTiger]

  justinp said:

I just went through the demo process with irons. ... I think I could play with any of these, but to say there is no difference would be silly. One of the biggest thing I noticed was the difference in clubhead speed I was generating. ..

PuttPutt, Determine how much you can spend for clubs, and decide from there. Justin and I feel the same way: Lots of good irons out there, but some just feel better, look better, perform better. Look at the recipe for the different irons, and try those that match what you want. Ping Eye-2 was SGI, with MPF = 724. Shafts make a difference (flex, kickpoint). If you're going to spend the money, get something you like and that fits your game. Also, take a look at pre-2010 technology. The companies are cutting prices on these to make room for the fancy new stuff. If 2008 gear fits what you need, buy it and go for the flag! Also, look for slightly used sets that a rich guy bought, played for three months, and traded back in. Golf shops need to rotate out the trade-ins to get their $$ back. That's how I got my X20s.

[Meddle]

  golfro said:

I'll go as far as to say between all the modern equipment out there, one isn't going to have an impact on your score over another.

I agree with you to some degree. I personally would draw the line at blades, I'm sure if I used blades my score would suffer unless I was having a great ball striking day. However, I've picked up and used a bunch of different sets of irons and scored similarly with each one.

[golfro]

  Meddle said:

I agree with you to some degree. I personally would draw the line at blades, I'm sure if I used blades my score would suffer unless I was having a great ball striking day. However, I've picked up and used a bunch of different sets of irons and scored similarly with each one.

Yeah i should've been more specific. What I meant to say was between modern equipment within your playing level, there won't be a huge difference. Mizuno blades vs Titleist blades won't give you an impact in your score. Though it goes without saying, your score may vary while you adjust to new clubs but the overall performance of irons within your skill level won't make a huge difference. Likewise, one SGI iron over another won't show a big beneficial difference.