Maybe I need easier to hit irons?

[Chas]

Another hypothesis is that you were playing better because you were relaxed and having a great time on vacation.

IIWY I would test the hypothesis by taking an extended vaction (with your Mizunos, minimum 6 months, in Hawaii of course) and see what your handicap is at the end of that time. Then you need to take another 6-month golfing vacation, in Spain say, to see whether the effect is location-dependent.

If your HI doesn't budge, dump the Mizunos.

[Fat Slice]

*I* like the way this guy thinks. My wife, maybe not so much.

I have lots of misses with the MP57s...thin, sometimes, and fat others. I usually am OK as far as not hitting on the hosel or toe.

[colin007]

those MP57s are more forgiving than you think.

[Fat Slice]

those MP57s are more forgiving than you think.

Really? I think they're not forgiving enough for me, and that something like a JPX800 -- which is MORE forgiving -- might help.

[colin007]

Really? I think they're not forgiving enough for me, and that something like a JPX800 -- which is MORE forgiving -- might help.

what i mean is, people say theyre unforgiving like a 70s era blade. theyre really not. theres research out there also that shows that blades are more accurate than SGIs on off center hits, and that the SGIs go much farther off line.

[Stretch]

Really? I think they're not forgiving enough for me, and that something like a JPX800 -- which is MORE forgiving -- might help.

Hahaha. Just admit that you

want some shiny new JPXs and be done with it man. Anyone can play well with the MP-57s you have in your bag. Anyone can play well with the Clevelands I have in mine. But I want MP-53s too, so we'll probably both be switching soon! I like to think of it as doing my part to support the infrastructure of the game I love.

[Fat Slice]

Hahaha. Just admit that you

This, this here, I don't understand.

Either JPX800s are easier to hit than MP57s, or they aren't. And anyone can play well with MP-57s? Really? I have better things to do than to throw away $600+ on clubs that don't improve my game. @colin007 - I'd like to see that study about SGI clubs. My understanding is that they hit straighter and also give more distance on off-center hits.

[Stretch]

What do you want to hear? No club in the world is going to magically forgive a bad swing. On the other hand, you will play best with clubs that you believe you're going to hit well when you're stand over the ball. The role of confidence and the subconscious mind in golf can hardly be over estimated. All I'm saying is it's not your current iron set that is holding you back. And if cost/benefit is the primary criterion, I don't think there'll be much argument around here that $600 spent on lessons/range balls/practice rounds is likely to pay better dividends than $600 spent on the latest and greatest sticks.

[Fat Slice]

^ That's a load of baloney. Some clubs are easier to hit than others, otherwise everyone would be playing blades, which, if you notice, they aren't. If it were just condifence, people would get hypnotized and become great overnight.

There's no 'magic' involved. Some swings are more accurate at hitting the sweet spot consistently than others. For those who don't hit it that often, a club with a larger sweet spot (i.e. 'more forgiving') will allow for off-center hits to still produce a good shot.

Unless, that is, all clubs perform the same in that regard, from the bladiest blades to the fattest SGI clubs, and it's only 'condifence' that allows one to hit better. Are you really saying that?

[Mac62]

...And if cost/benefit is the primary criterion, I don't think there'll be much argument around here that $600 spent on lessons/range balls/practice rounds is likely to pay better dividends than $600 spent on the latest and greatest sticks.

As a guy who just spend a big wad on a new set of sticks, I agree with what you said 100%. There's no doubt that my game would have improved MUCH more if I had spent all that money on lessons and practice instead. My justification is simply that I wanted a set of quality clubs that were properly fitted to me (AND more forgiving) rather than continuing to play my old off-the-rack "knockoffs" that I've been hitting for over ten years. I'm still going to take some lessons and get in plenty of practice....now I just can't use the gear as an excuse any more!

Do I find the new clubs "easier" to hit? No, not at all. They don't magically attract my clubface to the ball or correct my swing - I still hit them fat, thin and everything in between, but that's not the clubs' fault. Do I find them to be more more forgiving of bad shots? Absolutely....I get significantly better results from off-center hits, but they still won't magically propel my ball 200 yards if I stuff the clubface 3 inches into the ground behind the ball!

[Stretch]

Unless, that is, all clubs perform the same in that regard, from the bladiest blades to the fattest SGI clubs, and it's only 'condifence' that allows one to hit better. Are you really saying that?

No, and you know it. Do what you like.

[CyclistOK]

I find my new clubs much easier to hit, and I beleive they helped me get to my current handicap in just the 5 months since I picked up golf again. I started again in july after not having played since HS (5 years), using the same clubs I had back then. The shafts weren't stiff enough and the clubs were old and nasty ;). I bought new clubs and my shots went alot further and straighter.

Unless it's a choice between playing and new clubs, which I assume it isn't (you wouldn't be buying clubs that were too expensive to allow you to play), I think new clubs can really improve your game.

[sean_miller]

^ That's a load of baloney. Some clubs are easier to hit than others, otherwise everyone would be playing blades, which, if you notice, they aren't. If it were just condifence, people would get hypnotized and become great overnight.

Why don't you do the standard multi-iron demo? Grab a 7-iron from each set (they'll probably try to hand you a 6-iron, since that used to be the transition iron from short to long, but I find a modern 7 is more like an older 6). Some irons will set up more naturally for you than others. This might translate to lower scores and it might not (my Ben Hogan Apex PC irons look great at address but I tend to score better with the old Titleists that never look like they're aimed properly), but it's a good place to start. Also make a note of your typical turf conditions. Hitting off mats, I can make any iron work, but outdoors in the typical tundra like conditions of our local courses, a very straight sole means you have to be a smidgen more precise. My current favourites (not using them indoors because I leave the bag there - don't want them to get lifted) have just enough extra curve to the sole and leading edge that they feel so much easier to hit than my older blades.

[Fat Slice]

Great, very helpful advice. I have 2 irons in Demo now - a Mizzy JPX800 and an Adams CB2. I am going to try some more this weekend. Your point is noted about mats - I am trying them out on grass ranges and on the course.

[colin007]

@colin007 - I'd like to see that study about SGI clubs. My understanding is that they hit straighter and also give more distance on off-center hits.

more distance, yes. straighter, no. in fact, more off line. heres one study. theres a better one with graphs that im still looking for. http://www.oobgolf.com/content/the+w..._Epiphany.html

[James_Black]

more distance, yes. straighter, no. in fact, more off line.

that's on dead center hits.

he said off-center hits the blade won't be that much off-line but you won't get as much distance as the GI club

[sean_miller]

that's on dead center hits.

I love playing blades and really like the way they feel around the green. You can play the ball off different parts of the face for a different response. Actually, you sort of have to do that. I've always felt more in control by playing chip shots and short pitches more toward the toe than the COG. I suspect a person playing cavity backs wouldn't have to do that since they don't get the same hot shots when hitting the exact COG that you get from "buttery soft" musclebacks. Basically, I think if a person struggles with distance control, perimeter weighting is the way to go.