How to tell when you need new irons?

[PuttPutt]

How do you tell when you need new irons? At what point have your irons just been hit enough?

[James_Black]

How do you tell when you need new irons? At what point have your irons just been hit enough?

irons will last forever.

Honestly, you never really need new irons. You just want new irons. grips are the things you should change regularly.

[TourSpoon]

When is it time to get new irons?

When the 82 year old starter says he grew up playing your set...

When you do a search and you find them being sold on Ebay as "antiques"...

When the pro shop tells you that the OEM leather wrappings have been replaced with modern rubber grips...

Seriously, I had a set of irons that I played for 16 years and the only reason I replaced them was to be current. I have a friend that played late 80s Wilson Blades for the same time and you could see some wear but they were still playable. On a well seasoned set you may see some groove damage if you continually hit the same spot, but even then you can have them fixed. The point that they have been hit too much is usually when you are tired of looking at them. In some peoples cases that may occur quite often.

[JML22]

i have a buddy who is a 3 cap shooting TM burners... the old school bubble shaft ones

[double_j]

When your irons have names instead of numbers, it's time for a new set.

When you need to worry about getting your hickory shafts wet, it's time for a new set.

Or just let somebody else tell you - when your clubs show up on the Golf Digest Obsolete equipment list, it's time for a new set.

[assassin307]

I just bought a set of Ping ZING-2's. They are in great shape and play well. Only difference I ntice is the newer irons seem to hit a little further. I assume because of the degrees or material on newer club faces. either way, I guess you could say newer irons perhaps fly the ball a little further?

[assassin307]

I just bought a set of Ping ZING-2's. They are in great shape and play well. Only difference I notice is the newer irons seem to hit a little further. I assume because of the degrees or material on newer club faces. Either way, I guess you could say newer irons perhaps fly the ball a little further?

[double_j]

I forget where I read it, but I seem to remember something that said if you're playing with clubs that are more than 5 or 6 years old, you're probably sacrificing a bit of technology benefit. Whether that benefit actually helps you score better in a meaningful way is questionable, but still.

I can say that the long irons in my new AP2s are much better than the long irons in my old set (2006 - TaylorMade TP7 RAC) or my friend's 5 or 6 year old Titleist cavity backs. You can tell that the weighting is better, the ball pops a bit more off the face, and the clubs cut through heavy rough much better. As a whole, the newer clubs I've hit have been about 1/2 to 1 club longer than my old set (but much of that could have been in the shaft).

The only way to really tell if newer technology is really better than what you already have is to hit different clubs side by side.

Not iron related, but I also picked up 15 - 20 yards with my driver by switching from an old Titleist 983K to a Titleist 907D2.

[Leftygolfer]

I've bought new irons and regretted it. I realized my problem wasn't the clubs.... I am buying my old set back from my friend who I sold them too. I played better golf with them than I do now so I figured I'd get them and give it a try.

[darkhunter139]

When is it time to get new irons?

Haha I found this post pretty funny because I looked up the irons I am currently using on ebay and they were listed as vintage. (Just a beginner using them at a driving range but still) I ordered some new ones though :D

[rebby]

My old 695's are still in service and treating the new owner quite well...





I doubt that you're going to wear a set of irons out. Although, I was a little concerned about these 695's at one time. Turned out that I was just over thinking things.

[assassin307]

I've bought new irons and regretted it. I realized my problem wasn't the clubs.... I am buying my old set back from my friend who I sold them too. I played better golf with them than I do now so I figured I'd get them and give it a try.

hahaha I try to convince myself, and my wife, it's the club. We both know that's not the case, but It's hard to blame my score on my horrible swing. It's much easier to blame it on the clubs!

[Pensfan79]

hahaha I try to convince myself, and my wife, it's the club. We both know that's not the case, but It's hard to blame my score on my horrible swing. It's much easier to blame it on the clubs!

It has to be the club, and you

need to buy a new one(s). The more expensive the better, otherwise it wouldn't cost so much. On a serious note, the technology in clubs is constantly evolving. If you are new to the game, and playing clubs over 5 or 6 years old, it would benefit you to get a new set. The technology in the sets will help you get the ball up and have more fun golfing. Obviously lessons and practice have a far greater effect on performance, but for many of us with stuff to do during the week switching clubs should help a little. If money is not the issue, why wouldn't you want a set better suited for your game.

[sean_miller]

It has to be the club, and you

Irons are meant to hit a certain distance with controlled ball flight. There are plenty of fine older irons with a low centre of gravity, and even better if they have a quality steel shaft like a Brunswick or Dynamic Gold. There really haven't been any improevements to a standard iron set other than increased distance. So use a 5 iron instead of a 7 and no need to carry 5 wedges - win win.

[JML22]

most of the distance improvements have been delofting though.

[Dave40]

Get new irons if you feel like your current irons do not match your game or skill level. As you improve, you might trade the shovels in on a design you can work the ball. Or if you are having trouble making consistent contact, a "game improvement" design might help if you are using something different.

[Ruckus]

I have some Ping eye 2 (Plus no plus) that I bought used 2 months ago, and I find I am using them more than my i15 set. There is just something about using a well worn set of irons, even if you are not the one that wore them down. Unlike wedges, sharp grooves are not as important in the longer irons, so I would only replace them if you are not getting the results you used to and can rule out your swing as the problem.

[Dragonsrock]

I say replace whenever you feel like it, its so much cooler to suck with great new clubs :)