Callaway Wide sole fusions vs Cleveland HB3's vs Wilson Di9?

[stcjones]

Which of these 3 irons do you like best for a 45 y/o, 15 handicapper coming back from a shoulder injury!!!????  I have been cleared to resume playing.  MD thinks it is best if I tee up any shots that are in deep grass.....and try to choose a club that doesn't dig in much if any!!  I just found this site but think you all provide some great feedback and opinions from what I have been reading.......please help me out on this situation!  Thanks!!!

[Chris G]

I had a car accident 8 years ago which stopped me playing for a couple of years due to a damaged neck and shoulder.

When i eventually returned I purchased some of the Fusion widesoles just as they were brought out to the public,

after a few months I struggled to hit them at all, I gave them to my Father who is now 67 and has trouble playing due to illness.

He loves them says he has never been able to get the ball in the air so easily without really putting any power into his swing.

the only thing I find with Callaway and people are probably going to step up and shout at me now, is they have started to downgrade the shafts and metarials used over the last year or 2 and you are now paying for the name.

My apologies to people who dissagree but in the UK I find this is something of a common nature at this time with a lot of manufacturers.

i do find from talking to other players at the club they do rate cleveland and Wilson equipment.

Good luck with your choice :)

[stcjones]

Hey Chris......hope you are back playing now and without too much pain.  Out of curiosity when you did get back, and played with the Cally Fusions.....were you struggling to hit ANYTHING at that point and just gave up the clubs for that reason....or just gave them up because you couldn't hit that particular iron?  Reason I ask that, is that when I first started to swing again....it was not pretty.  You could have given me a club that had a face the size of the titanic, but very lightweight and I could have done nothing with it.  I am now starting to swing better and hit the clubs pretty well.  I have hit the fusion wide soles and liked them alot. Very forgiving and overall nice feel at impact.  Have also hit the HB3's a few times......they are pretty nice as far as forgiveness overall....distance was a little short I felt....but again, am just starting back.  I have heard that Callaway shafts are getting alot of criticism lately as far as quality and actually being at the flex range they are supposed to be,.....especially graphite of course....but that is not from experience, just from heresay.......thanks again for the replies!

[Mark5]

Of your 3 choices I have only tried the HB3's on grass and I chunk-ed most of my shots.

Was it the clubs or me?  (I had been doing Ok with an old set of Ping Zings which I sold to buy the HB3's)

To find out I went to the courses "junk" barrel and pulled out an assorted bunch of 6 irons .............and I could hit them all.   I did best with an ancient Wilson Sam Snead Blade. So much for super game improvement.

When I returned the HB3's I had the Wilson Sam Snead with me.  They adjusted the lies on a number of clubs/brands  to match the Wilson. I ended up buying Titlist AP1's.  The AP1's are Game Improvement but have good feel.  After playing them on grass a few times  - I have no regrets.

The HB3 shafts are longer then the AP1/Wilson (a bad combination with long arms and short legs)  but the most important thing is the lie angle. What used to be a standard loft and lie 20 years ago no longer is. That Wilson was standard for it's time and the AP1 needed to be bent 2 deg +  to match the Wilson.  (Every club I demoed needed adjusting)

Vibration:  The AP1's do sting on mishits, but the ball stays fairly straight. (With a distance loss as expected.)

I'm using the stock graphite "A" shaft and Precepts Lady IQ for balls (they match my weakened swing speed) and spin nicely.

My neck is ruptured in a few places, my shoulder muscles atrophied and I can at least Boggy most Par 3's. (Forget the 5's  - I no longer have any distance, but make up with it putting.)  I'm probably more busted up then anyone reading this and

The Moral of the Story: Get fitted with a lie board - FIRST!   and don't believe all the hype about super game improvement irons.

PS: With almost $600 invested in exchangeable (and non-refundable) clubs I had to buy something worth $600. (A set of those Wilson's can be had for under $50.)

[Chris G]

Hi,

i used them for around 3 months and at first thought they were great, maybe it is me but i found after time I was getting no better with them.

My neck and shoulder had healed at this point and I was swinging fully so I went back to my old Callaway Hawkeye's ( what a club! ).

The only time I get a problem now is when I carry, very rarely but it does happen and I get a pain down my neck and across my shoulder and the only thing I can put this down to is carrying. I do use a powakaddy sometimes to combat this :)

My dad is still using them, he says he will probably never change them as they have really helped him get the ball in the air.

I have never had a problem getting the ball in the air as I have always been able to strike the ball well, I hit a 6 Iron around 190y with a high flight so maybe the widesoles just was not right for me.

What I do know is this, after all these years from when they 1st came out my dad is still using them and has had  no problems with them so they must be good :)

Is there anyone near you who can check you out and maybe match and taylor the clubs for you ?

[Mr. Desmond]

I played the Callaway Fusions for some time -- the originals -- and did not think they dug. The later version of the Fusion was more "player-like" so I'd probably shop at callawaypreowned, which I think is having a 100% guarantee sale right now, and look at the original Fusions.

[stcjones]

Thanks alot for the detailed answer on this!.....and it is really relative to my situation in alot of ways because of the injury factor. Good luck with your game and hope you stay as healthy as possible!!!!

[stcjones]

Thanks Mr. Desmond........it seems from most reviews that I read that the wide sole fusions did not dig in much at all unless you really screwed up with your swing (which lord only knows I can do!).......What made you give them up/stop playing them?  How did you like the feel of them at impact?  Lastly, guessing that when you say "later model fusions"....you are referring to FTibrids (or something like that?)......those were pretty funky!!!!  thanks again for your great reply

[Mark5]

I find that while a wider sole may not dig in as easily, once it does your doomed.

A thinner sole stands a better chance of cutting through the turf.

I found myself chunking and topping due to weakened muscles.  I built them up swinging at dandelions and crab grass - no ball. The club can be an inch off the ground at first. Just take a few swings whenever possible, don't overdo it and let yourself heal. (Better 3 swings 10 times a day, then 30 swings at one go.)

Meanwhile practice putting and chipping.

PS: After a major injury a swing change may be required. I now use more of my body for inertia, and dance on my toes"kind of like" Sam Snead and Bobby Jones. While generating power through the hips and feet is bizarre and not recommended,  it is an alternative method of making contact with the ball.

Everybody is on there own here. One has to experiment and find what works with your "new"  body.

Because if you can't hit that ball there's no game.

[cleek]

I have used Cleveland HB3's for a year in senior flex graphite. They do suite a nipper rather than a divoter which gives less stress on the old body and they produce good loft and appear to have a draw bias. I guess your doctor may not be a golfer if he recommends teeing up anywhere other than on the teeing ground. If you follow his advice you score will increase dramatically !