Upgrading from my X18R's to possibly X24 H's..good upgrade?

[ncologerojr]

First off, I've been lurking around this forum as a guest for a while now, great stuff!

I've been playing my Callaway X18R's for about 3 seasons now, and in my opinion they have served me very very well. I can not recommend a better set of irons for the price. However I have been putting in the practice time and my ball striking and overall play has progressed to the point that I feel it may be time for a new set of irons. I'm looking for a set of irons that I will be able to play for the next few years or so, and continue to progress with. Basically irons suited for a mid to low handicapper. My local Dicks has the Callaway X24H's currently for $599, and will give me $200 for trading in my very used X18R's. I think a new set of X24H's for $399 is a pretty good deal. Anyone have any input on the X24's? Are these more of a players club, or more of a game improvement iron?

Thx in advance for any advise/input.

[anotherday]

I play with x18r's (also for the last 3 seasons) and I'm looking to get some new clubs also.. My advice would be to widen your search. I tested multiple brands and I'm narrowing in on Mizuno and I NEVER even considered them before. On top of that, the Cleveland CG16's were my 2nd choice.. so I had very unexpected results.

Swing as many clubs as you can (on courses if possible) and just do some digging. Clubs are expensive.. but finding the right ones for you could change golf completely.

Also.. I considered trading in for the $200.. but I just felt like the clubs were still in good shape and could be handed down or used as a spare set for friends that wanted to consider playing. I just think they have more than $200 worth of use left in them.

Good luck!

[speterj]

I also have callaway x-18r irons. I have never hit the x-24 irons but by looking at them I dont think it would be much of an improvement over the x-18s. The x-24 looks like it has a bigger club head and more offset.(I believe the R in x-18r means reduced offest) I think the x-24s are geared more for distance and forgiveness. Its hard to find a good deal on players irons but I have hit the cleveland cg7 tours and they are amazing. I think they are going for $600. Otherwise I would look at last year models like the ping i10 or callaway x-20 tour or x-22 tour.

[glock35ipsc]

Ralph Maltby lists the X24's as an Ultra Game Improvement club at 857 points, while the X18 is also listed as an Ultra Game Improvement club, but at 1040 points!  Basically means the X18 will be more forgiving and easier to hit.

I agree with the others, go hit as many different makes and models as you can first.  Get fitted, find out the right length, lie, and shaft for your swing.  The X24's might look cool, but might also be the completely wrong club for you.  I ended up assembling a custom set myself 3i-GW for about $250, and promptly gave my fairly new X-22's to my brother!

Originally Posted by anotherday

Also.. I considered trading in for the $200.. but I just felt like the clubs were still in good shape and could be handed down or used as a spare set for friends that wanted to consider playing. I just think they have more than $200 worth of use left in them.

I agree here too.  Although that is a pretty good price for a trade-in (PGA trade-in value is only $99.66), and there are a couple set's on eBay that look nice for around that price range, but with no bids - $150 (4i-PW) and $220 (4i-PW, SW), I would keep them too.  Along with the reasons anotherday mentioned, if you end up not liking the new set, you still have your old faithfuls to put back in the bag.

[anotherday]

Honestly, when I started looking at new clubs I wanted to stick with Callaway too.. I wasn't considering any other club maker. I found that Callaway's just felt heavy. You might be really surprised with what you find when you shop around. Make notes of things you like. Light or heavy, strong lofts or standard, longer shafts or standard..

Originally Posted by speterj

I also have callaway x-18r irons.... (I believe the R in x-18r means reduced offest)

Its my understanding that the R just means "Re-issue" or something to that effect. If there was any change to the offset, Callaway would have listed the clubs separately on their Legacy Clubs (Archive) webpage, like they do with Tour irons or any others. A lot of people are saying it is Reduced Offset, but I'm going to lean with the Golfsmith manager and some other posters in the past that have commented on them. If I remember correctly... x18's came out in 2005ish, and the x18r's came out in 2008ish.. not to be too exact.. =).

And now you know..

[glock35ipsc]

^^^ Yep.  From many sources:

Callaway introduced the X-18R irons in the summer of 2009 to compete for the emerging under-$500 iron market. Callaway updated its 2005 X series irons to compete with its latest, the X-22s, and to take advantage of players trying to update their clubs without paying for brand-new, top-of-the-line technology. With all the forgiveness expected of an X series iron and with a reduced price ($400 retail, as of September 2009) the X-18R kept Callaway competitive during one of the hardest periods in golf sales.

[dbwood]

The X-18 has Callaway's traditional thru-bore hosel, the X-18R is a blind bore design.  Going with a blind bore allowed Callaway to reduce manufacturing costs, (it's faster on the assembly line).

I personally doubt that the X-24 is any "improvement' over the X-18, or X-18R, the X-18 is considered an excellent iron.  The only way to know for sure is to go hit one.

[speterj]

I guess you are right about the offset. I read on another forum about how rockbottomgolf.com had "reduced offset" in there description of the clubs and someone called about it and they said it was a mistake and that the R meant re-issue. I think thats why I thought that because thats where I got the clubs from.