Help with buying new irons

[welling10]

I have a set of B.H. BH5 irons and thinking of upgrading to the Razr X irons.  Been told the Hogans are a beginner club.  Shooting in the high 80s I like to think im past that stage.  Anyone one know much about the Hogans?  Should I get the Razr Xs?

[arogolf]

Hogan irons are solid. How do you strike them? Most imporant factor is getting fit for the correct lie angle, if they fit you well beat em into the dirt, then get fit for your next set.

[welling10]

I do think I hit them well.  i know nothing about being fit for clubs.  I bought them off the shelf at Golf town and just realized there stiff shaft when I know I need a regular shaft.  As for beating them into the ground there about 8 years old and some of the ferrals have broke off or have slide of the iron.

[arogolf]

Well, hogans are premium and because they are not made anymore carry some cache. They made some good irons. as you get better, you may find stiff flex offers some control. How far do you hit the 7 iron? You can always take some super glue or two part epoxy and re glue the ferrules in place. Its easy.

[welling10]

With my Ben Hogan BH5 it hit my 7 about 130.  My 5 is around 150.  I was trying the Razr X (callaway) and i was up around 155 with a 6 iron.

[sean_miller]

The BH5, if I'm not mistaken, is one of the worst irons ever to bear the Hogan sunburst. I might be thinking about another set, but based on the shape yours are in after only 8 years, I'd say go the upgrade.

[baseballfrk8998]

Originally Posted by welling10

With my Ben Hogan BH5 it hit my 7 about 130.  My 5 is around 150.  I was trying the Razr X (callaway) and i was up around 155 with a 6 iron.

Lofts are definitely a lot stronger these days.. New irons will serve you well distance wise..

[welling10]

Really?  There that bad?

[newtogolf]

BH-5's were released by Callaway in 2005 and one of the last sets with the Hogan name on it.  They are fully cast stainless steel irons which are very different from the famous Hogan forged irons.  They are considered very forgiving but came in two different offsets.  The steel used was considered soft and as a result they show more wear than other irons typically do.  The RAZR X are nice, but given their price I'd suggest you look at some others like Mizuno JPX-800, Titleist AP1, and Ping G15.

[welling10]

the pings, razr x and the mizunos are within 50 bucks of each other.  The AP1s are 200 more.  Would you say the Hogans are a "beginner club"

[newtogolf]

I never hit them, but Ralph Maltby rates them a 821 MPF (Maltby Playability Factor) which falls into his SGI (Super Game Improvement) category.  The RAZR X is a 605 which is considered a GI (Game Improvement) iron as is the JPX 800 with a 604 MPF.  The Ping G15 (844 MPF), and Titleist API (838 MPF) are rated as SGI.

I wouldn't consider the BH-5's beginner clubs any more than I would the G15's or AP1's which are used by Pro's.  I consider beginner clubs to be what Maltby calls Ultra Game Improvement like the Diablo Edges I use with a 968 MPF.

Quote:

the pings, razr x and the mizunos are within 50 bucks of each other.  The AP1s are 200 more.  Would you say the Hogans are a "beginner club"

[welling10]

I was looking at the Razr x #6 which is rated a "ultra game improving" rating 970.  what does it mean?

[newtogolf]

You're right, I was looking at the Razr X Forged.  Maltby describes MPF as "A method to determine the playability category an iron club fits into by measuring and quantifying certain mass and dimensional properties of the head itself. The clubheads center of gravity location is very important in the calculation. The clubheads moment of inertia is also used."

The higher the number the more forgiving and easier it should be to play, so UGI would be considered beginners level clubs.  Better players prefer SGI, GI, Conventional or Classic for more control and playability.  Given your handicap I'd think you'd want something from GI to SGI.  The Ping i15's are GI and should be around the same price as the G15's.   Ultimately you should go get fitted and try out a number of irons in your price range to make sure you get the best set for you.

Originally Posted by welling10

I was looking at the Razr x #6 which is rated a "ultra game improving" rating 970.  what does it mean?

[rustyredcab]

Demo the Mizuno JPX-800 Pro's. Forged. Not as forgiving as some Super Game Improvement clubs but more forgiving than many other Mizuno irons I tried. Check out threads and reviews on the Sandtrap.

Be careful of distance increases because of added shaft length and stronger lofts. As said before, today's 7-iron is yesterday's 6-iron. More distance with your 6-iron on one set vs. another does not make it better.

Get fitted for whatever you buy. Good fit with bad clubs is better than good clubs with a bad fit. Lie angle and length really matter. Shafts matter too.