What irons should I buy?

[FrankieO44]

I'm looking to buy a new set of irons. I've been playing for about 7 years now, my handicap is about 20. I am currently playing with Adams ovation 3. My distances are the following...

SW - 105

GW- 120

PW - 135

9 - 150

8 - 165

7 - 175

6 - 185

5 - 195

4 Hybrid - 220

[Jon Robert]

Hogan Apex Edge

Oversize for SS mishit allowance

Forged to bend the lie

Face lasts forever without wear through like Mizuno

Feel is sweet and pure

Wide sole for forgiveness  unlike my knife edge 1963 Hogan IPT irons. (Seriously like a knife)

Hollow pocket for pouring in lead (mine gets 2 ounces and silicone to hold in) and they still look good after

bet you are over swinging and don't need  new irons but tempo and smoothness of stroke training. SW at 105 is my cue. Not being overly critical just making an observation Handicap would then go  down

[darkhunter139]

There are a lot of good iron sets out there, its hard to recommend one set unless you give us more information about what kind of clubs you want.

Your best bet would probably be to just go try a bunch out and see what you like best.  Getting fit would probably be a good idea too.

[FrankieO44]

I feel like a wide sole is prohibitive to solid ball striking on tight fairways.and lies. What do you think? Also what distance do you think I should be hitting my ss?

[darkhunter139]

Originally Posted by FrankieO44

I feel like a wide sole is prohibitive to solid ball striking on tight fairways.and lies. What do you think? Also what distance do you think I should be hitting my ss?

Your SW? It entirely depends on the loft and your swing.  105 seems about right to me though, not sure what that other guy was talking about.

Have you tried hitting any of the newer sets yet?

[turbosdad]

is it possible to "rent" or borrow late model clubs to try out in the field?

[Jon Robert]

Originally Posted by FrankieO44

I feel like a wide sole is prohibitive to solid ball striking on tight fairways.and lies. What do you think? Also what distance do you think I should be hitting my ss?

Narrow may be fine if the ground is hard. Or for  wet sand then it is like hitting into wet concrete and hard to get the club to penetrate.  On the other hand wide can be adventagious for less than accurate ball strikes as it skips along the surface better.  Especially if the ground is wet.  My 1963 Hogan blades have a blade like leading edge, They are great for producing those divots that we hear we should  srtive to produce. On the oter hand they are not so hot if you don't strike with precision. Too low and divot will ack like a wave on the ball. Too high and a sliced ball may result. The modern balls are much tougher but I think I have sliced a few but not a gapping wound where the guts fall out. An old soft ball and the rubber bands may go boing.  As far as narrow vs wide goes  I think anyone who has not developed a dislike  of wide sole for some specific reason should use wide so it don't dig in and produce turf wave shots.

As far as SW distance. there really is no target to shoot for but some  numbers seem out of place.  I seem to be about 1 club longer than this chart (7I=150) and that would put my SW at 90 per the chart. I actually pace off 85 on a regular basis. This raises flags if someone is hitting a SW 105.  Not because they need to match a chart but from the accuracy and consistancey angle.

Here are nominal distances for each of the common irons when struck with a full swing by a reasonably proficient 40-year-old male golfer of average height into still wind. These loft angles were recorded in 2000. More more recent values, see the addendum at the bottom of this page.

4-Iron	170		9-Iron	120
5-Iron	160		Pitching Wedge	105
6-Iron	150		Gap Wedge	90
7-Iron	140		Sand Wedge	70
8-Iron	130		Lob Wedge	40

http://www.leaderboard.com/LOFTINFO.htm

[Jon Robert]

These are the ranges for the average hitters on the PGA Tour.

4-Iron	210-220		9-Iron	140-155
5-Iron	195-205		Pitching Wedge	130-135
6-Iron	180-190		Gap Wedge	(not used)
7-Iron	165-180		Sand Wedge	115-120
8-Iron	150-170		Lob Wedge	75-95

[Fore Left]

I'm assuming you're not hitting your current irons deadly straight..... because if you were,  I would keep them,  as distance doesn't seem to be your problem.