Titleist 690 CB for a high handicapper?

[beezer123]

I've been offered a set of pretty good condition Titleist 690 CB irons for £80, but I'm not sure if they will be worthwhile given that I'm relatively new to playing golf.

Are these clubs suitable for someone with a high handicap or am I better with something else?

I don't have too high a budget at the moment so anything I can get my hands on that isn't too expensive and would be good for improving my score is open to suggestion.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[bukifvr]

The Titleist 690 CB irons are nice clubs, but they are blade like irons, and more of a Players club.  What I mean is they are designed with an accomplished golfer in mind.  These clubs might be difficult for you play because they are not very forgiving.  Playing golf is challenging enough without you having to struggle with the clubs you have.  My recommendation is to find a set of used cavity back irons. Because of their design, they have more perimeter weighting making them easier to hit, get the ball airborne, and more forgiving on mishits.  All major manufacturers make cavity back irons.

[David in FL]

Originally Posted by bukifvr

The Titleist 690 CB irons are nice clubs, but they are blade like irons, and more of a Players club.  What I mean is they are designed with an accomplished golfer in mind.  These clubs might be difficult for you play because they are not very forgiving.  Playing golf is challenging enough without you having to struggle with the clubs you have.  My recommendation is to find a set of used cavity back irons. Because of their design, they have more perimeter weighting making them easier to hit, get the ball airborne, and more forgiving on mishits.  All major manufacturers make cavity back irons.

Sorry, the 690 CB's are nowhere near a blade.  They actually have a pretty good sized cavity and should work fairly well for a mid-handicapper.  They're a somewhat larger head than my 695's and a larger cavity, so they're said to have a bit more forgiveness as a result.  The larger head will likely give you a little more confidence standing over the shot too.  Even my 695's aren't really unforgiving though, so I don't think you'd have a real problem with the 690's.  I'd absolutely try to hit them before making any kind of commitment though.

[boogielicious]

There were two versions of this club, the 690CB and the 690.CB.  I've read reviews stating the 690.CB was a bit more forgiving.

http://www.titleist.com/previous-models/irons/default.aspx

[bukifvr]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

There were two versions of this club, the 690CB and the 690.CB.  I've read reviews stating the 690.CB was a bit more forgiving.

http://www.titleist.com/previous-models/irons/default.aspx

Well, I did not know that, I realized that they weren't muscle backs, but I did not think they were true cavity backs either.  Anyways 2 clubs with similar model names is pretty confusing.

[rowlf]

690 CB have cavity backed long and mid irons and the shorter irons are muscle back. It also has progressive offset. I used to have the bladed 690MB and strangely I find the MB easier to hit than the CB. The 690CB were not very forgiving clubs and although you are getting a pretty good deal , I would advise you to try before you buy to see if you like the look and feel.

[boogielicious]

Originally Posted by bukifvr

Well, I did not know that, I realized that they weren't muscle backs, but I did not think they were true cavity backs either.  Anyways 2 clubs with similar model names is pretty confusing.

They do look a bit different.  Note the curve of the middle of the cavity.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

There were two versions of this club, the 690CB and the 690.CB.  I've read reviews stating the 690.CB was a bit more forgiving.

http://www.titleist.com/previous-models/irons/default.aspx

Slightly OT I know, but this is something cool I noticed on that link.  The first set of irons shown - presumably the first set they ever made - started being made in 1970 under the name of "Finalist."  Apparently somebody either wised up, or somebody new was hired, in 1972 and said "hey, dummies, why are we happy with our players coming in second place?  Let's call these Titleist instead!"

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Slightly OT I know, but this is something cool I noticed on that link.  The first set of irons shown - presumably the first set they ever made - started being made in 1970 under the name of "Finalist."  Apparently somebody either wised up, or somebody new was hired, in 1972 and said "hey, dummies, why are we happy with our players coming in second place?  Let's call these Titleist instead

There is a Sergio joke in there somewhere...

[boogielicious]

Ernest,

You are Bad!  Take whatever meaning of "bad" you like best.

As for the site, I like to follow the evolution of the iron.  You can see they have tweaked the muscle back only a little over the 40 years.  The cavity backs have had a wide range of modifications. But they have settled on a fairly simple cavity back in the 710CB.  Then multi-material has taken another turn with the AP1 & 2 series.

I wish other sites had a similar archive.

[beezer123]

Little Update.

I stumbled across a set of Wilson Di-7 irons 3-SW in a local store in the second hand section (but they looked pristine) for £100, so ended up going for them. Hopefully they should help improve my game somewhat.

Thanks for the advice everyone.