Need new irons… but there are too many choices!!!

[gregmosu]

Just a little background: I am 6’ tall and about 180lbs. I tend to stand more upright when I swing and swing pretty hard. I currently have ping zings in my bag. They are hand me downs which are what I usually use.

The other day I forgot my clubs and used my cousin’s irons. He hits Callaway Diablo. It was a big difference in distance and feel!!!  I feel like I should maybe investigate getting a new set of irons to help improve my game.

Any suggestions?

[AnAvidGolfer]

all down to you the player. If they feel good use them but i recommend you try out a few different types before you make up your mind good luck!

[Shorty]

A bit like asking "I want a new car. Any suggestions?"

As a "4-7" marker , you would have some idea, wouldn't you? Do you need to ask complete strangers?

I suggest you eliminate the ones you don't like the look of at address, then demo a few sets that you like the look of and go from there.

[Hardballs]

Yup, try as many as ya can, I was set on the AP2's but after swinging about 6 different clubs on a fitting, I ended up with rocketbladez, most clubs have a slightly different feel and some are lots more forgiving than others, don't bother with reading reviews, it's just what's comfortable for you that counts!

[gregmosu]

I wish they didn't cost so much!  The problem is that I seem to hit brand new clubs really well... but is that because there's no pressure??? Funny how you can hit 300 yard drives down the middle of range but the fairway is too small to hit at the course.

I think I like blades when it's 6 iron and down, but from there up fat long irons are better for me. I just don't play enough golf these days that I feel good about pulling a 4 iron out of the bag that looks like a piece of aluminum foil on a stick. I chip around in the yard quite a bit these days and that's the only reason I'm any good. I don't go to the range much and I don't feel like I know where the ball's going anymore...  and that includes 7 irons from the 160 yard range. Are there any sets that are somewhat of a mixture? Short irons feel like blades but long irons are forgiving?

[gregmosu]

A bit like asking "I want a new car. Any suggestions?"

As a "4-7" marker , you would have some idea, wouldn't you? Do you need to ask complete strangers?

I suggest you eliminate the ones you don't like the look of at address, then demo a few sets that you like the look of and go from there.

this is true. I should go out and hit some instead of looking at them online.

[JCRuzanski]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Diablo irons were lofted 1 club higher than the Ping clubs... What are the condition difference between grips? Those two things seem to make a big impression... imo.

[saevel25]

Make a list of clubs you want to try, heck it might be all in the store. Go around and see which ones you like the best look-wise. You'd be shocked at how that can build confidence. Its the reason I play Cleveland Wedges, Titleist wedges always bothered me. For me, i don't like a too small of an iron, but i don't want a huge top line as well. So you can build your criteria. See which ones fit. Another thing to look at is, check out some of the shaft fitters online. True Tempers has one, KBS has an awesome one. Put in your numbers, and see what they throw out. It will give you a general idea of what shafts to look at, and you can check out to see if the golf clubs come with those shafts stock or do you need to order them custom.

From there, hit the clubs. See which ones you like the feel of. Which ones do you hit on target more. I find I like clubs with little offset, just lines up to my eye better.

Just things to consider, its a process, no doubt.

[Pretzel]

If you're looking for something more blade-esque in the short irons while more forgiving in the longer irons, a combo set might be something to look into. I know Titleist had the 735 CM's a while ago (not sure of a newer model) and Nike also has combo sets. With Mizuno irons you can use MP-64's or 69's in the short irons and 54's or 59's in the long irons to create a sort of combo set. Ping doesn't exactly have a combo set, but they have the S56's and are coming out with the S55's that resemble blades from address but have more forgiveness. I hit those myself and liked the shape of them and they were certainly more forgiving compared to a couple sets of "true" blades I've tried (mishit an MP-69 and you'll feel it in in your wrists for 15 minutes).

Here's a list of some irons you might want to give a look if you take a trip to a golf shop to test irons:

- Titleist AP2's (MB's in the short irons and CB's in the long irons, or the CB's in the short and standard AP2's in the long irons would work for what you want).

- Ping S56/S55 (Might get a good deal on the S56 if Ping puts them on sale when the S55 is released in November)

- Mizuno MP-series irons (54, 59, 64, and 69 are the newest editions ordered from most forgiving to least)

- Callaway X-Forged (heard good things about them, but never tried them myself)

- Taylormade Rocketbladez Tour (seen these around, seem to be more respectable than their name implies)

- Taylormade Tour Preferred CB irons (these seem to be another better player's iron version that they have for sale, haven't seen much of them though)

- Nike VR Pro Combo (This is a set with the blades in the short irons, then the cavity back in the longer ones)

- Cobra Amp Cell Pro (These are the Cobra blades,priced at $799 which is cheaper than most other brands)

If budget is a concern:

- Ping s56 might go on sale with the s55 release

- Cobra irons appeared to be the cheapest of the list

If customization is a concern:

- Mizuno has four different option to choose from that they will let you mix and match when you purchase your set

- Ping supposedly has good fitting

If a combo set is a must:

- Mizuno, Titleist, and Nike all sell combo sets in one way or another

- Ping and Taylormade do not sell combo sets, but their irons are more forgiving than blades throughout the set

If durability is an issue:

- Mizunos, though noted for feel, will ding easily

- The Taylormade and Ping irons are cast out of harder metals, meaning they will look pretty for longer

Overall, you really just need to go out and try all the irons you can get your hands on to see what works for you and what you like.

[Shaupeen]

Hit them.  A lot.

If it seems over-whelming (and it is) try this:

Go hit a few that are cast and then hit a few that are forged, to see what you like.

Then blind-test three or four of that iron type.  Any good shop will set you up on a sim with a few taped up demos and no hard sell.  Feel which one you like the best.  Check the numbers of the sim, but don't go on distance or launch angle or backspin alone.  Feel the one you like.  I've known fitters who don't even turn on the computer for the first half hour.  Feel a favorite.  Write the info down.  And then leave the shop.

A few days later, go hit again.  This time put that best iron against three other irons in another blind-test.

Do this a few more times.

Repeated elimination.

Eventually one set of irons will surface, like gold flakes in a pan.

Then sell your kidney and go buy those irons!

[Shaupeen]

BTW, a really good value for a forged iron is the Adams Idea Black CB3.  Check 'em out.

[GaijinGolfer]

Every brand makes really good options.  All you can really do is try out everything that you can and make the decision for yourself.  You could ask 10 golfers what clubs you should buy and you would likely get 10 answers, none of which are wrong answers.

[WUTiger]

Callaway X.Forged easy to hit, even for me. (I had disappointing results trying to get the ball airborne with earlier models of X.Forged.) I was pleasantly surprised at a recent demo day when the lastest X.Forged launched the ball nice and high when I hit them in a PXi 5.5 shaft. But, not as long as the X.Hot Pro, a cavity back with smaller head and not much offset. Definitely look at X.Hot Pro.

And don't forget Pretzel 's idea: check out the Ping S56s when they go on sale. Always good buys on prior-model S-irons at golf expos.

[Dave2512]

I bet it took a year before I finally pulled the trigger on new irons. I'd demo something and then sleep on it, read reviews, go back and have mixed feelings. I finally narrowed it down to the 588 because of the feature of being able to combine and customize a mixed set. Biggest problem for me was I always took a few irons from my previous set to compare and the numbers weren't different enough to justify it. It was only because my parents club had a set of 588 TT's rentals that I finally figured out what I couldn't see hitting balls off a mat, how forgiving the irons are compared to my previous irons.

[LBlack14]

Just put these in the bag and couldn't be happier.

[saevel25]

Lucky me, golf smith has Mizuno MP 59's on sale for 799.99. So tried those out, and go KBS tour X shafts in them. Things are just sweet. Seriously, best feeling clubs ever. I could tell, tried both callaway and taylormades, mizunos are just the best feeling clubs. If anybody hasn't tried KBS shafts, DO!!! You can tell the difference, they just feel better, they flight better.

Only problem, Golfsmith didn't have them in the system for custom buy. They called their representative for mizuno, and said that they should be able to custom order them if they are still advertised on Mizuno's website, which they are, with my KBS shafts there as a custom option. So, here's to hoping.

[Shorty]

Lucky me, golf smith has Mizuno MP 59's on sale for 799.99. So tried those out, and go KBS tour X shafts in them. Things are just sweet. Seriously, best feeling clubs ever. I could tell, tried both callaway and taylormades, mizunos are just the best feeling clubs. If anybody hasn't tried KBS shafts, DO!!! You can tell the difference, they just feel better, they flight better.

So how do you know when you're feeling the club or feeling the shaft? :-)

[saevel25]

So how do you know when you're feeling the club or feeling the shaft? :-)

Have the guy put the same shaft in two different clubs. That way you keeping a constant.

Taylormade RBladez Tour come with KBS tour shafts. So i can go, KBS tour in each club and say, ok this one feels better. You can tell between taylormade and mizuno, big difference. So i took things down that way. Then from there its finding a shaft that works.

Given golf shafts do matter, a softer tip will feel softer at impact. Golf club head also is a difference.