New Irons...... Which way to go?

[Jayrad]

Hi all - I'm 18mths with the golf bug and am keen to upgrade to some more serious clubs starting with irons. Would prefer not to kill the wallet but have some coin to spend if its really worth it. I hit around 90 average but feel I'm rapidly improving ball striking. Am using Taylormade burner 2 clones (Gigagolf) and want my next clubs to have some forgiveness still but to be able to take me well in to the mid to low category over the next few years. So three options I'm considering.... 1. Get fit where I get lessons and buy clubs there..... They stock Callaway, titelist and TM. Have feeling spend will be $1k plus as they recommend custom shafts etc. hr fitting cost $100 if no purchase made. Have tried these brands and all pretty good..... Nothing blew me away 2. Tried Mizzy JPX EZ forged and loved them. $1000 fitted at local golf store.... 10 min fitting process from all accounts so nothing in depth. 3. Could get a decent fit at different place for $60.... Take specs and order adams CB3 forged for $525 at online store. Adams similar to jpx - forged with GI qualities. So will the jpx be $400 better than the CB3s? Will specs from a good fitting be transferable to any manufacturer? Should I get fit where I get taught and open my wallet for whatever clubs are recommended? Thanks in advance!

[guiseppe]

Get fitted, take the specs home and buy a set of 3 year old used clubs on-line.   There simply is not enough change in club development in the last few years to make a difference in your game. You can get excellent clubs from the name brand of your liking at half the price.

[JCRuzanski]

I picked up a fitted set from Gigagolf.com and couldn't be happier... I recommend them to everyone I know who is just starting out.

[JCRuzanski]

Hireko golf still has some Acer clubs that were on Golf Digests hot list a few years back.

[Jeremie Boop]

Actually, there is no reason to change your clubs for the sole purpose of scoring better. If you are wanting to change the ball flight, spin numbers,etc that would be a reason to change your clubs or shafts *assuming it's not a swing flaw causing the issues*. I use the burner plus irons myself and have thought about changing to another club but only because of the ball flight and the "cranked/strong" lofts on them.

[PirateJim]

Howdy.  I've currently got the hot's for some new irons and have been doing a good bit of research as well as soul searching on the subject.

I'm currently playing Ping G20s that have helped me cut my handicap roughly in half.  My ball striking is much better than it was when I bought 'em.  But I'm still an 80s shooter and the soul searching has forced me to admit that my ball striking isn't so great that I need anything much less forgiving than my G20s, though I would like some clubs with a narrower sole and somewhat lower trajectory on the shorter irons.

I'm personally very drawn to the new Titleist irons, and would love a set of AP2s.  Jason Duffner was really throwing some darts with those.  But, well, I'm no Jason Duffner when it comes to ball striking, so I'm taking a more realistic approach and contemplating AP1s, though they're not as sexy.  I likely wouldn't consider a change at all if I had Ping G25s, and it isn't outside the realm of possibility that I'll end up with a set of those either.

My point is, don't go out and spend a bunch of money on clubs that may make golf HARDER for you.  I play pretty regularly with guys sporting "players" irons.  None of them tease me about my G20s.  Of course, I'm often on the green before 'em.  I'd suggest lowering your sights to some good quality "game improvement" clubs and get a proper fitting.  Nothing wrong with buying some used clubs IF you get the right shaft flex for your swing and have someone competent to adjust the lie angles.

[saevel25]

Actually, there is no reason to change your clubs for the sole purpose of scoring better. If you are wanting to change the ball flight, spin numbers,etc that would be a reason to change your clubs or shafts *assuming it's not a swing flaw causing the issues*. I use the burner plus irons myself and have thought about changing to another club but only because the ball flight and the "cranked" lofts on them.

Agreed, change if you like your current swing and you don't like the ball flight. If you are ok with your swing and suffer some forgiveness issues with the irons, go for more a game improvement. My dad has been adding more and more hybrids to his game to replace his long irons, and its help revitalize his game. Do what ever gives you an advantage. I recently bough custom set of MP 59s, they are not the most forgiving club, but i love the ball flight, and I can hit the irons high low, left and right, so it fits what I want to do now. In 5 years i might change my mind.

Though i will say that most places will charge you 50 or so dollars for a good fitting, but they wave the fitting cost if you buy the clubs that day.

[WUTiger]

... So three options I'm considering....

1. Get fit where I get lessons and buy clubs there..... They stock Callaway, titelist and TM. Have feeling spend will be $1k plus as they recommend custom shafts etc. hr fitting cost $100 if no purchase made. Have tried these brands and all pretty good..... Nothing blew me away

If you've had good luck with this shop's lessons, consider using them to fit you for new(er) clubs.

If this shop sells a lot of clubs, chances are they have recent used sets which might fit your specs. If a used set is close to your fit requirements but not exact, a good shop could tweak them a little to get them there. Shops want to turn abound the trade-ins quickly to get their $$ back.

If you have a good relationship with the shop's reps, ask them to help you find clubs. And, top-line used irons should cost a lot less than $1K.

[Jayrad]

Thanks all for the advice. Good call on the secondhand set..... The Gigagolf irons have done me good to now but I guess I'm intrigued as to what the next level of clubs can do to my game. My swing is looking good so am really chasing feel in a new set but without the loss of forgiveness which is why the forged adams and mizuno's are appealing to me. I will have the fitting session with my teacher... Fork out the $100 and see what he says. If his recommendation is too costly I will take the specs elsewhere..... I've noticed some US ebayers selling almost new jpx ez forged for a lot less than retail. Any ideas if this is legit and if so how do they do this? Can you request custom specs?

[PirateJim]

I hear there are a lot of counterfeit clubs out there, but I'm sure EBay tries real hard to keep this off their site.  Hard to control individuals selling one set of clubs of course.  More interesting is why there are so many sets of a pretty new model club "barely used" on EBay.  I've not laid hands on the new Mizunos, but the orange logo and dark finish....  Well, it's not for me.  With EBay, unless stated otherwise, what you see is going to be what you get so far as specs.

[Dave40]

You can also get good deals on new irons when they are discounted to make room for newer models. Some brands don't discount much (Ping, Titleist, and Mizuno) but most other brands will let stores slash prices on older models.

[Highdesertdufer]

Thanks all for the advice.

Good call on the secondhand set..... The Gigagolf irons have done me good to now but I guess I'm intrigued as to what the next level of clubs can do to my game. My swing is looking good so am really chasing feel in a new set but without the loss of forgiveness which is why the forged adams and mizuno's are appealing to me.

I will have the fitting session with my teacher... Fork out the $100 and see what he says. If his recommendation is too costly I will take the specs elsewhere..... I've noticed some US ebayers selling almost new jpx ez forged for a lot less than retail. Any ideas if this is legit and if so how do they do this? Can you request custom specs?

I had Giga clubs but now I have the Cobra Amp Cell irons,$250.00 on eBay and if I need to change anything it wouldnt kill me since they were cheap. BTW,, I love the clubs absolutely love em!!!!

Look at Cobras drivers like the ZL, adjustability built right in to find your swing. Is this the end all cure all, maybe not, but our learning curve just got easier to manage with these clubs

[SloverUT]

Howdy.  I've currently got the hot's for some new irons and have been doing a good bit of research as well as soul searching on the subject.

I'm currently playing Ping G20s that have helped me cut my handicap roughly in half.  My ball striking is much better than it was when I bought 'em.  But I'm still an 80s shooter and the soul searching has forced me to admit that my ball striking isn't so great that I need anything much less forgiving than my G20s, though I would like some clubs with a narrower sole and somewhat lower trajectory on the shorter irons.

I'm personally very drawn to the new Titleist irons, and would love a set of AP2s.  Jason Duffner was really throwing some darts with those.  But, well, I'm no Jason Duffner when it comes to ball striking, so I'm taking a more realistic approach and contemplating AP1s, though they're not as sexy.  I likely wouldn't consider a change at all if I had Ping G25s, and it isn't outside the realm of possibility that I'll end up with a set of those either.

My point is, don't go out and spend a bunch of money on clubs that may make golf HARDER for you.  I play pretty regularly with guys sporting "players" irons.  None of them tease me about my G20s.  Of course, I'm often on the green before 'em.  I'd suggest lowering your sights to some good quality "game improvement" clubs and get a proper fitting.  Nothing wrong with buying some used clubs IF you get the right shaft flex for your swing and have someone competent to adjust the lie angles.

I found the Mizuno JPX-825 to be a nice club for those who wants a thinner sole but still forgiving.  I currently also use G20's and I love them but they are bulky compared to the 825's.

[MLgolf]

Shafts will transfer. Just ordered my 714 AP2's w/ softstepped TI X100. currently playing 712 CB's. Can't wait to try them out.

[Mozgolf]

Bang for buck, it would be pretty hard to go past the CB3 if they press your buttons. No way the orange paint and extra $500 is worth it or going to be noticeable

[Jayrad]

An update on the new irons..... Decided to take the third option and get the $60 objective PGA fit. Turned out to be a load of shit. Really didn't learn much new.... Got some shaft recommendations from the mizuno shaft gadget which were Dynalite XP and Nippon 1150 but to be honest demo'd the KBS tour at a Miz/Tite demo day and loved them so will go with my instinct. The "PGA Professional" was a peanut so have no confidence in what he said. But his length recommendation was the same as my Giga set so will go with that. Pisses me off when you purchase a service and get no value from it. So I'm looking for a second hand set of irons 4 to pitching with KBS tour stiff 38.25 5 iron length with mid size grips. Will consider any Miz or titleist, preferably MP54 or AP2 but enjoyed hitting 64s and CB's too.Anyone in AUS selling let me know.... Or US/UK people prepared to package and post to AUS.