Need advice regarding upgrading irons...

[jcash]

I'm a mid-handicapper(14 at the moment), who plays 6-8 times a month pretty much year round. I have been playing with Callaway Big Bertha 2004 Irons with the stock steel uniflex shafts, for the past 6+ years, and have been pleased with them. Howeever, it is time for new grips & and I have the bug for some new irons. I have always been used to oversize irons(had Titliest OS previously), and am afraid to make too drastic of a change in that area. But love the idea of an iron that would allow me to possibly improve my game. I plan to go do hit some demo clubs soon(so far last years Cobra Amps are all I have hit...and liked them), but haven't had the chance. Based on the above info, I wanted to see if you guys could make some suggestions on what irons may be a good set to switch to as a game improvement iron that wont stray too far from the appearance, feel, & forgiveness of my current BB's. Thanks so much for your replies, in advance!

[Slowcelica]

I love my cobra amp cells give them a try, they are the next version of the amps

[SloverUT]

I'm a mid-handicapper(14 at the moment), who plays 6-8 times a month pretty much year round. I have been playing with Callaway Big Bertha 2004 Irons with the stock steel uniflex shafts, for the past 6+ years, and have been pleased with them.

Howeever, it is time for new grips & and I have the bug for some new irons.

I have always been used to oversize irons(had Titliest OS previously), and am afraid to make too drastic of a change in that area. But love the idea of an iron that would allow me to possibly improve my game.

I plan to go do hit some demo clubs soon(so far last years Cobra Amps are all I have hit...and liked them), but haven't had the chance.

Based on the above info, I wanted to see if you guys could make some suggestions on what irons may be a good set to switch to as a game improvement iron that wont stray too far from the appearance, feel, & forgiveness of my current BB's.

Thanks so much for your replies, in advance!

I don't know what the BB's look like so I can only suggest some irons based on appearance currently.

If you are wanting a game improvement iron that doesn't have the bulky look I enjoyed hitting Mizuno JPX-825

If you don't mind the bulkier look I have really enjoyed my Ping G20's, and the 25's are nice as well.

Those are just two options.  But I highly suggest visiting Golfsmith (or whatever golf store you have) and trying them all out and see what is comfortable to you.

[WUTiger]

I would suggest you try the XHot Pro or the 2013 X.Forged. Lots of shafts available for each.

I tried both Callaway models at a May demo day. And, I found I could hit the X.Forged OK - new lighter PXi 5.0 shafts helped. This was a big surprise, as I had trouble getting the ball airborne with earlier X.Forged models. Ball didn't go as far as with the XHot Pro, but it had decent height.

X.Forged test clubs also featured a graphite stiff shaft, which I was also able to hit.

XHot Pro had PX.95 shafts (under 100 grams) and the ball flew nicely with the 5.0 flex, and OK with the 5.5 flex.

[aangel]

I would suggest you try Mizuno JPX 825, Mizuno JPX EZ, Titleist AP1 and Ping G25. I have the Ping G25's and love them.

[Royster1984]

I recently purchased some Mizuno JPX EZ Forged and I really love them find them so easy to hit even at my handicap level

[inthehole]

I'm a mid-handicapper(14 at the moment), who plays 6-8 times a month pretty much year round. I have been playing with Callaway Big Bertha 2004 Irons with the stock steel uniflex shafts, for the past 6+ years, and have been pleased with them.

Howeever, it is time for new grips & and I have the bug for some new irons.

I have always been used to oversize irons(had Titliest OS previously), and am afraid to make too drastic of a change in that area. But love the idea of an iron that would allow me to possibly improve my game.

I plan to go do hit some demo clubs soon(so far last years Cobra Amps are all I have hit...and liked them), but haven't had the chance.

Based on the above info, I wanted to see if you guys could make some suggestions on what irons may be a good set to switch to as a game improvement iron that wont stray too far from the appearance, feel, & forgiveness of my current BB's.

Thanks so much for your replies, in advance!

They're all good today - I can tell you of a major mistake I made this year ... I'm about same hcp as you (ball striking is better than my hcp suggests, which is mainly due to my inability to putt) & figured I was ready for more of a players club - many will tell you on these boards that it's a good idea to get a set you can "grow into".    Well, I went with an Adams CB3 forged set - huge mistake.    I could not get used to them - so much smaller than the SGI clubs I was used to & the lack of offset caused my blood pressure to rise, distances was far less even on pure shots than I was used to.    Pretty much a disaster.     Traded them in on a set of Mizzy JPX-825's - so much happier.     In my case, my ego got in the way ... I would not advise anyone going from a SGI (oversize) set to forged players set - worked out much better for me from SGI to GI class clubs.

[Mr. Desmond]

I would suggest you try the XHot Pro or the 2013 X.Forged. Lots of shafts available for each.

I tried both Callaway models at a May demo day. And, I found I could hit the X.Forged OK - new lighter PXi 5.0 shafts helped. This was a big surprise, as I had trouble getting the ball airborne with earlier X.Forged models. Ball didn't go as far as with the XHot Pro, but it had decent height.

X.Forged test clubs also featured a graphite stiff shaft, which I was also able to hit.

XHot Pro had PX.95 shafts (under 100 grams) and the ball flew nicely with the 5.0 flex, and OK with the 5.5 flex.

I'd advise you to take a look at the XHot Pros with a liteweight shaft. The PX 5.0 may work, but give a try to the 5.5 - depends on whether you are R flex or Softer Stiff (5.5). They also have graphite and KBS options. The XHPros are attractive and forgiving. Like a lot of people, you might look at hybrids below a 5i. I play a 5 Hybrid, but I have no doubt the XHPro 5i is relatively easy as I have complete confidence in the 6i.

[RPMPIRE]

They're all good today - I can tell you of a major mistake I made this year ... I'm about same hcp as you (ball striking is better than my hcp suggests, which is mainly due to my inability to putt) & figured I was ready for more of a players club - many will tell you on these boards that it's a good idea to get a set you can "grow into".    Well, I went with an Adams CB3 forged set - huge mistake.    I could not get used to them - so much smaller than the SGI clubs I was used to & the lack of offset caused my blood pressure to rise, distances was far less even on pure shots than I was used to.    Pretty much a disaster.     Traded them in on a set of Mizzy JPX-825's - so much happier.     In my case, my ego got in the way ... I would not advise anyone going from a SGI (oversize) set to forged players set - worked out much better for me from SGI to GI class clubs.

My experience in making a change from SGI to player's irons was the opposite, but did experience the same learning curve when I first got them. I went from hitting Dunlop beginner clubs straight to the first gen Titleist AP2s when I was about an 18 handicap. The first few range sessions were pretty bad and my first round was atrocious, but I kind of expected that to happen. Instead of worrying about the new equipment, I just worked on my swing. Eventually, I saw a distance improvement over my old irons with what "feels" like the same swing.

I'm not for or against someone from going from SGI to GI or SGI to a player's iron, but I always think that you should go for what you think will work for you. Aesthetics played a huge part and felt that if the iron looked good at address, then I feel more confident hitting it. I always ignored the handicap suggestions for clubs like how Mizuno rates who should play a specific iron based on their handicap.

Some experiences will be different, but I guess it also depends on your expectations. I expected to struggle a little getting used to new irons, but the more difficult hitting irons just made me work harder on my swing. Best thing for you is to try a bunch of irons out and take your time doing so.

[PirateJim]

I think you are smart sticking in the Game Improvement category.  I think the suggestions of aangel "Mizuno JPX 825, Mizuno JPX EZ, Titleist AP1 and Ping G25" are a good selection of candidates.  Any of those should be good for a 14 handicap, and fine for a 4 as well, though by that point having actual Players clubs will start to make sense. I know all about the desire to get new sticks, but in my very humble opinion too many people move away from game improvement clubs while their games still need considerable improvement.  I know, there probably really are great ball strikers that just suck so much at putting they can't break into the single digits, but I suspect they are a rarer breed than claimed.  You can "work" any of those clubs listed, but day in and day out hitting the ball "straight" or with a consistently repeatable shape is the key to pretty decent scoring.

No matter which way you go, you'll probably have a bit of "struggling" with new sticks for a week or so of just getting used to the new look and feel.

[jcash]

Thanks to all of you that have replied so far.  Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Please keep the comments coming.....

[k-troop]

Maybe misreading, but are you playing with 9 year old grips? If so you may be shocked at what a new set of grips will do to the feel of your old clubs.

[jcash]

Definitely not old grips. I have them replaced at a minimum every 2yrs.

[jcash]

Well...i decided to go to local golf dealer & have a fitting done. Turns out i needed an additional inch in length & 2 deg upright. I ended up staying with Callaway & goin witg X Hots. Supposed to pick them up Monday. The guy that did the fitting said i should be able to tell a big difference on the course. What do u guys think???

[Hammer 4]

Was years ago, but I replaced a set of TM burners that I got for Christmas. I got Maxfli black dot CB's that were fitted for me. 1 over 1 up, and it made a difference in my game. I have/had a bad back, so I could stand a tad more upright which helped me, but even with fitted clubs, You still have to put a good swing on em..Good luck with yours.