Old duffer needs new irons

[Sea Buck]

My first post here. Enjoy this forum: a wealth of information. Could someone make a recommendation for me? I am 73 and taking up the game again after 25+ years. Last year I played with the Lynx irons I had used in the 1980's. Regular shaft and at times feel like I am hitting rocks. Time for some new irons. I am thinking of graphite shafts with a senior flex. I need help on where to go after that: Ping, Callaway, Taylor Made ? My handicap is 18-20 and my swing speed is 80 mph. Before I go to Dick's and listen to the sales pitch any help on this would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

[Club Rat]

Welcome @Sea Buck to TST

A couple of thoughts, Junior and Ladies clubs are built with lighter components, club heads and shafts which are easier to flex for slower swing speed.
Simply expecting the Senior Flex shafts to be the go to product may not suite your swing.
The best thing to do is go window shopping. Most golf stores have indoor areas and hit the clubs.

Try clubs with Senior Flex shafts and compare them to both junior and ladies clubs.

You will be surprised with the ladies clubs. Manufactures develop really good quality stuff for the gals.

[dennyjones]

A lot has changed since your old clubs.   I would even suggest a hybrid set or at least several hybrids replacing the long irons. 

[WUTiger]

First of all, don't think you need to select 14 clubs all at once. You might start out with:

• High-lofted driver
• 4W or 5W
• 4 hybrid
• 5-PW irons
• Sand Wedge
• Putter (your old one might work)

You will figure out what remaining clubs you want after you get back into things.

Don't be afraid to just go in and test out different clubs to see how they feel. If you have a Driver day and a Fairwood Day, etc., to get an idea of what you like, you can start narrowing down on finalists for a fitting. As @Club Rat said, try out Senior (AKA A-flex), Women's and Junior shafts to see what works best for you.

Remember, you learned golf in an era of less-friendly clubs. So, you may need less help in certain areas than you think. For example, some club models have what's known as draw bias - they're designed to help the ball curve back to the left.

I had trouble with this because I'm a little handsy in my swing, and the last thing I need is help to draw the ball. For hybrids, I need one with a neutral or slightly open face angle to avoid left misses. If early hybrids you try seem to leave you out to the left, find one with a more open face angle.

My new driver has a heavier shaft, and the fitter set it at one degree open (avoid hook). This really straightened out my drives.

TST guy @Mr. Desmond is a mature golfer who has fine-tuned his bag a lot, so maybe he will have some advice for you.

I didn't mean to run on so long. Let us know what happens.

[70sSanO]

I'm 65 and was away from golf got back in with then away again and now back in.  I played a lot with late 70's/early 80's clubs.

if you can find a Golfsmith, Golf Galaxy, etc. and try a few different ones, even used, before you buy, it will really help.  A lot of these places have monitors so you can see the numbers.  I spent a few months narrowing down the potential candidates.

I'm not a Dick's fan because they have a limited selection.  Also sales pitches are just that.

I play a light senior shaft and it is working well for me.  I also have a bum shoulder so your mileage may vary.  But if you can control a softer lighter shaft it most likely will be beneficial going forward.

John

[Sea Buck]

Thanks for the response. After some research, The Hoildays and shifting residence to warmer climes, I have settled on Ping G30, and Callaway Big Bertha, senior flex graphote shaft.I am partial to the Pings but will try them both at the local golf shot. Will have them fitted. I will by refurbished,cheapea and at this stage of the game I just don't need new. Will post my results. Played my first round this week since September and my old irons still feel like I'm hitting rocks.

[cnl390]

On 12/20/2016 at 4:51 PM, Sea Buck said:

My first post here. Enjoy this forum: a wealth of information. Could someone make a recommendation for me? I am 73 and taking up the game again after 25+ years. Last year I played with the Lynx irons I had used in the 1980's. Regular shaft and at times feel like I am hitting rocks. Time for some new irons. I am thinking of graphite shafts with a senior flex. I need help on where to go after that: Ping, Callaway, Taylor Made ? My handicap is 18-20 and my swing speed is 80 mph. Before I go to Dick's and listen to the sales pitch any help on this would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

I am 62 and had rotator cuff surgery in December of 2015.  Since I couldn't play for 6-8 months I sold my old clubs and was going to buy a new set when I could play again.  During those months I did a lot of research & did the online Ping fitting.  I concluded that I would go with Ping G Max in Senior Flex.  Long story short, when I was ready for the new clubs I went for a professional fitting and found the clubs that matched me best were  the Ping G with stiff graphite shafts.  Moral of the story...if you are serious about your game, have a pro fitting.

[Lagavulin62]

I don't believe I've ever met a real person of any skill level who didn't say the same thing about Lynx. Although I thought they looked yummy in golf magazines, the reality was similar to that date where the poor gal just wasn't what her picture suggested. To me they seemed too long and shallow in the head and I could never find a reliable sweet spot. ....Keep at least the two iron once you get your new set because it would make a lovely fire poke.  

[parman]

I'll be 70 in a few weeks and am a DAV for 17+ years. I use Mizuno JPX 900 forged irons, soft stepped 110 XPS shafts. I like them better than graphite because they are much straighter and consistent. Senior graphite shafts in the irons will be a low flex point. For me the faster I swing the higher the ball goes. It just doesn't work for me. I pay regular and senior shafts depending on how they perform. Some are too whippy, some too stiff. I am sort of in between so I have to demo the clubs I use. I was fitted for there irons at 2nd Swing. I highly recommend them.  I use a regular flex Kuro Kage in my XR16 driver. I get about 20 more yds than with a senior shaft it came with. 

[jjfcpa]

Hey there Sea Buck.

Boy, can I relate to your posting.  I started playing golf again in 2015 at the urging of my granddaughter who signed up to play on her high school's golf team.  Thought it would be a good way for us to spend some time together.  I fell for it hook line and sinker and when her golf season was over, she never wanted to go golf with me.

Anyway, I digress.

I am currently 69 years old and played golf when I was in my early 30's for about a year and a half.  Gave it up when I started coaching youth soccer because of limited time.  Retired from coaching soccer when I turned 60.

I first just ordered a set of Wilson's through Amazon.  It didn't take long to realize that these clubs were not working for me.  No consistency at all with these clubs.  I'm sure it wasn't just the clubs, but after a few months my swing improved and I could tell I needed something different.

Got fitted at Golf Galaxy for a set of Ping Gmax irons.  I had purchased a Callaway XR driver and 3 wood.  The Ping's really improved my game and I probably could still be playing them, but I've since upgraded to Callaway Steelhead XR irons and hybrids.  

FYI, when I got fitted for the Ping's I honestly felt that I was still too inconsistent for a fitting, but the Ping's allowed me to really focus on my swing and get some consistency that was completely lacking with the Wilson's.  

I did go with the senior graphite shafts because my swing speed just doesn't fit with anything else.  

I used the Odyssey White Hot #1 putter for about a year and half with really great results.  It's one of the best blade putters on the market at a pretty reasonable price.  I think it's around $ 160 but may be dropping in price as soon as Odyssey releasing their new putters for 2017.  In October, 2016, I upgraded to an Evnroll putter (ER1) and I've used it for the tail end of the 2016 season and been practicing with it indoors for the last month or so.  It's a game breaker in my books, but it will cost you more than $ 300.  

I tried all the name brand balls, including the Kirkland Signature, but for my money, the Snell balls are top notch.  I use the higher end My Tour Ball (less than $ 27 a dozen if you buy them 6 dozen at a time), but they also sell a slightly lower end ball called the Get Sum for less than $ 15 a dozen when you buy 6 dozen at a time.  I've hit both of them and there is not a lot of difference driving, but chipping and putting seems to be better with the My Tour Ball.  

It's not easy picking up golf at our age, but with a little practice time, it's a really fun sport.  I only wish I would have kept it up, but that ship has sailed.  

[Sea Buck]

Thanks for all the response. After some research and trying loaners at the local range I felt that Ping G30's, fiberglass SR shaft, were the best for what I wanted to do: forgivness and some distance with a good feel. The old Lynx USA beaters had seen their day. The Pings are fitted for my stature and it will take a bit to get used to the new club weight, shaft legnth and head position. I have to burn some $$ at the range. These irons have a remarkable sweet spot and when I find it, and even miss it a bit the results are very good.My next chores are a decent driver and 3 wood. I am using a titelist 983 11.5 loft, 3 and 5 hybrids (old Hogans).I use the 3 from the tee, but feel the need for a 3 wood. The search continues!