Irons - handicap, age, swing speed......

[Alohaed]

     When reading irons specs, I alway see "handicap" range, then players, GI, SGI, on and on. I will turn 61 next month. Have avg swing speed. Decent irons player. Yet to break 100 though, Why???  Pop up drives, or slices into the woods. Chunking my 3 wood off the fairway(most of the time standing up as I down swing), lousy chipping around the green(decelerating, chunking shots when in deeper lies) and can't read the greens for crap, therefor 2 - 3 putting. The only good thing about my game is iron play and speed control while putting(lag putting). 

     SO, when getting new irons this season I will get fitted again. Now playing Mizuno MX200s, bought 6 years ago. I like the looks of their new JPX900 tours. Yet, considering all factors in the Title of this thread, should I even go there? After reading your reviews, maybe the AP1s, or even Ping G series would be better for me? Aside forgiveness, but for the extra yardage off the club face. And I don't play as often as I used to, yet go to the range as much as I can. My main question is re my age and handicap. And having irons to still use the coming years. 

     Again, my fitter will help and there will be the launch monitor. Just looking for member opinions. Hopefully from members my age and older.

Edited January 17, 2017 by Alohaed

[Hacker James]

I really can only attest to my own swing. I have lost considerable yardage this past year and a half, but recently I am starting to regain owing possibly to some small adjustments in set up, takeaway, and posture. A lot has to do with age, I am sure (I will turn 75 this year). From what you are saying regarding pop ups, you might look at how close/far you are standing from the ball, even an inch or so can make a difference. Secondly, how far back/forward in your stance is the ball placement for various clubs.  Then of course, taking a lesson.

[Alohaed]

Thanks. I already started a thread on my drives and received many great replies. Just wondering about new irons. I need to get my act together with my other problems. A lot of it has to do with patience. And practice.

[Denny Bang Bang]

10 hours ago, Alohaed said:

     When reading irons specs, I alway see "handicap" range, then players, GI, SGI, on and on. I will turn 61 next month. Have avg swing speed. Decent irons player. Yet to break 100 though, Why???  Pop up drives, or slices into the woods. Chunking my 3 wood off the fairway(most of the time standing up as I down swing), lousy chipping around the green(decelerating, chunking shots when in deeper lies) and can't read the greens for crap, therefor 2 - 3 putting. The only good thing about my game is iron play and speed control while putting(lag putting). 

     SO, when getting new irons this season I will get fitted again. Now playing Mizuno MX200s, bought 6 years ago. I like the looks of their new JPX900 tours. Yet, considering all factors in the Title of this thread, should I even go there? After reading your reviews, maybe the AP1s, or even Ping G series would be better for me? Aside forgiveness, but for the extra yardage off the club face. And I don't play as often as I used to, yet go to the range as much as I can. My main question is re my age and handicap. And having irons to still use the coming years. 

     Again, my fitter will help and there will be the launch monitor. Just looking for member opinions. Hopefully from members my age and older.

If you really like the look of the iron, don't be afraid to at least give it a go during a fitting.  There's a possibility of course it's not the best club for you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it if you really want to, and see the results for yourself.

And if you really like the looks of it, there are more forgiving options in the Mizuno lineup that look really nice as well (e.g. JPX850 Forged or JPX900 Forged).

Obviously with the fitting, test out several models and see what best fits your needs and taste in an iron.

[65ross]

For us guy's that are in the 65 year plus age bracket it a must to do two things to keep your game and swing speed, (one don't be a couch potato) exercise daily on drills for your swing, and make sure you get measured for clubs and spend some time on a simulator to see what suits. I myself only came back to the game after a long lay off now age 68. Now use ping g type irons and hybrid's and a Cleveland driver/ couple wedges. My swing speed is around 92 mph and handicap11. Twenty years back my swing speed was nudging the 100mph and had a 6 handicap using blades irons. You loose swing speed as you age but with todays tech-knowledge in clubs it makes up for it I reckon. Don't be afraid to go back get some lessons even from a pro half your age. Good luck on breaking the 100 number.

Putter wise buy one of these.

[dave s]

Some advice from a guy looking at 50 in the rear view mirror to the original poster - buy clubs that are easier, easiest to hit.  If you go to a club fitter, there's a point at which longer irons will turn into hybrids, and lesser lofted woods, (i.e., the 3-wood) turn into more lofted woods.

I'm 57 this year and my set consists of driver, 5- and 7-woods, 5 hybrid and 6-iron through wedges.

On the longer side of the bag, I can get the 5- and 7-woods airborne and moving down the fairway easily.  Three-wood, not so much anymore. Same with using a 5-hybrid rather than a 5-iron.  I used to have longer hybrids, but switched them out in favor of a 7-wood that launches high and goes straight with much more predictable results.

Back to the club fitting process:  When the wife was being fit for clubs, she couldn't get a 6-iron airborne and flying straight.  As soon as she was handed a 6-hybrid, it was the obvious better choice.  Same with woods.  The least-lofted fairway wood she could get flying was a 7-wood.  Here set looks like this:  driver, 7-wood, 5- and 6-hybrids and 7-iron through wedges.

Last thought:  For now, and when you have that long shot from the fairway, there's a good chance that a 3-wood is NOT going to be your best choice.  Consider taking the distance and breaking it into 2 shots you know you can hit with confidence-even if it's two 7- or 8-iron shots. 

[MarvChamp]

I'm 71. I play Miz MX100 and MX200 irons. Also developed a slower swing speed. I do not want to replace my beautiful favorite clubs (if I did it would be with JPX 825; check Maltby). Anyway, my club builder professional friend reshafted all for me with lighter shafts...Nippon 85 gram steel in the 200's and Aldila VS Proto HL in the 100'sat 75 grams. All soft-stepped once. All spine aligned, flow'd etc. Took 1 inch off my long Callaway driver. Ditched the 3 wood. Cut 1 1/2 inches from 5 and 7 woods. Carry 4 hybrid. POINT: I had my favorite clubs refit to me by a pro so I can play with the body and strength I have now. I could have bought a premium set for the cost; didn't say this was sane. But works for me. -Marv

[Alohaed]

Again, thx all. Marv, I've thought of this. YET, with the cost of new shafts, grips(which I replaced last season) and fitting, would this be almost the cost of a new set of irons? I also love the feel of my Mizzies and the new forged irons my not be forgiving enough and be expensive. I can then buy new hybrids and woods. 

[Vinny Cap]

Play what you like and can hit decently.  I have some MP67's and have had people say "you can't hit those, they are for pro's"

Then I slam a sweet iron shot on the green and get the raised eyebrow.

I have only played for 5 years and shoot around bogey golf.

If you like the looks, try them out and if you can hit them decently then buy them!

Edited January 19, 2017 by Vinny Cap

[MarvChamp]

40 minutes ago, Alohaed said:

Again, thx all. Marv, I've thought of this. YET, with the cost of new shafts, grips(which I replaced last season) and fitting, would this be almost the cost of set of irons? I also love the  feel of my Mizzies and the new forged irons my not be forgiving enough and be expensive. I can then buy new hybrids and woods. 

Yes. It is costly. I was able to get new "pulls" for the premium shafts, but they were not cheap. Also the cost of a pro unless DIY which I cannot. As you said, I could have bought a premium set. Crazy!

BTW...The Mizunos that have the highest "Maltby Playability Rating" are the JPX 800 HD from 2012 not the ones I mentioned. I have heard good things about them from a friend. Still, he is looking at the newest JPX forged. Good luck. -Marv

[Lagavulin62]

The most help you will get is from the shaft. Find the right shaft for your swing speed and style of shot and you should be fine. As far as clubhead, you need a quality made club that appeals to you. Which means there is no reason you can't play blades of your choice, provided you match them with a shaft compatible with your swingspeed and shot style(low hitter, high ball etc.) Once you find that match the rest is a proper swing and practice. It's amazing to me how many great options are out there as far as shafts. Yet in regards to iron clubheads I can walk into any store and easily 90 percent of the clubheads are junk. Others may not agree, thats fine. I've only been playing 46 years. 

[arturo28mx]

On 18/1/2017 at 9:15 PM, MarvChamp said:

I'm 71. I play Miz MX100 and MX200 irons. Also developed a slower swing speed. I do not want to replace my beautiful favorite clubs (if I did it would be with JPX 825; check Maltby). Anyway, my club builder professional friend reshafted all for me with lighter shafts...Nippon 85 gram steel in the 200's and Aldila VS Proto HL in the 100'sat 75 grams. All soft-stepped once. All spine aligned, flow'd etc. Took 1 inch off my long Callaway driver. Ditched the 3 wood. Cut 1 1/2 inches from 5 and 7 woods. Carry 4 hybrid. POINT: I had my favorite clubs refit to me by a pro so I can play with the body and strength I have now. I could have bought a premium set for the cost; didn't say this was sane. But works for me. -Marv

I'm 60. I've owned numerous golf club sets over the last few years and I am convinced 50% of the club is the SHAFT. Spend as much time choosing the right shaft as you do choosing the right head. For me, it became obvious I needed a LIGHTER shaft for my Titleist 716 AP2 irons. I have gone with XP 95 R300 and could not be happier. It is a light but very stable shaft that many people like. I also want to try the KBS Tour 90 shaft soon.

[MarvChamp]

11 hours ago, arturo28mx said:

I have gone with XP 95 R300 and could not be happier. It is a light but very stable shaft that many people like.

That is a great shaft.  I wanted just a little lighter so went with the Nippons at 85; -Marv

[70sSanO]

I'm 65 with a bad shoulder, slower swing, shorter, and a higher handicapper.  I bought new irons 9 months ago.

Based on your post, I would put my attention on my driving and woods if I were you.  I also bought offset Cobra woods and I really like the way they hit.  As recommended above I only play a  5w and 7w, no 3 wood.

I don't know what you mean by hitting your irons decent.  Able to shape your shots, hold greens or is decent just being able to hit them pretty straight with good height, which are my decent iron shots.

I went with Callaway XR OS with light senior graphite shafts.  I could have gone to an R shaft, but I like these better.  They are pretty no brainers and just as chunky as Ping Gmax, or other SGI irons.  But they get the job done and I did get longer.  I figure these clubs will suit my game for years.  If your objective is hitting straight and longer, then hit a bunch of clubs and just go by the numbers.  It doesn't matter who makes them or how pretty they look.

John

[WUTiger]

If your swing is changing, or has hit a slump, definitely go for a fitting.

On 1/19/2017 at 8:45 AM, Lagavulin62 said:

The most help you will get is from the shaft. Find the right shaft for your swing speed and style of shot and you should be fine. As far as clubhead, you need a quality made club that appeals to     you ...

As far as heads go, it depends on your swing. I grew up playing 130-gram DG S300 shafts, so I'm a little bit handsy in my swing. In my latter years (age 66) I do best with sub-100 gram steel R-flex and GI heads (don't need much offset, or too much lift on the short irons).

I have had a couple of demo-day or slow-shop-day (no charge) fittings lately, and I'm always surprised about which head-shaft combo works best. A new intruder for a possible shaft is the graphite Recoil 95 in R-flex, or the XP95 ST15 (95 gram steel stepless) on the new Calla Steelheads.

Also, don't forget to exercise. Flexibility and core strength increase your stability, which leads to more center hits and better power transfer. Also, don't forget to do balance-enhancement exercises. Persons over 60 start losing their finer sense of balance, and many seniors workout group do exercises to help improve balance.

[casamarina]

i just turned 61, and i play around 8 HC.

I also obvioulsy lost some club head speed, but some daily drills to keep the lower body moving, together with NSPRO Zelos 8 are my "magic" for me to still enjoy the game:-)

[jjfcpa]

I'm 69 and just took up golf a couple of years ago.  

Kind of a club ho so I'm not afraid to spend money if I think I can find something that will work better.  Recently, I've become more choosey about what I want to play because the returns are not always what you think they are going to be.

I started with Ping Gmax which are definitely SGI and they worked very well while I was getting my swing under control.  About 6 months later, I could tell that they were no longer allowing me to find any improvement in my game, even though they were still working well.  I switch to Callaway XR's and they really helped my game.  When the Steelhead XR's came out, I decided to get fitted for those because I really liked the looks.  My Ping Gmax's were equipped with very light shafts and when I ordered the Steelhead's I went with the regular shaft - which was a big mistake.  I bought the bullet and had them re-shafted this winter with senior UST Mamyia shafts and I can already tell that they will be more suitable for my slower swing speed.  

I've had two fittings and wasn't really satisfied with either one.  I think they both just looked at me and my age and said, slower swing speed, over 60, let's just get him something comfortable in the GI/SGI category.  

I enjoy playing golf and love to spend time working on my game.  I go to the gym 4 or 5 times a week and play golf 2 or 3 times a week during the season.  I'm a little put off by the fact that senior golfers are not taken seriously by the big box stores.  News flash, we're the ones with the money to spend!

I'd love to find someone who specializes in senior golfers and get fitted by them.  Anyone know someone like that?

[arturo28mx]

A word of caution based on my experience. I'm 60 years old, average build, average strength. My swing is not perfect but it's ok. Talking about irons, as my swing improved, being able to feel the weight of the clubhead became more important. I have tried graphite shafts but they are too light for me. They just ruined my tempo and my swing. I need steel shafts in my irons, however because of my age they need to be light steel shafts. What I'm trying to say is that graphite shafts are not necessarily a magical solution for senior people. A light steel shaft may produce better tempo for them.