Irons change. Advice needed.

[baumer64]

My handicap is 4.7  Playing Mizuno JPX 850 Driver, TM RocketBallz 3 wood and 3 hybrid all with stiff shafts. No problems there. My irons are TM R7 TPs, also stiff shafts 3-PW.  I'm now 52 and am struggling hitting the irons consistently solid especially the longer irons.  When struck correctly, my 6 is 150-155. I'm not an aggressive swinger more of a smooth/easy tempo. 

A year ago I hit some Callaway Apex Forged inside on a monitor and liked the feel and distance. The monitor had me hitting the 7 iron 170.  Just couldn't afford to buy those at that time.  

So what are some suggestions for clubs to try? I'm ready to step away from "Player's irons" as I realize I would enjoy and be more consistent if I had some game improvement help.  I'm in Eastern Washington and don't have any fitting options nearby. However when I go to Spokane, there is a place I can hit some clubs. Just wanted to hear some suggestions from folks here.

[dbuck]

The correct answer is to find a place that can do a proper fitting.

That said, if that is not available,  I would suggest trying the following if you can find a place to hit them, using the stock shafts in both regular and stiff.

Titleist AP1

Ping G

Taylormade M1 and/or M2

The Callaway equivalent of the above

You may not fall in love, but I feel these are representative and will give you an example of what is out there. These are all in the GI/SGI category. Beyond these, the combinations of heads and shafts are overwhelming, at least to me if you are not working with a legit fitter.

In either of the clubs I mentioned, you will probably be at least one club longer than you are currently. On the monitor, you may be 2 clubs longer, but not likely that will transfer to the course. You will likely be able to drop to a 5-GW, and have room in the bag for a hybrid or 2, if you so desire.

I am almost 60, and still hitting stiff shafts, but will consider regular next time around at least in my irons.

Titleist is coming out in October probably with a club called the AP3, which is said to be a kind of in-between club in lofts and forgiveness. Given your handicap, it might be of interest to you.

 

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by dbuck

[scotth]

On 8/5/2017 at 6:06 PM, baumer64 said:

However when I go to Spokane, there is a place I can hit some clubs. Just wanted to hear some suggestions from folks here.

Will be interested in seeing the responses to your thread.  I, too am looking to change irons and find the crazy number of choices these days a little intimidating.  Like you, no place close for me to go and try hitting irons except for the limited selection of lefty clubs at Dick's, without driving 90 or so miles into Syracuse.

I did get a better idea by paying for a hitting and fitting session with the only certified PGA pro in my area.  If that is an option, would really recommend you do that first.  Gave me a much better idea on what I should be looking for in next set.  

As a side note hit the Pro's Ping G series and WOW was it an improvement over my 1995 Cobra irons.  Definitely leaning toward Ping.  Just a little more than I wanted to spend.

[baumer64]

Ok so was able to stop at the golf shop in Spokane today. The fitter had been on TM staff in past but isn't now. Said the M1 and M2 has had problems with face caving. He's now hitting Ping i200. Demoed the JPX900 Forged and the i200. Liked them both on he monitor. He JPX was a 6 iron and i200 a 7 iron. Both felt great. After shafts change on jpx, was getting a good consistent high ball flight. Was doing the same from the beginning with the Ping. (Can't remember shafts. Written down just not with me now.) Again, I liked them both, the Pings will be about $300 less.  Have some thinking and hopefully, more trying to do.

Edited August 10, 2017 by baumer64

[Midpack]

Your HI is lower than mine, but my club distances are similar to yours and I've hit a lot of irons lately, and I'd encourage you to try the Mizuno JPX900 HM and Forged. I tried Ping and TaylorMade but I was only looking at Callaway and Titleist irons and someone here suggested Mizuno. I almost didn't even give Mizuno irons a try but I did fully expecting to rule them out, and I was very surprised - I liked the feel of the Mizuno's a lot. The JPX900 HM is at the top of my list, followed by the Titleist AP1. At least give the Mizuno irons a try.

Edited August 10, 2017 by Midpack

[b101]

I would also suggest trying irons from the last two years, which you can often get at about half the price of the new set. Consider pre-owned irons as well - for example, those Apex's you liked won't have much drop off in performance from a new set now, but will be so much cheaper. Still do the fitting, but shop around. 

Also worth bearing in mind that lofts have strengthened. Just because it says a 7 on the bottom, doesn't mean it has the loft of your current 7 iron. That distance has to come from somewhere and it tends to be manufacturers cranking down lofts and spin numbers to increase carry. It can mean that you struggle to stop them on the green...

Keep us posted

[pganapathy]

The most important thing is"DO A FITTING".

From the distance you hit a 6 iron it sounds like you should be playing a Regular shaft for your irons.  Also, a GI or SGI will help if you have inconsistent contact and are not as keen on working the ball both ways.  Am guessing from your handicap of 5 that fixing the shaft will resolve your contact issues.

Buy a new set only if you find it improves your game (dispersion before distance should be the criterion).

[baumer64]

Ok, I've got more of the info in front of me now.  The clubs I hit on the monitor were my TM R7TP  7iron. 35 degree Dynamic Gold Stiff, 36.75".  The Mizuno JPX 900 Forged was a 6 iron. 27 degree 37.25" Modus 105 stiff.  The Ping I200 was a 7 iron. 33 degrees and 37" AWT 2.0 stiff.

My R7TP was consistently shortest, carrying on average 140.  Ball speed average was around 102

Ping I200 was flying at a higher trajectory than my old one and carrying consistently 145-155.  Ball speed was as high as 110 and I think the average was 105.

the JPX 6 iron in the first shaft (don't remember what it was) I wasn't getting as high a ball flight.  When we moved to the Modus, it had the same flight as the Ping.  Depending on how hard I swung, I was getting carry up into the 180s.  Average at my normal swing was 160-170.

I asked about regular shaft and he felt that my swing speed was still very much at a stiff shaft speed.

I'm not in a big hurry so I'm hoping to be able to get into some more places and try some more irons though I could fall in love with either of these I think.  

Yes, trying to find something used would be great.  That's how I got my R7TPs (demos). Buying clubs off of Ebay isn't like it was 10 years ago.  Now a good number of them are clones from China that a person wouldn't know is a clone until you try contacting the company for a warranty issue.  Again, I'm going to be very choosey and make sure I'm making the best choice for my game.  Once I decide what I want, I hope to be able to find a good condition experienced set.

[WUTiger]

On 8/5/2017 at 5:06 PM, baumer64 said:

When struck correctly, my 6 is 150-155. I'm not an aggressive swinger more of a smooth/easy tempo. 

Golf Digest interviewed a famous fitter (name?) a couple of years ago. He recommended that male golfers at age 53 get a check fitting to see if they can still hit stiff shafts. (Can't remember why age 53 was magic.) With your 6i = 150, you're more in the R-flex range for irons.

The Olde Rule from the 1900s was, if you're on the line between Regular and Stiff, put Regular in the long clubs for distance and Stiff in your irons for control. This is true for most, but not for all. Denny, a retired golf pro who works for a local golf shop, had stiff shafts in his driver and 3W, and his 3i. The rest were regular, because he had a smooth, tempo swing.

And, I saw Denny do a fitting with a tall guy in his early 30s. For driver, he recommended a slightly heavier than normal stiff shaft. But for irons, he recommended R-flex shafts. This guy just was more aggressive on his driver than his iron swing.

Are you still getting good distance from your long clubs?

On 8/7/2017 at 11:06 AM, dbuck said:

Ping G

Definitely try these out. Clubheads a bit large, but they blow through medium rough like a knife. Also, various shops have cut the price a bit on new sets. And, you might be able to find used Ping G sets that it your specs.