Game Improvement irons or Players Irons

[Berty42]

Hey guys,

Ive been thinking about getting some new irons. I’m an 8 handicap. Right now I am playing Taylormade RSI TP irons. Should I stay with players irons or go back to game improvement irons? I like the feed back of players irons. But could I also benefit from game improvement irons? Just asking to see what people have to say. 

[Marty2019]

Edit: sorry, I misread your post. 

My answer: life is short.  Spend the money.  You can always go back to the players irons if you don't like the game improvement irons. 

 

Edited October 20, 2017 by Marty2019

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, Berty42 said:

I like the feed back of players irons. But could I also benefit from game improvement irons? Just asking to see what people have to say. 

If you are an 8 handicap then I would stick with a more player iron. You can find irons that are a mix of both as well.

I believe that a player iron will product a tighter dispersion because a game improvement iron has hot spots which can produce the occasional shot that goes way further than you think it would. Even though a player iron might be a bit less forgiving on off-center hits. Being an 8-handicap your strike should be good enough to benefit from having more consistent ball flight numbers.

[Typhoon92]

I'm a big supporter of not making this game harder.  I was playing game improvement Ping eye 2 irons up until 2 years ago and got Ping i e-1 irons.

My hdcp is +3.

I don't bother working the ball.  I went on vacation and rented clubs...all GI...xhot2, Taylormade RS1, Ping G. Shot under par with all of them. Hit just about every green.

I have Pm grind wedges because around the greens I like a thinner sole but other than that...just get to the ball and it's point and shoot with GI...why torture yourself.  You can get better with gi as well...I know I hear people say " I like to use players irons to train me to strike the ball better"...yeah...No.  screw that, again...why torture yourself.  I know with the Ping G irons if I hit the center of the face or not.  Take lessons if someone wants to strike it better, don't pullout your finger nails to teach yourself a lesson.

I could trade in my ie-1 irons tomorrow for G400 and be no worse off...in fact, might like them better!

[Midpack]

I'm a higher HI player than the OP but I'm about to buy new irons and I've picked out a couple (forged) players irons with some forgiveness and a couple (cast) mildly game improvement irons. I'm going to go with what a good fitter suggests, though I'd take "soft feel" over a couple yards of extra distance all day.

Edited October 20, 2017 by Midpack

[NM Golf]

You can get something in the middle, a little forgiveness, a little playability. Something like the Titleist AP3 or the Ping i-series, or even the Callaway Epic. You don't have to go straight blade to get some playability.

[allenc]

25 minutes ago, NM Golf said:

You can get something in the middle, a little forgiveness, a little playability. Something like the Titleist AP3 or the Ping i-series, or even the Callaway Epic. You don't have to go straight blade to get some playability.

+1. Players vs game improvement is an old dichotomy.  Both blended together is where it’s at these days.  Some other examples are TaylorMade P790, Cobra King Forged tec, maybe Srizon z565.  Personally I like the look of the Ap3, almost exactly the size of the Ap2 but with a bit more offset.

[MarvChamp]

10 hours ago, Typhoon92 said:

why torture yourself.  You can get better with gi as well...I know I hear people say " I like to use players irons to train me to strike the ball better"...yeah...No.  screw that, again...why torture yourself.

Yay! Thank you, @Typhoon92 ! -Marv

[xrayvizhen]

The Callaway Steelhead series are what I consider to be semi-Game Improvement irons, especially the "Pro" version which has less of an offset than the regular line. You get a decent level of forgiveness on off-center hits, a good amount of feel - not as dramatic as forged blades but still, you can tell when you've hit a bad shot, and you can work the ball if you so choose. Personally, I prefer to hit straight but will fade or draw the ball when I need to get around an obstruction. That being said, I'm in the market for a new set as well and am considering multiple options in addition to the S.H. XR. I just got a fitting, am now digesting all the information I received and will probably decide over the fall/winter months.

[MarvChamp]

3 hours ago, xrayvizhen said:

Callaway Steelhead series are what I consider to be semi-Game Improvement irons, especially the "Pro" version

Check the Malyby Playability Factor. I think both the x-14 and x-14 Pro are pretty highly rated, classed as Ultra Game Improvement clubs. Ought to be pretty easy to hit, if you believe the MPF. -Marv

[WUTiger]

Here I recount a Golf Digest report on the forgiveness-precision tradeoffs among Players/GI/SGI irons.

Quote

On 5/30/2014, WU Tiger wrote: 

A Golf Digest piece from last year compared Pro vs. standard iron versions: it said the average player can hit the standard irons longer and higher because of the forgiveness characteristics of the heads. The tradeoff is distance variance of up to 10 yards, but a good shot will still land you on the green. A better player with more clubhead speed can utilize the higher lofts of the Pro or "players" trending irons, and cut the distance variance to 3-5 yards.

Players irons deliver a very tight distance dispersion, provided you hit a lot of pure shots.

This second item from a couple of years ago discusses general differences among the iron types. Which irons?

Edited October 27, 2017 by WUTiger
Remove double-insert of one article link.

[dbuck]

You could always split the middle with something like the Callaway Apex CF16, the pro or forged version of the Mizzy JPX 900, or the Titleist AP3.

Edited October 27, 2017 by dbuck

[p1n9183]

On ‎20‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 11:19 AM, Typhoon92 said:

I'm a big supporter of not making this game harder.  I was playing game improvement Ping eye 2 irons up until 2 years ago and got Ping i e-1 irons.

My hdcp is +3.

I don't bother working the ball.  I went on vacation and rented clubs...all GI...xhot2, Taylormade RS1, Ping G. Shot under par with all of them. Hit just about every green.

I have Pm grind wedges because around the greens I like a thinner sole but other than that...just get to the ball and it's point and shoot with GI...why torture yourself.  You can get better with gi as well...I know I hear people say " I like to use players irons to train me to strike the ball better"...yeah...No.  screw that, again...why torture yourself.  I know with the Ping G irons if I hit the center of the face or not.  Take lessons if someone wants to strike it better, don't pullout your finger nails to teach yourself a lesson.

I could trade in my ie-1 irons tomorrow for G400 and be no worse off...in fact, might like them better!

Agreed with Typhoon92. This game is hard, don´t make it harder playing players irons.

I play Titleist AP1, the most forgiving Iron of the brand and I´m at 0 handicap and I hit a lot of misshit shots.

[Lihu]

On 10/20/2017 at 3:37 AM, Berty42 said:

Hey guys,

Ive been thinking about getting some new irons. I’m an 8 handicap. Right now I am playing Taylormade RSI TP irons. Should I stay with players irons or go back to game improvement irons? I like the feed back of players irons. But could I also benefit from game improvement irons? Just asking to see what people have to say. 

I always find these types of threads interesting, and have asked people for similar opinions in the past. Invariably, I didn't get any answers that made me feel good, and I ended up justifying my ball striking "ability" or rather my inability even as compared to my current rotten game. At this point, I couldn't care less about what kind of club I use or whatever people suggest I use. In fact, it kind of dulls any expectations of good golf from my playing partners when I take out clubs with these huge heads on them.

If you want to improve your game I'd listen to @Typhoon92 and @p1n9183 since they've likely gone through this before and are pretty successful golfers.

[Hacker James]

I really do not know.   Sometimes I feel as if a so-called Game Improvement or Super Game Improvement Golf club will "mask" a swing fault that inhibits imparting a clean, well hit, stroke on a ball.  If that is indeed the case, then how can you measure your improvement?  OTOH, if you are having more nice hits, then what difference does it make?  "dance with the one you brung"

[onthehunt526]

Here's a thought, why not both? Let me explain I'll use Titleist as an example. You could go with AP1 or AP3 from 6 or 7-iron down to your longest iron, then AP2 from 7-PW... (I'm just using Titleist as an example). Simply put (insert brand here) GI long and mid irons and (insert brand here) player's short irons. A great place to start is with a fitter though. The new Mizuno MP-18 is designed so that you can make a blended set. You could go 3,4, and 5 MMC, 6, 7, 8 SC, and 9, PW blade or any combination you prefer. Again Mizuno is just an example. @Berty42 how consistent are you with say 8-iron through your wedges? Do you make solid contact most of the time? Ask yourself that question with your irons, until the answer becomes no. That is where the GI clubs will fit in... Up to your longest iron. 

Just a side note, most OEMs now allow you to purchase partial sets or even individual clubs, and in most cases blended sets. Most importantly, go get fit. Hit some shots on a Launch Monitor, preferably outdoors and the fitter will see where your GI irons should start. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Actually if you make an appointment with a fitter, write down your questions on a notecard or little piece of paper beforehand. Good luck. Let us know what you decide and how it goes.

Edited October 27, 2017 by onthehunt526

[Golfingdad]

On 10/20/2017 at 5:17 AM, saevel25 said:

I believe that a player iron will product a tighter dispersion because a game improvement iron has hot spots which can produce the occasional shot that goes way further than you think it would.

I'm using this as my justification for why I "need" new irons.  What I pine after currently are ...

I know these type of clubs will provide plenty of feedback - more than I really need - but I'm also wondering if I'll hit them better specifically because I know I have to.  Not sure if that makes a lot of sense, but I wonder if my focus will be greater on making solid contact since I will know that anything less will provide me great punishment and humiliation. :)

With my i20s, on the other hand, I have literally hit balls that leave a mark on the face of my 7 iron that is partially OFF the grooves and still ended up with a shot that would be in the vicinity of the green.

Anyways, it's still a bit of a pipe dream, but if I can clean out some space in the garage and acquire a few bucks by selling some old clubs, I'll seriously look into this. 

[saevel25]

31 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

Not sure if that makes a lot of sense, but I wonder if my focus will be greater on making solid contact since I will know that anything less will provide me great punishment and humiliation. :)

I think it is a more subtle thing. 

If a golfer is seeking solid contact they base that on feel. Well, on a game improvement iron a slight mishit feels like a good strike. So how can a golfer train themselves for solid contact if mishits feel solid?  I think game improvement irons have their place. Even for better players a GI 4 iron isn't a bad idea. The dispersion might be slightly better, but for a better player that can matter. They are not really looking for help in terms of ball flight and distance. 

35 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

With my i20s, on the other hand, I have literally hit balls that leave a mark on the face of my 7 iron that is partially OFF the grooves and still ended up with a shot that would be in the vicinity of the green.

Kinda crazy, but my MP 59's did the same as well. I would hit one way out on the toe, but it still went a good distance.