Beginner irons?

[Stevieb123]

Hi,

I’m quite a novice so please bare with me!

ive been playing with some old clubs keno irons and unbranded wood / putter.

I want to invest some money into some slightly better clubs. Can anyone recommend a decent, well price iron set / driver for high handicap players! 

I’m  thinking about a rapture V2 Driver and probably the same for a hybrid (seem really affordable and forgiving.)

 As for irons I was also considering the Rapture V2’s, though I was told that the Ping Gmax’s are Better if I can warrant the extra money. Aside from that I have had the Ping G10’s recommended as well! 

Main reason I have only mentioned Ping is they are all I have used (I liked them) aside from the old Keno’s! 

Please help! Any advice, comments, criticisms are more than welcome!

thanks

zteve

[70sSanO]

If you like the V2's, you may also want to look at the Karsten (Ping) irons.

John

[Piz]

Pick something you like.  Whether you are just starting out, or have been playing for decades, you have to like your clubs.  That isn't so difficult to determine.  Hit 'em, look at 'em, and decide one way or the other.  After all...there is no accounting for taste.

[Shindig]

Ping are great choices;  super forgiving irons are what you're after.  

Titleist AP1s are also super forgiving.  

As a high handicapper, you want clubs that you don't have to fight in order to improve.  I made a mistake as a high handicapper getting near-blades and playing those for a few years.  Maybe if I'd been practicing (and practicing properly) on a daily basis then, I might have been able to make that work, but since switching to cavity backs, my irons are friend not foe.

[millsan1]

No one can tell you what you will like, and comfort with the clubs is what you and I should be after.

 

I went with Ping G30s as my first set of real irons this year.  They were new, but a lot cheaper than current models and felt great in my hands.

[Stevieb123]

THanks for all the help! 

Some great points raised! I’ll have to try a few sets and see what feels good! 🙂

[Stevieb123]

An Update.

I have a friend of a friend who has offered me any of the following sets of Irons for £100. I am just going to take a punt on a set and sell them on if i don't like them, I understand clubs are subjective, however, as an general sweeping statement, which of the following would you suggest is most forgiving and is easiest to play with:

- Ping Rapture V2 - Graphite Shaft

- Ping G25 - Stiff Steel Shaft

- Ping G10 - Regular Steel Shaft

 

I understand the rapture v2's are very dated - would the more modern irons be a better choice?

Feedback is much appreciated, thanks :)

[RussUK]

1 hour ago, Stevieb123 said:

An Update.

I have a friend of a friend who has offered me any of the following sets of Irons for £100. I am just going to take a punt on a set and sell them on if i don't like them, I understand clubs are subjective, however, as an general sweeping statement, which of the following would you suggest is most forgiving and is easiest to play with:

- Ping Rapture V2 - Graphite Shaft

- Ping G25 - Stiff Steel Shaft

- Ping G10 - Regular Steel Shaft

 

I understand the rapture v2's are very dated - would the more modern irons be a better choice?

Feedback is much appreciated, thanks :)

Out of the above i would plump for the G10's. Yes they are older than the G25's but (depending on your swing speed) may be a better fit for a beginner due to the regular flex steel shafts.

Might be worth asking your mate if you can have a hit with say the 7 iron from each set to give you a better idea. Check the "dot" on them as well as this will tell you if they are standard lie or +/- (black is standard).

[Stevieb123]

3 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Out of the above i would plump for the G10's. Yes they are older than the G25's but (depending on your swing speed) may be a better fit for a beginner due to the regular flex steel shafts.

Might be worth asking your mate if you can have a hit with say the 7 iron from each set to give you a better idea. Check the "dot" on them as well as this will tell you if they are standard lie or +/- (black is standard).

Russ,

Thanks for the points. All the clubs are Yellow dot which are what I need looking at Pings "chart" - Would graphite shafts be that much worse than regular steel ones then? - I don't really know what my swing speed is (complete beginner really) - I understand I am going about this a bit backwards!

Appreciate the assistance

[Moxley]

Hi Steve,

G30 user myself. 

The dots change a little, but yellow should be moderately upright. Generally suit slightly taller golfers although not always. 

Graphite shafts aren't necessarily worse, for some they are better ,and always more expensive. Steel is usually somewhat heavier and tends to offer more control for adult men, but weaker golfers (including seniors) can find graphite easier to control and swing faster. I get more predictable dispersion with steel, although I did once buy a graphite iron to test and it was still playable. 

All the 'g' ping irons are easy to play. 

 

[RussUK]

16 minutes ago, Stevieb123 said:

Russ,

Thanks for the points. All the clubs are Yellow dot which are what I need looking at Pings "chart" - Would graphite shafts be that much worse than regular steel ones then? - I don't really know what my swing speed is (complete beginner really) - I understand I am going about this a bit backwards!

Appreciate the assistance

@Moxley summed it up really well in regards to the shafts.

i use regular steel shafts im my irons but stiff graphite shafts in my driver and woods as i find regular graphite a little "whippy" but thats probably a psycholigical thing. best thing to do is have a play with them as you may find the graphite more to your liking than steel. Ping never scrimp on their materials so even though the shafts wont be current tech they wont be that far off.

[Darth_Fader]

Agree that all the Ping gear is very user friendly, but only info I'v gathered from others. My old TB Burner plus irons took me from 19-10 hcap, since changing to TM CB 2012 iron my hcap's only crept up! Anyway, if you can find them (cheap) defo worth looking at, awesome at getting the ball airborne and not straying. Centre of sweet spot hits did jump 8-10 yards, but I think that was always a thing with ICT irons and maybe if I was used to hitting it regularly it wouldn't have come as such a surprise! Happy hunting!

http://www.golfreview.com/product/golf-clubs/irons/taylormade/burner-plus.html

[Stevieb123]

Thanks again for all the help guys! 

I have actually gone off on a tangent and found a set of Ping Rapture V2 irons 6-SW in good condition for £60 locally - Just collected them as they were only 10 minutes away (a sign maybe.) So cheap I cant afford not to take the punt on them. Regular steel shafts aswell! I will feed back what i think (though I doubt it will make much difference until I sort my delivery out!)

As I now have steel irons down to a 6, I obviously have a gap. Would a hyrbrid club be suitable so complete a set for a beginner, I would have:

- Driver (12 degree)

- Hybrid (20 degree)

- Irons 6-SW

- Still need to find a decent / well priced putter!

 

If I do go for a Hybrid, am i better going for the same shaft as my irons, or could i go for a graphite for this?

 

Thanks once again for all the help! Awesome to get so much help for a beginner, and a great forum! :)

[Darth_Fader]

4 minutes ago, Stevieb123 said:

Thanks again for all the help guys! 

I have actually gone off on a tangent and found a set of Ping Rapture V2 irons 6-SW in good condition for £60 locally - Just collected them as they were only 10 minutes away (a sign maybe.) So cheap I cant afford not to take the punt on them. Regular steel shafts aswell! I will feed back what i think (though I doubt it will make much difference until I sort my delivery out!)

As I now have steel irons down to a 6, I obviously have a gap. Would a hyrbrid club be suitable so complete a set for a beginner, I would have:

- Driver (12 degree)

- Hybrid (20 degree)

- Irons 6-SW

- Still need to find a decent / well priced putter!

 

If I do go for a Hybrid, am i better going for the same shaft as my irons, or could i go for a graphite for this?

 

Thanks once again for all the help! Awesome to get so much help for a beginner, and a great forum! 🙂

Good call, great price! Hybrids are (imo) much more suitable for a beginner, when I'm feeling a tad shaky over the big stick my trusty cobra baffler comes out. I have reg steel shafts thru my irons, all stiff graphite in woods/hybrids, seems a rather common set-up.

I always found when introducing pals to the game, a centre-shafted mallet putter was easier to use, but again, stroke dependent. Cleveland classic are a good entry level putter in terms of look/feel/price balance.

[MarvChamp]

If I do go for a Hybrid, am i better going for the same shaft as my irons, or could i go for a graphite for this?

Personally, I would try to find a 4 and 5 hybrid with graphite regular shafts. The 20 degree is about a 3 Plus iron or 5 wood for me  Maybe you could close the gaps with a 5 hybrid; and the 4 hybrid will fly nearly as far as the 20 degree. Graphite shaft with a low kick point may help with launching these longer clubs. Just a thought. Best, -Marv

[Moxley]

hybrids normally work well for beginners. When I was starting out in the game again, I would slice all my irons, but hit the hybrid lovely and straight. These days I hit my irons fairly straight, and hook every hybrid off the planet 😃

[Mmgolfwiz]

Beginner irons. Well really no such thing. It depends a lot on your size. Your swing and your age. The best advice would actually go to a pro shop and get fitted. PGA Superstores are great at helping and they have simulators to try them out. Worst thing to do is buy a set that doesn’t fit you and you can’t hit them. So don’t waste your money. Get fitted

[Shindig]

2 hours ago, Stevieb123 said:

- Driver (12 degree)

- Hybrid (20 degree)

- Irons 6-SW

- Still need to find a decent / well priced putter!

 

Play a bit, see what gaps, if any, show up as you learn to hit the clubs.  The gap between the 20 degree hybrid and 6-iron is 9 degrees (assuming standard loft for your iron set, that 6-iron in that set is 29 degrees).  A 24 degree hybrid wouldn't be a terrible choice.  Get one that matches your 20 degree, assuming you like it.

Worst case, you have a gap your first few rounds.  Are you starting at a par-3s course?  If so, that gap might never manifest.  My first summer playing was primarily at par-3 courses and an executive course that had two par-4s (but only one you were allowed to hit non-iron off the tee).  I had irons 4-P, a putter, and a 5-wood.  Irons higher than the 6 rarely came into play, especially because I had enough trouble with the 6-iron as it was at the time.