How often do you buy new irons?

[Valleygolfer]

I just saw a commercial that Wilson's new irons are promoting their clubs by announcing that they have "two rows of power holes." @billchao you better get your wallet out for them! 

Geez it is no wonder Wilson's golf business sucks. 

[sofingaw]

6 hours ago, rf53 said:

all I would need to do is swing my credit card!

LMAO quote of the day!

[billchao]

1 hour ago, rf53 said:

Please explain in detail. I would like some hard evidence so I can convince myself, and more importantly my wife, that I really do need new irons!

I can't do that. You'd have to do a fitting and compare for yourself if they can improve your game. There's more to it than today's 8 iron goes farther than yesterday's because they took a 7 iron and stamped an 8 on it, though.

Plus, if I knew how to convince wives of anything, I wouldn't be sitting around writing about golf clubs on the internet 

38 minutes ago, Valleygolfer said:

I just saw a commercial that Wilson's new irons are promoting their clubs by announcing that they have "two rows of power holes." @billchao you better get your wallet out for them! 

Guess they're going the TaylorMade route: if one speedslot is good, let's put four on the club.

[FrivolouslyWasted]

I’m not sure if I’m ever going to buy “new” irons. I’ve gotten so thoroughly hooked on playing my vintage blades I might just keep stockpiling sets of those and rotating them out. They can be had so cheaply, and you can find some in really good conditions. I recently got a set of 1989 Wilson Staff Goosenecks in literally mint condition for under $100. And then my impatient, dumb-ass went and played 9 with them sans covers and chattered them up. I’m still kicking myself. They were perfect before I got ahold of them. Lesson learned, I guess 

[iacas]

I'm still using a set I got eight years ago or so. If that helps…

[rf53]

19 hours ago, billchao said:

There's more to it than today's 8 iron goes farther than yesterday's because they took a 7 iron and stamped an 8 on it, though.

I found an interesting article that you may want to read. While new metal components and other improvements certainly go into the making of new irons, improved distance claims may indeed be attributed mainly to bumped lofts. I looked up the lie angles on the very popular game improvement Titleist AP1 irons. The 9 iron on the set uses 39 degrees of loft. According to the chart in the article below, 39 degrees of loft was used on 8 irons in the 1990's-2000's, and is one degree shy of  the standard loft for 7 irons of the 1980's. Moreover, today's AP1 9 iron uses only three degrees more loft than 6 irons of the 1960's-1970's. Sure sounds like OEM smoke and mirrors to me. 

https://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/news-and-events/general-news/2015/november/if-you-ask-someone-what-club-they-hit-youre-either-vain-an-idiot-or-both/

[billchao]

2 hours ago, rf53 said:

I found an interesting article that you may want to read. While new metal components and other improvements certainly go into the making of new irons, improved distance claims may indeed be attributed mainly to bumped lofts. I looked up the lie angles on the very popular game improvement Titleist AP1 irons. The 9 iron on the set uses 39 degrees of loft. According to the chart in the article below, 39 degrees of loft was used on 8 irons in the 1990's-2000's, and is one degree shy of  the standard loft for 7 irons of the 1980's. Moreover, today's AP1 9 iron uses only three degrees more loft than 6 irons of the 1960's-1970's. Sure sounds like OEM smoke and mirrors to me. 

https://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/news-and-events/general-news/2015/november/if-you-ask-someone-what-club-they-hit-youre-either-vain-an-idiot-or-both/

It's a little more complicated than loft = distance. Generally, the equipment industry defines an iron by the trajectory it hits, not the expected distance or static loft. So for example, a 7 iron is the club that launches the ball at 17° and hits an apex height of 90'. What happened when they started shifting the CoG around in the head with different design elements and materials is they found the ball launched too high with traditional lofts with too much spin, so they tweaked the lofts to hit the trajectory they were looking for. So now a modern GI 7 iron goes 15 yards longer than a vintage 7 iron while still hitting the same trajectory and loses less speed on off-center hits so it's more forgiving.

The trade-off of course is that more clubs are needed in the bottom end of the bag and gaps between clubs have widened, as the article states. But everyone's distance gaps from club to club overlap anyway because we are people and not machines. Dispersion is an oval pattern and not a single number.

The truth is, vintage clubs didn't have that much engineering put into them. Clubmakers designed a head shape and then spaced separate irons out in set increments, usually about 4-5° because the assumption was that people could hit evenly spaced loft increments an even amount of distance apart. And for the most part that is true...if you're a good ballstriker with decent swing speed. The average player would end up hitting a number of long irons roughly the same distance and the gaps between the mid and short irons would be unevenly distributed.

A lot of sets today are progressively designed with that in mind so in the same set of irons you'll have a spectrum of blade-like to GI-like qualities, with the short irons being more blade-like because less forgiveness is needed and accuracy is important, to more GI elements in the long irons because forgiveness becomes more important in them.

Even modern blades are designed differently than vintage blades and are easier to hit. I play a set of Mizuno blades circa 2013 and I also own a set of Ben Hogan Apex 2s circa 1979. Even with clubs of the same static loft, the Mizunos are more forgiving so the end result is the distance dispersion on the modern blades ends up farther than the vintage ones.

[Adam C]

Totally agree with billchao. Manufacturers were not just down lofting in an attempt to show distance gains. These stronger lofts are not new. Ever since game improvement and super game improvement irons came to market (ie Callaway Big Berthas, etc), lofts have been dropped to counter act more forgiving designs. With improvements in computer design, casting, forging, and multi material composites, the irons launch higher now across the board. Lighter club weights and a better understanding of shaft flex also help.

It should also be noted that with the GI irons that are being discussed here, at this point many either don't offer a 3 iron or are not purchased by choice. Most golfers and especially the higher handicappers have replaced the long irons with hybrids or woods. So the fact that the 4 iron loft is now 3 iron probably provides a better distance gap from those hybrids or woods which in general fly consistently higher and further than the iron equivalent.

[Mr. Desmond]

Irons - depends on whether the shafts still fit me. I want to resist temptation and keep irons for at least 5 years, if not more. Sometimes, though, if the shafts are no longer optimized for your swing, it makes economic sense to get a new set and sell the old one.

[RussUK]

I'd say 6-10 years. The irons i buy are "new" to me but generally 2nd had. Golf is a luxury so with a house, 2 kids and 2 cars to pay for new irons are low down the list (or at the bottom according to the wife).

I'll play with what i have then the plan is to get custom fit for some new irons for my 40th in two years time, whether they are OEM or the likes of Acer/Dynacraft im not sure.

At the moment i just add new cluns as and when needed or when there is a deal i cant pass up. For example i just picked up a brand new Adams Blue 3 wood for £45.

 

[dbuck]

1979, 1992, and 2017.

Actually twice in 2017. but that was an anomaly. I bought some Taylormade M1s and traded for some AP1s when the 718's came out. I have gone through my whole bag over last fall and this year, and am close to being set for several years with the exception of maybe driver and wedges.

This is for my primary bag. I have an off and on interest in vintage gear (persimmon and blades) and pick up some of those items occasionally. This is insignificant money wise.

 

Edited August 20, 2018 by dbuck

[NM Golf]

Ever 5-7 years. I play forged blades and I play and hit so many balls I just wear them out eventually. By the time I switch my irons look like they have been through a war. If not for that, I would almost never switch.

[Groucho Valentine]

Whenever i wear down the faces on the 8 iron on down to the point where it looks like there is a picture of mountain painted in rust on them. I call it getting "Mt St Helened"  In the past that has usually been around 4 seasons. It may be only cosmetic, but seeing that wear spot on my irons has always bothered me.  Ill probably have my current set much longer than that though because i don't play or practice anywhere near as much as i used to. 

Edited August 20, 2018 by Groucho Valentine

[NM Golf]

2 minutes ago, Groucho Valentine said:

Whenever i wear down the faces on the 8 iron on down to the point where it looks like there is a picture of mountain painted in rust on them. I call it getting "Mt St Helened"  In the past that has usually been around 4 seasons. It may be only cosmetic, but seeing that wear spot on my irons has always bothered me.  Ill probably have my current set much longer than that though because i don't play or practice anywhere near as much as i used to. 

I hear that, this set of irons might last a decade!

[jimnm]

I bought my first set of irons in 1995 sophomore year in high school. A full set of Dunlop's (Driver to putter) from K-Mart that my brother now plays. In 2011, I bought new irons which I really like. Nike VR Pro Cavity. I'm getting fitted for the first time tomorrow to get my specs. If my fit is completely off or I see significant gains in technology, then I will consider buying a new set.

[beaureed445]

I fall into the 6-10 year category.  My current set (Ping G20) was purchased in 2011......but I just ordered a set of 718 AP1's yesterday.  I do swap drivers every 3ish years, but I usually spring for last year's model- I bought a Taylormade R1 in 2014 (after they released the SLDR) , and switched to a Ping G in 2017 (after the G400's hit shelves).  Now, my putter doesn't really change- been using the same Scotty since 2006.

[WillieT]

To be honest as someone who is new to the game, the thought of changing clubs is something I have pondered.  I was gifted a set of Spaldings back in the late 1990's (to be honest they were a well used set at that time), then I inherited a mixed bag of MacGregor and Lynx clubs from the in-laws that included persimmon and laminate woods.  I held onto them until this summer when I took them to the course for the "first time ever".  How did I do? The first tee with the persimmon driver was within 20 yds of anyone in the group (granted two guys in late 60's early 70's and the other my son who is 30).  My iron shots were competitive as well - in fact the 8 iron in that old set was my most accurate club - it just feels natural every time I swing it.  After that outing the fever hit and this past summer I "upgraded" to a set of Tommy Armour 845s Silver Scot irons (4 - PW) along with TaylorMade R580 10.5* driver and 15* 3wood, Tour Edge GeoMax 19* 3H and 22*4H, Ping Eye2+ 53*SW and Ping Eye2 57.5*SW.  In evaluating the lofts of what I have versus current clubs, I have been of the opinion that the mfg's were just strengthening lofts to sell longer clubs.  Where does that put me in this discussion?  I will eventually upgrade to newer stuff, but for now as a "very casual" player who does not even know what handicap he has (not been on the course enough to really get a read), I will stay with what I have.  I can hit the "new" clubs in my bag reasonably well with decent distance and accuracy.  My favorite way to practice is to spend an average of 4 days a week working the short irons at 15 - 40yd distances using the practice balls.  

[cooke119]

If I were an 8 index I'm not sure I would change anything, but it sounds to me like you have the 'itch' for a new set of irons. Your current sets have given you great service over many years I think it is time to treat yourself to a new set. Given your skill level I don't need to tell you to take your time and look for the right iron/shaft combo that works for you. I also agree with the comment above about buying last years, or the year before, models to save a little money.