Everything Right After Switching to Older Irons

[Bobby2Swings]

I recently bought a used set of older Cleveland 588p irons. Looking down on a simple iron like this inspires me with alot more confidence than my other game improvement set that are big and clunky in appearance (Taylormade RAC OS 05). Another reason I bought the Clevelands was to remove a crutch so I'd learn to swing properly.

Now to the point... Even when making solid contact and leaving a divot after the ball every shot goes way right (Im right handed) on a straight line. I assume this has to do with clubhead to shaft offset. I see a few options for myself.

1. Learn to release a bit later so the clubface squares up with these clubs.

2. Find a set of blades or older irons that inspire me in the same way but also include more offset.

3. Go back to game improvement irons and deal with the terrible look these irons have when over the ball.

 

Looking for thoughts/tips/advice. Or perhaps some of you have gone through the same thing. Thanks!

Edited September 2, 2018 by Bobby2Swings

[Vinsk]

Hello and welcome to TST. Not feeling confident can probably affect your play in regards to how the club looks/feels. However, the game improvement irons certainly don’t provide so much advantage that they can be considered a ‘crutch.’ What’s your hcp? Have you been fitted before? I’m one who has to like what I’m looking down at. I understand that. But most important should be performance. Your straight push is probably not due to the club’s offset despite you not pushing the Clevelands. We have a section called ‘My Swing’ where you can post a video and get great feedback from really good instructors. I recommend you get fitted and see your results on a monitor as you compare different clubs. But if you don’t like the look of a club (offset or not) screw it. Don’t feel like you have to commit to any type. Find what you like and get it fitted to you. Cheers and again, welcome!

[Patch]

Welcome to the site. 

I recently went back to my old gamers. The change was more for therapy, since my older clubs were a little heavier than my normal gamers. Had a right shoulder problem. 

The therapy worked, and I decided to stick with my older set of irons, since I saw a little more distance. Not much of an increase, but in my game every little bit of gain helps.  

At first, I also had an issue pushing balls to the right using the older clubs. My first fix worked. I simply moved the ball a little more forward in my stance. Maybe a ball's width. No other swing changes were needed. 

[MarvChamp]

4 hours ago, Bobby2Swings said:

3. Go back to game improvement irons and deal with the terrible look these irons have when over the ball

I'm not being rude when I say I really don't care about the look. The "feel", flight, distance and score matter more. I have two game improvement sets. I have concluded the older set, with graphite shafts I had installed one-soft step from regular, spine aligned, etc., feel better to me than the newer despite looking clunkier. 

1 hour ago, Patch said:

I simply moved the ball a little more forward in my stance. Maybe a ball's width. No other swing changes were needed. 

And this does work. I have the ball in the same spot off my left heel regardless of the club; just adjust the width of my stance.

But then, I am a 25 HC. I know little. Best of luck, -Marv

[Bobby2Swings]

Thanks for the responses and welcome messages!

I dont keep a handicap but I shoot in the high 90s typically. This is the first year where I have put any effort into learning and playing consistently. I have never been fitted because I have always been under the impression that its expensive. I am fairly tall (6'3") though so I have thought about it.  Can you get old used clubs fitted to you?

Just to clarify what I mean by the club's "look"... I am not talking about attentiveness or looking cool. Im talking about the confidence I have when standing over the ball and seeing the club at address, visualizing the shot. The older blade looking irons instill more confidence in my swing than clunky, bulky, new game improvement irons.

Im certainly going to try moving the ball forward in my stance a bit, that does make alot of sense. Thank you for the tip!

Ill post some swing videos soon!

Thanks!

 

 

[MarvChamp]

12 hours ago, Bobby2Swings said:

Can you get old used clubs fitted to you?

Yes but (trust me) it can be expensive to have a knowledgeable person help with analyzing your current swing and clubs. loft and lie, new shafts if needed, then to pure them, grips of proper size etc. I almost could have bought a new fitted set. 

 

12 hours ago, Bobby2Swings said:

Im certainly going to try moving the ball forward in my stance a bit, that does make alot of sense.

Check out Butch Harmon instruction, Jack Nicklaus, etc. Takes some getting used to and time to select the spot. But works for me and my instructor. Best, -Marv

[Adam C]

Having fit many golfers over many years, all I can say is you should never try to fit your swing into a certain club. It should be the club fitting into your swing and tendencies. This is my opinion but if you can't get out on the course and realistically break 80 on any given day, clubs in that 588 category are not what you need regardless of how much you like the look. Clubs with this design are made to hit it low with maximum workability. In other words short and crooked unless you have the consistent swing to use them. You also won't be able to find blades with larger offset numbers. They just aren't made.

People would ask all the time if they are going to "grow out of" the game improvement clubs, and unless you grow out of wanting to hit the ball high and straight the answer is no. If you get yourself down to that 8 handicap and are hitting the GI irons too high or want to move then (ball flight) more easily then at that point I would look at the more players style irons.

All that being said you probably should at the least go for a basic fitting and see if you need longer clubs, possible more upright, and bigger grips, which I would guess you would based on your height. Adding some length will usually run you around $7-$8 per club plus cost of grip. You probably won't be able to bend those RACs very much if I remember correctly, the are pretty brittle, but just the length adjustment will help the lie angle.

 

[Bobby2Swings]

It sounds like I have no business using those clubs haha. They only ran me 75$ so I could prob get my money back on eBay.

To-do:

- Try moving the ball forward a bit at the range for experimentation.

- Get a basic fitting and get GI irons altered to match (grips, length)

- Post swing videos for feedback.

Thanks for all the feedback. It helps to validate/invalidate my approach thus far.

[dbuck]

Welcome to the forum.

Your number one choice was more or less the correct answer, and really the only one that matters. If your shots are all going right, you should fix that first. No club will fix that.

I would suggest a lesson from a qualified instructor. If your shots are truly flying straight but offline, it could be as simple as alignment or grip.

Getting fit is not necessarily expensive, as long as you don't select an exotic shaft or spec. Many qualified fitting centers will comp the fitting process if you purchase from them. Getting the proper length and lie from the manufacturer is often no charge or minimal. The things that really generate upcharges are shafts and grips.

Game improvement or more forgiving player style irons are easier to hit more consistently, though you still need to make a good pass to have a good shot. What they do through technology is to make it easier to get the ball in the air, and you lose less distance with a less than perfect strike.

 

[Bobby2Swings]

4 hours ago, dbuck said:

Game improvement or more forgiving player style irons are easier to hit more consistently, though you still need to make a good pass to have a good shot. What they do through technology is to make it easier to get the ball in the air, and you lose less distance with a less than perfect strike.

Distance is certainly not the issue. The distance is typically right around where I thought. The ball comes off crisp and really flies, just straight right. I can feel when its off center, heel, toe, fat, thin, etc...

Physics would suggest an open face.

[Bobby2Swings]

5 hours ago, dbuck said:

I would suggest a lesson from a qualified instructor. If your shots are truly flying straight but offline, it could be as simple as alignment or grip.

Any tips on finding the right instructor? I feel like there is so much misinformation surrounding the golf swing... I would want to know the instructors track record is solid before spending my hard earned money. I was looking into the folks at Evolvr because that would be really convenient, affordable, and they have a good reputation on these forums. The other option is somewhere local in eastern Massachusetts.

[Bobby2Swings]

I went to the range today to get some video. I just posted a "My Swing" thread. Thanks for all the feedback.

[ChetlovesMer]

Flying straight but way to the right. Sounds like you are hitting it off the hosel. 

Simply check. Grab a dry erase marker and put a dime sized dot on your ball. Put the ball down so you strike the dot. 
Look at your club face. The dot should have transferred onto your club face. Is it right by the hosel? 

If you are hitting it off the hosel there are about a dozen different reasons for that. But at least you'll know why it's going so dramatically to the right. 

[dbuck]

23 hours ago, Bobby2Swings said:

Distance is certainly not the issue. The distance is typically right around where I thought. The ball comes off crisp and really flies, just straight right. I can feel when its off center, heel, toe, fat, thin, etc...

Physics would suggest an open face.

The face is open to the target, but square to the swing path. If it weren't, your shots would curve, not fly straight. So you are swinging in to out with an open face,(open to the target, square to the swing path) or you are simply lined up to the right, assuming you are right handed.