High Handicap Player Using Low Handicap Irons!

[Martinh]

Several weeks ago I was up at my Golf Club talking to the Pro about new Irons; mine are about 15 years old and I was quite amazed at how different modern Irons feel...I was very surprised. He said I could try a 7 iron on the range. Just out of interest I opted for a Ping i210 which is supposedly geared to the low/mid handicap player. I wasn't really expecting to do very well as I am a higher handicap golfer and logic told me that I would probably do better with the Ping G400 `game improvement` irons. I was amazed at how well I hit the ball with the i210s; a much better loft and distance than with my old cavity backed irons: ok, I still hit a few duffers, but on balance a great improvement; they just felt so pleasing to use.  Several days later I tried the Ping G400 7 iron; it felt awkward and I had nowhere near the success rate of the i210s. The result is I was fitted at the Club for the correct shaft and lie etc and I have just picked up a new set of i210s, 5 - W.  So it was interesting to find out that a High handicap player can play with `Players` irons.

[RussUK]

I'm not a fan of all this Irons suited for low/mid/high handicap malarkey. While a lot of players would be better off using a club that offers them a little help and forgivness (myself included), at the end of the day its what that person hits better and is more comfy with.

I've heard too many stories of people going for a fitting  and saying they like "x" blade or players CB to be told "Oh, you cant hit those, they are for the better player". I play with a guy who's iron play is just sublime, hits blades but cant drive for toffee and his short game is crap.

Play what suits you IMO.

[Vinsk]

27 minutes ago, Martinh said:

Several weeks ago I was up at my Golf Club talking to the Pro about new Irons; mine are about 15 years old and I was quite amazed at how different modern Irons feel...I was very surprised. He said I could try a 7 iron on the range. Just out of interest I opted for a Ping i210 which is supposedly geared to the low/mid handicap player. I wasn't really expecting to do very well as I am a higher handicap golfer and logic told me that I would probably do better with the Ping G400 `game improvement` irons. I was amazed at how well I hit the ball with the i210s; a much better loft and distance than with my old cavity backed irons: ok, I still hit a few duffers, but on balance a great improvement; they just felt so pleasing to use.  Several days later I tried the Ping G400 7 iron; it felt awkward and I had nowhere near the success rate of the i210s. The result is I was fitted at the Club for the correct shaft and lie etc and I have just picked up a new set of i210s, 5 - W.  So it was interesting to find out that a High handicap player can play with `Players` irons.

How a club feels is important. I’m glad you liked the i210. I got both the i200 and i500. I’m a Ping fan but if I see a club that looks really nice and I love it’s feel I’m likely to buy it. Congrats on your sweet i210’s! 

[billchao]

2 hours ago, Martinh said:

Several weeks ago I was up at my Golf Club talking to the Pro about new Irons; mine are about 15 years old and I was quite amazed at how different modern Irons feel...I was very surprised. He said I could try a 7 iron on the range. Just out of interest I opted for a Ping i210 which is supposedly geared to the low/mid handicap player. I wasn't really expecting to do very well as I am a higher handicap golfer and logic told me that I would probably do better with the Ping G400 `game improvement` irons. I was amazed at how well I hit the ball with the i210s; a much better loft and distance than with my old cavity backed irons: ok, I still hit a few duffers, but on balance a great improvement; they just felt so pleasing to use.  Several days later I tried the Ping G400 7 iron; it felt awkward and I had nowhere near the success rate of the i210s. The result is I was fitted at the Club for the correct shaft and lie etc and I have just picked up a new set of i210s, 5 - W.  So it was interesting to find out that a High handicap player can play with `Players` irons.

Optimal performance for an individual golfer is more complicated than simply your handicap is x, so you have to play clubs suited for x handicap players. Some people don't need the elements brought by SGI irons and they might even hurt their game. Plus, it's important to be confident with your clubs and to play what you like.

2 hours ago, RussUK said:

I play with a guy who's iron play is just sublime, hits blades but cant drive for toffee and his short game is crap.

I don't recall ever playing with you 😉

[CaseyD]

its funny how the cavity back irons are called game improvement irons, they just mask your issues.  blades should be called game improvement irons because they dont lie.  either you hit it good and they let you know it or you hit it like crap and they really let you know it. 🤣🤣

some on here said it a while back on a different post, "game improvement irons should be called game enjoyment irons." wish i could remember who it was because that is a very accurate statement.

[Patch]

I am of the opinion that once a golfer has grooved their "best"  swing, they can probably play the same with any type of club. With in a couple strokes.

I have  two (5, and 6 iron) muscle back blades, that I hit just as well as my gamers which are for higher handicap golfers. I also have an old 2i blade that I can hit pretty well, only  after some practice swings. The difference being the blades give more feed back on mis hits.I use these three clubs when hitting balls off the local dry lake bed. 

Although I think forgiving irons are the way to go for beginners, I also think what ever the golfer is comfortable with, is fine also.

A golfer's good, or poor swing makes the club  hit the ball. The ball then does what the club made it do. 

[WarrenB]

I play ping eye 2 irons that average 4-6 degrees of weaker loft. I may hit 2 more clubs than you but I know the new irons have tricked up lofts. The modern 8 irons are my 6 irons. Just find what YOU can hit. 

[graham57]

I have exactly the same experience: I am a high handicapper, but play my best golf with muscle-back irons (previously Titleist 699 MB, now Mizuno MP18). I feel so comfortable with them and truly believe they help me play better. The feeling I get when I (occasionally) hit a 6-iron 190 yards and land it on the green is what I play golf for (forget those other shots, they don‘t really count!).

[NM Golf]

Personally I think the i210 and the like are just fine for about any golfer. They mix playability with a healthy dose of forgiveness as well. The super game improvement irons like the g410 are just so unwieldy I don't know how anyone swings them.

That being said when I see guys who can barely break 100 swinging blades I truly believe they would be better off with a club that might give a bit more forgiveness. I swing blades, but I didn't put them into the bag until my handicap got into the lower single digits. Until then I just didn't strike the ball with enough consistency to play a forged blade. No, the modern blade is not the butter knife from 30 years ago, but they aren't forgiving enough for someone who strikes the ball all over the face like a high handicapper.

[Carl3]

10 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I got both the i200 and i500.

What kind of difference do you see between the two sets? From this chart there looks like there should be a great difference:

 

 

[Vinsk]

8 minutes ago, Carl3 said:

What kind of difference do you see between the two sets? From this chart there looks like there should be a great difference:

 

 

I actually went back to my i200’s after getting the i500’s. Still have them both but honestly I prefer the i200’s. Why:

i200: Much better feel. Softer, quiet strike. Easier to ‘work’ the ball.

i500: A rather clunky feel similar to the Callaway Steelhead irons. They are a bit longer but don’t have the ball flight control I get with the i200.

Only questionable aspect is I don’t think my fitting was very well done for i500’s. My i200’s are Project X 5.5  1* flat +1/4”

i500’s DG 105 Reg 1* upright +1/4.

[Carl3]

49 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

I actually went back to my i200’s after getting the i500’s.

This might seem to confirm the Maltby Playability Factor. Seems the i200's should play better than the i500's. I may be in the market for some new Pings. I have the E1's which are listed as game improvement at 566. Not sure which way I would head.

[Buckeyebowman]

13 hours ago, RussUK said:

I'm not a fan of all this Irons suited for low/mid/high handicap malarkey. While a lot of players would be better off using a club that offers them a little help and forgivness (myself included), at the end of the day its what that person hits better and is more comfy with.

I've heard too many stories of people going for a fitting  and saying they like "x" blade or players CB to be told "Oh, you cant hit those, they are for the better player". I play with a guy who's iron play is just sublime, hits blades but cant drive for toffee and his short game is crap.

Play what suits you IMO.

 

9 hours ago, CaseyD said:

its funny how the cavity back irons are called game improvement irons, they just mask your issues.  blades should be called game improvement irons because they dont lie.  either you hit it good and they let you know it or you hit it like crap and they really let you know it. 🤣🤣

some on here said it a while back on a different post, "game improvement irons should be called game enjoyment irons." wish i could remember who it was because that is a very accurate statement.

Wow, you guys are really barking up my tree! I started playing over 50 years ago (how depressing) when there were nothing but muscle back blades, and tiny, little persimmon (or maple) woods. so, you either learned to hit those clubs, or you suffered! 

I don't know if equipment can force you to get better, or become more accurate with your swing, but it seems to me that there's a lot of "slop factor" built into clubs these days. And the manufacturers have figured out that they can charge a lot of money for it, and a lot of folks will pay up. Hey! Instead of improving your swing mechanics, just buy new clubs! 

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, Carl3 said:

This might seem to confirm the Maltby Playability Factor. Seems the i200's should play better than the i500's. I may be in the market for some new Pings. I have the E1's which are listed as game improvement at 566. Not sure which way I would head.

Well if you don’t care about them being the newest model I certainly give my vote for the i200.

[Buckeyebowman]

2 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I actually went back to my i200’s after getting the i500’s. Still have them both but honestly I prefer the i200’s. Why:

i200: Much better feel. Softer, quiet strike. Easier to ‘work’ the ball.

i500: A rather clunky feel similar to the Callaway Steelhead irons. They are a bit longer but don’t have the ball flight control I get with the i200.

Only questionable aspect is I don’t think my fitting was very well done for i500’s. My i200’s are Project X 5.5  1* flat +1/4”

i500’s DG 105 Reg 1* upright +1/4.

Tried to tag this onto my previous reply, but it didn't work.

Anyway, if I'm reading your post correctly you went from a 1* flat lie in the i200 to a 1* upright lie in the i500. Am I reading the post correctly? If I am you went through a 2* lie angle change! That's pretty extreme! If this is the case, it doesn't surprise me that you'd prefer the i200's.

[CaseyD]

10 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

 

Wow, you guys are really barking up my tree! I started playing over 50 years ago (how depressing) when there were nothing but muscle back blades, and tiny, little persimmon (or maple) woods. so, you either learned to hit those clubs, or you suffered! 

I don't know if equipment can force you to get better, or become more accurate with your swing, but it seems to me that there's a lot of "slop factor" built into clubs these days. And the manufacturers have figured out that they can charge a lot of money for it, and a lot of folks will pay up. Hey! Instead of improving your swing mechanics, just buy new clubs! 

Oh yea that’s the truth. When my dad and I first started playing almost 30 years ago he had some bag o goodies Hahahah. A full set of old ass blades and I don’t even think two of them were from the same manufacturer. Even sported a 1 and 2 iron. And to really top off the supreme gear we learned with we had one of those “one clubs” or something like that. The one that had like a drill chuck on it and you could adjust from a 1 iron to a SW. 🤦‍♂️

Edited February 5, 2019 by CaseyD

[Vinsk]

4 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Tried to tag this onto my previous reply, but it didn't work.

Anyway, if I'm reading your post correctly you went from a 1* flat lie in the i200 to a 1* upright lie in the i500. Am I reading the post correctly? If I am you went through a 2* lie angle change! That's pretty extreme! If this is the case, it doesn't surprise me that you'd prefer the i200's.

Yeah I’ve thought the same thing. I’ve considered getting the i500’s adjusted to the specs of my i200’s just to see if that makes me like the 500’s better.

[Carl3]

2 minutes ago, CaseyD said:

When my dad and I first started playing almost 30 years ago he had some bag o goodies Hahahah.

I started in the early 1980's with a hand-me-down set of irons that had leather grips and dark-colored shafts. I am sure that they were the best money could buy back in the day. My grandfather was a Kansas City, KS champ and played in the 1935 US Open at Oakmont. He had a set of Kenneth Smith woods that I remember him playing with.