marks

Great post...I feel like I'm in about the same boat as Hacker23. I'm a 10.8 index and at a crossroads between being mid handicapper and taking it to the next level. I play 1-2 rounds a week in winter and 3-4 rounds a week in summer. Our club has fairly small greens and I only hit about 5 GIR a round, so I really feel like I need to work hard on my iron game to take my game to the next level (yeah, I know short game is king, and I've already worked pretty hard on that). I've been playing Callaway X18 Pro series, dynamic gold S300 +1/2" for about the last 5 years. I never considered forged clubs until I've recently heard that they are much more forgiving than they were 20 years ago when I decided that I was a game improvement club player for life. I can work my X18's okay if I'm trying to hit a draw/hook, but have been terribly disappointed in the times I've hit it dead straight when I know I made a good fade swing. I've learned more about this game in the last 3 years than I did in my first 30 playing this game, and I want to be able to get more feel and be able to work the ball better than my current irons. I went to the local golf shop today and got fitted. They were having technical difficulties with the shaft optimizer, so I'll need to go back and do that again. However, I was pleased that this fitting identified me as needing standard length vs. +1/2". This opens up a few more options for good deals on the internet. The last time I was fit it was done by measuring only. This guy paid more attention to where on the club face I was hitting the ball with standard vs. +1/2" shaft length. I brought home a Mizuno MP-63 6 iron demo. Their demo MP-53 was unavailable today, so I may need to try it later. I hit both in the store, and didn't feel much difference, though I really like the look of the 63 better. I also brought home a demo 6-iron Callaway X Forged - like the way it looks and hit well in store, though my gut feel is the quality of these clubs does not compare with Mizuno's (though the key is how I hit 'em). I am strongly considering a combo set of MP-53 long irons (4,5,6) and MP-63 short irons (7,8,9,PW). I would appreciate any feedback that any of you have. Can't wait to get out this weekend and do some side by side comparison. Any concerns with combo sets from a resale standpoint? Budget wise, I'd like to stay below $6-700, but primarily just want good value for whatever money I do spend. Thanks, Mark