Young04

make the mental leap. take a mid handicapper's statement that he is good with his irons with a grain of salt. that's what almost all mid handicappers say, and by definition, not everyone can be "good" relative to other mid handicappers. a 14 handicap may think that his handicap may be a little high for playing blades, but that he may be ok for them because he thinks strong iron game makes him unlike other 14 handicaps. in fact his iron game isn't any better than other 14 handicaps because the strength of the majority of 14 handicaps is their iron game.

one caveat i want to note is that everyone on this thread (and virtually all middle handicappers) seems to say that their iron game is their strongest aspect of their game. i've always taken statements like that with a grain of salt for several reasons. firstly, the iron game is the easiest to pick up and get better with. even some pros struggle with the driver, and i can't think of a single golfer out there that has mastered the putter.

on the PGA front, marketing and endorsement deals dictate what brand is more prevalent. in terms of us amateurs, i find that lower handicaps play mizuno. even the MX25s are aimed at the 18 handicap bogey golfer (if you shoot 90, you're a true hacker anymore). the vast majority of what mizuno sells is aimed at the sub 12 handicap market.

i hear what others are saying about using the 3 iron for tee shots, but fairway woods and hybrids these days are so much more effective for just about everyone. i can sting a 5wood just as well as a 3 iron off the tee. from the turf, a 3 iron is much tougher than a hybrid or FW.

thanks for the lecture there. you also shouldn't assume things about people's disposable income. other people can easily spend a few grand on clubs and not bat an eye. just because you can't doesn't justify your didactic post.

this isn't a perfect test, but how far do you hit your 7 iron on a solid strike? how bout your driver? use this chart as a rough guideline: http://www.golfsmith.com/cm/display_...num=learn_how5

yeah, with the information that you have, you'll stay a 25 capper forever.

that chart is helpful, but you all should use that as a very rough guideline. if i use a set of nike blades, their 49 degree PW will net me "average" distance. if i grabbed my buddy's TM R7 (don't know which one), their PW is 44 degrees, and i hit that 140 yards.

what kind of tee did you hit it off. there is one range i go to where they have these weird rubber tees that really mess up the sound. i know you have the sumo, but when i hit balls with my SQ Tour off these tees, wooden, with some metal in it, like you described, isn't a bad way to put it. if you're not hitting off of regular tees, in a non-enclosed environment, i would do that first before anything. otherwise, definitely doesn't sound right.

for me, i'd learn to hit the 3W if i were you. i find my 19 degree hybrid easier to hit than a 18/19 degree fairway wood, but i have trouble with hybrids that have a 3 wood loft and can hit a low lofted FW much easier.

i ended last season around a 10 and the 60s suit me perfectly. i did swap out the 3 and 4 for the MX25's. but to me, the MP67 and MP60s are in different leagues. i wouldn't dream of trying anything more than an 8 or 9 iron in the 67s...

i have a 19 degree hybrid too...choke up on it and it replaces the 3 iron well. i'm thinking of dropping my 3 iron because of that...may put in that 52 wedge, or a 5W (but the yardage will probably be too close to my 19* hybrid)... they should let us carry 15 clubs much rounder number than 14 anyway.

i'm surprised with a 4 handicap like yours, you wouldn't know enough about your own swing to pick out your own irons from trying, etc.

that may be the more scientific description...i thought it was supposed to help the steep angles of attack that many cutters/slicers have...

you're monopolizing the board as of this moment! the more upright angle of the D1 will help slicers.