Snakum

I guess I'll be the lone dissenting voice. IMHO the "best" wedge depends a lot on you. I like a low bounce 54 or 55 degree sand wedge. Why? I don't like a lot of bounce on most pitches from tight lies. Too easy for me to skull one. Low bounce in line with the rest of my irons works best for me. Then in the sand or a different lie I can create 'bounce' by opening my stance and the clubface. I can't really take bounce off a wedge, but I can add "bounce". That said, learning to play a fanned clubface with an open stance takes a lot of practice to nail your aim and various swing lengths for varying distances. If you don't have the time or inclination to practice, maybe two wedges is better.

Disregard. Getting both sets of TA 855s reshafted instead of spending money on new irons only to stick them in the closet and break out the old TAs (like usually happens).

I have played mixed sets previously (TA 855 longs and mids and TA 845 short irons and wedges) and am interested in ordering a mixed set of S3s or AMPs. There are two Cobra fitting centers near me, but not having been fitted in over 15 years, and remembering how inconsistent feedback from different fitting sessions could often be, but also knowing things have probably changed since then ... I have a few questions: Anyone been to a local Cobra fitter recently? How did it go? Is the Cobra fitting 'system' set up so that any decent club fitter can nail the right specs? Were you comfortable with the info you received? On ordering a set from Cobra ... has anyone ordered something like game improvement 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and with forged irons for 8, 9, PW, AW? Is this something Cobra does? Were you able to get the swing weights and feel relatively consistent across the GIs and forged irons? I sent an email to Cobra but haven't gotten a reply. Danke schon.

When I first started playing I had a terrible slice with driver and long irons, and being self-taught I just read everything I could find on the swing and on faults. I fixed mine by laying out clubs on the ground to check my alignment, watched my swing in a mirror to ensure my plane and path were good, and started gripping the club more in my fingers and a little stronger. I used to hit buckets and buckets of balls every day and I eventually got to the point I could draw and fade on command about 75% of the time. I just weaken my grip a little and open my stance for a high fade, then close my stance and strengthen my grip for a draw.

Dick's has the S3 without the smoke black finish (nicer looking to me) and I hit it and the TM Burner 2.0 into their launch monitor today. The lofts on those things must be very strong or the monitor screen isn't accurate. With my back issues I can no longer make a full turn, but I still hit an easy 7 iron in both clubs to almost 170 yds, which used to be my 5 iron distance with a full swing on the 855s. And again, the S3s really felt good and seemed to work better for me than the Burner 2.0s. Even though the clubs are similar in dimensions, shaft length, etc. for some reason I nailed the S3 every time. Very sweet little click. Probably going to go pick up a set at the end of the month, and pick up a sand and lob wedge that works with those strong lofts.

One of the things I struggled with back when I was playing regularly was getting consistent accuracy with knockdowns. I started working on them again last week (the 855s do it very well) and I have a ways to go. I can read wind pretty well - I compete in long range shooting/sniper comps - but a variable crosswind and the hard swirling we get sometimes in the middle of tree-lined fairways (Spring especially) still messes with my long and mid irons hitting into the green. Trying to figure what a still and variable x-wind will be doing on the way up, at the apex, and when falling on the green can be a challenge and is often a SWAG operation. Knockdowns were usually a safer bet when I could do them well.

When I'm playing/practicing regularly I can bend them a little. I'd just like a little more forgiveness right now, since I'm just starting back. But I don't want the club to fight me once I'm back in shape and trying to shape shots. Found info on another forum indicating they are long and straight, but they don't fight shaping left and right. Sounds perfect. I also found the Cobra S3 Forged irons while looking around. Will definitely try a set next year if my back is still holding up.

Piano player in a wh@rehouse. Naaah ... was a software analyst and part-time pilot (corp and charter), but went back to school over the past two years to be a Paramedic. Currently working in EMS and loving it. I like serving my community and I feel I'm doing something that matters in my old age. But I sure do miss the IT paycheck.

My normal ball flight has always been that beautiful, gracefully curving, high-flying curve ball slicing thru the air at roughly 375' MSL and eventually bending so badly it comes around and hits me in the back of my own head. Classic stuff. I'm so proud. If I measured the actual distance traveled I'm sure I have hit a few 300 yard drives. They were in a circular trajectory, however. But I eventually learned to straighten it out most of the time (driver still iffy) and even learned to hit a bit of draw on command with the irons. I still have one get away from me on the driver way too often. Either a bad 'nanner ball or a screaming duck hook running 6" off the turf. But it's not as ugly as it was. I just started back into golf after a very long time away due to health issues, so I've been living at the range. I've really missed it, and I have a lot of work to do to get back in shape. We were talking on the range Friday and someone asked me how I hit a draw with the long irons off the tee - the poor kid actually saw me hit a good 3 iron and not the previous 10 or 11 horror shows that were trying to pass for a golf shot. I actually had to think about it and sort of watch closely what I was doing to explain my method. I found that I set up normally and then step back with my right foot about six inches, and really turn my right hand over hard on the downswing. I used to be able to draw the long and mid irons, especially off a tee, roughly 65 - 75% of the time. I'd like it to be more consistent when I get into shape. So I'm curious ... How do you draw your irons ... what's your 'method'? Is it consistent? What's your percentage ya, think? What about driver? Do you do anything different?

Just got back into golf after a long layoff due to back problems. Used to shoot mid-80s on a good day and could work my Tommy Armour 855s shooting 'em high, low, and a little right to left (left to right came much easier ) especially with tee'd long irons. When I first started playing in the mid-1990s I quickly went thru a set of Wilson Ultra 45s, Top Flite Tours, and Top Flite OSs, before finding Tiommy Armour 855s. I've now owned four sets of 855s in both the yellow and the black dots (denotes amount of offset) and still have a couple sets of 2 thru SW and 3 thru W3. I love 855s. They're long ... relatively forgiving for its' time ... but can still shape the ball. However, I'm sure technology has changed a lot in 15 years and I want to catch up and try to something that's maybe a little more forgiving on misses while still allowing a little bit of creativity with shots. So I'm looking for a new set of clubs and have narrowed it down to the TM Burner 2.0 and the Cobra S3 (not the S3 Max), both of which I hit well into a net and which felt good in my hands. Anecdotal evidence suggests the S3s and the Burners are biased towards that high/soft and string straight shot but that they can still be bent a little and knocked down a bit. But I haven't talked to anyone who plays them regularly/daily so I'm not sure. I have read a lot about them both and hit them into a net, but I haven't hit them on the range and might not be able to. So I'm trying to find out if they can shape ball flight just a little? Anyone know? I have always had decent long and mid iron skills and would have broken 80 if I'd actually practiced my short game (I know ... should be a no-brainer). So in addition to being very forgiving when I accidentally leave my A-Game at the house, I also kinda' need the S3s or the Burner 2.0s to do this (when my swing is up to it, of course) ... ... hit very high, soft, short-iron shots that land on the green and bounce once ... right back into the same ball mark. ... hit a knock-down with a straight, boring trajectory (I played a set of TM RAC OSs once and it was hard to keep 'em low). ... fire off a high(ish), soft right-to-left shot with the long and mid irons (I never could bend anything more lofted than a 7 iron). .. hit a low, boring, hard-curving right-to-left off the tee with the 3i and 4i (will be buying a 3i too ... I love long irons and have not warmed to hybrids yet. Anyone know if the S3 or Burner is capable, as long as the guy swinging the club is capable? I have played with newer clubs (Callaway and TaylorMade) that would only fire high and string straight. Wouldn't bend the ball worth a crap and it was even a little difficult to hit knock-downs with them. That's great for beginners, these hugely forgiving irons are awesome and some days I feel like I need a set, too. But most days I need a little more than that.