4right

Glad you found your perfect fit. Since my last post, I purchased a set custom factory built Mizuno forged JPX 900 iron's with some fairly light S flex steel shafts. 1 1/4" over and 7 deg upright. They swing way lighter than my MP14's, and my swing has changed for the better because of it. I've had them for about 9 months now and really like them. I only ordered a P thru 5, which I now regret. My 2 iron was one of my favorite clubs with my old set. I figured I'm in my mid 50's now, I can just use a 4 hybrid to cover the longer shots. That hasn't worked. I still like hitting long irons. So before my model goes out of date, I need to get a 4 and 3 iron made. Maybe a 2 iron to boot! The factory already has my spec's on file, so it's a easy order. I have definitely slowed my swing down and I am starting hit more greens with the long irons. All good.

I've been down this road before myself. I'm 6'7 and someone fitted me the same way years ago. I hit my 2" longer 8 iron 200 yds, plus I had no control. The club weights are way off too. I just got my new Mizuno GPX 900 forged 1" over and 6 degrees up. They are so much easier to hit consistently than my old blades. I hit them dead straight. The fitter check the lie on the strike board, and it is perfect for my swing and build. You may not need that much upright lie, but you will be in the 4 to 5 degrees upright range. I have a 40" wrist to floor measurement. If you have longer arms then your hands will be lower. In that case you'll probably be less upright than me. The bad news, it's a custom build. Save yourself a lot of years of playing the wrong clubs, and have a Mizuno fitter fit you. The list of cavity backed irons that can be bent 4+ degrees upright is very small. Mizuno and ???? Can't think of and others. You're very tall, so you and I are kinda screwed as far as anything off the shelf:( I've never had a problem with fairway woods, drivers, or putters just off the shelf. Even my Cleveland wedges were able to be bent, and re-shafted 1" over. Don't do extensions over 1/2" It messes up the swing weights.

What? The club face is supposed to hit the ball first? That occasionally happens for me I was talking to my son's golf coach about my awkwardness as it pertains to me and the proper lie angles. I brought up Phil Blackmar and he knows him and has play rounds with him. He said the reason Phil plays the clubs he plays (which are static fitting wise totally wrong), is because as a growing kid playing junior tournaments no one ever fitted him for clubs. So he learned to hit regular length clubs with standard lies. As he became a pro, his clubs were fitted some what better, but apparently the damage was done. He did pretty good but never really great in his career. I decided to scale photos of a great ball striker, Adam Scott. A scaled down version of Adam Scott, Phil Blackmar, and me (Mr 4right). I'm a CAD designer by trade, so this is something I do all the time. I just gives a very accurate perspective on actual size differences, and posture. I was able to measure the club lengths and the distance from the ground to the hand. Adam Scott chokes up on his club, where as Phil Blackmar chokes down. It's interesting how much the lie angle is reduced at impact as well, do to the shaft flex.

Some irons have a very curved sole, so the contact area is less at any given point. I would call these designs 'Lie Friendly'. I've hit a number of clubs with this design. The benefit is, there is less effect from the toe digging or making contact first. Which causes a weak shot that wants to twist the club face open. So you end up with some fairly solid contact, but the flight path will always be odd and not on target. It seems like a fade, but it's really just a miss angled launch. The groves in the club face are pointed down and not at a 900 angle to the ground. This is where people (me) will start to compensate by aiming left, using an overly strong grip, or dropping the hands super low. These are all Band-aids for the wrong lie angle. The sole on MP-14's is pretty flat, so if the lie angle is off I'll notice it right away. At 6'5 and 37" wrist to floor you might be closer to 3o or 4o upright. Your arm length gets you closer to something off the rack. The problem with some golf sales people is, they get into 'No Mans Land' as far as options to offer you once you get beyond 2o upright. They don't want to say " all we have to offer is some expensive forged clubs that will have to be built custom for you by the manufacture, and we have nothing for you to actually demo in the store today." That's not good for sales. How about something close like 20 upright? Perfect! Make the sale.....

Low shot out of mid fairway trees, 2 iron back in my stance and let it run. I can turn it either way. I love my 2 iron.

I've always loved the feel of my MP-14's. Your handicap may take a turn for the worst at first. The miss hits are amplified with a blade. With practice you find the sweet spot more often. Shots are much more workable with a blade. They give you maximum control, you can easily get out of control for that reason. When you feel how pure shots feel when you strike it square, you will not be disappointed. I have my lies checked maybe once a year, but I'm more of a weekend golfer these days. I'm actually going the other way. I just bought the new Mizuno JPX 900 forged irons to give myself a little more room for error.

My son has tied me once for 9 holes, but I usually have him by 5 strokes or so. When he beats me on 18 holes, that will be a proud moment.

I've did both multiple times at different locations. My biggest dilemma was shaft weight / flex due to my ever decreasing flexibility. I brought in my current MP-14 blades that where fitted to me 25 years ago. They checked the lies on the bender, and did a tape scuff lie test. My strikes showed that 6 degrees upright was right on the mark with my 1.25" over shafts. Most fitting places don't have clubs with those kind of lie angles laying around. We did a scuff mark test with their demo 1" + shaft and 6 iron JXP 900 forged head. It barely made a small mark on the outer edge of the toe of the head. So my only ground contact was the very tip of the toe. I have an upright swing and naturally play a high fade. Tall with short arms.

56o and 56o bounce. I grew up on a golf course. I used to walk the slopes looking for balls with my 56o wedge. Sometimes I would play them as I found them. Off dirt, out of ice plant, under bushes, etc. I'd try to hit the green or fairway. No one played golf much back then. I could mess around playing holes with no golfers around. I can hit my wedge 100 yds punch or 5 yds high flop. Just about how much you open face and open or close your stance. I tried a 60o for a few months. It was just excess bag weight.

I think it may be a deodorant thing

This happens surfing, in movie theaters, parking lots, baseball games, empty flights, etc. You must have one of those positive aura's, that just sucks people towards you.

Late to the party as usual. I had an indoor chipping room. It was a single car garage that I used for a music and recording studio. The walls, floor and ceiling were covered with plush carpeting. I had a dart board on the end wall and nothing else. One day it was raining out so I couldn't hit into my driving net. I went into my studio to just putt on the carpet. My wedge was sitting there so I decided to try to chip a ball at the dart board. I hit it and it bounced back to me. I did it again and same thing. So I duct tape a few more targets on the carpeted wall. Some high and low. I would put on some music, have a beer and chip some balls. Then my mother-in-law moved in and the studio got converted to her new bedroom

Another update. My son and I have continued to play weekly. He's really progressing. Hitting fairways, and greens. He tried out for the high school team and made the JV team. Now he's trying to figure out if he really what's to play on the team? KIDS!..... There were about 12 freshman boys trying out for the team. They played 9 holes and were put through a series of skill test. My son shot a 50, which was the second lowest score. He said a lot of the boys were X-ing out holes.The kid he played with shot a 39! He said the kid plays almost everyday with his retired grandfather. The coach told that kid he needs to tryout for Varsity.

My old, old Wilson 'Strokemaster' George Archer blades are very hard to hit compared to my MP-14's. Years ago I re-shafted the Stroke masters with some Dynamic Gold stiff flex shafts. Didn't help. The miss hits are really bad. The solid hits are few. My MP-14's are about 25 years old, but I view them as current as any of the new blades. Now the Wilson Strokemaster blades are not made from comparable steel to the Mizuno's, they have a strange swing weight with the super long hosel , and they were probably not top of the line in 1969.

After months and really 30+ years of experimenting, I finally ordered a new set of custom built irons. The search pretty much narrowed itself, do to my height. All roads led to the Mizuno JPX 900 Forged irons. I'm 6'7 and a 40" wrist height (short arms for a tall guy), which puts me pretty much at the outer reaches of any fitting chart. At age 54, I've been having trouble hitting my 25 year old custom built Mizuno MP-14 blades. My clubs need to be 1" to 1-1/2" longer and 5 degrees upright to just have them lie flat. I add another degree upright to lift the toe just a bit, so 6 degrees total. Back in my mid 20's, my neighbor who was a factory rep for Pro Kennex got my wife and I a great deal on club sets. He took my spec's down and had a custom set of clubs built for me. They were my first graphite shafted irons. Graphite shafts are already an inch over, so they were actually 3" longer. The heads, like most heads were cavity backed cast heads. They said they were 2 degrees upright, but I never checked. They were silly long. My driver didn't even fit under my golf bag cover. I hit the 8 iron 200 yds. 9 iron 180 yds, and carried four wedges to fill the short game gap. I could hit the 2 iron 250 yds. Actually helped me on narrow courses. The driver was uncontrollable to say the least. '4 Right !!! ' After about 2 years of getting used to them and taking lessons from some pros, I realized the lack of accuracy compared to my old original PinSeeker irons from my teenage years. I bought some Titleist DCI irons, had 1" extensions added, and bent them about 3 1/2 degrees upright. They were pretty heavy, and not upright enough. I dug the toe on almost every shot. I was getting closer, but still not there. I actually talked with Phil Blackmar while he was off camera while covering a tournament at Torrey Pines. His arms are a little longer than mine, but we are the same height. He said he plays his 1" over and around 4 degrees upright. He plays with lower hands. Soon after that, I played a round with a guy who was exactly my height and build. He was a past collegiate scratch player. He had custom built Mizuno blades, 1-1/4" over and 6 degrees upright. He let me hit them. It was one of the most pivotal moments in all of my years of golf. I went out and bought some used Mizuno MP-14's and had the built up just like his with rifle shafts. They have been in my bag for 25 years now. After an 8 year hiatus from golf, I found it difficult to strike the blades like I used to. I started looking for some more forgiving irons, but 6 degrees upright forces me to forged only irons. Cavity backed, perimeter weighted forged irons that have steel that is malleable enough to bend 6 degrees up without cracking, Mizuno JPX Forged Irons is pretty much it. The next decision was the shaft. My MP-14's have Xstiff riffle shafts. I was looking for something lighter is a stiff flex. After demo'g a number of shafts, I picked the ModusTour 105 stiff. I should see them in a week or so.

Only two things that bother me at the driving range. Hitting too many balls and hitting range balls that are so wore out that they fly a cork screws trajectory. I live in a beach community. A lot of people practice hitting, and actually play 18 holes barefoot. One of the regular's was an old surfing pro. He plays scratch golf barefoot, but always wears nice golf attire.

'The Forbidden Game' by Dan Washburn My father-in-law recommended this book to me because the author is a distant relative. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. It shows how golf effected the lives of the Chinese as it proliferated China. Dan was and probably still is a writer for Sports Illustrated. He was sent to China to cover Tiger playing he first event there. He ventured off of the course and into a near by village and that's where the real story began. He follow the lives of these real people, villagers, course construction workers, and up and coming Chinese .....never before, Golf Pros. Did I mention that Golf is illegal in China! The book follows the lives of a number of people and spans over 15 years. Great book. Well written. Memorable.

Well... The date didn't exactly go as planned. First of all, I purchased this club as pictured from 3Balls .com. What showed up was an older Karsten fairway wood with an all metal bottom. Not an ISI hybrid model. I returned the club to them, and was refunded the full amount. Soon after, I found one on Ebay. I received it a little over a week ago. I took it to the range, but the old magic just wasn't there. Another $40. club to add to my club boneyard. It did show me how much better I have it with my current Diablo.....3W.

Just as an update, I've played a round with my son every weekend for the past 4 weeks. He's really improving. He out drove me on a few holes today. It's a long course, 6450 yds. The long holes used to be a problem for him. Now he's driver, 3 wood, sand wedge to the green on the par 5's. He parred a par 4 and a par 5. One OB snowman. He's getting frustrated with himself now when he makes a bad shot. I think that's a good thing. Golf offers a lot of life lessons. He's thinking about trying out for the high school golf team. I'm not pushing him. It will be his decision.

I have a habit of rotating my fairway woods. Once I throw down the bucks for a driver, it stays put for at least 5 years. My irons (MP-14), over 20 years now. My putter changed from a Ping B-60 (20 years) to an Odyssey Marksman (past 10 years). Still have the B-60. My wedge is Cleveland Tour Action 56 deg that I've had for over 30 years. I've killed a rattlesnake with it. The fairway woods are like old girlfriends, you think about them once in a while, but the memory fades. There is always that one that seem to stick in your mind the longest. Mine was a Ping ISI 3- wood with a regular flex steel shaft. So I searched and searched without my wife knowing, and set a date ( 1 week shipping) to get reacquainted with my old friend:) Diablo move over..... Here's a picture. After all these years, I don't look that good either.

His coach worked with him on his driver this week. He was drilling them out to the back fence at the range. We'll see how that translates on to the course today?

Thanks' for the tip. I took a look at their fitting process. It's very thorough. After all that precision fitting and club building, I'd still end up with a blade. Their cavity back irons are more than likely cast like everyone else. My custom club builder Bill Orr had an off brand of forged cavity backed irons that he could comfortably bend upright 6 degrees. I had him build my dad a set. I've played with them, but they are regular flex Dynamic Gold shafts, so I wasn't as accurate with them as my MP14's with 6.0 Rifle shafts. Exact same length and lie as mine. Who knows, maybe some day I'll be playing my dads?

My son is in a major growing spurt right now. His body is growing faster than his maturity level. He sliced a few balls on to the opposing fairway. I wanted him to understand that players on the opposing fairway are hitting into him. He needs to stand behind a tree for protection from getting a ball in the face. Also to practice good golf etiquette by not distracting or impeding the play of the players on their hole. "Wait till they hit, then walk out and hit your ball back onto your own fairway, and not at them." Didn't bust my son's chops about anything else, just let him swing away. Proud for sure. My dad didn't take up golf till he was near retired, so I've always out drove him. In his late 80's my dad could probably still play, but he has balance issues.

I've played a few rounds with my dad and my son. Special times for sure. My dad still has his golf cart with his higher performance speed pedal, but he's in his late 80's and beyond his golfing days.