BottleRocket

Thanks to all of you who replied. Lots of really good ideas. FYI, I went to the demo day excited to try the G-15's which I had read so much good stuff about. I was especially interested in Ping because of their expertise with club fitting. I was really hoping that the G-15's would be the right club. I had never even considered blades, I just took a few swings to try to understand what this "soft feel" was that I've heard about. I just happened to hit them square and saw beautiful results... but it was only a few swings, I realize that. I'm a pretty rational person -- that's why I was surprised and also why I figured I'd ask here to see how unusual it was. As far as looks, believe me, I've been playing with my old beat up irons for over 10 years, I couldn't care less what brand they are. I'm not trying to impress anyone with my sticks, my crappy game speaks for itself. The looks of the GI irons is not what bugged me, just that a clean swing visualization in my head is clearer with thinner clubs, it's just a mental confidence thing. And the Titleists are more expensive, so none of this is about brands or looks or hoping to save some $$$... I just want to find the clubs that will help me enjoy the game the most. I will definitely keep my mind open and try a few different sets out. I spoke with a guy at a local shop, told him I had a bunch of sets I wanted to try, he was cool letting me use their launch monitor for a few hours if necessary, so I'll probably do that sometime soon. Investing a few bucks to pickup a used 6-iron on eBay is an awesome idea, whoever posted that. Your opinions and experiences are all very helpful (especially the other "terrible golfers"!), thanks.

OK, that's a little bit harsh, don't you think? Anyway, I can say that I hit the Titleist blades better because, on this day, most of my shots were straight, high, and felt clean. With the G-15's I also hit some good ones, but also 2 that were thin and generally more fading/slicing. But if I went back tomorrow, the results could be switched, I admit that. I do agree that much of this is mental. However there is something to be said for standing above the ball and knowing there is no excuse, I have to hit the ball clean and square, the club is not going to bail me out. I think that attitude is more likely to get me to focus correctly and help me out in the long run. The second mental part is the shot visualization. It just seems awkward to be swinging a fat sole through the ball rather than a thinner, sharper blade that is less likely to get "dragged down." Exactly as AVGUY described in point #1. When I was addressing the ball with the G-15's and Burners, and I could see the back of the clubs, it just didn't seem right. I've certainly not made a final decision, I will try both sets again. My main question was whether it was unheard of for high-handicappers like myself to prefer blades. I appreciate the responses so far. AVGUY, great to hear your experience.

I'm a very bad golfer, avg round about 107 but shooting 58-60 for 9 holes is not out of the question. I'm 36, play about 10-15 times per year, and have been struggling like this for about 15 years when I started. I was a little more serious about 12 years ago, took a 3-day golf school, a few lessons, played about 25 times that year, and managed to shoot a few 97's, 99's etc. Basically, I know I'm never going to be really good, but I want to find clubs that will help me enjoy the game more. I've been playing the same irons (Nicklaus cavity-backed) for about 10 years. Today I went to a big demo day, all the major companies were there. I was looking forward to trying out Ping G-15 irons. They felt OK, I also tried TM Burners. Basically, I was looking for "game improvement" clubs I might like. For the hell of it, I went over to Titleist to try to understand the different softer feel of "tour" irons. So I grab a forged MB 5-iron ("for the highly skilled golfer") and hit about 5 very pretty shots in a row. I mention to the rep that I like those shots, does it makes sense that a high-handicapper could hit the MB clean? He says I'd probably be better off with the AP2, again I hit some sweet shots. It was very windy so it was tough to judge distance, but I'd happily be straighter vs longer anyway. I walk back over to Ping and try the S-57's, my shots are not as good as the Titleists but better than the G-15. Same thing at TM, the R9's performed better than the Burners did. I know this was just one day at the range, lots of wind and kind of rushed, but I came away feeling that "tour" style irons were better for me than the "maximum forgiveness" ones. As a high-handicapper, very inconsistent hitter, low swing-speed, does this make any sense? Is it possible that the shape/weight/face of the tour irons just kind of force me to swing better/more consistently? Or if I buy the tour irons, will I quickly regret it once I get out on the course? Thanks in advance for the advice. I know I can't "buy" a better game, I need to take lessons and play more, but if these clubs can help my game, it will make me more motivated to play more.

Paiute is very nice and has a great replay policy, so you can get 36 in (2 different courses) very easily. As mentioned, it's about a 30 min drive from the Strip. In the other direction, about 45 min south, are the Primm courses. They had some amazing deals this past summer. I am a high handicapper (100-110) and enjoyed both of these facilities very much. I also think Badlands is a terrific layout and not ridiculously expensive.

I'm a high handicapper but am usually very aware of the pace. Mostly because I find that taking too long to swing generally makes my shot worse. "Thinking" over the ball is usually pretty deadly for me. So are the few occasions when I'm waiting for the group ahead to get off the green. One of my better shots is a 190-yd 5-wood to the green... I can often manage to nail it straight and true. But NEVER when we have to wait 5 minutes for the group ahead. Shank city. I often play with other guys with similar abilities and it does drive me a little crazy at how slow they can be. I want to keep it moving, get up and swing. But some of these guys insist on a whole lineup thing, multiple practice swings, a super-long address. Once on a big trip to Myrtle Beach, I was playing with a former college classmate that I had never played with before. Guy was worse than me. Averaged about 4 practice swings per shot. On one par-3, I think we counted 9 practice swings, my buddy and I were looking at each other like what the hell? Finally he steps up and actually hits a beauty, about 8 feet from the pin. My buddy calmly says, "practice makes perfect..." and this dude just turns at him and goes "whaddya mean?" He was completely oblivious to how long he was taking. I had to bite my lip I was about to burst out laughing...

Badlands GC - 50 out and 48 in... except that it got too dark, I lost my ball approaching the green on 17, my buddy tried teeing off 18 but couldn't see anything. So really about a 106. I did have a tap-in birdie on a par 3.