Comparing two sets of irons - more distance or more spin?

I'm comparing two sets of irons and it's come down to this. I won't mention the names just yet because I'm not completely finished with my evaluation.

One set has been in the bag for the last year and does give me a little more distance across every club. Not a lot, but somewhere in the 5 yard range. Yes, it could come down to my swing, but I've hit these two sets enough to find the yardage difference to be pretty constant. Not always, but at least 90% of the time.

The other set gives me more spin - anywhere from 500 - 1000 rpms - across the bag. This club also has a little softer feel so it's more comfortable to hit.

No real difference in consistency when hitting either set.

So you were choosing one of these, which one would you choose and why?

More spin, more comfortable to hit. Less wear and tear on body.

For distance, look to driver and FW. Use irons for accuracy (and comfort).

I would want to compare ball flight as well. For me flatter is better. I have low ss so its always a bit of a balance, because I do need a littlle help with launch too where spin can help.

According to Taylor made, everyone should hit 7 iron 200. Doesn’t matter if it’s 20 degrees!

irons are for accuracy only.

it’s possible to have too much spin too though.

do I win for least helpful post?

for crying out loud--not another purchase

Do you need more spin or more distance? Spin and better feel is probably more of a gain than 5 yards in distance.

It depends on how much spin you actually have, not necessarily if one spins more. In your case, more spin is probably always going to be beneficial. A handful of yards only affects the longest iron, as you just adjust your distance up or down to adjust. Although it may affect gapping between the set and your first wedge.

Most people I play with can benefit from more spin.

For me it would depend if the extra spin is helping in the real world. Because as a fellow slow swinging golfer, the extra yards would definitely help. But not at the expense of being harder to hold a green. I play old lofts, 31 deg 6i, 47 PW, in order to get the spin and height to hold more greens. So I guess I've made the choice, lol.

Five yards per club sounds good but I am not sure what your basing that on. Feels good has its benefits too, but it also depends on what the additional spin does down range. Typically, more spin increases trajectory and can lead to a loss of yards.
I am pushing 70yrs old and still play traditional lofted irons, spin them well and and hit them consistently far enough. Also agree with @isaacbm - irons are about accuracy, and consistency. I could jack lofts and pick up a few yards but I am not convinced it's worth the bother. Shaft behavior is more important than jacked lofts.

Agree with Ger21. Most need more spin then they actually think. However, also depends on your ball flight, don't want to balloon everything you hit. Like @isaacbm stated, irons are for accuracy. A loss or gain of 5 yards distance is negligible in my opinion. Play what will increase your joy (score) of the game.
I remember watching a video on Tiger Woods and the reason he stayed with tradition lofts was because he wanted his clubs to carry a certain number (I.E. his consistent yardage that he had throughout his career). He did not want to change for more distance, but stick with his accuracy. Obviously we do not swing like Tiger, but his thought process of knowing your distances (short or long) is something to think about.
Good luck with your evaluation.

I love that response! You carried all sides of the argument well

If irons are for accuracy only then we should all just hit our irons 10 yards but accurate as hell. Sure we would have to hit it 40 times on a par 4, but at least we were accurate. Or we should find a 200 yard 7 iron. Who cares which direction it goes because it goes 200 yards!

The truth lies somewhere in between. Irons should be more about precision than distance. But distance is still an important part of the equation. And I hate to bring news from the real world to those who think distance irons are stupid. But for a lot of golfers, just being able to hit one less club into the green does make them more accurate.

"The truth lies somewhere in between. Irons should be more about precision than distance. But distance is still an important part of the equation. And I hate to bring news from the real world to those who think distance irons are stupid. But for a lot of golfers, just being able to hit one less club into the green does make them more accurate".

... At 66 I benefited from a few more yards with my P790 mid/long irons because they flew higher with less spin and were excellent in Chicago's winds. The steeper angle of descent meant they held greens stopping about where the hit or rolled forward a foot or two. Playing in Phoenix I ran into some very hard and fast greens and while not Chicago, it can get windy and downwind, even with a slight breeze, I found holding those greens difficult. Granted it was only a couple courses, but I played them the most so I picked up some P760's and the added spin did the trick. I ended up playing them on all courses, but when I got back to Chicago and the soft conditions I went back to my P790's.

... The answer is not cut and dried and it can be different for every player OR even different geographical locations.

Is the trajectory any different? Do the longer irons have the same stopping power even with less spin? And how much does that 5 yards matter to your game?

Me personally I would take the spin/feel performance over the 5 yards. For my game if it is not at least close to an extra club difference in distance, then it is not really going to help me hit more GIR, whereas the extra spin might help with going at the pin more often.

Which makes you feel more confident and looks best when you are over the ball?

Sounds like you are splitting hairs...therefore - go with your gut.

I see my stalker is back. No, had both of these for a while and just thinking of making a change.

As the OP, I'm 72 and I spend most of the winter on conditioning at the gym. I do hit some balls indoor in my basement hitting bay. I like to do my experimenting during the winter too, then stick with my options - good or bad - for the next golf season.

I've been chasing distance for the last year or two and I think I'm starting to realize that distance, which important, can be overcome with accuracy and consistency. I play with a lot of guys who hit it a mile, but struggle with the short and strategic part of the game. I'm just the opposite.

I'm leaning towards more spin because I'm trying to adjust my game a little bit to getting closer to the hole on my approach shots, so being able to spin the ball a little more will be very important. I don't have any problem getting the ball in the air. I'm just distance challenged. Partially due to age, but more likely due to the fact that I didn't start playing golf till I was 67. I've had to work on impact to get what I can out of my clubs and no matter how hard I try, I'm never going to be a long hitter. That's something I have to accept and just factor into my game. That means working on the short game and putting and consistency as foundations of my game.

Shot shape with both of these irons are very similar. With distance being so important, it's hard to give up 5 yards, but I think spin and comfort is really important for senior golfers.

Never throw away spin.

Comfort and spin beats 5yds. for me.

My father will be 79 this year and and started golfing at the age of 48. He was long with his driver and irons when I started to learn/play when he took up the sport. Over time, his game changed, and now he uses hybrids and (6-PW, 56* and 60*) irons (graphite). Although when we play, I usually get the better of him (maybe by 1-3 strokes), from 150 yards and in, he kills it with accuracy.

He plays his style by putting everything in the fairway and when he rarely misses, he punches out to a good yardage (150 and in) and typically gets close to the pin for a legitimate chance at a one putt. Not to mention his short game (bunker, chipping and pitching) is outstanding. He putts with his original Wilson 8802 putter when he bought it new. Other than a new grip here and there, same putter.

When we play with my friends (mid 40's) he is awed by the distances of my friends drives or what iron they are using from 200 yards out of even 150 yards out. But he tends to smoke them all and win several skins to make a profit. My friends call him "Mr. Consistency" because his game might not be flashy, but he outright wins often.

I've taken how my father plays and adopted his style and my scores have dropped. Might be "boring" but it sure helps when $$ is on the line with friends.

Distance is something we will all lose with age/disabilities/flexibility/ and everything else under the sun, but accuracy and consistency can be held onto longer. My father is proof of that.

Again, best of luck.

Thanks for your comments. Very encouraging and your Dad sounds like a really smart guy - plays within himself. When father time comes around, finding distance is unbelievably hard, but accuracy and consistency based on your limitations is something we can all have. We just have to play as smart as your Dad. Best of luck to you and it sounds like you're pretty smart too - following in the ole man's footsteps. Well done.

At times it can be crazy how hard and fast our greens get here in Phoenix even when compared to somewhere with similar weather like Las Vegas. I learned to play here so my game evolved accordingly. Here it is hard to imagine having too much spin, but when I travel and play that can become a real issue.

or you could keep your distance irons but use a spinnier ball ...jus sayin

Feel.

Spin.

Accuracy.

Mizuno.

I am almost 1/2 club shorter with my I210s than the 785s I had before that. I also am shooting lower scores with the I210s. I want to ho the Pings.....but I am not. Scores do not lie.

I know for some its a vanity thing, but just move up a deck if distance is becoming a thing. On no planet would I give up more spin and feel for 5 more yards.

When I went to my fitting last month at Oceanside titleist TPI, All that was important was that we were able to get my angle of dissent and spin at a consistent number.

I ended up losing about 7 yards of distance with a 7-iron. But I cut my dispersion in half. By adding loft and taking away length of shaft, I gained consistency of strike and flight. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter what’s on the bottom of the club. It only matters whether you can get that club close to the hole.

People seem to be caught up on this idea that” if I can hit a shorter club into a green I will hit it closer.” Not if the only thing you do is change your stock 7-iron from 35° to 28°! If you drop your spin from 7000 RPMs which is ideal to 5200, that “7-iron” is not doing its job. It’s literally just a 5-iron now.

Iron spin is such a hot button topic right now, with the purists adamant that the revolutions should be the rough equivalent of the number on the bottom and those seeking distance adamant that stopping power and control are multifaceted with the improvement of technology.

I don't care what the spin numbers are. I want an iron that will provide consistency. Here's the catch: iron play is a strength of my game, so I want an iron or wedge in my hand as often as possible With par 3s stretching over 200 yards regularly, that means adding distance to what has traditionally been a part of the game focused on control and consistency. The happy medium for me in irons is finding a set that does not require me to work too hard for distance.

I think most people would have the same experience. I did. 785s are lofted about half a club stronger than i210s. I think those two clubs are a perfect example of the distance vs spin trade-off.

I haven't done any exhaustive research but, in general, I don't recall any/many tour pros using 785s in their scoring irons. More often, I notice 785s being used for long irons. i210s, on the other hand, often appear in pro bags up and down the set.

I used to be a high spin player so the 785s would have been perfect for me. Now I'm the opposite so i210s fit better.

One of these days, I'll catch up with you, age-wise. ? Due to medical matters, early last year, I lost yards and didn't guess I'd regain those yards. Even though I been in a lifelong battle of working out, muscle atrophy is a war we can't win.  Yet, like you, I began chasing yardage just went about it differently. My ability to create spin at impact still exists, so I wasn't about to give up my 716CB player heads, but replacing the PX 6.0 shafts with a lighter shaft profile was an option.  

Unlike wise  @isaacbm  getting fit at Titleist, I went the longer route by tackling the fitting process myself. I started by buying and testing all sorts of steel golf shafts in test irons; graphite wasn't an option. It wasn't till late last year that I discover Steelfiber graphite and steel golf shafts.

One of my two favorite irons is my two (2) iron, so I purchased an i95cw "S" shaft for testing in it. I am still amazed by how the shaft feels and how it stands up to my faster than usual tempo and transition, plus the distance and minimal dispersion result. Late last year, I pulled the trigger on new 620CB & MB irons and later in Dec. had Steelfiber shafts installed. They feel good in 3-6 irons, but the MB heads haven't felt right. Now I am testing heavier i125cw golf shaft in short irons as accuracy is #1, yardage a close #2. Besides, I am used to a 129-gram shaft in my LW and 125-gram in SW.  

Finding the right "feel," accuracy, trajectory, and distance in irons are why I am not a fanboy of changing what works.  Here's another thought; learn how to spin the ball, change ball and pick the irons with greatest distance and low-dispersion. Good luck.

I always viewed irons as scoring clubs, not distance clubs. I don't really care what number is on the bottom of the club...and neither does the scorecard. :-)

When I try new irons, I look at trajectory and spin. Hitting a great iron shot into the green and watching it roll off can be frustrating, so I am more interested in the consistency of the club, i.e., staying on the green, than how far I hit it. If I am hitting a 7 while my playing partners are hitting an 8 or a 9, so what? :-)