High Handicap Irons for Long-ish Hitter

I will be the first to say, I'm not Kyle Berkshire or anything, but I also hit a 7 iron 175 yards when I strike the club right, hit the driver at 108 mph clubhead speed. I have been playing Mizuno MP-33s for about a year now and really love them. The problem is now I'm finally to the point (just over a year into playing golf) that I've been really noticing the mishits (generally toe side and/or fat) hurting my score. I think the blades have done nothing but help me improve my game by helping me learn how to strike better overall, but I've been shopping around for a newer set of irons that are maybe more forgiving. I don't necessarily want a new set, but I would like a good newer set. They need to have somewhat traditional lofts, because if I can hit the 7 iron in the MP-33 175 at 36 degrees, I don't need a 200 yard 7 iron. In my bag right now I have Driver, 3w, 52, 2i (use it off the tee maybe once a round), 4i (I just use it for punches only, don't really need it), 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW, and play a 52 and a 56 wedge.

I realize that most newer sets have a 46 degree pitching wedge at the weakest, which I think is fine. I just don't want a super strong set of clubs like most GI irons are. I'm not sure I'm good enough to really need a "player's" iron, but I also realize I don't need a 75 yard gap on the bottom end of my bag or play 6 wedges. Some irons I have looked at are like the Titleist T100, Srixon Z785/Z585, Hogan PTx Pro, Mizuno JPX Forged/Tour. Do you guys have any recommendations for a guy who shoots a 105 with blades but feels like if he could get some forgiveness on his mishits drop that to an easy 98? I'm not very good at golf but I hit the ball further than the average old guy who plays GI irons. This is a tough spot to be in with the current market. Haha. Thanks in advance!

Have you tried the AP3/T200's? A used set of Gen 1 or Gen 2 0311T's from PXG would give you the head profile you are used to but a lot of performance. The $159/club price for Gen 2's new right now has probably killed the value on the used market. The Apex CF19's from Callaway could be really good for you too.

I will add those to my list of consideration for sure. The AP3s were a thought, just will basically have to disregard the number on the bottom and use a club shorter than normal, which I can do. I wondered if that was something I just needed to expect to have to do or if I could hope for a weaker more accurately labeled set. Same with the Callaways, I like those as well. The PXG's do look really sweet, never really considered anything from them would be in my price range. Great suggestions

You can always have them bent 1 or 2 degrees weak. If ordering new, that'll be an easy option.

Taylormade P790 or p760 are great options. Work with a fitter to have them gapped and adjusted appropriately for the distance you are looking for with your 7 iron.

I would really rather stay away from a hollow iron. I don't really feel like they would suit what I need.

Ping has irons available with retro spec lofts.

Which ones would you recommend from their lineup? They have a lot of overlap in designs and several seemingly redundant models that makes it hard for me to pick out one to put on my radar.

I would recommend looking up a Ping fitter in your area and trusting their process.

Sight unseen, the i210’s seem like a good place to start. There is also a ton of clubs from 10-15 years ago that fit your criteria on the used market, if you just want to dip your toe in the water to see what you might like.

I'm going to be edging more on the 2-3 years old at the newest iron category, or at the newest the just-went-out-of-production-sale irons. The Srixon 785/585 combo set looks really nice to me without hitting them, and they will foreseeably be going on sale soon. Will add the Pings to my short list though. I like the way those look.

I'd def hit the Pings. Try all the models. I'm a 9 and hit the G410, and I was very pleasantly surprised-- not too big, but very forgiving, and a million loft and shaft options. Def get fitted though.

Mp18 mmc? Or mp20 mmc

Would you be willing to dabble in older irons? Wilson V6 were and are a SOLID set of irons if you can get them to your spec and with your shaft. Srixons 7 series are good but I think hideous. Cobra CB set and even a flow set with blades is a good look as well.

Just remember, you can buy GI / CBs and mess with the lofts. Get them bent.

My golf buddy has a set of the MP 18 MMC's, I definitely plan to play a round with his irons soon.

Yes older irons as long as I can get a set in nice shape are totally on the table. I recently watched a Rick Shiels video on those V6 irons, they aren't great looking but I can get over that if I hit them well. I have had the Srixon 7 series in mind for a while, I actually like the way those look a lot. Will need to look more into some Cobras.

About bending them to mess with the lofts, I am totally up for that as well, just worries me that the bounce may get too excessive? How much is a normal allowance to bend without getting the bounce way out in left field?

JPX forged or Ping i210 would be a good place to start in my opinion. Having played both I would lean more to the i210 based on what you are looking for.

I think you just want a standard cavity back iron... PING makes the iconic one, but they hold their used prices well and aren't always easy to get in the shaft you want. That would probably be the best option, but if you are on a budget I'd suggest the Sub70 irons... They occasionally have some used sets for sale, but at $100 a club, it's not a bad investment. The 639 CBs are great... Can get them built to your specs and don't cost an arm and a leg... then if you decide you want to start working some blades in, you can order the MBs and combo the set out.

Other than that, I'd just make sure you are playing a shaft that you like and get it in the right flex... Mizuno shaft optimizer is always a fun toy!

BLUF, unless you’re bending lofts crazy amounts, bounce shouldn’t be noticeably impacted.

I am not a club smith but I thought the rule of thumb was that for every degree you add to loft then you add a degree to bounce.

I’ve seen some crazy bend angles to clubs but, most stores won’t advise any more than 2° in each direction from stock loft because you can just ruin the club.

I gotta think there is a Malty iron design that would be excellent and affordable. Particularly the PTM, STi2, or the TS-2. Maltby specializes in helping out toe hitters. All can be bent weaker too.

SRIXON Z585!

If you really want to get down from 105 to an easy 98 invest in some lessons instead of a new set of irons - might take you even farther

Apex Pros and JPX Forged would be my first look. Srixon makes some great feeling irons too, but they can spin on the low side for some guys and if you're looking for consistency you really do not want that.

If you want to go a little older and save a bit of cash MP-54's are worth a look. Muscle back short irons, small cavity long irons. Slightly thicker top line and longer blade length. Used a full set for 2 years and didn't have any complaints. I'm currently playing mp-29's with a mp-54 4 iron at the top of the set, toe strikes seem to be a lot more forgiving

Maltby TS-1. Done.

Sub70 make some amazing clubs.

Hogan. Maltby. Wilson-Staff.

There's a lot of choices out there. Find something that looks good to you, you won't know if you want to keep them until you try them out.

Love my Jpx 919 hot metal pros. Perfect blend of players/GI irons. My distances are about 5yds less than yours. I picked up a brand new set on eBay for $650 4-gw. The forged are great too I just hit the pro better.

I’m newer to playing a 2019 Apex/Pro combo set, and really like it.

I’m in your neighborhood for scoring, but don’t hit it as far. Felt like I lost some distance switching to the Apex Pros initially, but I was coming from a stronger lofted set, and frankly my swing has sucked for six weeks or so. Getting it back a little and when I pure the Pros, they feel amazing. Distance is fine too, comparable to the stronger lofted old set. Definitely worth a look.

Not sure I’ll stick with my set as currently composed (5 Apex, 6-PW Pros), and I want to swing the Ping 210s, JPX919s (Forged or Tour Combo of some sort), Srixon 765s. But the Apexes are a lot of fun when you’re swinging well, and definitely let you know when you’re not.

I've got that on my list as well, already got a quote and plan to book 5 sessions with the guy soon

I'm just a natural tinkerer and know that blades aren't necessarily for me.

I agree with everything you're saying there. The thing I'm afraid of though is too much distance with new clubs, not less. Haha. Lessons are in my plans. Just thought it might be good going into them to have a better fitted set of clubs. I have access to a simulator near me and with an amount of hours logged watching TXG videos that I'm not proud to admit, I feel pretty confident in my ability to decipher the numbers on the simulator. I'd love to get fitted for a new set sometime, but until I get a more consistent game myself, I'm not going to spend the money on my current swing to do that as you said, I'd much rather get fitted for the better golfer I am at the time that comes.