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Iron set for a Senior


emdjunk

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Hi Everyone. I am trying to find a new set of irons for my father. Hes about 5'6 and can drive the ball around 200 yards. He has some issues getting his irons up in the air and most of his shots land short. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for him? I'd like him to be able to get his irons back up in the air and add some distance. Does anyone have experience with any hybrid iron sets? Are these good for seniors with slower swing speeds? Also, we don't have access to any club fitters where we live. Is it possible to get fitted online these days? Thanks!

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I am a super Senior also - I have found Recoil Graphite shafts for irons do very well.. I put a 65 gr shaft in my 6 and 5 iron - they are now the best they have ever been. I put 80 Gr shafts in the 7 iron, and 95 gr in the 8,9 and PW.

for hybrids or fairway - I have found thru lots of experimenting - the Chrome Elements shaft in Epic Flash Fairways do great - specially the Heaven Wood - WOW - what a club for old farts.

Driver - the Ck Tensei Blue is doing well for me as well as the ProLaunch Platinum - both great shafts for Old guys.

 

 

 

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I retooled my entire bag last year from Driver down to wedges. Callaway Epic Flash Driver with 55 gram graphite shaft, Callaway Epic Flash 3, 5 and sometimes 7 fwy with 65 gram graphite shaft shafts, Callaway Big Bertha 4H and 5H with 70 gram graphite shafts and 6 - U wedge with Recoil 65 graphite shafts. I have no problem getting proper ball flight with that set up and have regained yardage as well.

Driver: Callaway Epic Flash 10.5 w/ Project X Evenflow Green 55 R shaft Fairway woods: Callaway Epic Flash 5 and 7 wood Hybrids: Callaway Big Bertha 4i and 5i Irons: Srixon ZX5 6-AW, Wedges: Cleveland RTX Zipcore 54 and 58 degree Putter: mySpider X

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Slower SS need more loft to get the ball in the air and lighter shafts help too. Cobra Air Speed might help?! As far as an online fitting tool, Ping has a new Web-fit out. It is better than the old one, maybe take a look at that one!? Demo/get fit if possible in all cases!!

Ping Hoofer Lite

Mizuno ST Max 9.5*

Mizuno ST Max 3/7W

Mizuno ST Max 5/6H

Mizuno 243 7-GW

Mizuno T24 54/S, 58/D

Mizuno OMOI #2

Mizuno RB Tour

 

Super Bowl LII Champions Fly Eagles Fly! 🦅

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Hybrids/fairway woods will benefit older, slower swinging golfers (and many amateurs in general).

Probably no need for your fathers bag to have any irons lower than a 6/7 iron.

Graphite shafts can also help with shock absorption for older bodies/joints.

All the major manufacturers sell perimeter weighted irons and hybrids that would be suitable.

 

Rogue ST Max Graphite Design MAD
Rogue 3HL and 7 wood
Sub 70 4/5/6 949x Hybrid
Sub 70 699 Pro Black 7-GW Recoil 680 F4
Sub 70 JB Forged Wedges 54/58

Odyssey EXO Seven Slant

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I am 67 years old 5ft 7in with two artificial hips so the swing speed has slowed down a lot. A couple weeks ago I went to a fitting and hit a lot of the new offerings. I told the fitter I was looking for irons that would work now and 5 years down the road. I ended up getting Ping G710 irons they were very high and forgiving I got them with the senior graphite shafts. Have only been on the course a couple times but so far everything I was looking for. Lots of youtube reviews on the 710s good luck to you and your father.

Driver Ping G430 SFT Alta quick 45 

3w Ping G400 Alta senior

5w Ping G400 Alta senior

7w Ping G400 Alta senior

9w Ping G400 Alta senior

5 - u wedge Ping G710 Irons Alta senior

Ping 54 Glide lob

Calloway 58 easy out sand wedge

Bettenardi studio stock #3 putter

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I am a senior and with stronger lofts the first iron in my bag is a 7. The 5 and 6 irons in many of today's set make up are like the old 3 and 4 irons in loft (I have seen more than a few seniors struggle to get those 5 and 6-irons airborne). I haven't had much luck with hybrids so I have three fairway woods: 25º, 21º, and a 17º. They go nice and high and land softly.

If you get him a set with the stronger lofts, you might want to replace some of the irons at the high end of the bag with hybrids and/or fairway woods.

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Take a look at my Bridgestone JGR Forged Hybrid Irons and the current sucsessor, the TOUR B JGR HF1 Irons. The look is unique and the wide flange design gets the ball up high and long with a hot and forgiving face. The wide sole works surprisingly well in all conditions including hardpan.

The stock steel Zelos 8 shafts in mine are a big reason they launch so easy. Although in an S flex, they have a very soft bend profile that gets the ball up fast without feeling unstable. I'd recommended the lightweight Nippon steels over graphite like the excellent Recoils in my current irons if you're looking for some extra speed and height.

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One thing to consider is what clubs he is currently using. My dad had been using Ping G2s for the round or two a year he played since I was a kid then retired, started playing more and wanted to get new clubs. Ended up with some G410s with recoils and was really surprised at how much easier it was to get those in the air. I'm sure it's a combination of shaft and club, but technology has definitely progressed in the past decade or so.

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I have a set of strong loft irons (7 is 28*) with senior shafts and have had a difficult time dialing in distances. Using the 7 as an example, it can go any where from a 140 to 160+ with what feels like the same swing. They have that flex face tech and I guess the 160+ comes from the optimum sweet spot or as some call it a hot spot. So I have opted to now go with a full set of hybrid irons senior graphite (from Power Bilt Golf - at a great price) and they do launch the ball high. As far as gaining any distance, not that much if any to speak of, but they are easy to hit. Regardless of which offering you choose, it all comes down to swing speed. equals distance. But that distance should be specific for optimal scoring.

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Not really. Loft is the first consideration, and the shafts are next for fine-tuning. If his shots come up short, chances are the shafts may be to heavy, and he's "fighting the shaft." Lighter ones would help out if matched with the right iron heads.

Sounds like a good time for a fitting. IF money is tight, a good shop could check him out on used trade-in irons. They want to turn them around to get their money back.

He would benefit from a gap analysis on his irons. Let's say the 5i and 6i both go the same distance. Solution: probably drop the 5i and insert a hybrid or two in that spot in the bag.

That said, some players do better with high-lofted fairways (7W and 9W) as opposed to hybrids. Again, it sounds like a fitting is in order.

What's In The Bag (As of April 2023, post-MAX change + new putter)

 

Driver:  Tour Edge EXS 10.5° (base loft); weights neutral   ||  FWs:  Calla Rogue 4W + 7W

Hybrid:  Calla Big Bertha OS 4H at 22°  ||  Irons:  Calla Mavrik MAX 5i-PW

Wedges*:  Calla MD3: 48°... MD4: 54°, 58° ||  PutterΨSeeMore FGP + SuperStroke 1.0PT, 33" shaft

Ball: 1. Srixon Q-Star Tour / 2. Calla SuperHot (Orange preferred)  ||  Bag: Sun Mountain Three 5 stand bag

    * MD4 54°/10 S-Grind replaced MD3 54°/12 W-Grind.

     Ψ  Backups:

  • Ping Sigma G Tyne (face-balanced) + Evnroll Gravity Grip |
  • Slotline Inertial SL-583F w/ SuperStroke 2.MidSlim (50 gr. weight removed) |
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Lots of choices in the game improvement/super game improvement categories. I would vote for Ping G400/G410 or G700/G710 with graphite regular or senior shafts ... maybe 6 to UW. Father's day is coming (Christmas for golf retail - I worked at Golfsmith HQ back in the day)!

The Vessel IV Pro bag:

Ping G425 Max 10.5° Alta CB Slate R

Ping G425 Max 5w/7w Alta CB Slate R

Ping G425 4h/5h Alta CB Slate R

Ping G425 5-UW Alta CB Slate R

Ping Glide 3.0 54° WS Z-115

Oddysey White Hot Pro 2.0 Rossie 33"

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I am 72 (almost) and coming back to playing regular golf after about a 10 year lay off and getting irons to work for me has been the biggest challenge. I've settled on Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metals, 6-LW with Recoil ESX F2 shafts. I really like the Recoils. I also got some JPX Fli-Hi's with the same shafts in 4 & 5H but haven't had as much luck with them. I'm currently using some old Adam's Idea Pro a12 hybrids with the green Aldila NV regular shafts in them. I hit them really well and consistently. Good luck with your search.

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I'm 64 and a 14 hdcp. Have always played Ping or Mizuno irons. Switched last year to Mizuno JPX 900 Hot Metal with Project X LZ 4.5 graphite 5-PW and the difference in distance and higher ball flight is substantial. Much higher and a club longer with no change in lofts (previous Mizuno set also had strong lofts like the 900s).. Would definitely take a look at these or their successor, the JPX 910 Hot Metal. Should be able to get the 900s on sale price given the new 910s.

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TxMike3 Posted: Jun 05 2020 10:52AM"I've settled on Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metals, 6-LW with Recoil ESX F2 shafts. I really like the Recoils. I also got some JPX Fli-Hi's with the same shafts in 4 & 5H but haven't had as much luck with them."

Great set:) Hot Metals are super long and the Recoils are great shafts. I can't understand about your JPX Fli-Hi Hybrids though. The are as long as most standard length hybrids I've played even with the shorter iron length shafts. More importantly, they've taken away my hooky hybrid misses. Make sure you setup with the ball back a bit in your stance. I tend to sweep everything like a fairway, but if you swing them like an iron they are definitely easier to hit. I liked the 4 so much it knocked out my DI & 5w and I picked up a 5 & 6.

 

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Why not buy him a lesson / iron gapping session. While there is merit in many of the models / combinations mentioned, if your dad’s current iron impact dynamics, present very little dynamic loft (which is likely) then a new iron set won’t solve the issue.

Understanding the reason for the low iron flight, might be a quick and cost effective solution.

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I'm almost 66 and have accepted my fate as a senior. I never thought I would be down to just 3 traditional irons in the bag but that's what I have done. I couldn't be more pleased with how I am playing. See signature.

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My senior bag.......

Taylormade Sim Max  9* driver reg
Callaway Rogue 3 & 5 fw woods reg
Callaway Rogue X 4 & 5 hybrids reg
Sub 70 699 pro's 6-pw
Ping Glide 50*, 54* & 58*
Odyssey White Hot 2 ball putter
Sub 70 Staff bag

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Im not a super senior, but i am in that age range now. I went on a search last year for a club that would restore my youth..... no such luck unless i get back my swing speed. Its more about being fitted to the right shaft, not the clubhead. I hit a cavityback as far as i hit a blade. I got fitted, refitted.. finally i found the right shaft for the irons. Something in the 110 gram range helps me keep my tempo and swing faster.

Now woods and hybrids is still an adventure

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