How long do you wait for new irons to perform?

[Surgie]

Honestly, I sorta hinted at it above but it was basically I had a rough time (big c) and while going through treatment I promised myself a "treat" at the end.

 

That was the ONLY reason I changed. Was just trying to give myself something to look forward to. Had a few rounds with the old clubs while waiting on the new ones to come and all was "ok".

 

Unfortunately - I took advice from a friend who said it's best to trade the old ones in so your not tempted to go back to them lol!

[Surgie]

Ps: I'm not a big club ho. Although i did only have my previous clubs for 3 years. Was expecting to keep them double that. As I say... only changed as a "treat".

 

They were my first set and all I've ever hit.

[Rickbo]

I nearly choked on my lunch when three people admitted on a GolfWRX thread that they hit their 7 iron less than 180 yards!! I'm assuming that these are easy swings... ;)

 

All joking aside, I was fitted for Srixon Z 765s with regular Nippon NS Pro Modus 3 shafts, coming from Ping G20s with the regular CFS shafts. I love the feel of the Srixons and I love the shafts in them (the shafts are slightly heavier, so the Srixons feel less head-heavy to me than the Pings, which in turn I think keeps wild swings a little more in check).

 

I've played three rounds with them so far and I'll be honest:

 

Round 1 - shambolic. Was trying way too hard with the new clubs and my swing was all over the place.

Round 2 - much better, although this was still a bit of a practice round where I just tried to swing more naturally and not worry about scoring. Starting to love the feel of the clubs.

Round 3 - vast improvement. Distances back to normal, which isn't a surprise given that the lofts are more of less the same as the G20s but in forged heads. Swing much more natural and well struck shots reminded me why I upgraded in the first place.

 

I feel like there's more distance in there (at the moment, my 7 iron tends to go around 140-145 with an 78-80mph swing speed), but that's down to my ability to deliver the clubhead with the right dynamic loft and strike. This should only involve a slight swing change so from a feel point of view, I'm comfortable that I got the right club/shaft combo. Now I just need to work on maybe ball position and getting my hands forward a bit more at impact.

 

Bottom line (and the actual point of my post), for me it's about not trying too hard to make the new clubs perform. Could it be that you're trying too hard and maybe just not swinging with the freedom that you may have had with the old bats? I suppose there's always the added element of wanting the new to be better than the old and maybe it's a mental thing?

 

Sorry for rambling on and I may be way off the mark, but just offering a slightly different perspective maybe?

[Boricua Golf]

Well, I've had my irons since 2011, the only thing I've done to them is a re-shaft from PX 7.0 to KBS C-Tapers 130x (after a proper fitting), I don't see them going anywhere anytime soon, but we (most of the time) have to like what we are looking at, in terms of the club shape etc, confidence is key, if you like what you see and it feels good on contact (maybe not the results you want) then work on your swing, get fitted and go have fun...I had an accident in Iraq that changed my mindset on golf, it is a game and we should treat it as such, good luck and don't give up, take care

[Forged4ever]

Immediately, as far as will they go in the bag immediately.

 

I've only Played 6 different sets of irons in the past 40 years and I knew immediately, first, looking at them in address and then either hitting off grass on the line or out on the course where I take a demo set, a cart and go out and hit different shots.

 

I had the Mizzy 68's in the bag in 2012 when my HP pulled out an old "new" boxed set of Staff 59's from the storage area of the shop.

 

That was on a Tuesday afternoon and I took em down to the line and hit a few 3-5i's, was in Love, took them out in the course and played 7-8 holes and replaced the Mizzys that evening.

 

Played em and won six hundred and change in the Weds evening "Moonlighters" swat and then won my first match in the Clubs 4&3 that Saturday and it just got better from there.

 

For me, golf clubs are like Ladies & cars...

 

It's Love at first sight :)

 

Stay well my Friends!

 

All the Best,

RP

[deejaid]

Immediately. Only once did I buy a set without hitting first, a set of Srixon I-506. One range session and I knew they weren't for me.

 

 

[msg]

Reviving an old thread. Sorry.

I am in the same boat. I replaced my ap1 714 after 5 years because I tried out my buddies 919Forged and loved them. I told myself, I am turning 40 and maybe just a little reward for not changing irons for a very long time. I got the 900 forged brand new because they are way cheaper and reviews say they are very similar to the 919 forged, but I was never fitted obviously. It's been almost a week of testing them out indoors since it's still winter here in Canada and I have never hit an iron set this horrible. Shots are short and leaking to the right and sometimes thin.

I thought I was a great ball striker and now I am not sure anymore. lol

Before all of this, I tried out my buddies P790, 919 Hot Metal and 718 AP1, no issues whatsoever. Unfortunately I cannot return these anymore so I have posted them on ebay as it seems like it is not going to workout for me whatever I try.

[Davidv]

Simply stated you waited long enough.

[agood3putt]

I usually wait until day 89 of the play ability....

[Tree Levino]

The 919 spin a bit more and fly a bit higher. Have hit both. Much preferred 919. That’s too bad. If you can’t return them now just wait until you can hit them off grass. Your swing might just be rusty. Get loft and lie checked if you are missing right. Thin is you unless they are shorter than your old clubs?

[msg]

 

Thanks for the reply! I actually have a home made simulator set up with Sky Trak at home. lol I've been golfing indoors since December last year and my swing is fine or ok, with my old clubs and other clubs that are not this hard to hit. :) Yeah I bought these from a local seller here, not a store, so there's that. For the first time in many years, I have had a easy time hitting my driver and three wood than these irons!

I do prefer the 919 F by a mile. I'll bring these to a local shop and see what they say. My friend who has the 919F has the same shafts as the one that I got. Recoil stiff. It's amazing how much different the two heads feel in my own personal test. The 919F I can get to 160 yards total, no problem, 9 out of 10 x. But the 900F, If I get to 145, I am already jumping in joy.

Luckily one Golf Town has a promo, 50% on top of the trade in value. I might just trade them in and lose around $50 dollars and finally get fitted for the first time.

 

[Mahamilto]

10 Rounds is plenty of time IMO, but were you playing consistently before the 10 rounds?

If you were in winter mode and hadn't played in a while, could your game have gone by the wayside? Meaning, would the AP1s be performing the same as the new HM.

The question that is important is this, even IF the AP1s are equal to the HMs, doesn't that tell you that its a waste of a lot of money to buy new clubs that aren't at least somewhat an improvement over what they replaced?

Can them. Get something else.

[msg]

I think I posted too soon. @balls_deep I think you are right!
Last night I was at Golf Town with my buddy and we were hitting the JPX 900s. He hits all his shots with a draw and I fade. He did not have a hard time hitting my irons at all. He actually loved them. He asked my to at least try to change my path to the right and see what happens. It seems like the offset on the AP1's masked my cut shot and the 900's have less offset than the AP1's, that is why I was having a hard time.
Well, after some pushed shots, I was able to hit some draws and they felt better and I got more comfortable with them. I think he just saved me a lot of money. lol I was getting 160 yards total with the 7 iron. This was something I did not see since getting these. They felt so different when I was hitting them properly. It took me almost 1 week of everyday range practice to finally get it. I just hope it stays this way. And never again will I get clubs, especially irons, without testing the hell out of them and getting fitted. @Mahamilto - actually, that's what I was thinking after disposing the AP1's. I should have stayed with them if I am not seeing any huge difference other than the feel of the HM. Luckily I think I got it figured out with the JPX900's. I hope!

[jeffrey r]

Hope you sorted it out. To be perfectly honest, I have a set of JPX 900 Forged, and I don't find them particularly forgiving. Back when I was playing 900 Hot Metals, I found the 900 Forged noticeably less forgiving. Bottom line, as you are only hitting yours indoors at this time, you'll need to see how they do out on the course. My gut says, if you were an AP1 player, you would likely be better off with irons like the Hot Metals and Ping G series. I also found the Ping i200 irons easier to hit than the 900 Forged. You'll see though once you can get these out on the course. Good luck.

[msg]

Thanks. Yeah these are demanding clubs for sure. But they are such a joy to hit and when dialed it, I can control them more than the Ap1's. We'll see in 6 weeks.

[Tree Levino]

Great to hear they came on for you a bit! Have you had a lie fitting before? Titliest is also 1.5 degrees upright from Mizuno in stock spec as well. Could cause some lost blocked shots.

[starrman77]

I do it a little different. I'll put the new set in when I'm swinging well and often change back to the old set. It will sometimes take a year or two to really decide what I'll game. I have tried many different sets of irons and own 4 sets of Pings, i3os, G20, G10 and G30. I still prefer the i3os as my every day clubs.

[golfjam]

2 rounds and at least 2 range sessions. Normally you know right away but I always give the benefit of a doubt. Last big disappointment was PXG 0211. Many people said feels like butter but honestly it was the worst club I've tried in a long time. Don't get me wrong, pretty sure they're great for a lot of people but I simply hated.

 

[Sean2]

Immediately.

[tgoodspe1991]

Usually it only takes one range session or one round of golf for me to know whether or not I like new clubs or not. They don't have to be perfect in that time period, but they need to naturally feel good and produce generally the shots I'm attempting. If they don't, off they go.

[IamMarkMac]

Depends on how much I like the clubs. If I really like the looks of a set, I'll give it more time.

Even then, 10 rounds is a lot. After 1 round, I can pretty much already kind of tell how much work I'll need to put in to be able to hit the set consistently, as well as the pros and cons of it. I might spend another round or two to make a decision but 3 rounds is the most. If I don't want a set after 3 rounds, another 7 isn't going to change my mind.

[ZA206]

Normally.... 3 range sessions and 3 rounds is it. I’ve had some irons make it only one round and the back on eBay!

The JPX919F I’m hitting now were horrible on my first range trip and were not much better in the first round I played them. That had me really worried. 2nd range session was much better then the 2nd round was dialed in and I was flag hunting the whole round! I’ve been locked in with them ever since.

 

ZA

[sshadow2]

Inmediately! The results need to be repeatable before I pull the trigger on them if I didn’t already get them already.

[Pepperturbo]

The OP is the classic example of how a golfer becomes a golf HO. ? NO patience or appreciation for learning the subtleties of a new set of irons before changing. We rarely see discussions on why tour players don't like to change irons or iron shafts very often, that's because they don't like changing scoring clubs.  They will switch out driver shafts every few weeks or months. Irons are the tools we use to play good golf like quality knives are the tools used in the kitchen, mechanic tools in the garage.  I don't want to be changing tools all the time, as tools are NOT why I play golf or a serious home cook, etc.  

I know I am not alone when saying, it takes months, not several rounds, to get to appreciate a new set of irons. I've had my combo Titleist 620CB/MB"s in the bag since 10/2019 but didn't switch shafts till I played with the clubs about three times per week for nearly three months. Do the math. I learned the 620 heads met my expectations, but the shafts didn't, so switched iron shafts and still testing.  IMO - iron distance and trajectory control are NOT so much about the head specs as SS, mechanics, and the golf shaft fitting the user's ability. In other words, it may be wise not to throw out the baby with the bath water.

I don't expect anyone to make decisions or choices as I do.  Just know a persons intent behind golf equipment decisions will influence game and progress.  You can't buy a golf game, though OEM's like to suggest and Ho's like to believe it's possible.