Game Improvement irons for very SHALLOW AOA?

[Double Gee]

I've tried to steepen my iron swing and compress that darn ball and take a divot. 

No can do! And at 65yo I'm too old to change. 

 

So, any recommendations for an iron that can help a 'picker'. 

 

I've heard Maltby have different designs but no idea what 

 

Any help please? 

[golfinbrad]

I would look toward something with a wider sole.  

[Golf64]

JPX 921 Hot Metal.

[cgasucks]

Any GI or SGI iron with a lot of offset.  In your case, the more, the better.

[Double Gee]

11 minutes ago, golfinbrad said:

I would look toward something with a wider sole.  

Thanks. 

[Double Gee]

I'm actually thinking of an iron that maybe in the description says something along the shallow angle of attack. 

 

Offset, wide sole, 921 hots. Thanks

[dmeeksDC]

I wouldn’t necessarily say you need a wider sole. Depends on how much ground interaction you want. Mid-sole might be perfect. 

Look at Maltby PTM (very nice head) or TS1 or TS2 (those are my preferred Maltby heads in order), plus Mizuno JPX Forged or HMP, Callaway Apex, Titleist T200, Sub70 639CB, New Level 1126. 

[Chadwickog]

I am a picker and a wider sole is the exact opposite of what works well for me. My 2 cents

[scomac2002]

1 hour ago, Chadwickog said:

I am a picker and a wider sole is the exact opposite of what works well for me. My 2 cents

 

I'll second this advice.  I would avoid high bounce as well which means Ping is out.

Edited December 7, 2020 by scomac2002

[Tree Levino]

1 hour ago, Golf64 said:

JPX 921 Hot Metal.

This

[golfinbrad]

Eliminating all Pings?  Interesting.  I said a wide sole because I had this exact conversation with the PXG rep.  I have a steeper AoA and narrow sole was the way to go.

[dre72]

I am a picker.  Pure pitching wedges barely ruffle the grass.  For me the thinner the head the better.  Something like a Ping I210 is completely unplayable.  I am currently in 770's with p7mc's on the way.  YMMV.

[golfinbrad]

The OP was asking about irons for shallow angle of attack.  AoA is based on the shaft angle on the downswing.  More vertical is steep is. Justin Thomas.  Flatter AoA means more towards parallel side ie. Rickie Fowler.  You can have a steep AoA and take little divot and flat and take large divot.  

Edited December 7, 2020 by golfinbrad

[brew4eagle]

Agree with those that indicated thinner soles.  I'm a picker and the thinner the better for my shallow, non-divot swing.  FG-51 is my current go to.

[AC in TX]

Ping s55 ...

[ChaosTheory]

2 hours ago, scomac2002 said:

 

I'll second this advice.  I would avoid high bounce as well which means Ping is out.

I’ll third it.  No wide soles with bounce.

[jomatty]

5 hours ago, Chadwickog said:

I am a picker and a wider sole is the exact opposite of what works well for me. My 2 cents

+1

 

[ALIF]

Miura baby blades?

[tbowles411]

9 hours ago, NotThatGuyorAmI? said:

I’m going to guess that what you really do is hit the ground before the ball, since 92% of golfers do that.  Probably not much speed.

 

As far as I can tell, every “GI” club produced since, well, forever, is designed to “help” such a swing.    That is what the wide soles low/rearward center of gravity delofted clubs are all about.  They don’t advertise them as such because that would mean dwelling uncomfortably on the swing faults their customers would just as soon not dwell on.

 

I’ve read posts here from people who said because they were 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 they were too old to change.  They were all wrong.  They may have been physically unable to execute a good swing, but not because necessarily of their age.

THIS

 

That is exactly why these irons are made, especially PING.  I'm the very definition of "steep."  I have no issues hitting wide sole irons and while we have the "outlier" player where they don't fit, the great majority of these golfers use wider soled irons.

[ChaosTheory]

5 minutes ago, tbowles411 said:

THIS

 

That is exactly why these irons are made, especially PING.  I'm the very definition of "steep."  I have no issues hitting wide sole irons and while we have the "outlier" player where they don't fit, the great majority of these golfers use wider soled irons.

They are made for steep swings.  They are poor for shallow swings, at least for mine.  And several others here in the thread.

[scomac2002]

11 hours ago, NotThatGuyorAmI? said:

I’m going to guess that what you really do is hit the ground before the ball, since 92% of golfers do that.  Probably not much speed.

 

As far as I can tell, every “GI” club produced since, well, forever, is designed to “help” such a swing.    That is what the wide soles low/rearward center of gravity delofted clubs are all about.  They don’t advertise them as such because that would mean dwelling uncomfortably on the swing faults their customers would just as soon not dwell on.

 

I’ve read posts here from people who said because they were 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 they were too old to change.  They were all wrong.  They may have been physically unable to execute a good swing, but not because necessarily of their age.

 

Let's talk about this.  Trust me, my ego isn't so fragile that I can't handle the truth that I don't have a good golf swing.  Too old to change?  Probably not, but the question then becomes:  how badly do you want to change in the hope of being a better player?  Do you buy a club that works for your swing or do you change your swing to work for the club?  That's really the trade-off that we're talking about here.

 

Sure I can get steep, but if I'm swinging well I'm picking the ball off the turf rather than hitting down on it and taking a divot.  Wide soles with ample bounce are not conducive to a picker's swing.  Tends to lead to a lot of thin or heavy strikes neither of which gives a good result.  As you noted you sometimes have to work with what you have to work with, especially with an older player.  There can be physical limitations, some of which are correctable, some of which are not.

 

I've tried the Ping iron approach.  In fact I was fitted for a set and used them for part of four years.  They were fine, but far from a game changer.  At one point I figured that they were worth more to me for their trade in value than as a set of players.  What I have discovered since is that narrower soles with less bounce seem to give me a more pleasing strike and a more consistent result, so that's where I am at this point.

 

To further make my point, I spent a good part of this past season struggling with a Cleveland CBX wedge complete with fat-bottomed sole and copious amounts of bounce and couldn't make a shot with that thing if my life depended upon it.  Once again, turf interaction became the bane of my existence!

[brew4eagle]

Similar to above with regards to owning my flawed swing/approach.  My iron approach is all about timing, I literally try to pick/pinch the ball off the turf without a divot at all.  It's a total 'casting' move and I realize this is not how to best execute the swing, but this is what I've found works for me and I literally spend 0 minutes practicing golf.  The only time I spend on golf swing is when I go to the course to play a round (about 20 times/year).  I've found over time that I get the best results with a super thin soled iron and super thin top line.  It gives me the confidence to pull off the 'pick'.  Tried G series irons and it did not end well.  I'm an 8 HC fwiw, so I manage to get around the course ok and don't even leave a trace that I was there.

[endy]

Don't sleep on the Srixon V sole, the 965, 785, and Z Forged all have thinner soles and are pretty darn forgiving for the class of iron they are. 

[Gsea]

My personal experience is the iron head itself is the best. By that I mean you have to like the look,feel etc.  Im a flat shallow swing. My 2 favorite irons I play are Mizuno Trues and Ping Eye 2 pretty much complete opposites. I hit both the same as far as consistent strikes. Also imo I hit the ball first even tho I'm a low AOA. all my turf interaction is past the ball.

[phizzy30]

I'm a picker/sweeper as well with my irons and I play New Level 623-M.  They are MB and the soles are on the thinner side.  Lots of offset and wide soles are a big no no for me. 

Edited December 7, 2020 by phizzy30

[ShakeyT]

If you don't mind some junk in the trunk, take a look at the Bridgestone Tour B JGR HF1 irons.

[Sparty4202]

21 hours ago, Double Gee said:

I've tried to steepen my iron swing and compress that darn ball and take a divot. 

No can do! And at 65yo I'm too old to change. 

 

So, any recommendations for an iron that can help a 'picker'. 

 

I've heard Maltby have different designs but no idea what 

 

Any help please? 

I’m about your age and tend towards a picker as opposed to a digger and a wide blade is NOT the way to go. I tried playing the Ping G30 s a couple of years ago and it was a disaster. I had played Ping i15 and a Titliest forged combo before those. Currently playing the Callaway Rogue Pro and I have a set of Mizuno Hot Metal Pros coming for next year. Watch the TXG guys on YouTube and Ian will tell you that a picker should not be playing a wide sole iron.

[Sparty4202]

20 hours ago, golfinbrad said:

I would look toward something with a wider sole.  

Absolutely not...a sweeper should be using a narrow sole.

[golfinbrad]

AoA and sweeper/digger are not the same.  Also there is not one answer to the OP question.  No one asked what he is currently playing and what he want to achieve.  

[brew4eagle]

9 minutes ago, golfinbrad said:

AoA and sweeper/digger are not the same.  Also there is not one answer to the OP question.  No one asked what he is currently playing and what he want to achieve.  

AoA and sweeper/digger are pretty much the same imo.  Hard/impossible to be a sweeper with irons (which is what we're talking about) and also have a steep AoA.