I Think My GI Irons are Hurting My Game

[drumdude96]

The greens at my new club are very nice, but also very hard.  I hit the ball pretty high, but my iron shots are still rolling out a lot more than I've ever experienced.  I just don't think I'm getting enough spin from the JPX 900 Hot Metals.  I just bought my 3rd set of MP 30's to test this theory.  When I played them in the past, I never had a problem holding greens, and it was a helluva lot easier to work the ball.  Depending on how this goes, I may have a couple sets of GI irons to sell.  It might even lead to me buying a set of MB's, or at least a combo set.

Edited April 6, 2021 by drumdude96

[2Down]

find out when they plan to aerate the greens.  Delay changes til then.  

 

 

[jeffrey r]

It's your game and do what you want, but why would you go from Hot Metals to MBs?  I mean, there's a heck of a lot in between, any number of options.  i210, Apex, Apex Pro, D7 Forged, Forged Tec, P770, etc.

[drumdude96]

6 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

It's your game and do what you want, but why would you go from Hot Metals to MBs?  I mean, there's a heck of a lot in between, any number of options.  i210, Apex, Apex Pro, D7 Forged, Forged Tec, P770, etc.

I played my best golf with MP 30's. They aren't really that far from being an MB. If they work out, I'm going to buy a combo set of CB/MB. I would probably love a set of i210's, but they are backordered into perpetuity. And they won't help my ball striking as much as the MP 30. At least, that is the theory.

[ChrisLC40]

Have you experimented with different balls?

[drumdude96]

2 minutes ago, ChrisLC40 said:

Have you experimented with different balls?

Oh yes. Lots of different balls.

[ChrisLC40]

GI irons do tend to lean towards lower spin to help with carry distance, but could also be that you're just a lower spin player by nature. Maybe instead of jumping right to MB's like you said, explore "player's distance" category. They're going to offer more opportunities to impart spin and still help with forgiveness.

[chippa13]

Shocked this thread hasn't turned into a complete s---show yet. People must be sleeping in.

[MtlJeff]

I was worried this might be an issue with G410s because i didn't hit them as high as i would've thought. So i had a lower ballflight than expected and i was worried lower spin might hurt my ability to hold greens given that combination of factors

 

Honestly i never really felt it became a problem in the real world. 

 

Maybe give it another month or so and see , unless you just want new stuff in which case just buy it

[LUXOR54]

I feel the same way. When I got back into golf a few years ago I needed a new set of irons, bought a used set of M2's, hated them. No feel or feedback, inconsistent distances and couldn't hold any greens. Promptly traded them in for MP54's and haven't looked back. Switch between the 54's and a set of 29's, but I don't notice much of a difference between the two.

[LeoLeo99]

20 minutes ago, LUXOR54 said:

I feel the same way. When I got back into golf a few years ago I needed a new set of irons, bought a used set of M2's, hated them. No feel or feedback, inconsistent distances and couldn't hold any greens. Promptly traded them in for MP54's and haven't looked back. Switch between the 54's and a set of 29's, but I don't notice much of a difference between the two.

I play G400 irons and I feel the same way about the M2 irons.  G400 work great for me but other GI shovels do not.  

Edited April 6, 2021 by LeoLeo99

[drumdude96]

32 minutes ago, ChrisLC40 said:

GI irons do tend to lean towards lower spin to help with carry distance, but could also be that you're just a lower spin player by nature. Maybe instead of jumping right to MB's like you said, explore "player's distance" category. They're going to offer more opportunities to impart spin and still help with forgiveness.

I don't need the forgiveness and extra distance. I need more spin. My approach shots used to back up at my old course. These new greens are just too firm for the low spin irons that are currently in the bag. I want more spin and more workability. Not gonna get that from anything GI. I went from Wilson Staff FG Tour F5's to the JPX 900 and immediately noticed the lower spin. It was okay at my old course, but it's not working now.

[Stretchr]

Cool let us know how it goes 

Edited April 6, 2021 by Stretchr

[ChipNRun]

11 minutes ago, drumdude96 said:

I don't need the forgiveness and extra distance. I need more spin. My approach shots used to back up at my old course. These new greens are just too firm for the low spin irons that are currently in the bag.

For clubheads, look at Retro Lofts option in Ping Blueprint, iBlade, i210, i500, G425. Higher tooled Retro Lofts would give you a 5i ~28° and a PW ~47°. As long as they don't fly so high you get wind problems.

 

4 hours ago, 2Down said:

find out when they plan to aerate the greens.  Delay changes til then.

Something to consider. For quick preview, go play another course and see if you still have trouble stopping approach shots.

[third-times-a-charm]

Every time I start to blame my clubs/shafts/shoes for something I ask myself: "Self, if you handed this club/shaft/etc to a tour player, would they be able to hit it well enough?"

 

The answer is always "Yes."

 

But F that. It's always the equipments fault and new stuff is ordered weekly!

[drumdude96]

22 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

Every time I start to blame my clubs/shafts/shoes for something I ask myself: "Self, if you handed this club/shaft/etc to a tour player, would they be able to hit it well enough?"

 

The answer is always "Yes."

 

But F that. It's always the equipments fault and new stuff is ordered weekly!

There's a reason tour pros don't use JPX Hot Metal irons, and it's the same reason I'm looking for something else.

[nvr3putt]

Perhaps if you posted your spin/launch numbers or even a video of your iron swing, I think folks here might be able to better prescribe what type of clubs would fit you.

Otherwise, let us know how your experiment goes.

[jomatty]

1 hour ago, drumdude96 said:

I don't need the forgiveness and extra distance. I need more spin. My approach shots used to back up at my old course. These new greens are just too firm for the low spin irons that are currently in the bag. I want more spin and more workability. Not gonna get that from anything GI. I went from Wilson Staff FG Tour F5's to the JPX 900 and immediately noticed the lower spin. It was okay at my old course, but it's not working now.

What made you choose gi irons in the first place if you have no need for forgiveness or distance?  
If you don’t mind spending the money than try something g else and see if it helps...I would usually think the extra height would help the ball stop as much as the extra spin, but perhaps not for you.

[third-times-a-charm]

24 minutes ago, drumdude96 said:

There's a reason tour pros don't use JPX Hot Metal irons, and it's the same reason I'm looking for something else.

 

 

 

[Shanker84]

I'm not a great ball striker but recently switched from some Speedzone OL to a Hogan Combo set and I am definitely appreciating the change. The Cobras would go a mile high and still not hold anything. I practically bladed a wedge onto a par 3 on Saturday and it still stopped 8 feet from the pin. From that point I was sold. Plus, I think ditching the super forgiving cast head has made me a better striker, I can't get away with anything anymore and it forces me to swing better. 

[A.Princey]

I guess you’ve got to rationalize your misses with more demanding clubs. Is the extra rollout from the JPX worse than your wider dispersion with the MP lines? It’s all about proximity to the hole, regardless of which direction. Ymmv, & good luck.

[NRJyzr]

14 hours ago, drumdude96 said:

I just don't think I'm getting enough spin from the JPX 900 Hot Metals.

I could see it.  I made a switch to Ping Eye2+ about 10 years ago because of the lower spin they provided me.  I was able to make it work, because I was a higher spin player; the Pings brought me down to 6000 for a 31* 6 iron.

 

Had I been around 6k for the then-current 6 iron (also 31*), the Pings could have given me a bit of trouble.  In theory.   Even lower spin, issues more likely.

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by NRJyzr

[RyanBarathWRX]

Angle of descent is the most important number for holding greens. 

[tannyhoban]

3 hours ago, third-times-a-charm said:

Every time I start to blame my clubs/shafts/shoes for something I ask myself: "Self, if you handed this club/shaft/etc to a tour player, would they be able to hit it well enough?"

 

The answer is always "Yes."

 

But F that. It's always the equipments fault and new stuff is ordered weekly!

Not sure what your point is. Because no they wouldn't.

 

Well enough for what?

[nostatic]

1 hour ago, NotThatGuyorAmI? said:

It is apodictic that GI clubs, being designed to “help” those who swing improperly, will, to the extent they are well designed, function adversely to the needs of those who swing properly.

quoted for awesome use of the word apodictic. That said, I don’t know of anything that is apodictic in online forums 🙃

[North Butte]

3 hours ago, A.Princey said:

I guess you’ve got to rationalize your misses with more demanding clubs. Is the extra rollout from the JPX worse than your wider dispersion with the MP lines? It’s all about proximity to the hole, regardless of which direction. Ymmv, & good luck.

I've compared my 718 AP2 irons to my Cleveland HB Turbo (all hybrid) set. No question that a purely struck AP2 7-iron spins more than a purely struck shot with the HB Turbo 7-iron. If you catch the sweet spot those slightly weak lofted AP2's are real spin monsters. 

 

But man, if I miss the "purely struck" thing by just a tiny fraction than any advantage the AP2 has is out the window.

 

And don't get me started on the difference with my most frequent miss where I catch it a little toward the toe while scuffing the ground with slightly heavy contact. That shot ends up 30-40 feet from the hole with the SGI irons versus 30-40 yards with the Titleists. Can't imagine how bad those shots would be with MB's!

[hammergolf]

17 hours ago, drumdude96 said:

The greens at my new club are very nice, but also very hard.  I hit the ball pretty high, but my iron shots are still rolling out a lot more than I've ever experienced.  I just don't think I'm getting enough spin from the JPX 900 Hot Metals.  I just bought my 3rd set of MP 30's to test this theory.  When I played them in the past, I never had a problem holding greens, and it was a helluva lot easier to work the ball.  Depending on how this goes, I may have a couple sets of GI irons to sell.  It might even lead to me buying a set of MB's, or at least a combo set.

Decent angle will have a greater effect on how quickly the ball stops than spin rates. I’m going to guess that since your MP30’s have more loft on the corresponding iron, you have a higher decent angle with maybe a touch more spin. 
 

https://www.golfwrx.com/271001/the-key-to-stopping-your-ball-on-the-green/

[SugarLandGolfer]

There was an online video that essentially asked “should you be playing hybrid irons” and the pga coaches compared the hb turbo launchers to the g410 irons. In practice the super game improvement irons spun in the perfect range of around 7500 rpm for 7 iron (more than even the g410) with towering flight that would stop on almost any green. 
 

While every iron plays slightly different for each player, if they can get SGI irons to stop on greens, I don’t think the iron is the issue. 

[ChipNRun]

2 hours ago, NotThatGuyorAmI? said:

It is apodictic that GI clubs, being designed to “help” those who swing improperly, will, to the extent they are well designed, function adversely to the needs of those who swing properly.

 

Matt Kuchar, a nine-time PGA Tour winner, plays Bridgestone's Tour B JGR HF2 irons. With cavity back and Power Slit Face (helps low-face hits), it's in the GI category.

 

So, would you advise Kuchar to quit golf because he is among those who "swing improperly"?

 

An example closer to home is a couple of former small-college golfers I have met. In college, they played blade irons to a scratch HDCP. But 10 years later, they have a job, a wife and two kids, and a dog. Reality: they can no longer keep their swings "blade-ready." They find they score better with GI irons than with Player's blades. GI forgiveness outstrips an occasional fancy blade shot.

 

 

[Pinky5]

I always thought that the shaft has as much to do with the spin rate as the head. That and the ball. Those are the two things I would be looking at.