Shall 20-handicap play forged player's iron set?

[Vanbilxmchi]

This is a hot topic around my friends as we are around 10 to 20 handicap golfers who are really interested in golf equipment. I guess many casual golfers have the same question. Shall a 20-handicap golfer use player's iron set?

 

My score is around 90 and I am using Miura CB301. My golf buddy is around 100 and using Honma TW747v. We have a friend who is over 100, but using Titleist CB 620. Will changing the iron set to game improving ones help the score improvement?

[Mcgeeno]

They shall play whatever they want.

[PJE]

Well, conventional thinking says a GI club would benefit him but it really depends on why he's a 20 handicap and how he hits his irons now.

The primary benefits of GI irons over a player's club is the GI iron will typically go further on a mishit and it is also easier to launch. 

So, if he's not currently not hitting the center of the face or his hits are typically out near the toe and he's hitting a lot of thin shots, a GI club probably would be beneficial for him.   

[golfandfishing]

At the 20 level it probably doesn’t really matter

[MelloYello]

For a 100-shooter?

 

No, it probably won't make any difference. Double- and Triple-bogeys aren't the result of slight equipment changes. If anything, the use of a punishing iron that rarely feels good may actually result in him practicing more. 

 

 

[8602081]

Best player in my group play SGI irons..  He's 7 handicapp..  Worst player in my group plays with forged (20 handicapp)

 

Play which ever you feel/like playing with..

 

 

[GLF4EVR]

My own experience at getting better.  Had a set of Callaway X-16 pro select irons. Was not hitting the ball bad, was an average bogey golfer.  However, I could not tell exactly where I was striking the ball on the face.  I wanted to improve my ball striking so moved to the Callaway 2007 X-forged irons & have never looked back.  Starting my 3rd season with a set of Titleist 735 cm chrome.  There are times I think I missed the shot just from the feel.  Then come to find out I am very close to where I was actually wanting the ball to go.  I will likely wear this set out before even looking elsewhere.  Every person is going to be different.  The biggest trick is just finding what works for each individual.

 

 

[miamistomp]

 I think the correct shaft is more important than the club head for a beginner

  All of the clubs mentioned probably have a shaft that is too heavy and too stiff for good ball flight

[jomatty]

Game improvement irons would probably help you guys, but that doesn’t make them the right clubs for you.  Play what brings you the most enjoyment.  If you like the look of players clubs and it makes the game more fun then by all means do it.  It may cost you a stroke here or there but it’s up to you how important that is

[Bentron]

I'm a 20 handicap and I'm switching from AP3 to T100s just because I can. 

[STL_Baller]

Play what suits YOU the best....not just your game, but your eye as well.  Ultimately get FIT for what you play it makes a bigger difference than you will see between players clubs and GI clubs.

[kthomas]

People should play whatever equipment they enjoy playing.

 

I don't understand why some on golfWRX want to constantly box someone into a set club category based on an arbitrary handicap.

 

Everyone swings differently. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses to their game. An individual can be a 20 handicap for multiple reasons, and just because they are a 20 handicap doesn't mean they can't or shouldn't play a "players" iron.

 

I play SGI irons (OG Ping Raptures), but I doubt my score would hardly budge if I played i500 irons. I'm a pretty decent ball striker with the irons, but my scores can really suffer on days that I don't put or pitch well, which is more days then I care to admit at this point. 

 

There's so much nuance to this game that you can't just box people into a broad category based on an arbitrary handicap. And even if you could, at the end of the day it's about having fun, and if the person is enjoying the sport with the equipment they are playing, who are you to tell them they can't play with that equipment?

Edited April 28, 2021 by kthomas

[Pepperturbo]

3 hours ago, Vanbilxmchi said:

Shall a 20-handicap golfer use player's iron set?

Nobody cares what clubs you play, least of all, me.  Forged doesn't mean much to a beginner, but player irons may get your attention. 

The answer, however, can be found in YOUR golf goal.  If you don't have golf goals, it may have been decided, you just haven't acknowledged it yet. 

 

I am self-taught, and took up the game late in life.  About eight months into learning golf, a relative that played on the PGA Tour advised me if I wanted to be good and was going to do the work, get clubs that related to my golf goals.  So, I switched from cast Ping off-the-shelve irons to forged Mizuno blades.  Been playing forged Blades most of the time since, including now, and I am 70yrs old.

 

 

[capking]

Play whatever you want, most golfers know nothing about brands and equipment.

[platgof]

What does the driving range tell you? Those are some pretty sweet irons you are playing. If you like your irons that is the key, and if you guys are just playing for fun, it doesn't matter. I want the most forgiving/consistent irons I can find. Your biggest advantage with the Miura's is the short game.

Edited April 29, 2021 by platgof

[ZacR88]

Yeah no point in chasing gear that works best until you really now what you want out of a set of irons, or a driver and such. 

 

It takes a long time to find that and really understand why your equipment is impacting your game. 

 

I would just play as much as possible with clubs you enjoy having in your bag. Eventually you will figure out what it is you are looking for. 

[tsecor]

22 hours ago, Vanbilxmchi said:

This is a hot topic around my friends as we are around 10 to 20 handicap golfers who are really interested in golf equipment. I guess many casual golfers have the same question. Shall a 20-handicap golfer use player's iron set?

 

My score is around 90 and I am using Miura CB301. My golf buddy is around 100 and using Honma TW747v. We have a friend who is over 100, but using Titleist CB 620. Will changing the iron set to game improving ones help the score improvement?

No

 

Lessons would help score, not clubs.  

 

Some pros argue "players clubs" actually help more than fat bottomed SGI's.

 

if you can get the ball up in the air easy enough, keep working with the players clubs.....

[Blonde Line Lizard]

I agree that a person should play with what they feel comfortable with.  I know that I cannot stand looking at a big, fat, thick clubhead with a lot of offset.

[Loki]

23 hours ago, Vanbilxmchi said:

This is a hot topic around my friends as we are around 10 to 20 handicap golfers who are really interested in golf equipment. I guess many casual golfers have the same question. Shall a 20-handicap golfer use player's iron set?

 

My score is around 90 and I am using Miura CB301. My golf buddy is around 100 and using Honma TW747v. We have a friend who is over 100, but using Titleist CB 620. Will changing the iron set to game improving ones help the score improvement?

We did 40 years ago. Why not?

 

LOL, I know, not helpful, but still true.

 

Just call me Cliff.

[sprcoop]

16 minutes ago, Loki said:

We did 40 years ago. Why not?

 

LOL, I know, not helpful, but still true.

 

Just call me Cliff.

This ^^^^ I've always heard handicaps haven't improved with the technology.  My first clubs (at 25 years old) were a used set of Bristol Victura's, probably from the 60's.  Butter knife for a top line, no help.  I shot my PR round with that set that holds up to this day (yes, I suck).  I still have them and pull one out once in a while for fun at the range and hit them as well as anything.  Amazing feeling when caught out of the middle.

 

People should play what they want.  Most folks have better things to worry about other than what clubs you are playing.

[TiScape]

This topic come up a lot here. Play whatever you feel most comfortable over. If you play your irons down to 3/4i, I’d say you can definitely use some help there. Since I started playing I just wasn’t comfortable with the thick top line, huge off-set look. Found that out when my first set was a set of Ping GI irons because I was told that’s where you’re “supposed to start”. Never liked/loved the look. Saw Mizuno T-ZOID PROs and feel in love 😍 So even when I was lucky to shoot 100, I was playing forged players CBs. 

Edited April 29, 2021 by TiScape

[lefthack]

Have you seen my blades? 🤣

[wkndhckr]

Ye shall swingeth the blade.

[Feelingofgreatness]

If you are 20 handicap, my guess is you are lucky to pure it maybe 1 in 10, so playing a blade will just increase your misses and your score. If you are good with that, play blades.

[AndersUK]

As already mentioned it doesn't matter that much at 20 hcp as you are likely missing it all over the clubface and a miss is a miss.  Even the most forgiving clubs have limitations. 

 

That said there are caveats and they are based around your own motives for using a players iron.  Firstly, you must be comfortable with what you are hitting.  If its just to feed your ego and you are uncomfortable over the ball and/or always coming up short vs a more forgiving iron then you already know the answer.

[scomac2002]

18 hours ago, Loki said:

We did 40 years ago. Why not?

 

LOL, I know, not helpful, but still true.

 

Just call me Cliff.

 

True, but when a relatively new golf company called Ping introduced the Eye 2 iron, everyone wanted a set.  And thus began the story of the top selling iron set of all time.

 

Did golfer's play improve with a more forgiving set of irons back then?  I think that the number of sets of Eye 2 irons you see still in play to this day would suggest that they did make a difference.

 

Rather than follow the line of thinking of play what you want, I would suggest play what you hit well.  That way you will play your best golf and that's really what we're all after.

[Roody]

I'm a 5 index, and I've played game improvement irons for 20+ years. I could probably hit blades, but I doubt I could hit them consistently well. I like the forgiveness of GI irons. 

IMO, as a 20 you're probably better off with GI irons. But if the reason you're a 20 is because your short game is poor, or you miss a lot of fairways off the tee, then that opinion is subject to change. 

[MtlJeff]

I bethink yond the debate ov'r game improvement v'rsus blades casts too wide a meshes.  Anon yond clubs liketh the i500 'r p770 exists, playeth'rs can chooseth a valorous looking club yond is still tremendously f'rgiving.  The days of eith'r a blade / micro cavity 'r a very much large iron art longeth gone.  
 
playeth'rs distance irons doth a most wondrous job looking nice but being f'rgiving.  I in earnest hitteth mine own f'rg'd tec 4 iron bett'r than mine own g410 4 iron.  
 
of course i am a valorous playeth'r

[smashdn]

Forged CB's are a nice blend of forgiveability and feedback.  Even within the forged CB segment there are gradations of size and forgiveability.  I have some forged Apex Plus's that are huge compared to my cobra forged cb's.  Both provide nice feedback and oddly enough, the old Hogans are half to 3/4 a club longer.

[Dannyboy44]

I dont have a handicap but im sure its close to 20. My scores are bad bc inside 100 Im atrocious, i probably leave 10 strokes out there every time i play chunking blading chips, putting like a idiot. So someone could be a good iron player but struggle with other parts of there game. 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Dannyboy44