Compact Iron with forgiveness

[BW13]

Hey all, currently a 12.7 index playing ping ie1. I have no issue with current set, just looking to upgrade. I'd love to play a blade and scour the forums in search of the thread that says I found the blade that plays like a GI. I'm a sweeper so compact iron and sole gives me more confidence for some reason, but as a mid-cap I don't find center of the face consistent enough. What's the most compact iron out there that packs some decent forgiveness?

[BlackOut2]

Taylormade P770 fits the bill of what you are looking for.

[ivygynonc]

0211 ST 

 

on sale now for ridiculously cheap price.  

[phizzy30]

New Level 623-M.  I love blades but I hate that the traditional ones have the sweet spot of a dime.  These ones are longer heel to toe and the sweet spot is larger.  Minimal offset but it also has a slightly thicker sole as well.  They DTC so they they are very modestly priced as well.  Nice thing is that they offer a demo program as well.  Eric does a fantastic job of taking care of all his customers.

Edited June 20, 2021 by phizzy30

[Tdsjfb]

Mizuno MP20 (MMC)

[bnperrone]

2 hours ago, Tdsjfb said:

Mizuno MP20 (MMC)

This and Titleist T100 / T100S

 

A PXG Gen2 0311T would also fit the bill, but then you're going to a hollow head. Not saying that's good or bad, but they're different.

[cmatthews77]

11 hours ago, BW13 said:

Hey all, currently a 12.7 index playing ping ie1. I have no issue with current set, just looking to upgrade. I'd love to play a blade and scour the forums in search of the thread that says I found the blade that plays like a GI. I'm a sweeper so compact iron and sole gives me more confidence for some reason, but as a mid-cap I don't find center of the face consistent enough. What's the most compact iron out there that packs some decent forgiveness?

Compact being blade length, sole width or top line (or all?). 
 

I think the best compact, players shape + max forgiving combo on the market is the regular Apex series. The CF16, Apex 19 and Apex 21s are all great choices for a mid cap. They look good, are pretty squat (shorter blade length closer to a blade) but with PLENTY forgiveness. 
 

Taylor Made P770 also look nice with a slightly longer blade length. 
 

Maybe Mizuno HMB would be worth looking at. 

If you like Ping, the i500 also maybe look at. Some people in forum complain about the feel but two of the best players at my club (both + handicaps) use them. 

 

Edited June 20, 2021 by cmatthews77

[Fairway14]

11 hours ago, BW13 said:

Hey all, currently a 12.7 index playing ping ie1. I have no issue with current set, just looking to upgrade. I'd love to play a blade and scour the forums in search of the thread that says I found the blade that plays like a GI. I'm a sweeper so compact iron and sole gives me more confidence for some reason, but as a mid-cap I don't find center of the face consistent enough. What's the most compact iron out there that packs some decent forgiveness?

 

Ping Blueprint.

[MPAndreassi]

Another recommendation for T100/T100•s. Supremely forgiving given their shape. 

[Hotdocta]

Miura cb 301,  srxion zx7

[Poolparty]

HMB's look like blades

[Nevek]

1 hour ago, Fairway14 said:

 

Ping Blueprint.

Does definitely not play like a GI Iron...

 

[Pepperturbo]

13 hours ago, BW13 said:

What's the most compact iron out there that packs some decent forgiveness?

From my experience, "compact" (thin sole, and low bounce) and "forgiving" are seldom found together in the same club head.  Blades are compact but not forgiving.  IMO a person has to decide where to lean.  T-100s have tungsten in the heel and toe of the mid to long irons to control CG and quite popular on tour and more forgiving than CBs, yet not really GI.

 

Example; I have 620 MB and 620 CB sets, blended in the bag.  Both heads are compact, yet heel to toe lengths are progressive.  CBs have tungsten in heel and toe but only in 3/4 irons.  Though CBs have cavity backs, spec design was intended to blend with MBs, so not as forgiving as CB implies. 

[JeffreySpicoli]

I have a bag very, very similar to Pepper’s. 
 

I don’t worry about forgiving as my superior genetics allow me to throw darts with my irons.

 

Yesterday I playing with three friends and we faced the par 3 13th hole with the pin tucked in the upper left corner of the green with bunkers behind the green and to the left of the green. The flag was 151 yards from us. My three partners all “played it safe” and ended up short, right side of the green, or off the green to the right.

 

I pulled out my 9 iron and crafted a beautiful towering baby draw that landed 5 yards in front of the flag and rolled up to kick in distance. I tapped in for my birdie and took their money like taking sweets from the mouths of babies. Life is so glorious!
 

 

[ak90]

Check out Miura 501 as well.. a cool “modern” blade

[Chadwickog]

Staff CBs/tour v6 are surprisingly forgiving for how compact they are. 

[ksf87]

7 hours ago, Tdsjfb said:

Mizuno MP20 (MMC)

+1 

 

Was recently fitted into the MP20 MMCs coming fron JPX900 Forged. For me the MMCs were the perfect tradeoff between looks and forgiveness. 

[Stanks]

Wilson Tour V6 are dirt cheap and stupid forging. Titleist T100 have the look and forgiveness. Ping I-Blades are a bit more forgiving and look awesome. Callaway Apex / Pros fit this bill too. Cobra Forged Tour, a very looked over iron on it's own, is one of the best looking and most forgiving irons available too. I liked them in the one length option. 

 

Ton of options out there on the used market and cheap. 

[philleeeeep]

P770 is pretty compact and the tech in it makes it super easy to launch.

[jonsnow]

On 6/20/2021 at 12:07 PM, Pepperturbo said:

From my experience, "compact" (thin sole, and low bounce) and "forgiving" are seldom found together in the same club head.  Blades are compact but not forgiving.  IMO a person has to decide where to lean.  T-100s have tungsten in the heel and toe of the mid to long irons to control CG and quite popular on tour and more forgiving than CBs, yet not really GI.

 

Example; I have 620 MB and 620 CB sets, blended in the bag.  Both heads are compact, yet heel to toe lengths are progressive.  CBs have tungsten in heel and toe but only in 3/4 irons.  Though CBs have cavity backs, spec design was intended to blend with MBs, so not as forgiving as CB implies. 

I agree with Pepper. I think to get noticeable forgiveness you need to be looking at midsize rather than compact irons. They certainly don't have to be Super GI "shovels" but compact blades are geared more towards workability than forgiveness.

 

I mean, we can't all be Jeffrey Spicoli. 🙂 
 

Edited June 21, 2021 by jonsnow

[BCULAW]

On 6/21/2021 at 2:11 PM, jonsnow said:

I agree with Pepper. I think to get noticeable forgiveness you need to be looking at midsize rather than compact irons. They certainly don't have to be Super GI "shovels" but compact blades are geared more towards workability than forgiveness.

 

I mean, we can't all be Jeffrey Spicoli. 🙂 
 

I also agree with this line of reasoning. That said, I do think a lot of good players make the mistake of thinking they need forgiveness when they actually just need a club that is easier to swing.

 
I’m a low handicap player and I’ve rarely had trouble finding the center of the club face. But, I have had times where I’ve expected to hit clubs farther, so I reach for more distance which results in sloppy, inconsistent swings, bad shots, and higher scores. 
 

A year ago, I was in a rut and stuck shooting in the high 70s/low 80s. I previously had played to scratch and was a long time blade iron player. I decided I needed more forgiveness and sold all my gear in an attempt to find clubs that made the game easier.  While searching for new clubs, I put an old, beater set of MP32s in the bag (my prior set was Titleist 718MB/Modus 105x). The 32s were shafted with DGR400 regular flex shafts.

 

My first round out, I reminded myself to swing within the shaft and play an extra club into the green - fully expecting that I’d have to “gear back” to play these irons. Turns out, I just needed to swing smooth and the irons responded. Easy swinging, no loss of distance, immediate increase in versatility with half and 3/4 shots. I shot an easy even par round, and followed it up with several more. I started playing the best golf of my life with those regular flex shafts.

 

It turns out that I didn’t need a more forgiving club. I just needed one that didn’t make me work so hard. I needed to learn to swing within myself and play the clubs their proper distances. 
 

if you like the compact profile, then try to demo a players iron with a lighter flex shaft (I personally like the tour weight, regular flex, but you might find a lighter weight shaft in the same flex has the same impact). You might be surprised. If you don’t make yourself work too hard by using too stout a shaft, you may find that you can play almost anything you want to play. 

Edited June 22, 2021 by BCULAW

[Juice1121]

No blades play like a GI. If anyone tells you they do they’re lying. 
 

For a 10+ I would be looking at the Taylormade p770s probably the most compact GI iron out there. Could also look at the pxg 0311 p, cally apex, or mizzy jpx921 forged. 
 

i might recommend a combo set too. Go more blades in the scoring irons and more forgiving in the longer irons. Lots of sets flow pretty seamlessly into each other now. 

[Jamie_Tee]

Another vote for the ZX7.  

[nostatic]

54 minutes ago, Jamie_Tee said:

Another vote for the ZX7.  

 

third. The v-sole plays narrower (and it already is narrow compared to any GI iron). fwiw I hit it better than the ZX5 and I'm no scratch golfer but ymmv.

[OsnolaKinnard]

On 6/19/2021 at 9:28 PM, BW13 said:

Hey all, currently a 12.7 index playing ping ie1. I have no issue with current set, just looking to upgrade. I'd love to play a blade and scour the forums in search of the thread that says I found the blade that plays like a GI. I'm a sweeper so compact iron and sole gives me more confidence for some reason, but as a mid-cap I don't find center of the face consistent enough. What's the most compact iron out there that packs some decent forgiveness?

The Edel SLSO1 irons are very compact from heel to toe and have minimal offset,  thr weighting and sole design make them very easy to hit.

[Inferno2ss]

TaylorMade P770, Srixon ZX7 or the Callaway X Forged CB