You've Changed Irons. What did your handicap do?

[Carl Spackler3]

Nothing

[chipa]

I switched to older blades with less offset and more loft and I have never hit anything so high or straight. I haven't played a round with them only practiced for a couple of weeks. 

[NoTalentLefty]

Nothing so far this time. Usually goes up slightly.

[Pearlwhites]

I switched from MP64s to p790s with Accra 80i Stiff shafts back in 2017.  Handicap dropped from 13 to 7.  I’d give credit to the lessons  and the proper fitting.

[DevilDog]

When I tried to go to Ping from my MP 33s, my scores went to crap.  Feel during the swing was all messed up and I got a proper fitting for the Pings.  My MP 33s feel well balanced in weight while the Ping felt too light in the head to me.  I realize this is all subjective but that is what I was feeling.  

[Gsea]

On 9/12/2021 at 9:04 PM, chipa said:

I switched to older blades with less offset and more loft and I have never hit anything so high or straight. I haven't played a round with them only practiced for a couple of weeks. 

DCI 962 aren't blades

[Stinger83]

Biggest change ive ever seen in my golf game due to equipment was from an iron/wedge fitting. 

 

I was playing the wrong shafts ( I went lighter after an injury) and it was not a good fit. After finding the right shafts/swingweight combo my iron play has been more consistent than ever. 

[Billfitz]

Down four. That's not easy at age 71, when it's usually going in the other direction.

[pdxhak]

I switched from Players CBs (mid 2000s) to Players Distance. The new irons are more forgiving with stronger lofts which has helped to bring the scores down.

Edited September 15, 2021 by pdxhak

[wjdpar1]

Went to 2021 Callaway Apex 1 Forged with graphite UST Recoil Dart.  So far not so good.  I feel like I'm swinging a broom stick (you guys know what I mean).

 

Deciding to keep on trying to use them as I can't seem to figure out an alternative and I'm not comfortable taking them back.  I've gone to the well too many times at my favorite golf store and $1,400 later well what can I say.  Because of the club shortages I never really got the iron specs I was after and I'm new to graphite shafts which to my surprise can be stiffer than steel.

 

 

 

[platgof]

On 7/27/2021 at 3:34 PM, Jifmoli said:

Put the club slightly on the toe. Stopped me shanking and duffing it almost completely. Now land on the green, instead of circling around it..🙄 Still need to work on distance control but at least I now get on the dance floor.

Also using the straight arms as he does here (as does Jason Day if I am not mistaken)

 

 

 

THANKS FOR THE VIDEO. 

[platgof]

On 7/28/2021 at 1:56 PM, skwannabe said:

Early 2020 gamer irons were Callaway XR pros bought 2nd hand from the facebook marketplace. Took up golf before pandemic after meeting wife, who played in high school and declined college scholarship. Started to play seriously starting last year 2020, shot around 100-110.

 

Last month, swapped out gamers for Apex pro 21 irons KBS 120g stiff shaft, yes I am aware I am a high handicap player. Spent last year and this year improving with my ball striking. Also, got a new driver thanks to my wife, before driver I would hit a 7 fairwood or 4 iron off the tee. Still trying to figure out driver. But after 1st outing with the new irons, shot 88. Before hitting 88, I was hitting around the high 90s. 2nd outing with new irons, shot 88 again. So yes, f*** lessons and instead buy new clubs. Guaranteed to fix your crappy swing. 

 

Serious note, previous gamer irons had different shafts. 8 and 6 irons had graphite shaft that had no logos. For the rest of the irons, I'm assuming it was regular shaft. Regardless, I will spend this off season on improving my swing with a pro.

Can you beat the wife yet????

[platgof]

I have been bouncing around with irons for some time, usually changing every 6 months. I decided to keep playing the G700 for awhile and did well breaking 80 for the second time, the G irons broke 80 for the first time the week before, so go figure. I ordered G710 irons to see where that will go, and had them fitted. I have to manmy senior moments, like where am I, to have consistent scores. Shoot 80 one week and two weeks later shoot 93 at the same course. When I am on I do okay, but when not I am crying in the towel.

[gsrjc]

I’ve gone from a 16 down to a 12.5 this year. But I also went back to my old Taylormade M3 440 driver and Srixon ZX7 irons and newer Edel T grind wedges so could be a lot of factors. 

[keith723]

On 7/26/2021 at 7:54 AM, Jamie_Tee said:

Gained 2 strokes per round.  More shaft than head, but I've got a combo that allows me to hit the shots I see.

 

This has been my experience too 

 

I've been playing very similar iron heads for a while, player's type cavity back, or like my current T100 irons, something that looks Tour like but with some forgiveness.  Head never really made as big of a difference than the shaft.  Played KBS Tour-V 120x for a while because they were the stock shaft in my '16 Apex Pros.  When I decided I wanted to give the T100 a go (loved the look) - got fitted for the iron shaft at Hot Stix in Fountain Hills, AZ (Sunridge Canyon golf course) - literally hit just about every premium steel shaft, and it was money well spent - didn't cost all that much either. 

 

Now that I have the right shaft and length (PX 6.0, +1/4"), definitely hitting more greens and much more consistent.  T100 irons are excellent but do not play all that different than the '16 Apex Pros other than that I like the T100 at address more - but don't think that impacts the score all that much, of course.  I hit the PX's a lot straighter than I ever hit the KBS Tour-V; very different shafts.

 

I got fit for the Wood shafts too - I really benefit from the 6.5 or X-flex in the graphite shafts, but 6.0 a better fit in the irons and I feel like I can just focus on tempo with this set-up.

 

Good thread!

Edited September 17, 2021 by keith723

[Fairways_and_Greens]

This season I went from Z765 with Modus 125X to i210 with Modus 120X, and recently put in MMT 125 TX soft stepped... I've dropped 2.3 strokes and shot my first round par this year...

 

I loved my Srixons; I had them since they launched. They feel better than the Pings and have better turf interaction. I was actually lined up to pre-order the ZX7s, but got quoted long lead times. The i210s are crazy consistent with distances, especially short irons. I can't wait to hit the i210 wedge and gap. They're so good.

[alkal11]

My handicap has dropped 3.5 points. In fairness I made a significant iron change and probably had a proper fitting for the first time. 

 

Switched from Apex Pro '16 120g S to regular apex '21 115 xs, 2 degrees flat. My misses are much better and I'm putting a much more consistent swing on all my clubs.  

[Brausch24]

35 minutes ago, alkal11 said:

My handicap has dropped 3.5 points. In fairness I made a significant iron change and probably had a proper fitting for the first time. 

 

Switched from Apex Pro '16 120g S to regular apex '21 115 xs, 2 degrees flat. My misses are much better and I'm putting a much more consistent swing on all my clubs.  

I'm looking at going to the Apex as well. Currently have 710 AP2s and i already noticed better misses with a proper fitting. Current setup was bought off the shelf..

[ChasenLogan]

Went from Mizuno JPX 919 Tours (Project X 6.0) to a Blended Mizuno MP-20/MMC with graphite (steelfiber i95).  Took about 5 rounds to used to the new set up so obviously my scores were a bit higher.  But after that i gained about 2-3 strokes from my iron play.

[RainShadow]

Just switched, but I'm also working on some mechanics, so we'll see.

Last switch it went down 1.5.

[Myherobobhope]

Played with my new irons for the first time yesterday, and my handicap went from a 5.1 to a 5.2.

 

Not a good trend.

 

My old irons were basically a junkyard build of used heads from here and shaft pulls from the shop... I had no feel for the wedges and everything else was fine... I expect once I dial the new irons in, they will improve my scores. I'm not sure by how much.

 

I'm doing some other things to improve my game (distance training, heads up putting, strokes gained, DECADE) so we will see what changes... I'll track my SG with my approach shots and see if it makes much of a difference... 

[barnum1]

Bought GI irons (G425) and dropped from 9.0 to 7.2 😊

Most of the progress comes from the short game, but my misses are much better than with my old i20s.. 

[Jackal66]

I recently went from GI irons to a mixed set. 

Last couple of times  playing, dropped 2 strokes on 9 holes .

The shorter irons find the green easier. I still hit bad shots, but my luck has improved.

Edited September 18, 2021 by Jackal66

[NewToGolf19]

When I did my PXG iron fitting, the fitter even said that I wouldn’t necessarily drop strokes but would enjoy playing and practicing more. The latter is definitely true. I’ve gotten a little better, but also took lessons and improved my fitness at the same time.

 

My putter fitting instantly helped me score better. 

[Golf_LU]

Was fitted into the P770’s after playing J15 cb’s for the last 4 years. Index dropped from a 7.5 to a 3.3. Irons had something to do with it, but I have improved my fitness as well. My driving has improved (went from SIM to TSi3). Putting has also improved (no changes made).  I know the right shaft/head in my irons is a huge help, but for me it was a combination of things. 

[caniac6]

I switched irons to get graphite due to a bit of arthritis in my hands. My handicap is about the same, and my hands feel better.

[Tiptx1122]

Im hitting plenty of greens as I did before but my putting has gotten better as Im getting it closer to the hole....Lol 

[jubilee_links]

I guess it all depends on the skill of the player and what their respective strengths and weaknesses are -

Personally I score well when putt nicely and get up and down  - super iron play may gave me a 1 or 2 shot gain per round but that can easily be writen of with a poor drive or duff chip.

 

I got my irons re-shafted (MP59s S300 to C-Taper Lite) - dispersion is better but not sure its made a huge impact on scores.

 

Whenever I am looking at puling the trigger on a new shiny set of irons I need to look at what it would improve -

But I love new shiny things.......

[hwwong]

Hope I don't jinx myself, but so far the difference has been -4 strokes on average score. GIRs are up for sure as well.  My main problem with my previous set was random fliers that went 10-20 yards longer than expected which definitely cost me a couple strokes per round. 

[Buzzkill]

Nada!