And I thought iron forgiveness is overrated

[is200LS]

Today I tried my cousin's G425 irons and what a difference😱😱😱 I hit a bucket of balls with the 5i, very impressed. Sometimes I don't have my eyes on the ball at impact and felt it was a poor strike but the ball still launches quite well, nor does it go off line much.

I picked up golf since the pandemic and my ego has stopped me from even trying the easier club it seems, so I never even tested most of the newer game improvement clubs. I always preferred small head and thin look at address, solid piece shallow cavity back or blade. This sudden epiphany changed my perception of these irons. I think I might switch out my long irons for more forgiveness.

Edited September 13, 2021 by is200LS

[Ripken08]

It's a cycle.  You (like me) think you are hitting your forged CBs pretty well until you hit a G iron and boom!  It actually shows how poorly we are hitting our small irons sometimes.  Conversely, you'll have a bad day hitting G irons.  Been there done that.  Then you are on the merry-go-round thinking of going back to your forged beauties and then the cycle repeats.  Except you won't be able to try something easier after a bad day hitting the G's as it probably doesn't exist lol

 

All that being said and playing MP20 MMCs all year, I have a set of G425s on order.  With GRAPHITE nonetheless 🤯

[ShowMe]

6 hours ago, is200LS said:

Today I tried my cousin's G425 irons and what a difference😱😱😱 I hit a bucket of balls with the 5i, very impressed. Sometimes I don't have my eyes on the ball at impact and felt it was a poor strike but the ball still launches quite well, nor does it go off line much.

I picked up golf since the pandemic and my ego has stopped me from even trying the easier club it seems, so I never even tested most of the newer game improvement clubs. I always preferred small head and thin look at address, solid piece shallow cavity back or blade. This sudden epiphany changed my perception of these irons. I think I might switch out my long irons for more forgiveness.

I can relate.  I thought my i210s were forgiving (and they are for their type of club), but when I tried the G425s it was an order of magnitude in more forgiveness.

[chisag]

... After teaching golf I developed the theory everyone should play the most forgiving irons they can effectively play. That means different things to different players. I can't see someone in any other sport attempting to play equipment that does not enhance their ability to play well. You don't see anyone using a much smaller racket in tennis to hone their concentration. No hitter is using a 26" bat instead of a 36" bat. Clubs should produce the trajectory and distance you want or are able to hit. For some that is an MB and for others SGI's and of course GI and PI's in between. I play to a + index and play Cobra King Tour irons because they are accurate, consistent and plenty forgiving compared to may Srixon Z Forged I play every now and then for fun and to remind me I can always use a little more forgiveness. 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by chisag

[Nixhex524]

I am giddy about the P770 set I just got...  Only other real "GI" set I have tried as of late is the i210.  I will be honest, they didn't impress me at all.  I have been playing mostly players CB with some success I think, even some blades thrown in the mix and never really saw all that much difference in my quality of play.  I am getting ahead of the game here, but I have a really good feeling about the P770s.  Just looking down at them, I feel very comfortable.  I KNOW they offer more help than other clubs, but they still look compact enough that I don't feel like I am sacrificing.  I'm not sure I could go 790s but I am warming up to some tech help!

[jeffrey r]

2 hours ago, Ripken08 said:

All that being said and playing MP20 MMCs all year, I have a set of G425s on order.  With GRAPHITE nonetheless 🤯

 

G425's with graphite shafts?  Oh, the horror!!  I resemble that remark.  In all seriousness, the G425's are so good.  Loving them, and very smooth with Steelfibers.  Good luck actually getting your set built.

[Ripken08]

19 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

 

G425's with graphite shafts?  Oh, the horror!!  I resemble that remark.  In all seriousness, the G425's are so good.  Loving them, and very smooth with Steelfibers.  Good luck actually getting your set built.

Yes I even went with stock graphite and they are already being built!  I wanted recoils but huge upcharge.

[is200LS]

4 hours ago, Nixhex524 said:

I am giddy about the P770 set I just got...  Only other real "GI" set I have tried as of late is the i210.  I will be honest, they didn't impress me at all.  I have been playing mostly players CB with some success I think, even some blades thrown in the mix and never really saw all that much difference in my quality of play.  I am getting ahead of the game here, but I have a really good feeling about the P770s.  Just looking down at them, I feel very comfortable.  I KNOW they offer more help than other clubs, but they still look compact enough that I don't feel like I am sacrificing.  I'm not sure I could go 790s but I am warming up to some tech help!

I have a p790 2udi 39.5'' in the bag, fine club off the tee & deck. I think the look is fine, not big at all, could be the shaft length balancing out the look. I think you can mix the set and use 790s for the long irons only, I too will be looking at some forgiving 4i and 5i soon.

You might be wondering why I play 2i cause a stinger off the tee is so satisfying😆 or a bad slice into rough off the deck😅

[is200LS]

5 hours ago, chisag said:

... After teaching golf I developed the theory everyone should play the most forgiving irons they can effectively play. That means different things to different players. I can't see someone in any other sport attempting to play equipment that does not enhance their ability to play well. You don't see anyone using a much smaller racket in tennis to hone their concentration. No hitter is using a 26" bat instead of a 36" bat. Clubs should produce the trajectory and distance you want or are able to hit. For some that is an MB and for others SGI's and of course GI and PI's in between. I play to a + index and play Cobra King Tour irons because they are accurate, consistent and plenty forgiving compared to may Srixon Z Forged I play every now and then for fun and to remind me I can always use a little more forgiveness. 

 

at first I thought players club helps me hone my swing because I can feel all the poor strikes. after a year of playing I think I can't improve quickly anymore and now I actually care about the score and using the same ball for the whole round. I need a little more forgiveness. 

[is200LS]

6 hours ago, ShowMe said:

I can relate.  I thought my i210s were forgiving (and they are for their type of club), but when I tried the G425s it was an order of magnitude in more forgiveness.

I helped a family member making SW adjestment to his i20s, did swing the whole set, better then my CBs but not really wowed me like the 425s.

[is200LS]

7 hours ago, Ripken08 said:

It's a cycle.  You (like me) think you are hitting your forged CBs pretty well until you hit a G iron and boom!  It actually shows how poorly we are hitting our small irons sometimes.  Conversely, you'll have a bad day hitting G irons.  Been there done that.  Then you are on the merry-go-round thinking of going back to your forged beauties and then the cycle repeats.  Except you won't be able to try something easier after a bad day hitting the G's as it probably doesn't exist lol

 

All that being said and playing MP20 MMCs all year, I have a set of G425s on order.  With GRAPHITE nonetheless 🤯

The 425 I tried have the s flex alta shaft, feels fine. There is certainly nothing easier, I felt some impacts were completely unservicable yet the ball flew.

[A.Princey]

Unless you cannot stomach the looks of GI stuff, or actually play worse with them, trust the ball and the score, first and foremost. If they’re easier to hit and hit well, then there’s no reason not play a more forgiving set. People can and do play scratch golf with GI and even SGI clubs in the bag, so it’s not a variable of limitation, more preference and ego.

 

Very few golfers are TOO good to play GI equipment, but many are too stubborn to try(or admit the merits of doing so)!

Edited September 14, 2021 by A.Princey

[craz-e]

In true WRX style have a set of irons from every category, blades to game improvement 

[barnum1]

I can relate very much to this. I went from i20 to G425 and my misses are much better. (Stock Alta CB regular graphite shafts.)

I do feel though that I have to work harder at "getting through the ball", it's as if the club heads are heavier than my old i20s.

 

And of course, occassionally I still dream about getting a softer forged club, like the ZX5s that I tried recently...

[kiwihacker]

39 minutes ago, barnum1 said:

I can relate very much to this. I went from i20 to G425 and my misses are much better. (Stock Alta CB regular graphite shafts.)

I do feel though that I have to work harder at "getting through the ball", it's as if the club heads are heavier than my old i20s.

 

And of course, occassionally I still dream about getting a softer forged club, like the ZX5s that I tried recently...

Ha! 

 

I was just about to mention how forgiving I'm finding my new ZX5 irons compared to my old cavity backs. Lol 

[TheDeanAbides]

On the range a set of GI or SGI irons seem great for confidence, but less so on the course from a flier lie when they knuckleball 20 yards over the back of the green. If you have a low swing speed then go for it as the high launch will help, but for control I'd always choose a blade or as close to one as possible. It's much easier to take spin off a shot when you need to than it is to add it.  

 

This is not a blades vs cavity back answer. I have sets of players CBs in the cellar doing nothing alongside my blades that're doing nothing too. 

[sevenfourate]

As big, clunky, forgiving and ugly (?) as you can handle; whilst still working has always done it for me. 
 

No space in my small bag for ego…….

[dmeeksDC]

I think it’s pretty simple. Put impact tape on your irons, take measure of how much your contact wanders and size your iron heads accordingly. Get real feedback. Tour pros may hit the center on every shot, but people who don’t play all the time generally won’t, they just think they do. Impact tape don’t lie. With irons designed to preserve ball speed across a larger portion of the face, it does make a difference. And that  doesn’t mean the iron needs to be huge, it needs to fit your impact pattern.
 

If I am playing all the time, I get into a groove and small irons are a lot of fun. But if I haven’t played in a month, there is no doubt the round will be better with an iron with forgiveness across the face.  I have a single Callaway Apex DCB — the 5 iron — and it is remarkable how it produces a consistent shot even on varied swings. 

[rsballer10]

I play MB's because I struggle getting wider cambered soles into and out of the turf. Turf interaction is a real thing, and most of the public courses I play are pretty firm.

 

Sole width and design doesn't affect a lot of people, but I am very sensitive to it.

 

I will say my old MP-32s that are currently in the bag instead of the MP-18s are a nice balance. Small cavity, moderate sole width, but very little camber so the club gets into the turf pretty easily.

[barnum1]

6 hours ago, kiwihacker said:

Ha! 

 

I was just about to mention how forgiving I'm finding my new ZX5 irons compared to my old cavity backs. Lol 

Interesting!
Can you compare them forgiveness-wise with any GI-irons? For example G425 or similar?

[kiwihacker]

50 minutes ago, barnum1 said:

Interesting!
Can you compare them forgiveness-wise with any GI-irons? For example G425 or similar?

Well I haven't played the G425 but I have demoed their predecessor the G410 in a fitting. The G410 were fantastic and I was sorely tempted to try them even though I naturally gravitate to smaller clubhead designs like the i210. In the end I got the ZX5 and am finding them really forgiving compared to various players cavity backs I have played over the years. They may be a smaller profile head than a typical GI club but I definitely think they have the forgiveness of a GI iron. I can miss the sweet spot and hit the ball anywhere on the club face and still get great results distance wise. The only true comparison would be to actually play a set like the G425 on course but I haven't had the opportunity to do that. 

[deh]

I have played about every style of iron available, and have finally put my ego away (for the time being). I am absolutely loving the G425 irons. I can do everything that I need to with them, and the added forgiveness is a strength. I love playing against friends who "can't stand the look of those irons". 

[Tim Schoch]

I played MX-23s for the past year.  Impact is great, mishits hit back, but the distance is a bit short, kind of a dead drop.  I thought it was me, so I kept practicing and playing. Soon contact began to suffer, which is a distance killer.

 

So I hear a voice over in the corner and there was a 4-iron (actually a 5-iron today) giving me the eye from among his fellow irons. It's my set of 1983 Ping Eye 2 V-grooves. You can guess the rest.  Except these irons are +3/4", which nearly negates the difference in loft with the MX-23s. Distance is back, dispersion is down, ego is in the refrigerator cooling off.

 

So I'm happily striping the Eye 2s, not looking back. I can't afford a new set, so I'm comfortable with what I have.  I played with a young guy the other day who had never seen a set of Eye 2s.  He put one on the ground and made a vomiting sound and gave it back.  Different strokes... 🙂

 

Edited September 14, 2021 by Tim Schoch

[RacineBoxer]

10 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

On the range a set of GI or SGI irons seem great for confidence, but less so on the course from a flier lie when they knuckleball 20 yards over the back of the green. If you have a low swing speed then go for it as the high launch will help, but for control I'd always choose a blade or as close to one as possible. It's much easier to take spin off a shot when you need to than it is to add it.  

 

This is not a blades vs cavity back answer. I have sets of players CBs in the cellar doing nothing alongside my blades that're doing nothing too. 

 

I guess I'm just lucky but I haven't had a problem with fliers in about 10 years of playing Ping G series irons.

 

[TheDeanAbides]

Just now, RacineBoxer said:

 

I guess I'm just lucky but I haven't had a problem with fliers in about 10 years of playing Ping G series irons.

 

Maybe you're in the lower SS category I mentioned. It's less noticeable because lower swing speeds lose power through the rough and the flier just cancels it out. 

[ChipNRun]

20 hours ago, chisag said:

... After teaching golf I developed the theory everyone should play the most forgiving irons they can effectively play. That means different things to different players. ...

 

Clubs should produce the trajectory and distance you want or are able to hit. For some that is an MB and for others SGI's and of course GI and PI's in between. ... 

A golf pro I once worked with had this overall advice: Get clubs for the swing you have today, not the swing you hope to have next year.

 

I have driver CHS between 85-90 MPH depending on how loose my hip is on a given day. Since I turned 60, rough fittings put me generally with GI heads and sub-100 gram shafts. I'm now making my move to graphite shafts. I got fitted for Mav MAX irons, if they ever arrive.

 

Reason for GI heads: SGI heads just hang the ball up too high in the short irons and wedges. This problem is aggravated by frequent pairing of SGI heads with high-launch shafts.

[bryanwmilburn]

I love the idea of playing GI irons, but as a high ball hitter with speed, I can't come to grips with putting something in the bag that has tech built in to make the ball go high. Those early spring rounds when it's windy really exposes the high fliers.

[realmfg]

Personally, this is where I like a combo set.  I need a lot forgiveness from 7i-3i. From 8i in, I want my scoring clubs to be super conistent with spin and distance. 

[EddieEdwards]

I rented the g425's recently.  I did not get along with them.  

[Ripken08]

13 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

On the range a set of GI or SGI irons seem great for confidence, but less so on the course from a flier lie when they knuckleball 20 yards over the back of the green. If you have a low swing speed then go for it as the high launch will help, but for control I'd always choose a blade or as close to one as possible. It's much easier to take spin off a shot when you need to than it is to add it.  

 

This is not a blades vs cavity back answer. I have sets of players CBs in the cellar doing nothing alongside my blades that're doing nothing too. 

Flier lie is a flier lie and any club is going to give the same result.