Iron Types (game improvement, players distance, etc.)

[connor_g9]

I first started golfing seriously about 2.5, 3 years ago and brought my handicap down significantly in that time. I was shooting around 100-110, but I’ve got down into mid 80s this year and am a little uncertain about my irons. Early last year I got the SIM Max OS irons, and was hitting my 7-iron around 135, 140 yards. Along with the scoring change, my club head speed massively increased, and now I’m hitting 7-iron around 185. Should I look to change my irons to a more players-distance irons or something with a little more loft and less “spring” to them? I like them well enough, but they’re pretty chunky and not visually pleasing at all.

Edited November 7, 2021 by connor_g9

[PEI_Golfer]

Simple answer, yes.  Get fit, see what shafts work as you've gotten better technique apparently and gained 50 yards. 

[third-times-a-charm]

All the iron 'terms' are pretty arbitrary and made up.

 

If you're in the 80s consistently, yes go get fit it should be worthwhile.

[lefthack]

If you are hitting a 7 185 yards, distance doesn't seem like an issue (mine is more like 150) but if you move to a set of more traditional lofts, your yardage will need adjusting.

 

Get fit, find something you like looking at and focus not on how far you hit each club, but the gaps between them. Ideally 10-15 yards between them. 

[Davidv]

Sounds like what you have is working fine. If you do not like look and want a change go to a shop that will let you hit various demos of what looks good to you and pull the trigger on the one that works for you visually and performance wise. Oh I guess I am suppose to say go get a fitting but we all know that is the latest buzz and a waste of money when you can do it yourself for free.

[Tax77]

You should look around, 185 yards for 26 loft is a pretty decent swing. The 6 degree gaps from 9 into the wedges isn't doing your accuracy any favors, nor is the 85 gram shaft.

 

You can dial in shaft weight, swing weight, static weight yourself with some lead tape and patience then go from there.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Tax77

[connor_g9]

3 hours ago, Tax77 said:

You should look around, 185 yards for 26 loft is a pretty decent swing. The 6 degree gaps from 9 into the wedges isn't doing your accuracy any favors, nor is the 85 gram shaft.

 

You can dial in shaft weight, swing weight, static weight yourself with some lead tape and patience then go from there.

I got the 5-Aw set, and have 52, 56, and 60 degree wedges. I’m confused about one term, however. I’ve heard swing weight a lot recently and I’m not entirely sure what it is. I understand shaft weight and flex and all that, but what is swing weight?

[ShortGolfer]

Swing weight is how heavy the club feels.

A big mistake is to shorten the driver for accuracy and not add any weight to the head.  It will often feel too light and bad swings will result.

[puttingmatt]

Lofts on the Sim max os irons are stronger,

But more important, are you getting consistent yardage results. If you are, then you should be able to build your score on your ability. 

Getting new irons are a popular thing on this site, but the results can vary.

Unless you have yardage gaps that hurt your abilty to position yourself , hot flyers,

unable to stop shots on greens, etc....

Only you can make the choice on what would benefit your game, from the  equipment  side.  Its expensive and time consuming. Good luck and happy shopping.

[PuffyC]

The PGA Tour average for 7i is 172 so if you’re at 185 and shooting mid 80s it’s probably not your clubs that are holding you back. The question would be why you’re out hitting the pros but still not scoring. If it’s because you’re spraying balls all over the place, going to clubs that are harder to hit is unlikely to make that better. Probably won’t make it a lot worse either, so if you find some irons you like looking at and they’re more fun to hit then why not.

[connor_g9]

1 hour ago, puttingmatt said:

Lofts on the Sim max os irons are stronger,

But more important, are you getting consistent yardage results. If you are, then you should be able to build your score on your ability. 

Getting new irons are a popular thing on this site, but the results can vary.

Unless you have yardage gaps that hurt your abilty to position yourself , hot flyers,

unable to stop shots on greens, etc....

Only you can make the choice on what would benefit your game, from the  equipment  side.  Its expensive and time consuming. Good luck and happy shopping.

Yeah the main issue is inconsistent yardages, stopping on greens, and frankly my accuracy. However, sometimes I’ll hit a shot nicely and it goes only 160, whereas other times itll fly over the green. The ball flight with the irons is pretty low and they don’t spin very much, so I’ve gotten used to smashing an 8 iron to get it to stop rather than an easy 7. 

[xbar]

Sounds like the clubs are working well for you. Why change what's working? I have a handful of friends that went through a similar situation (game improved, thought needed "better player" clubs), and almost always, they're not happy with the change. They either go back to their old clubs or take months getting adjusted to the new clubs to end up at the same place. 

[ChipNRun]

19 hours ago, connor_g9 said:

I’ve got down into mid 80s this year and am a little uncertain about my irons. ...

 

Golf features two primary ways of categorizing iron models: Maltby Playability Factor (MPF), and Hot List. The original system was engineer and club designer Ralph Maltby's (MPF). Maltby founded The GolfWorks which wholesales golf club components, and has its own line of Maltby clubheads and shafts.

 

Maltby classifies golf clubs into one of six MPF categories based upon its MPF score. The score comes from an algebraic equation based upon measurements of the golf club's design, drawing on Vertical Center of Gravity (VCOG) and other calculations. Not everyone likes MPF, claiming it oversimplifies clubhead characteristics. Maltby himself cautions golfers not to exaggerate MPF usage, as it focuses only on clubhead design and does not factor in shaft type or player's clubhead speed.

 

The second one is the annual Golf Digest spring Hot List. Rather than using algebra, Hot List classifies irons (and other clubs) by the OEM's perceived marketing niche. The original three categories were Players, Game Improvement (GI), and Super Game Improvement (SGI). HL added the Players Distance category in 2018. (Note: GI and SGI terms are borrowed from Maltby, although the HL categories are broader than the MPF categories).

 

Hot List is a good starting point to narrow down the dozens of new iron models that come out each year.

[nsxguy]

On 11/6/2021 at 8:47 PM, connor_g9 said:

I first started golfing seriously about 2.5, 3 years ago and brought my handicap down significantly in that time. I was shooting around 100-110, but I’ve got down into mid 80s this year and am a little uncertain about my irons. Early last year I got the SIM Max OS irons, and was hitting my 7-iron around 135, 140 yards. Along with the scoring change, my club head speed massively increased, and now I’m hitting 7-iron around 185. Should I look to change my irons to a more players-distance irons or something with a little more loft and less “spring” to them? I like them well enough, but they’re pretty chunky and not visually pleasing at all.

 

To what do you attribute your massive swing speed increase. That's very unusual.

 

No, you shouldn't change your irons; at least not yet.

 

You should get lessons. 👍

Edited November 8, 2021 by nsxguy

[Drivingrangehero]

My word of advise would be to try out some shafts at a big box store, with some more traditionally lofted club that you like the look of. 

 

What I have found beneficial is starting with shaft weight, and not being overly concerned with flex 

 

1. I’d Start with heavier weight shafts around 130g drop to 120+g shafts, then 115g, 105g, sub 100g.

 

2. I’d  pick through the profiles I liked in each weight based on the feel of the club, not numbers on the monitor with a couple of club heads I like. 

 

3. After finding the weight and profile I like, I’d fine tune with flex and swing weight. 
 

4. I’d repeat by going through certain selected shafts that i liked to confirm on a separate day. I will usually have a top 3 and hit all of them  randomly 2-3 shots on to the next head/shaft combo, then back again 

 

5. I’d look to fit both lie angle and playing length

 

6. The couple of club heads I liked, I’d demo in the shaft set up I liked, and hit off grass preferably, if not an option, an outdoor hitting bay to watch flight. 

7. After finding what I liked, I,d purchase then confirm the loft, lie, and swingweight that I ordered. Some clubs manufacturers are spot on, some are terrible. 
 

8. I’d Hit the clubs, recording my distances with each club for yardage gapping

 

9. I’d  tweak lofts to fine tune gapping if necessary 4-GW. (Very rare I need to do that, but I have tweaked my 8 iron 1* strong and wedge 1* weak on a set of  MP-32’s in the past.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

10. Enjoy the new sticks! 👍

It’s not easy to just walk into finding a good fitter, so that’s a rough draft of my thought process in self fitting.  If you give the location you live in, I’m sure you can get recommendations from WRX members here
 

I always bring a couple of balls that I play when testing out clubs. For me that’s a Bridgestone BX 

 

Happy Hunting! 


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Edited November 8, 2021 by Drivingrangehero
.

[iNeedMoreGolf]

You need a players iron. Quiet honestly... id suggest the easiest to hit blades you can find. Dont let others tell you this doesnt exist.. it does. Examples are mizuno mp5, mp20 mmc are blades i dont care what anyone says.. callaway mb18. Those are irons i play and their our others out there that im sure are just as easy to hit. I broke into 70s with this type of irons im sure you can too and trust me im no spectacular player. You have plenty of distance to play a good blade.. the ping blueprints are very small but very playable. Find what you like looks wise and try for yourself. Major and better difference from a blade or players irons to a gi iron.

[connor_g9]

22 minutes ago, Drivingrangehero said:

My word of advise would be to try out some shafts at a big box store, with some more traditionally lofted club that you like the look of. 

 

What I have found beneficial is starting with shaft weight, and not being overly concerned with flex 

 

1. I’d Start with heavier weight shafts around 130g drop to 120+g shafts, then 115g, 105g, sub 100g.

 

2. I’d  pick through the profiles I liked in each weight based on the feel of the club, not numbers on the monitor with a couple of club heads I like. 

 

3. After finding the weight and profile I like, I’d fine tune with flex and swing weight. 
 

4. I’d repeat by going through certain selected shafts that i liked to confirm on a separate day. I will usually have a top 3 and hit all of them  randomly 2-3 shots on to the next head/shaft combo, then back again 

 

5. I’d look to fit both lie angle and playing length

 

6. The couple of club heads I liked, I’d demo in the shaft set up I liked, and hit off grass preferably, if not an option, an outdoor hitting bay to watch flight. 

7. After finding what I liked, I,d purchase then confirm the loft, lie, and swingweight that I ordered. Some clubs manufacturers are spot on, some are terrible. 
 

8. I’d Hit the clubs, recording my distances with each club for yardage gapping

 

9. I’d  tweak lofts to fine tune gapping if necessary 4-GW. (Very rare I need to do that, but I have tweaked my 8 iron 1* strong and wedge 1* weak on a set of  MP-32’s in the past.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

10. Enjoy the new sticks! 👍

It’s not easy to just walk into finding a good fitter, so that’s a rough draft of my thought process in self fitting.  If you give the location you live in, I’m sure you can get recommendations from WRX members here
 

I always bring a couple of balls that I play when testing out clubs. For me that’s a Bridgestone BX 

 

Happy Hunting! 


.

I live near Canton, Ohio, and I’ve heard golftec is a pretty good fitter for around here, I’m not sure of anywhere else other than Golf Galaxy, which I’d prefer if I didn’t go to, I’ve heard some horror stories about there