Iron Suggestions for 14YO (first adult set)...

[cmatthews77]

So trying to decide on first set of irons for my 14YO.  He's currently gaming his 63" US Kids Tour Series w/ steel shafts.  He could probably game them a bit longer but he's also ready for first adult set.  Couple of thoughts...

 

1.  His current PW is 47 degrees so trying to avoid the super strong loft stuff.  Thinking 45 PW at least but may not be doable...

2. However, its getting increasingly hard to find an iron with some forgiveness that isn't super juiced.

 

My local pro has a set of Taylor Made M4 irons new offered at $500 which is a good price point but they're huge like shovels to me and super strong..

 

Also curious anyone may have a shaft weight recommendation for this age.  I know "get fit".  He's about 5'6" and 125 lbs.

[DHoch]

I'd look into Sub70, or another direct to consumer company. You'll get great value, and they have a lot of options. Customer service is also their strong suit, so they'll be able to walk you through the right setup for your son.

[A.Princey]

Maltby TE or DBMs, really good value per head and they are really traditional lofts with plenty of spin. Super forgiving and not shovels. Component brand but performance is there, plenty of threads on how good these really are. The black DBMs are a shade stronger lofted but pretty much identical heads to the TE. The black finish is really durable too, many play seasons long and notice very little wear. You shouldn’t count either of these out by any means. 

Edited January 10, 2022 by A.Princey

[GolfTurkey]

2 points about the juiced issue:

 

1. Most irons can be bent at least 2 degrees weak

 

2. Don't worry about the number printed on the club, you can go by loft ie just because it has 8 printed on it doesn't mean it can't be his 7.

[solarbear88]

Hard to escape the jacked lofts.  Might go with something like the Maltby STi2 considering their overall size, shape and price.  Considering them with the Kuro Kage for my 13 year old.  

Edited January 10, 2022 by solarbear88

[xkilgorextroutx]

Go someplace and let him look at and hit a bunch of clubs. I'm not saying get fit, I had to buy my kid 3 sets of irons over 5 years due to growth spurts and he'll probably end up with another set by the time he's 18, but let HIM go look at some different style heads, swing some different shafts and see what feels best to him. What you think look like shovels may look just fine to him, and if the performance is there... don't sweat the lofts. There's way too much of that when in the real world it's not going to make a huge difference.

[ShortGolfer]

He is at the size and weight where a ladies set may fit him.

My Mavrik Max AW has a loft of 49 degrees.  I played a dozen 9 hole rounds last season with 22* 32* 49* and 54* SW

[Milfordlefty]

A side comment. Peer pressure is big in the teenage years. They want to fit in, especially if there is any chance his skill level allows him to make a high school golf team. They are all looking at the other's bags to see what they have. I am not saying Sub 70 clubs are not good golf clubs, I am just saying if all the others in his peer group are playing Callaway, Taylormade, Ping, Cobra, etc., having a club mfgers others may not recognize could come into his thoughts. You may be transferring your loft concerns, he may not even know what the loft is on his PW, he just goes and hits it. Go get fit, but what he gets fit for at 14 is unlikely what he'd fit into at he gets older. 5'6" is a bit taller for the avg US 14 yr old boy. I had a daughter who golfed in H.S., 50% of the pressure was "do our skorts match?' and " we all wear the same hair ribbons for this match".

Edited January 10, 2022 by Milfordlefty
wrong age

[jomatty]

I’d look at ping i210’s.  You can get him some in red dot if he needs them a little flat, which is probably the case with his height.  Other clubs to think about would be cobra forged tec, or the new Mizuno pro 225 or Mizuno jpx forged.  A set of gen 3 pxg’s  might also fit the bill and are fairly cheap.

[MountainKing]

What's his game like and what are his golfing goals?  If he competes and has a fairly competative game it would probably be worth while to get him fit. 14 is one of those ages where he coudl fit into a wide spectrum of things based on his game or where he's at developing.    When i was 14 I was fully grown and was fit into x100 shafts based on my game, I had teamates on my golf team who were a foot shorter and still in regular flex shafts.  

[2Down]

You say it will be his first adult set, let him adult on this with you .   Turn him on to this site and get ready to spend.

 

[drl1534]

I got my first set at about that age and they were the TM 09 burners. I’m sure the tech on the newer stuff is a little better, but I’d imagine you can get these for a pretty solid value.
 

Not sure if you’re trying to go new or used either. If you’re going to go new and if he’s serious about wanting to get better, a fitting would probably be best. There’s a ton of choices out there, especially when you don’t have any experience with any brands/combinations yet

[CUBuffaloes]

13 hours ago, Milfordlefty said:

A side comment. Peer pressure is big in the teenage years. They want to fit in, especially if there is any chance his skill level allows him to make a high school golf team. They are all looking at the other's bags to see what they have. I am not saying Sub 70 clubs are not good golf clubs, I am just saying if all the others in his peer group are playing Callaway, Taylormade, Ping, Cobra, etc., having a club mfgers others may not recognize could come into his thoughts. You may be transferring your loft concerns, he may not even know what the loft is on his PW, he just goes and hits it. Go get fit, but what he gets fit for at 14 is unlikely what he'd fit into at he gets older. 5'6" is a bit taller for the avg US 14 yr old boy. I had a daughter who golfed in H.S., 50% of the pressure was "do our skorts match?' and " we all wear the same hair ribbons for this match".

 

I think in general girls are more sensitive to this than boys. My kid plays for his high school team and is gaming my hand-me-down Maltby TS1s (btw his high school is one of the more prestigious private schools here - alumni include Obama and Michelle Wie). He loves those clubs and his team-mates think they're cool. Kind of like a boutique set of irons (though they definitely are not).

 

edit: forgot to mention that I agree with others that recommended Sub 70 and Maltby clubs. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by CUBuffaloes

[ac6]

13 hours ago, MountainKing said:

What's his game like and what are his golfing goals?  If he competes and has a fairly competative game it would probably be worth while to get him fit. 14 is one of those ages where he coudl fit into a wide spectrum of things based on his game or where he's at developing.    When i was 14 I was fully grown and was fit into x100 shafts based on my game, I had teamates on my golf team who were a foot shorter and still in regular flex shafts.  

 

Agree that his goals, or at least how he views golf, makes a difference. I don't fully agree that he needs a fitting given that he's likely to grow and his swing is likely to change in the next couple of years. If golf is a side hobby for him, a GI set like the M4s with something like a 75g graphite R-flex will make golf easy. If he's wanting to improve his skills and compete even if it's just playing on the HS team, a set of player-distance irons with steel shafts in the 90-100g range (think TT Elevate 95, KBS Tour 90) will help transition him into full-fledged players' clubs down the line and give enough feedback on bad shots to learn from.

[solarbear88]

Another option might be PGX... 0211 DC are $77 per club.  Look good at address but have jacked lofts.

[MattC555]

Those M4's would be a good option if he is still more or less a beginner.  I wouldn't be worried about the strong lofts.  The number on the bottom is irrelevant these days.     

[MountainKing]

7 hours ago, ac6 said:

 

Agree that his goals, or at least how he views golf, makes a difference. I don't fully agree that he needs a fitting given that he's likely to grow and his swing is likely to change in the next couple of years. If golf is a side hobby for him, a GI set like the M4s with something like a 75g graphite R-flex will make golf easy. If he's wanting to improve his skills and compete even if it's just playing on the HS team, a set of player-distance irons with steel shafts in the 90-100g range (think TT Elevate 95, KBS Tour 90) will help transition him into full-fledged players' clubs down the line and give enough feedback on bad shots to learn from.

 

If he's playing competative and growing, he absolutley should be fitted, and then fitted again regularly.  If it's just casual golf then not so much, this is why details are important.  

[Milfordlefty]

9 hours ago, CUBuffaloes said:

 

I think in general girls are more sensitive to this than boys. My kid plays for his high school team and is gaming my hand-me-down Maltby TS1s (btw his high school is one of the more prestigious private schools here - alumni include Obama and Michelle Wie). He loves those clubs and his team-mates think they're cool. Kind of like a boutique set of irons (though they definitely are not).

 

edit: forgot to mention that I agree with others that recommended Sub 70 and Maltby clubs. 

Agree with all of your thoughts. I started a part time job last fall at the daily fee course where my league plays, just behind the counter couple nights (pay + free golf!). Anyway, one slow late fall night, talking to the cart guy, HS sophmore, and he went over his bag. Usual OEM variety and stiff/extra stiff flex, looks like a lot of witb on this site. Nice comment on Maltby clubs and if the OP son hits the Sub 70s well, his bag would be talked about.

Edited January 11, 2022 by Milfordlefty
addl data

[kepeollie]

Why not an older set of Pings? You could go with say a G25 for not too much and if needed could send them back to Ping to get loft and lies set to him. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by kepeollie

[Stew2944]

I was his age/height/weight in 2004 and I got ping zing 2 red dots that served me well. Those were 10 year old irons at that time. Many of my peers were using their fathers eye 2’s while others had newer Tommy armpit 845’s and 990B’s.

 

point being very good golfers in my area were using anywhere from 5-15 year old technology. At that age he will grow so fast, and body composition aka weightlifting may significantly change his swing speed and build. I got into weightlifting and by my senior year I got into xstiff standard length/lie X16pro irons. Big change from ping zing 2 red dot r300’s.

 

 

[reborod]

Awesome topic.  My son currently plays college golf and was a solid high school player.

 

At 14, he made the switch to players cavity backs, not blades.  His coach wanted him to learn how to hit the ball both ways.  Most of them are fairly forgiving, much more than you'd expect.  Most of the cavity back "regular" irons have a closed face.  If I were in your boat, I'd try to find a demo day with multiple companies represented or hit a larger pro shop and hit, hit, hit.  

 

Looking at your description, I'd say the Callaway Apex Pro series would be a good solid place to start.  At 5'6" and 125, a senior shaft or a soft regular might be a good fit.  But again, don't pigeon hole yourself locally, try to go somewhere and hit multiple brands and heads.  

 

Hope this helps.

[JDennis]

Tough to beat the PXG 0211 ST at 88/club or 0211DC at 77/club. 

[inditube]

its honestly more about getting him in the right shaft any major brand cavity back from last 10 year should be good

[Marcsc]

Got my 14 yo a set of Ap1s for 350 4-gw. Slightly large heads, but not a huge offset. Getting cheaper with the t series irons settling in as current model. Watch FB marketplace, eBay and 2nd swing. Fair number of sets available.

[mrshinsa]

This thread should be moved to here:
https://forums.golfwrx.com/forum/102-junior-equipment-talk/

Take a look at Ping G425.  Ping is one of the last remaining company to not juice their lofts.

As far as weight goes, have him try out some 90 gram steel shafts, and then move up or down from there.  

 

Your son's physique is similar to my 14yo boy.

Edited January 12, 2022 by mrshinsa

[EliasChua]

I have a 17 year old son.  He's smoking the ball now that he's filled out.  That happened in a year.  Somewhere around 14-15 years old.  I purchased a Callawaypreowned Apex forged set with regular shafts at age 14.  The next year, the shafts were much too flexible.  I bought him the next years Apex forged on the callawaypreowned site.  I've played forged clubs ever since my first set of Wilson Staffs.  You learn a lot about your misses.  I personally feel the feedback is an important aspect of improving.  Don't get too crazy about getting game improvement irons.  I personally believe that the need for game improvement occurs when you determine that you simply can't resolve the defect in your swing to consistently hit the sweet spot.  At 14, and loving the game, get him to love playing blades or at least forged cavity backs.  He'll learn a lot and add a little intimidation in his high school matches with a serious looking bag of sticks.  Get fitted for sure.  If there's a second swing near you, find out who the best fitter in the shop is and get him fit.  If he's already hitting his 8 iron 150 + then I'd go ahead and fit him with  some new sticks, he's likely good with some stiff shafts.  If not, plan on doing it again in about a year when he's filled out.  Will he be hitting XS shafts in the near future, or ever, probably unlikely so if he can hit the stiff shafts, you're probably good for a few years.  Drivers are pretty easy if you want to save a few bucks, going back one or 2 years will get you plenty of technology.  There will be lots to chose from at a place like second swing and getting fit will be critical.  Fairways are similarly easy.

 

Good luck.

[cmatthews77]

Thanks for all the feedback.  He's a multi-sport athlete for middle school (basketball is the favorite and passion, played football this year but likely won't moving forward and dropped baseball so he could play golf.  He's played with me since he was little and in some local junior tournaments but really got the bug this past year and will go out and play any chance he gets.  I did take him to the golf store to look at iron heads but nothing really jumped out as "I don't like the look of that" though he did quickly sort of realize and gravitate to the smaller profiles over the super game improvement ones.  

 

He'll compete on the middle school team this year.  In terms of his game at this point it's an upside thing.  He hits the ball fairly long in comparison to some of his teammates.  Nothing crazy but Driver probably 225 in the air and 7i is a 150 club.  Short game is OK but overall just needs to learn how to score.  Quit compounding errors and learn to play the course a bit better.  He's a 12 handicap at the moment and plays our hilly course at about 6000 yards.  Plays the Precept "Laddie" ball usually because I can get a double dozen for $20.

 

I would love to get fit but we have very limited options here but I may take him to the one retailer and let him hit a few club heads and try and get an idea of the best shaft weight which is most important to me.  I'm "assuming" something in the 90-95 gram range that he can use for at least a couple of years.  At this same age, I found and bought a demo set of AP1s from my local club with AMT reds that worked great for his older brother.  Something he can use for a long time.  I'd like to pass them down but hate to take his clubs from him.  He no longer plays competitively but still want him to keep his clubs.

 

Wanting something in between new and super cheap used.  Maybe a set in good to "like new" condition off CPO as an example.  Right now I've been thinking maybe...

a) Callaway Apex with the TT Elevate 95g in regular flex

b) Taylor Made P770 or P790 similar weight

c) Srixon ZX5

d) Wasn't sure best Ping head... i500?  i210?

e) Cobra Forged Tec?

* I have a set of Recoil 95 F3 pulls I could put in some club heads as well as an XP95 stiff if I found a really good deal on heads.

 

I know most of those are stronger lofted but I guess I have to get over that and just go with maybe a 6-A setup instead of 5-P (or maybe 5-A setup and then just one specialty wedge.  I like him to just carry 12 clubs because it's lighter and I just don't think he needs 14 yet (although he's on me about getting a 60 degree).  Currently the bag is:

Driver (got an M4 for Christmas)

5w (a hand me down Cally Epic in 65g reg flex shaft I found)

4hy (Senior flex Cobra Max hybrid I found online)

5-PW US Kids Tour Series 63" steel shafts

GW, SW US Kids Tour Series 

Hand me down Scotty X7 putter cut to 33"

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by cmatthews77

[cmatthews77]

Ok so if anyone is still following this I think I've settled on a set of Callaway Apex '19 irons with the stock True Temper Elevate 95g shaft as I can get a pretty good deal on them in 5-PW.

 

Here's my next question... the PW is 43 degrees which means I have to a) buy an additional wedge which drives the overall cost of the new set up and create a new club he's not used to (as he goes currently from 47 degree PW he hits 120 to a 52 gap wedge then 56.

 

Should I consider bending these 2 degrees weak so the PW is 45?  That way he could still likely get by with a 52/56 setup or maybe a 50/56 setup.  I know it'll take a little offset out but would 2 degrees make any noticeable playing difference on the bounce?

[ChipNRun]

On 1/9/2022 at 8:05 PM, cmatthews77 said:

Also curious anyone may have a shaft weight recommendation for this age.  I know "get fit".  He's about 5'6" and 125 lbs.

 

A fitting doesn't need to be a $600 affair at Club Champion. Consider used clubs, selected with a static fitting to make sure the kid can hit them. At his age, with growth patterns in flux, he needs clubs that won't hurt his game. And don't get aggressive clubs that he can "grow into" - get him clubs he can hit well right now. 

 

Many of the better golf shops have the recipe for their used clubs: they can tell if the irons are a half-inch short in shaft length, bent 1° flat, etc. And, they want to sell off those trade-ins to get their $$ back.

 

As far as the M4 irons - what shaft are they? Make sure the shaft responds well to his swing.

 

Also, make sure  you are not guilty of projection:  This is the problem of assuming things that you like, are what everyone should like.

 

(We may differ on this next point, but I don't think a 45° PW will cause the planets to collide.)

[mrshinsa]

1 hour ago, cmatthews77 said:

Ok so if anyone is still following this I think I've settled on a set of Callaway Apex '19 irons with the stock True Temper Elevate 95g shaft as I can get a pretty good deal on them in 5-PW.

 

Here's my next question... the PW is 43 degrees which means I have to a) buy an additional wedge which drives the overall cost of the new set up and create a new club he's not used to (as he goes currently from 47 degree PW he hits 120 to a 52 gap wedge then 56.

 

Should I consider bending these 2 degrees weak so the PW is 45?  That way he could still likely get by with a 52/56 setup or maybe a 50/56 setup.  I know it'll take a little offset out but would 2 degrees make any noticeable playing difference on the bounce?

 

Leave the PW alone, and pick up a GW at 48°.   SW should be 54°.

 

If in doubt, go with what is stated in the factory spec, and try not to deviate too far from it.

https://www.callawaygolfpreowned.com/iron-sets/irons-2019-apex.html

 

Depending on the course he plays, 2 degree weaker will cause some thin shots on tight lies.

Edited January 14, 2022 by mrshinsa