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Upgrading irons to less forgiving ones?


sparky1_2007

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Hey,

 

So I've got an itch to get some newer/better irons, currently I have the 2017 P790's, but to be honest, I have an eye for a set of blades, or a combo set of MB/CB's. I'm only handicap 15-20 or so, but I do hit my irons pretty well considering - it's 3-4 putting and tee shots that hurt me the most.

 

Is there a slight step up from my current P790's that has a sleeker/smaller look but with only slightly less forgiveness? Or do I need to just suck it up and go with a set of blades and be done with it? I've hit blades on the range, but just never brought them out to the course due to it throwing my distances off.

 

The takomo 101T's and 301's piqued my interest because I could pretty much upgrade with 0 extra cost after selling my old stuff.

 

Ping i210's look interesting - it has the hollow body with insert, smaller and definitely have a nice sleek look.

 

I'm newer to the game, so i'm not 100% familiar with a lot of the other brand offerings out there that would fit the bill. 

 

Thanks in advance for your insight and advice!

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Do you have a big box golf store in the area? If so, go take swings with irons that are less offset and have thinner top lines and see how far you can go with it. 
 

Personally, I don’t think anyone would confuse i210’s with blades, but they’re still great irons. If you want to try something cheap with fairly little offset and pretty thin top line, Ben Hogan irons from the early 2000’s are fun to try. Here’s some early 2000’s Hogan Apex Plus irons that are buttery forged and under $100 for 4-lob:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125531009631?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=GTJamAk4R-y&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=vuCKgvE6RNK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

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Ping g410 4h Tensei blue, Ping g425 6h Tensei orange

Maltby TS3 7-Gap w/Xcaliber Rapid Taper 95/105

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13 hours ago, sparky1_2007 said:

 I'm only handicap 15-20 or so, but I do hit my irons pretty well

 

You must be a pretty crappy putter.  But in all seriousness if you hit the sweet spot at least 80% of the time (especially on the long irons) then go head and get a set.   But in most cases, you are better off with a GI or SGI set.   

 

If you want to see if you're ready for blades then go get a set of cheap Wilson Staff Blades and see if you can handle them.

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10.5 deg Titleist 905R with stock UST Proforce V2 Shaft (Stiff flex)
Titleist 990 (3-PW) with stock Dynamic Gold in S300
Taylormade V-Steel 5W & 3W with Grafalloy Prolaunch Red shafts (Regular Flex)
2011 Adams Tom Watson signature wedges in 52 and 56 degrees with stock steel shafts (Player's Grind)
Rife Island Series Aruba Blade Putter

 

"Loft for loft, length for length, and shaft for shaft, the ball will go the same distance when hit on the sweet spot regardless how old the iron."

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GI and SGI speaking very generally have two main things blades don’t: MOI and COG manipulated to give low spin and high launch.

 

MOI is pretty much always good.  
 

If you have a proper “ball, then turf” strike the modern COG’s will be of dubious benefit and may give you problems.  If you don’t GI/SGI clubs may give you the illusion you hit your irons pretty well.  If you hit blades on mats the mats may give you the illusion you hit the ball pretty well with blades.

 

The players distance irons have the same properties as GI/SGI clubs in a prettier package.

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10 minutes ago, Chunkitgood said:

GI and SGI speaking very generally have two main things blades don’t: MOI and COG manipulated to give low spin and high launch.

 

MOI is pretty much always good.  
 

If you have a proper “ball, then turf” strike the modern COG’s will be of dubious benefit and may give you problems.  If you don’t GI/SGI clubs may give you the illusion you hit your irons pretty well.  If you hit blades on mats the mats may give you the illusion you hit the ball pretty well with blades.

 

The players distance irons have the same properties as GI/SGI clubs in a prettier package.


if you look at the Maltby MPF data, the physical measurements not the MPF rating you will see that modern COG’s aren’t particularly low

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T100 has a bit of a "player" look and actually has a higher MOI than the P790. VCoG is slightly higher.

 

BT

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Dr#2 Mizuno STZ 220 9.5 (10.5) - HZRDUS Smoke IM10 65 Low TX @ 46"

Mizuno ST190 15 - HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 TS @ 43"
Mizuno STZ 220 18- HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70 TS @ 42"
Mizuno MP15 4-PW - Aldila RIP Tour 115 R
Cobra MIM Wedges 52, 56 & 60 – stock KBS Hi-Rev @ 35.5”

Odyssey V-Line Stroke Lab 33.5"
Grips - Grip Master Classic Wrap Midsize

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     If you are consistent with your irons[or any club you are looking to "upgrade"], then I think the result should be almost instantly better. What I mean is it shouldn't take you months to get used to your new irons so at the end of the adjustment you are playing as well as before you got them. That said  I've bought alot of clubs thinking , scratch golf here I come only to dump them on ebay later. Lately though I have tried to stick with the clubs that seem to preform the most consistent for me and my scores seem to be better and not as spikey.

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Let’s be honest, if you hit it every green in reg and three putt like you said you’d be an 18 handicap. If you’re four putting some then you’re over 20 handicap. Add in that I doubt you’re hitting every green in reg and you’re easily over 20 handicap.

 

Instead of new irons why not get some lessons and a putter fitting? It sounds like that would be the best way to lower your scores quicker and can be done at home with a putting matt. If you have a putter that suits your stroke and put the time in to practice, I’d bet your handicap would drop.

Edited by philly2kuk
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I had that same desire for blades while I was using a set of P790s. I was around a 15 hcap.
 

I bought old set of Mizuno MP-37(if I remember correctly). I was literally a club and a half shorter with most of the mid to long irons. That was IF I hit  it pure.
 

If I didn’t hit it cleanly? let’s just say I didn’t have to get back in the cart before hitting the next shot.

 

I’ve recently reach the single digits after ab insane amount of work on my game and play two different sets of irons. One being Mizuno 223s either the other Mizuno 221 (latest blade). 
 

I no longer lose any distance when using the 221s and hit them much more consistently. There are always a couple of bad shots that cost me each round with the blades, but I can live with that for their feel and shot shaping benefits. I even carry the 3 iron and love hitting it!

 

The 223s are slightly less demanding, but a good compromise. When I play tournaments (non scrambles), I use the 223s or I combo them with the 221s.

 

If I were you with my current experience, I’d stay where you are for a bit longer or even buy a single 6 iron blade to see how you get along with her.

Edited by SollyinGA
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Knowing what suits and what doesn’t takes some tinkering 

 

I have found that I usually do better with a narrow sole, but I can do a wide sole if it’s  low bounce which don’t alway go hand in hand. 
 

I do better in the long irons if the VCOG is sub 800

 

Aesthetically I like less offset, but a little bit is not to off putting to me, and a thin top line isn’t necessary, as long as it’s not super chunky, same with blade length, but prefer a shorter length. 

 

A Mizuno blade or the older JPX19 line fits me better than a Ping i200 or a PXG 0311T 

 

I notice it in the mid-long irons more than the short irons because I tend to sweep the mid-long more. 


I saw an older golf digest article talk a bit about sole design aspect at least, so I figured I’d share it from 2020 ⬇️ 

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/sole-iron-swing-ground-game

 

 

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You can buy the clubs you really desire.  From there to performance there's a big step.  With time and experience a golfer starts to realize what type of clubs are going to be of help to play better.  I personally believe that 80-90% of amateur golfers would profit from GI or SGI irons.  

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Sounds like we need to find you a new driver and a new putter and to work on those skills

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Driver - TaylorMade Sim Max 9*

3 Wood - Callaway Epic Flash 15* 

3 UI - Callaway Apex UW 19*

Irons - Srixon Z-785 4-PW 

Wedges - Titleist Vokey 50/12*+54/14*+58/12*

Putter - Odyssey White Hot Versa #7 36.5"

Ball - TaylorMade TP5x Pix, Callaway CTX Truvis, Vice Pro Plus

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On 12/3/2022 at 9:57 PM, sparky1_2007 said:

Hey,

 

So I've got an itch to get some newer/better irons, currently I have the 2017 P790's, but to be honest, I have an eye for a set of blades, or a combo set of MB/CB's. I'm only handicap 15-20 or so, but I do hit my irons pretty well considering - it's 3-4 putting and tee shots that hurt me the most.

 

Is there a slight step up from my current P790's that has a sleeker/smaller look but with only slightly less forgiveness? Or do I need to just suck it up and go with a set of blades and be done with it? I've hit blades on the range, but just never brought them out to the course due to it throwing my distances off.

 

The takomo 101T's and 301's piqued my interest because I could pretty much upgrade with 0 extra cost after selling my old stuff.

 

Ping i210's look interesting - it has the hollow body with insert, smaller and definitely have a nice sleek look.

 

I'm newer to the game, so i'm not 100% familiar with a lot of the other brand offerings out there that would fit the bill. 

 

Thanks in advance for your insight and advice!

 

if you have the money, then why not? 

 

I bought MMC MP20's when I was nearly a 20 cap and am still gaming them. They worked for me then and work for me now. I have probably tried 15 different sets (most bought/sold here) and nothing beat them. I get good feedback and forgiveness on these.   

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Nothing wrong with picking up a good midsized cavity back. For me, if I like the look of the club from address, it inspires confidence. If it's too chunky/offset, my confidence goes out the window. It's a very personal thing. For me I feel like any mid/oversized forged cavity back would be forgiving enough for most golfers out there. 

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New Level 902 OS 5-AW - Nippon Modus 120x (ssx1)

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Another thought is that you're the target audience for the hollow body irons that have become so popular in the last 5-6 years.  You can get irons with less offset, a more "player's looking iron", that has considerable forgiveness.  Have you seen the Ping i525's?

Tour Edge c721/HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX

Cleveland Launcher XL Halo 3 wood/UST Elements MK
Ping g410 4h Tensei blue, Ping g425 6h Tensei orange

Maltby TS3 7-Gap w/Xcaliber Rapid Taper 95/105

SnakeEyes 685BX 52*/Callaway Jaws Raw 58Z

TP Mills Sycamore Hakd Made, flow neck pencil shaft, 342 grams, Grip Master Roo FL27

Carbon Ringo wide-flange, slant neck, 330 grams

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