Would you rather...

[Bay1524]

A club buying query

Would you rather buy clubs that make you focus and make a good swing on every swing, thus making you a better player over time (through better swing and contact over time) OR buy a club that you know will still give you decent results when you mishit the club, but not give you the same feedback on bad swings (in essence slowing your swing development)?

Examples I thought of:
MP32s v. 57s (thinking of buying one or the other - why I'm posing this question in the first place)
Nike Slingshots vs. CCI
Titleist AP1 v. AP2
Cleveland TA2s v. TA5s or 7s

[sam_5_0]

Would you rather buy clubs that make you focus and make a good swing on every swing, thus making you a better player over time (through better swing and contact over time) OR buy a club that you know will still give you decent results when you mishit the club, but not give you the same feedback on bad swings (in essence slowing your swing development)?

 

Examples I thought of:

MP32s v. 57s (thinking of buying one or the other - why I'm posing this question in the first place)

Nike Slingshots vs. CCI

Titleist AP1 v. AP2

Cleveland TA2s v. TA5s or 7s

 

I'd rather play golf......

[Bomb and Gouge]

Feedback is where your ball ended up compared to where you wanted it to go.

[Sam-Tee-Time]

Feedback is where your ball ended up compared to where you wanted it to go.

 

along these lines, I"m considering adopting the method of...........

 

PRACTICE with a less forgiving club to show you the feedback of a bad swing. for example - I practice with a 2-iron off a tee, which is VERY telling what your swing is doing.

 

PLAY with clubs that you like and enjoy. Forgiving or not. Cast or forged. Old or New. Young or Old. Love 'em and Play 'em me says.

[luxman]

I do not buy into the "buy blades because they will make you focus more" or "I want to be punished for my mis-hits" theories. I want to play clubs that give me the best results on the course, period.

 

Your swing is your swing. I highly doubt that under pressure conditions you will say to yourself "I'm hitting blades so I better focus on this swing" nor would you say under the same conditions "I'm hitting GI irons so I don't have to focus on this swing".

 

That said play whatever clubs you feel most comfortable with that will give you the best chance to play well.

[scratchby2009]

I do not buy into the "buy blades because they will make you focus more" or "I want to be punished for my mis-hits" theories. I want to play clubs that give me the best results on the course, period.

 

Your swing is your swing. I highly doubt that under pressure conditions you will say to yourself "I'm hitting blades so I better focus on this swing" nor would you say under the same conditions "I'm hitting GI irons so I don't have to focus on this swing".

 

That said play whatever clubs you feel most comfortable with that will give you the best chance to play well.

 

That just makes too much sense. :)

[Bay1524]

Thanks, guys! All good points. I guess price of new clubs is also a major concern behind this post - The I10s and MP32s were awesome when I hit them but are pretty steep in the $$$ column. I'm just not sure whether there is any reason I should not just get newer Cavity backs (Hit the MP57s really well) to these "player's" irons for my next set. My only reasoning was that the harder player's irons would give me more feedback. Just wondered if anyone had actually bought irons purely for the fact that the mishits gave them more feedback in an effort to build their swing...Let me know!

[mags300]

I believe the range is for working on your mechanics/fundamentals, When you step on that first tee, you for the most part toss swing mechanics out the window and trust what youv'e learned. I agree ball flight will give you feed back.

[byrness]

Honest/good question...not sure though hitting with blades will make the majority of golfers better. I would suspect the majority of golfers just don't have sufficient enough swing speed to get longer irons in the air consistently, thus the need for irons with higher MOI, lower CG. I know many golfers who are outstanding who could not play good golf with 'players clubs'. Then you have pros like Billy Mayfair who now plays Titliest AP1s, though maybe a little past his prime and not in the top tier of pro golfers, would still smoke most people on this board.

 

I do kind of like the idea one person had in response to this...practice with more difficult clubs, then go have fun playing a round of golf with clubs you feel comfortable with.

[withdrew]

I practice with a combo set (MP-60 3,4,5,6,7 iron & MP-32 8,9,PW) that I got used, for a great price.

 

I play with a set of MP-60 (4-PW).

 

I actually got the two sets because I know how hard range-work is on clubs (especially ranges with mats, and especially with forged clubs). I probably would have just got the same MP-60 set for the range-set, but I saw the combo set for a good price, and I figured if I could hit MP-32's effectively in the short irons, I'd have no problem with the complete MP-60 set. I am not looking for "workability" or shot-shaping whatsoever, so not having the MP-32's on the course isn't a problem.

[MrJones]

Has anyone that ever hit a poor shot with a blade ever turned around and said "that would have been fine if I had been playing my super game improvement clubs". I don't really buy into the whole idea of playing a blade makes you focus on your swing more. You either hit the ball well or you don't, regardless to how forgiving the club is. Some clubs help you get the ball in the air easier and some are easier to control but you have to put a good swing on them regardless to how forgiving they are.

[iyan7]

Feedback is where your ball ended up compared to where you wanted it to go.

 

along these lines, I"m considering adopting the method of...........

 

PRACTICE with a less forgiving club to show you the feedback of a bad swing. for example - I practice with a 2-iron off a tee, which is VERY telling what your swing is doing.

 

PLAY with clubs that you like and enjoy. Forgiving or not. Cast or forged. Old or New. Young or Old. Love 'em and Play 'em me says.

 

Aye, wise words.

[SadTrombone]

To me, the club has to look good. If it doesn't, I can't hit it if it's a shovel or a blade.

 

So...from there, I start to make my decisions.

 

I want something forgiving on mis-hits though.

 

-mini

[mookie]

I never really understood those philosophies about "punishing yourself for mishits" that I see so much on this site. In fact, there's a topic right now in the golf equipment forum about this same thing. I mean, I understand what the theory is, but to me, if you want to get better, make the target smaller: if you're practicing putting, make the hole smaller so when you play a real round, the hole will look like a hula hoop. If you're practicing with your driver, create a fairway that's 10-15 yards wide. When you step up to the first tee, your fairway will look like an open field.

 

But why get clubs that are hard to hit, "just because"?? I say, just get the most forgiving club that works for your swing, practice a lot, and get to know your clubs as if it's your wife. If, during practice, you can hit the pin every time from 160 yards out, what's the point of putting a new set into play during your REAL round? Why not just play those "practice" clubs and hit the pin from 160 and birdie everything in sight?

 

Now, if being able to work the ball is a priority, then, of course, none if this matters. But for mid-hdcps (and even some lower ones too) I wonder if working the ball should even be a priority?

[EJ Mac]

I'll admit I bought into that crap about wanting to pay for my mishits and playin for over a year with irons that were way above my skill level and I'll tell ya where it got me: Went from a 18 handicap to shooting in the low 100's, anger and frustration at the game I love to play not to mention a serious lack of confidence in my ability. So my advise would be play what you love to play as long as it suits your ability or if your scoring has no meaning to you play whatever you want. JMHO

[titaniummd]

I have two sets of clubs. They are both game improvement.

 

I use the Mizuno MX-900 which is more forgiving of mishits with the graphite shaft. It has a suppressed feel and no nice click sound like the Hogan Apex Edge.

I only got them because they had the lighter and longer graphite shaft.

 

I must have tried a dozen game improvement irons before the purchase and noticed very little difference for my level.

 

However, 'the feedback' of a club is not as important as the resultant ball flight, for my ability (or lack thereof). A 'more forgiving' club is what I prefer since I am not hitting the sweet spot as often as I would like/should.

 

I have tried the MP line from Mizuno, the Macgregor forged irons, Titlelist forged irons, Hogan blades, and the Callaway X-forged. The feel is incredible and the 'feedback' is something many can appreciate. I can hit them well when I am 'on' but I am not consistent enough to 'keep the ball in play' when I am not. I am happier with an off centered hit that still goes toward the target and loses very little with regard to accuracy or distance.

 

However, I do not want to hit the Hibore Iron Hybrids, either - with even a bad swing or poor fundamentals, I have been able to get a great result.