HELP! Totally Lost Finding An Iron

[THJohnson23]

Hey y'all, 

I'm really struggling to find an iron that fits my game.

 

I'm a 16 handicapper and I consider myself to be a decent ball striker. For reference, my swing speed is in the low 80s hovering around 80-84mph. 

 

I currently play the 2021 Titleist T200s but before having this set, I played the Ping i200s. I'm looking to move do an iron with better feel and sound because the crack of the 2021 T200 is pretty harsh. Additionally, I feel like although the T200s looks really nice, the thin topline cant get pretty intimidating when I'm not hitting the ball great. To this point, I felt like the i200s I used to have had a slightly more confidence inspiring top line that I liked when I wasn't in a groove. 

 

Also, I really liked how consistent the i200s were on straightness and yardages and liked the more traditional lofts so I didn't have to carry multiple wedges (with my T200s I now carry PW, 48, 52,56,60).  

 

I just tired out the i230s and really liked them (especially the feel)  but when I hit the 5 iron, I had a hard time getting it up in the air. It was going just slightly further than the 7 iron I demoed. 

 

I also tried the Mizuno JPX HMs, HMPs, and Forgeds. They were good - didn't like them as much as I liked the Ping but were nice to hit. The HMs were an absolute rocket ship. I hit that 7iron around 168-175 vs the 150-155 on the Ping i230s. I tried also tried the Srixon ZX5s which I wasn't a huge fan of and the Wilson D9 Forged. 

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on how I could get the things I liked about my i200s in a newer club model? Or does anyone have any experience with an i230 combo set? 

 

I'm open to other brands/models but I think my priority is feel and forgiveness. 

 

Thank you!

Tommy

[southpaw72]

Try cobra king forged’s. Best iron out of everything I demo’d this year and my favorite thing is recommending them to everyone on here…. I’m an 8 handicap and find them extremely playable and STUPID forgiving. Give them a shot I think you’ll be impressed. I had mine built 1* weak to help with gapping and the long irons launch high and land soft. Imo they should do everything you’re asking for. 
 

Edit: feel is second to none. But I have to say I didn’t find any of the T series to be harsh at all and actually thought they were the best feeling titleist irons I’ve ever swung so I guess that’s the subjective part of feel entering the conversation . 

Edited October 14, 2023 by southpaw72

[tatertot]

Why did you get rid of the i200s?

[R5Two]

Srixon zx5. Incredible feel and forgiveness especially off the toe 

[Honman]

I would say PXG 0311 Gen6P. But the lofts may be too strong. But they feeel and look great without being intimidating. P790 are also a good set in this space too. 

 

Also what about the Mizuno Pro 245?

[DixieD]

Sounds like you need a combo set to help in the 5 iron up for some launch, hell even try a hybrid from that spot. 

[Puttersaurus Rex]

Possibly too much shaft if you are struggling with the 5 iron.  Possible that going down in weight and/or flex would be beneficial.

 

What shafts were you testing, and using before?  Just concentrating on an iron head is missing a big part of the total club equation.

[jjl]

2023 P790 with stock DG 105 or 95 shaft. I only have one round in mine but so far very happy with them over my previous first gen ZX5. Friendlier topline than the T200, better feel, and a set you can grow into. 

[THJohnson23]

14 hours ago, tatertot said:

Why did you get rid of the i200s?

Two main reasons - I had way too heavy of a shaft in them. My club pro put me in the KBS Tour 120 when I originally got them in 2017. I had to take some time off of the game due to an injury and grad school so when I got back, I wanted something lighter. 

Plus when I got back to playing a lot, I wanted the shiny new thing 😅

[THJohnson23]

1 hour ago, jjl said:

2023 P790 with stock DG 105 or 95 shaft. I only have one round in mine but so far very happy with them over my previous first gen ZX5. Friendlier topline than the T200, better feel, and a set you can grow into. 

Ok. That might be a good option - I haven't tried the new P790 yet!

[THJohnson23]

5 hours ago, Puttersaurus Rex said:

Possibly too much shaft if you are struggling with the 5 iron.  Possible that going down in weight and/or flex would be beneficial.

 

What shafts were you testing, and using before?  Just concentrating on an iron head is missing a big part of the total club equation.

I was testing the 7 iron with the modus 105 but I'm not sure what the 5 iron had in it. 

I believe it was the stock DG 105. 

[THJohnson23]

10 hours ago, DixieD said:

Sounds like you need a combo set to help in the 5 iron up for some launch, hell even try a hybrid from that spot. 

I've definitely been looking into that! I'm not sure whether to go i525 combo or G430 combo. I've been looking around on WRX and other sites for examples of how people gapped them with the lofts but haven't found a perfect recipe. 

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Ping makes it that seamless to combo their irons like Titleist or Srixon do. 

[gvogel]

Don't look past the T350.  Titleist/Nippon 105T shaft (R) would be good for your swing speed.

 

How do I know?  My driver ss is 80, handicap is 14 (up from 7), and I played that shaft for 10 years before going to the 950 NEO.

[THJohnson23]

11 hours ago, Honman said:

I would say PXG 0311 Gen6P. But the lofts may be too strong. But they feeel and look great without being intimidating. P790 are also a good set in this space too. 

 

Also what about the Mizuno Pro 245?

I actually tried the PXG Gen 6 irons at their store a while back and almost got them! I just live very far away from the nearest store so I couldn't get back to try again. They were great but the lofts are definitely stronger than I'd prefer and didn't love the look of the back of the club. 

The 245 might be a good option! I didn't even realize those were coming out! I tried the 225 a while back and didn't love them but these might be better!

 

[Puttersaurus Rex]

3 minutes ago, THJohnson23 said:

I've definitely been looking into that! I'm not sure whether to go i525 combo or G430 combo. I've been looking around on WRX and other sites for examples of how people gapped them with the lofts but haven't found a perfect recipe. 

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Ping makes it that seamless to combo their irons like Titleist or Srixon do. 

There is no “perfect recipe” online.  You have to find what works for you and your swing.  Mostly by a fitting, or trial and error.

[THJohnson23]

14 hours ago, R5Two said:

Srixon zx5. Incredible feel and forgiveness especially off the toe 

Thank you! I tired the Zx5 yesterday and couldn't seem to get it to strike right. Might have been because the store I was at only had a shaft that was +.5 inches longer than standard but I just wasn't able to get them to fly right ! Ugh!

[THJohnson23]

16 hours ago, southpaw72 said:

Try cobra king forged’s. Best iron out of everything I demo’d this year and my favorite thing is recommending them to everyone on here…. I’m an 8 handicap and find them extremely playable and STUPID forgiving. Give them a shot I think you’ll be impressed. I had mine built 1* weak to help with gapping and the long irons launch high and land soft. Imo they should do everything you’re asking for. 
 

Edit: feel is second to none. But I have to say I didn’t find any of the T series to be harsh at all and actually thought they were the best feeling titleist irons I’ve ever swung so I guess that’s the subjective part of feel entering the conversation . 

Thank you! I Haven't hit the Cobras yet. Do you play the Forged X's or the regular ones?

 

Will definitely go try them out soon!

[THJohnson23]

2 minutes ago, Puttersaurus Rex said:

There is no “perfect recipe” online.  You have to find what works for you and your swing.  Mostly by a fitting, or trial and error.

Gotcha! Yes, I might just have to go for it and try them out!

 

[Puttersaurus Rex]

7 minutes ago, THJohnson23 said:

Gotcha! Yes, I might just have to go for it and try them out!

 

Try and find a shaft that works for you first, then pick an iron from there.  Can always combo a hybrid or different OEM wherever additional help is needed.

 

I would do the above if I was starting with a clean slate.

[tatertot]

48 minutes ago, THJohnson23 said:

Two main reasons - I had way too heavy of a shaft in them. My club pro put me in the KBS Tour 120 when I originally got them in 2017. I had to take some time off of the game due to an injury and grad school so when I got back, I wanted something lighter. 

Plus when I got back to playing a lot, I wanted the shiny new thing 😅

I would go back to the i230 and play around with shaft options.

[JohnnyCashForever]

You have a set of irons that are two years old and top tier.  Whatever issues you have with your game are probably not your irons.  Find the swing you were meant to have.  Find it in the dirt.  

 

 

[Tinkerer]

Been where you are, not given it another thought since I bought a set of XXIO X 12. Try them. 

[Lobby]

Is low 80’s your swing speed with driver, or with irons?

 

If driver, your SS is too slow to get a 5i in the air.  That’s not the club’s / shaft’s fault

 

Also, consider a game improvement iron like the Ping G430 with those light graphite shafts ping sells.  With a 80 mph swing speed, 120 - 100 gram shafts are too heavy. In my opinion 

[hammergolf]

On 10/13/2023 at 5:50 PM, THJohnson23 said:

Hey y'all, 

I'm really struggling to find an iron that fits my game.

 

I'm a 16 handicapper and I consider myself to be a decent ball striker. For reference, my swing speed is in the low 80s hovering around 80-84mph. 

 

I currently play the 2021 Titleist T200s but before having this set, I played the Ping i200s. I'm looking to move do an iron with better feel and sound because the crack of the 2021 T200 is pretty harsh. Additionally, I feel like although the T200s looks really nice, the thin topline cant get pretty intimidating when I'm not hitting the ball great. To this point, I felt like the i200s I used to have had a slightly more confidence inspiring top line that I liked when I wasn't in a groove. 

 

Also, I really liked how consistent the i200s were on straightness and yardages and liked the more traditional lofts so I didn't have to carry multiple wedges (with my T200s I now carry PW, 48, 52,56,60).  

 

I just tired out the i230s and really liked them (especially the feel)  but when I hit the 5 iron, I had a hard time getting it up in the air. It was going just slightly further than the 7 iron I demoed. 

 

I also tried the Mizuno JPX HMs, HMPs, and Forgeds. They were good - didn't like them as much as I liked the Ping but were nice to hit. The HMs were an absolute rocket ship. I hit that 7iron around 168-175 vs the 150-155 on the Ping i230s. I tried also tried the Srixon ZX5s which I wasn't a huge fan of and the Wilson D9 Forged. 

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on how I could get the things I liked about my i200s in a newer club model? Or does anyone have any experience with an i230 combo set? 

 

I'm open to other brands/models but I think my priority is feel and forgiveness. 

 

Thank you!

Tommy

I would recommend a few models for you to try:

PXG P model irons, very forgiving with very soft feel. If you want more help in the long irons look at the XCOR2 irons. They are a blended set with smaller short irons.

Cobra King forged, forgiving and great feel.

Taylormade P790, good feel and good forgiveness.

[st1800e]

14 hours ago, Puttersaurus Rex said:

Just concentrating on an iron head is missing a big part of the total club equation.

Yep

[bellairemi]

You could look outside of Ping for clubs to pair with the i230s.  This will definitely not be for most (offset does not bother me) but I play the Stealth HDs as my 4,5.6 (they are marked 5,6,7) with a slightly softer and lighter shaft than my i230s.  Yes, I end up with two seven irons but the yardages line up perfectly (I did have the 7-PW made one degree weak in the Pings). 

[THJohnson23]

18 hours ago, Lobby said:

Is low 80’s your swing speed with driver, or with irons?

 

If driver, your SS is too slow to get a 5i in the air.  That’s not the club’s / shaft’s fault

 

Also, consider a game improvement iron like the Ping G430 with those light graphite shafts ping sells.  With a 80 mph swing speed, 120 - 100 gram shafts are too heavy. In my opinion 

Swing speed with irons - not driver haha!