Modern Iron Most Similar to Tommy Armour 845?

[PJE]

For you “older” WRXers, 
My friend has been playing Tommy Armour 845 irons since 1988.  He wants to retire his set. 
Which modern iron is most like the 845?
He’s a decent ball striker but he only plays a few times yearly. So, a little forgiveness would be nice but he doesn’t want a thick top line. 
I was thinking the Mizuno 923 Forged or Titleist T150? Any other ideas, especially on a set from the last 2-3 years? 

Edited November 4, 2023 by PJE

[HeadCovered]

Ping i230 

[ThinkingPlus]

I would go Hot Metal instead of forged. A Srixon ZX4 would be a good choice as well.

[jplroper]

  Big fan of the 845, maybe just get a low milage used set to replace his if they are beat.

[PJE]

8 hours ago, jplroper said:

  Big fan of the 845, maybe just get a low milage used set to replace his if they are beat.

His clubs are in pretty good shape.  He just wonders if he’s missing out, I guess. 

[St Jimmy]

Just googled them.

 

fugly. 

[grm24]

1 hour ago, St Jimmy said:

Just googled them.

 

fugly. 

LOL..... They aren't great looking irons at all (I still game them at times) but they were great  and one of the best selling irons of all time. Ping Eye 2 irons were ugly as sin as well but like the TA 845's Ping sold a ton of them. Both worked great back then and still to this day.

[PARETO]

1 hour ago, St Jimmy said:

Just googled them.

 

fugly. 

Oh young grass hopper. Had to Google 845’s? I envy your youth. 

[philly2kuk]

You think that’s ugly, look up Mizuno Widec and Widec II.

[elwhippy]

I imagine the 845s have non-conforming grooves. A good set of Ping G25s would look similar, be more forgiving, and legal for competitive play. 

[mat562]

Curious.

 

One of the best-selling irons of all time, but finding it on the USGA's database is like finding an honest lawyer.

[philly2kuk]

1 hour ago, elwhippy said:

I imagine the 845s have non-conforming grooves. A good set of Ping G25s would look similar, be more forgiving, and legal for competitive play. 

Technically they’re still legal. I asked the R&A about the groove rule and they never actioned it for club golfers, only pros and elite golfers. They also said if they do it’s four years from that point.

Edited November 5, 2023 by philly2kuk

[JosephNewton293]

Plays a couple times a year......?!?!?! Just keep the TA's in play. 

[jplroper]

8 hours ago, PJE said:

His clubs are in pretty good shape.  He just wonders if he’s missing out, I guess. 

    Sure I get that, I've tried multiple sets of irons and keep drifting back to the 845's. They are a reasonably compact head that makes you feel confident vs nervous when addressing the ball.

[dekez]

19 hours ago, HeadCovered said:

Ping i230 

 

Tommy's had MUCH lower center of gravity.

[animalgolfs]

IMO Ping G25 is about as close as it'll get....both are unbelievably GREAT irons

[bluedot]

There are too many choices better/easier than 845’s to begin to name.  They were good-but-not-great irons in their day, far easier to hit than the blades of the day, but there’s no comparison between 845’s and the best stuff made today.  Even the blades of today are easier to hit than 845’s, and I used 845’s then.

 

Get him to a big box store to hit some used irons; he won’t believe how good they are by comparison. That’s not a knock on 845’s, but the amount of technology that has come through the pipeline in the last 30+ years is hard to overstate.

[HeadCovered]

4 hours ago, dekez said:

 

Tommy's had MUCH lower center of gravity.

 

You think so? May be not. Toe-heel was definitely the way it was designed, it didn't have much in the way of up and down in the middle.  Head was fairly compact. Small like a modern player's CB. I played 845 when it first came out like everybody else LOL it improved my game quite nicely. 

 

 

[ThinkingPlus]

9 minutes ago, HeadCovered said:

 

You think so? May be not. Toe-heel was definitely the way it was designed, it didn't have much in the way of up and down in the middle.  Head was fairly compact. Small like a modern player's CB. I played 845 when it first came out like everybody else LOL it improved my game quite nicely. 

 

 

Here are the measured values for the Ping i230

 

Here are the measured values for the 845s

 

The i230 AVCOG is much higher than the 845 and higher than the golf ball CG as well.

Edited November 5, 2023 by ThinkingPlus
Added clarity...

[HeadCovered]

4 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Here are the measured values for the Ping i230

 

 

Here are the measured values for the 845s

 

 

 

Can you show me the same lofts in both? that Ping 6 is a 5 iron of the old one LMAO 

 

 

[cubuffs]

Former 845 player from my high school days.  Played many a forged players cavity - but one to take a look at would be the Callaway Apex Pros 21.  Sure a near mint set could be had via Callaway preowned and would look similar due to offset, topline (pretty narrow), and blade length.  I play a set currently as a 4 and the long irons are pretty forgiving.

[ThinkingPlus]

16 minutes ago, HeadCovered said:

 

Can you show me the same lofts in both? that Ping 6 is a 5 iron of the old one LMAO 

 

 

It should have a similar CG. Maltby changed which heads got measured over the years and there aren't set measurements. They only measured the one club.

[boggyman]

Cobra Dark Speed iron coming next year reminded me of the 845. The pics appear to have been taken down though. 

Edited November 5, 2023 by boggyman

[hammergolf]

As far as head size and profile I would say the ZX5 irons would be similar looks wise. Of course lofts are much stronger and not quite as much offset.

[@_the_crook]

3 hours ago, cubuffs said:

Former 845 player from my high school days.  Played many a forged players cavity - but one to take a look at would be the Callaway Apex Pros 21.  Sure a near mint set could be had via Callaway preowned and would look similar due to offset, topline (pretty narrow), and blade length.  I play a set currently as a 4 and the long irons are pretty forgiving.

looking at the Apex DCB specs now.

how things have changed with time.

 

an 845 5i is 28*, PW 48* 

DCB 5i is 23*, PW 43*

 

the Callys look well engineered. wonder how they play.

 

[Klubster]

Since he does not play much, have you considered taking him to Dick's or Golf Galaxy and trying out the new 845's?  Well reviewed and a bargain price.  

 

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/tommy-armour-2021-845-max-irons-21av3m2021t845mxrirn/21av3m2021t845mxrirn?camp=CSE:DSG_92700072946062365_lia_aud-1231866930227:pla-1743098012760_58700008018781454_71700000100184062&segment=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-pyqBhDmARIsAKd9XIPRdLu-HDVUAMPaIQUBvwt2PurQNG97HcnmPloMyYvhoFclU8XCNncaAopQEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Edited November 5, 2023 by Klubster

[Binson]

The T150 is a good idea. Given he's a good ball striker, I'd also look at:

 

Srixon ZX5 and/or ZX7 (MKI or MKII)

Ping i210 or i230

Callaway Apex Pro and TCB

Taylormade P770

PXG 0311T or 0317T

 

These all have some modern tech in them despite a player's look. 

[Morry]

Cobra king tour ALL THE WAY

 

 

[PJE]

15 hours ago, JosephNewton293 said:

Plays a couple times a year......?!?!?! Just keep the TA's in play. 

Yeah, we go on an annual three or four day trip and then he’s in on another two to three day trip with some other guys. So , he,s doing about 6-8 rounds annually. Athletic guy; still breaks 90. 
 

[LeoLeo99]

I'd check out the Apex CF 16 irons.  Although they are about 8 years now.