Favorite ‘90s - ‘00s Irons

[Yieeman]

I want to build a dream bag from the late 90s early 00s but am struggling a bit to pick a set of irons. What are some of y’all’s favorites?

 

So far I have:

975D w/ Ei70 

Callaway Steelhead w/ Rifle 6.5

Cobra Baffler Multi-Metal Hybrid

Cleveland 588 wedges

Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum Newport Midslant

[ChipNRun]

Suggestions:

 

Look at some of the Tommy Armour 845 and 855 models (Silver Scot era). The 2002 models 845fs and 845 OS Plus had highest MPF ratings.

 

 

Also, see if you can find a Mizuno MP57 set. It was billed as a very friendly better players iron that launched well with the cut-muscle design.

[sergizmo]

Titleist 990's or 962's.

 

MP33 are also awesome but it would be tough to find a set in good shape.

 

Cool project by the way. I started golf in 2000 and to me that era is great in terms of gear. Some tech but there were still a lot of shotmakers in the game. Vijay was my favorite golfer of the era.

Edited January 24 by sergizmo

[Sean124]

33 minutes ago, ChipNRun said:

Suggestions:

 

Look at some of the Tommy Armour 845 and 855 models (Silver Scot era). The 2002 models 845fs and 845 OS Plus had highest MPF ratings.

 

 

Also, see if you can find a Mizuno MP57 set. It was billed as a very friendly better players iron that launched well with the cut-muscle design.

I really loved my MP-57s

[thepunch_out]

1999 was a great year for Ben Hogan irons. If you're looking for a blade, the '99 Apex still holds up and is a cult classic for good reason. If you're seeking something a little more forgiving, the Apex Plus was another great iron with more perimeter weighting they released that year as well.

 

I still play a few rounds a year with mine, 1i-PW with Rifle 6.0 shafts and Hogan BeCu Special wedges. Great choice on your putter and driver as well, although I prefer the 983E w/ Speeder 757 shaft! I will always believe that this was the best era for golf equipment, hands down.

[bodhi555]

 

/thread.

[rukahs]

33 minutes ago, bodhi555 said:

 

/thread.

 

 

 

Ohhhhh yes

 

I had those blades and this bag. What a time that was #takemeback

 

[anth]

The first series of TaylorMade rac irons - MB, CB, LT were all sweet

[AP76]

Lynx black cat tour for me. Played my best ever golf with those, so nice to hit. Miss those days of being able to play consistently good golf 😢

[theadvocate_ivan]

Ram Forged Irons

[Kmagnuss]

MP33's or if you want GI maybe some Ping Eye 2's or Zings.

I like the TA 845 suggestion above also.

[bodhi555]

38 minutes ago, rukahs said:

 

 

 

Ohhhhh yes

 

I had those blades and this bag. What a time that was #takemeback

 

 

I didn't have the bag but still have a set of the OG Blades (1 - PW) in an old Nike Vapor stand bag in my man cave.

 

Great for mucking about with on boring conference calls.

[jplroper]

Titleist 962 or 990

Tommy Armour 845 Silver Scots 

[V-Blade]

My favorite era!

Cleveland 588P (particularly the RTG version) or TA3

Titleist 735CM

MacGregor MT Pro CM (gunmetal is cool)

Ram FX Pro Set

Lynx Black Cat Tour

Maxfli Revolution 

Taylormade 300

Zevo Z-Blades

Had several sets of the awesome Snake Eyes MB-1s.  Most beautiful set ever.  I just have a phobia against chrome wearing out. 

Always wanted to try some Cubic Balance micro precision forged half CB half MB but never did. 

[Mitchell]

Titleist 962b- anyone that knows me is hardly shocked by this response 😂

If you decide want to go forged, I would recommend either Hogan Apex 99 or Taylormade x300fci 

Edited January 24 by Mitchell

[T_Golf_23]

1 hour ago, rukahs said:

 

 

 

Ohhhhh yes

 

I had those blades and this bag. What a time that was #takemeback

 

It was always great caddying for the guy that showed up with this bag…. Beauty….. but rise late 1990’s bags were freakin heavy! 

[adam2883]

Irons:

Titleist 962b's

Mizuno MP-14

Taylormade 300 forged

 

Played all of these at some point between high school and college golf. 

[rukahs]

3 minutes ago, T_Golf_23 said:

It was always great caddying for the guy that showed up with this bag…. Beauty….. but rise late 1990’s bags were freakin heavy! 

 

 

When I got that bag I used to carry it myself, on my shoulder, with my blades. 😄 I thought I was the daddy. Oh how naïve. 

[OnTheBag]

I agree with @thepunch_out  Hogan's were the cream of the crop in the 90's.  

[Maine Golfer]

Following I normally focus on a late 80s / early 90s "dream bag". Was born in '88 and have Hogan Redlines and Wilson Staff Goosenecks from the period. 

[Drivingrangehero]

90s irons  Wilson Staff Progressive from 1993?

I replaced them with Hogan Apex 1999, but feel like the Wilson’s were a better club for me with the Firestick 2.8 shaft (not fat shafts) the Apex had # 5 shafts if I remember, which were nice, but there was just something about the Wilson’s that worked

 

2000s Mizuno MP-37’s, I had the MP-33’s as well, but prefer the constant offset of the MP-37’s better 

 

 

 

 

[islesmb]

Mizuno Pro II

[Poor Mans Ty Webb]

Echoing what others have said here...

 

TM 300 forged

Nike VR forged 

Hogan Apex ('99, '92, '90)

Hogan Apex Plus

Hogan Apex Edge Pro

Probably pretty much anything from the 2000s Mizuno MP line

[Binson]

What says 90's irons more than some Pings, Hogans, Titleist DCI? The below is my order based on personal preference. But I expect for most based on looks alone, 2/3 will supersede my #1 options.

 

1a) Ping Zing 2 - 1994 

1b) Ping ISI - 1998

• I've waxed poetic about these many times. But they are a unicorn iron with forgiveness, thin sole, and feel with build quality that lasts. The wedges in the set are super versatile as well.
• The looks are polarizing, but I struggle yearly basically with trying to 'upgrade' from these with initial success, followed by struggle, and then putting them back in the bag and immediately scoring my best for the season.  Perhaps because it's what I first found success with? 
• The ISI are smaller and come in materials such as Nickel and Copper. 

2) Ben Hogan Apex Plus - 1999

• For whatever reason, I struggle with the shafts in my set.  My miss is also usually toe-sided so they aren't the irons I score best with.  But when I do make a good swing, I have yet to feel anything better.  
• A better ball striker will be very happy with a set of these in the bag.

3) Titleist DCI 962 (or 962B) - 1993?

• A Legendary Larry Bobka design that still holds up today. Sets can be found cheap in great condition since it's cast rather than forged.  
• It's an example of how great a cast club can feel. 
• David Duval played the 962B, which is a smaller version of the club. 
• The 990 is another well-liked model but I haven't personally hit them. 

 

[Golfingfanatic]

Titleist 680

[cgasucks]

Since I started golfing in 2000 I can give you my 2 cents of timeless irons made in that era from the top of my head.

 

Callaway X-14s

Ping I3 or I3+

Titleist 962 or 990

TM 300

TM 2003 RAC LT

Maxfli Revolution Black Dots 

Maxfli A10s

Ben Hogan 1999 Apex Blades and Apex Plus

Mizuno MP-33s

Edited January 24 by cgasucks

[darkhelmet]

5 minutes ago, Binson said:

 

3) Titleist DCI 962 (or 962B) - 1993?

• A Legendary Larry Bobka design that still holds up today. Sets can be found cheap in great condition since it's cast rather than forged.  
• It's an example of how great a cast club can feel. 
• David Duval played the 962B, which is a smaller version of the club. 
• The 990 is another well-liked model but I haven't personally hit them. 

 

 

962's came out in 1997.  The original version came out in 1996, with no number designation, just "DCI" -- these were the first irons I ever bought, and they're still my favorite.  But I think there was a groove patent issue they had with Ping, so for the second year of production they modified the grooves but not the overall shape.  If I remember correctly, "962" basically came from "version 2" of the 1996 DCI irons.

[cgasucks]

1 hour ago, Mitchell said:

Titleist 962b- anyone that knows me is hardly shocked by this response 😂

If you decide want to go forged, I would recommend either Hogan Apex 99 or Taylormade x300fci 

Very nice.  I remember seeing a picture of Justin Rose fooling around with those irons a few years ago and he wasn't a TM staffer anymore at the time.

[Maine Golfer]

24 minutes ago, Binson said:

What says 90's irons more than some Pings, Hogans, Titleist DCI? The below is my order based on personal preference. But I expect for most based on looks alone, 2/3 will supersede my #1 options.

 

1a) Ping Zing 2 - 1994 

1b) Ping ISI - 1998

• I've waxed poetic about these many times. But they are a unicorn iron with forgiveness, thin sole, and feel with build quality that lasts. The wedges in the set are super versatile as well.
• The looks are polarizing, but I struggle yearly basically with trying to 'upgrade' from these with initial success, followed by struggle, and then putting them back in the bag and immediately scoring my best for the season.  Perhaps because it's what I first found success with? 
• The ISI are smaller and come in materials such as Nickel and Copper. 

2) Ben Hogan Apex Plus - 1999

• For whatever reason, I struggle with the shafts in my set.  My miss is also usually toe-sided so they aren't the irons I score best with.  But when I do make a good swing, I have yet to feel anything better.  
• A better ball striker will be very happy with a set of these in the bag.

3) Titleist DCI 962 (or 962B) - 1993?

• A Legendary Larry Bobka design that still holds up today. Sets can be found cheap in great condition since it's cast rather than forged.  
• It's an example of how great a cast club can feel. 
• David Duval played the 962B, which is a smaller version of the club. 
• The 990 is another well-liked model but I haven't personally hit them. 

 

The Zing 1's are more forgiving . Whatever works, but I don't like the 2's at all. Zing's have won events

 

See

 

 

[Binson]

14 minutes ago, Maine Golfer said:

The Zing 1's are more forgiving . Whatever works, but I don't like the 2's at all. Zing's have won events

 

See

 

 

Lee Westwood played the Zing 2's on tour for a long time as well.

 

It's all personal preference at the end of the day. I don't know that either one is "more forgiving" and how we're making that distinction. But if you hit the Zings better than the Zing 2's that's all that matters. 

 

It was the opposite for me. 

 

One thing to keep an eye out on if picking up Zing 1's is if they have any shaft bend near the hosel. This was rectified in later releases but earlier releases with the KT shaft specifically had some issues.