Help me pick new irons

[hh2nd]

I’m torn between new Mizunos or new Titleist. I’ve hit both, and love both. In the Mizuno, the MP 243 really feels great and I’m contemplating doing a combo set that is 4-6 in the 245 and 7-GW in the 243. A smidge of extra forgiveness and getting to play such a good looking iron in the 245 is very attractive. The T150 is also a great option. Would not do a combo set there because the T200 still has the plastic badge, no matter what Titleist says. 
 

numbers are great on both. Only problem is that I have not been able to hit the Mizunos outside. Turf interaction on the Titleist is good. 
 

I currently play JPX 825 Pro and the MP 32 before that. Haven’t upgraded in quite a while, but no exactly how far my current irons go. Have a lot of friends that play the new T150 and have been seduced a little with the shiny new clubs. 
 

the Maltby chart says the 243 and the T150 are both easier to hit than my current irons. 
 

I know there are several threads already here, but I may just use this thread as an unofficial poll. 
 

help me! What do I buy??

 

current index is a 7

[bogeypro]

Cleveland VAS.  

[Stavo]

There's a whole thread on exactly 243 vs T150. A lot of people liked the 243. You can't go wrong with either so just pick for the feel you like, bag appeal and how it fits your eye when you line up (head size, offset, etc).

 

I have T150's and really love them! They probably aren't as soft feeling as the 243s, but the feedback of strike is very good and if you are a good ball striker, I personally think it feels soft and powerful. 

 

Either way, you're going to love what you buy! One more I'll throw in there though... I recently hit the 245 and the Ping Blueprint S. It wasn't even close. Blueprint S is something else. If I was buying today, I would probably get the Blueprints 🙂

[Frank Newport]

[Frank Newport]

If you go Mizuno combo at the 4 iron, not the 6 iron, and skip the gw.

[AdmiralPicard]

2 hours ago, bogeypro said:

Cleveland VAS.  

I'm always an hour or two late...

[Peninsulagolfer]

I just ordered Ping i530s, but I hit both of these in fitting.  For me the MPs were much nicer off both turf and mats.  

 

That said, I opted for a little more help, which is why the i530s were better for me.

[hh2nd]

7 hours ago, Frank Newport said:

If you go Mizuno combo at the 4 iron, not the 6 iron, and skip the gw.

Why combo at 4 and not 6?

[Frank Newport]

3 hours ago, hh2nd said:

Why combo at 4 and not 6?

 

- You won't need to bend them. 

- The 243 are already a blended set designed to play as a whole set

- Consistent look and feel from 5 iron to PW. The 243 & 245 were designed for different players with different needs. You either need what the 245 provides you or what the 243 provides you, but you don't need both. The 243 long irons are long and forgiving.

- The direction you go with the 4 iron will depend on how you use it and what you need to get out of it. 245 is great off the tee on short par 4s and long par 3s, but if you use your 4 iron mostly for low punch shots out of the rough then go with the 243 4 iron. It will get through the thick stuff easier. There's a lot of other different directions you can go at the 4 iron slot too. Driving iron, hybrid, fairway wood. I don't consider my 4 iron a part of my irons. I look at it as a driving iron that bridges the gap between my 5 iron and 7 wood. 

- Easier to resell a whole set

 

I went with this makeup with the 223/225 per the Mizuno rep's recommendations and have never had an issue with gapping. 

 

[blarkin97]

If you're interested in saving a bit of money, check out the Matlby irons from GolfWorks.  A lot of comparisons between them and the irons you are looking at

[Kmagnuss]

The answer is Mizuno.  The answer is always Mizuno (for irons).

[Feelingofgreatness]

Wilson D9 forged or the new dyna forged, try them... I never even thought of gaming Wilson and they totally outperformed anything else I tested from Ping, TM, Titleist, Callaway.

[Golfinfloridaafter40]

5 hours ago, hh2nd said:

Why combo at 4 and not 6?

The 243 is a blended set of it's own.  No need to blend or combo, it's such a fantastic club!   Same with T150, so forgiving for it's size

[hh2nd]

1 hour ago, Frank Newport said:

 

- You won't need to bend them. 

- The 243 are already a blended set designed to play as a whole set

- Consistent look and feel from 5 iron to PW. The 243 & 245 were designed for different players with different needs. You either need what the 245 provides you or what the 243 provides you, but you don't need both. The 243 long irons are long and forgiving.

- The direction you go with the 4 iron will depend on how you use it and what you need to get out of it. 245 is great off the tee on short par 4s and long par 3s, but if you use your 4 iron mostly for low punch shots out of the rough then go with the 243 4 iron. It will get through the thick stuff easier. There's a lot of other different directions you can go at the 4 iron slot too. Driving iron, hybrid, fairway wood. I don't consider my 4 iron a part of my irons. I look at it as a driving iron that bridges the gap between my 5 iron and 7 wood. 

- Easier to resell a whole set

 

I went with this makeup with the 223/225 per the Mizuno rep's recommendations and have never had an issue with gapping. 

 

thank you. Great info here. I use 4 iron for 3 specific tee shots at my home course, and could use it for another one when fairways are firm. Sounds like 245 in the 4 iron may be the way to go. 

[2Down]

no, you'd blame me when they fail and give me bad vibes.   

[Frank Newport]

21 minutes ago, hh2nd said:

thank you. Great info here. I use 4 iron for 3 specific tee shots at my home course, and could use it for another one when fairways are firm. Sounds like 245 in the 4 iron may be the way to go. 

It's a great alternative to fairway woods and hybrids if you're trying to avoid the long left miss. 

[Joesti]

I wouldn't blend them. I am playing the 243 4-gw and find the long irons to be very forgiving. The 4 iron is very easy to hit. I carry it roughly 210yds with around 92ss with it.

[zap311]

I agree with @Stavo - T150 and 243 are both amazing irons and you should go with what you like the look/feel of the most. I doubt you'll see a meaningful performance difference between the two.

[SeaIsland]

Well, I'm the guy who is on the record extolling the virtues of the T150. I'm a decent ball striker (5HC) and I have no problem with them at all. I've got Axiom 105s in them and they go high and straight. I have absolutely zero run out with these clubs on greens, so spin numbers are long forgotten (...with a 7 iron they were around 5K). This set up is easily the best I've ever had. I like them so much I've considered buying another set of heads. Love 'em.

 

Today I had the opportunity to hit the 243s and 245s paired w/ DG 105s. Compared to the T150s, my numbers with the 243s suggest that they're about 5 yards longer (carry) and deliver about 10% more spin (5.5K-5.7K) However, my descent angles (42*) were lower (lower peak height averages). I'm confident the Axioms will deliver a positive bump in peak height, so I'm not too worried about stopping power. Feel is subjective. I love my T150s, but the 243s feel better. Probably splitting hairs on the forgiveness front, but I think the 243s may be a little easier. That said, the comments about the T150s being good on thin strikes (low on the face) are 100% true.

 

After hitting the 243s, I expected the 245s would strike me as chunky at address. They didn't. They looked great. I hit them almost exactly as I should have --a 7 iron hit like a well struck 6 iron-- with about 12%-15% less spin than the 243s. Peak height and descent angles were about the same as the 243s. Again, my experience indicates the Axioms will deliver a higher ball flight. Maybe even longer --which would not be welcome. In terms of 245s vs 243s forgiveness, I must say that I didn't notice much of a difference. Both seem more forgiving on misses than the T150, but like I said, I don't have problems with the T150. In terms of feel, I do not agree with the prevailing opinion that the 245s feel better than the T150s. 243s (yes) 245s (no). I actually prefer the feel of the T150s versus the 245s.

 

This is a tough one. I have no business buying another set and there sure as hell isn't enough difference to objectively warrant a change. But tequila and golf clubs is where I spend my money. And as much as I like the change-of-pace-idea of never being short, I'm guessing that I will tire of being too long very quickly. I was an early adopter of the i500. Sailing over greens is bad. Watching your ball hit the green and roll off the back is worse.  FTR, I also see gap issues at the low-end of my bag with the 245s (a 140 43* PW followed by a SM9 48* that I can only hit 120-125...).

 

The 243s will give me a smidge more carry and more spin. It will feel better. It may roll out a few yards versus stopping on a dime (but I doubt it). It's such a boring choice. Please talk me out of it.

Edited May 1 by SeaIsland

[SeaIsland]

On 4/30/2024 at 9:24 PM, SeaIsland said:

Well, I'm the guy who is on the record extolling the virtues of the T150. I'm a decent ball striker (5HC) and I have no problem with them at all. I've got Axiom 105s in them and they go high and straight. I have absolutely zero run out with these clubs on greens, so spin numbers are long forgotten (...with a 7 iron they were around 5K). This set up is easily the best I've ever had. I like them so much I've considered buying another set of heads. Love 'em.

 

Today I had the opportunity to hit the 243s and 245s paired w/ DG 105s. Compared to the T150s, my numbers with the 243s suggest that they're about 5 yards longer (carry) and deliver about 10% more spin (5.5K-5.7K) However, my descent angles (42*) were lower (lower peak height averages). I'm confident the Axioms will deliver a positive bump in peak height, so I'm not too worried about stopping power. Feel is subjective. I love my T150s, but the 243s feel better. Probably splitting hairs on the forgiveness front, but I think the 243s may be a little easier. That said, the comments about the T150s being good on thin strikes (low on the face) are 100% true.

 

After hitting the 243s, I expected the 245s would strike me as chunky at address. They didn't. They looked great. I hit them almost exactly as I should have --a 7 iron hit like a well struck 6 iron-- with about 12%-15% less spin than the 243s. Peak height and descent angles were about the same as the 243s. Again, my experience indicates the Axioms will deliver a higher ball flight. Maybe even longer --which would not be welcome. In terms of 245s vs 243s forgiveness, I must say that I didn't notice much of a difference. Both seem more forgiving on misses than the T150, but like I said, I don't have problems with the T150. In terms of feel, I do not agree with the prevailing opinion that the 245s feel better than the T150s. 243s (yes) 245s (no). I actually prefer the feel of the T150s versus the 245s.

 

This is a tough one. I have no business buying another set and there sure as hell isn't enough difference to objectively warrant a change. But tequila and golf clubs is where I spend my money. And as much as I like the change-of-pace-idea of never being short, I'm guessing that I will tire of being too long very quickly. I was an early adopter of the i500. Sailing over greens is bad. Watching your ball hit the green and roll off the back is worse.  FTR, I also see gap issues at the low-end of my bag with the 245s (a 140 43* PW followed by a SM9 48* that I can only hit 120-125...).

 

The 243s will give me a smidge more carry and more spin. It will feel better. It may roll out a few yards versus stopping on a dime (but I doubt it). It's such a boring choice. Please talk me out of it.

What a wonderful world. Look for my post today on my experience doing a head-to-head between the 243s and the BPS. I think I found my next set.

[vamosjackets]

I tried the 223's and 225's and preferred the 223's.  I also concur with comboing at the 4 ... you could also do the 5 if it's in your head and you just need the extra confidence.  223's were great - good compact head shape but very nice forgiveness and definitely not too short.