my honeymoon with SGI's

[TCMP]

[quote name='buster' timestamp='1312609348' post='3456262']
Super thread.. I went down this road some years back as I was playing 690.cb's and was a 3-4. Got a caddie job with a pro who happened to have the then new g-5s in his bag. I was surprised but happy to get a win the first week with my new boss.. As we got to know each other better we developed a really good relationship and one day he asked me about my game and what equipment I played.. I told him and he looked at me like I'd given him a seriously bad number to the front edge and pin and said something like "no way...that's stupid". He got me a set of Rapture Js (i5 offset) eventually and I was sold on the concept. I play with a gang who run from Pro to 5 and all play mid-sized perimeter weighted heads or G-10/15s. Just how it is.. the one bit of advise I'd add to all this SGI love is to think about lightweight and possibly softer flex shafts. There is a lot of evidence that points to many of us over swinging in an attempt to load a shaft that is just too strong. One of the Gang played college golf and still shoots under par. He was fit by the mizuno guys into nippon 950 regs. he'll be happy to take your money after a round!
[/quote]

You are spot on.

While I no longer game the G15's, I do game GI/SGI irons with lightweight and relatively soft shafts. I for one always thought the CS-Lite shafts that PING offers were great shafts.

[OTT]

[quote name='TCMP' timestamp='1312681470' post='3457971']
[quote name='buster' timestamp='1312609348' post='3456262']
Super thread.. I went down this road some years back as I was playing 690.cb's and was a 3-4. Got a caddie job with a pro who happened to have the then new g-5s in his bag. I was surprised but happy to get a win the first week with my new boss.. As we got to know each other better we developed a really good relationship and one day he asked me about my game and what equipment I played.. I told him and he looked at me like I'd given him a seriously bad number to the front edge and pin and said something like "no way...that's stupid". He got me a set of Rapture Js (i5 offset) eventually and I was sold on the concept. I play with a gang who run from Pro to 5 and all play mid-sized perimeter weighted heads or G-10/15s. Just how it is.. the one bit of advise I'd add to all this SGI love is to think about lightweight and possibly softer flex shafts. There is a lot of evidence that points to many of us over swinging in an attempt to load a shaft that is just too strong. One of the Gang played college golf and still shoots under par. He was fit by the mizuno guys into nippon 950 regs. he'll be happy to take your money after a round!
[/quote]

You are spot on.

While I no longer game the G15's, I do game GI/SGI irons with lightweight and relatively soft shafts. I for one always thought the CS-Lite shafts that PING offers were great shafts.
[/quote]





Iv been reading this post with great enjoyment for the past few months and no matter how many times i read over it i never seem to get bored of it.

But here is my dilemma...
Im only 5 months into a set of Ping i10's with stiff AWT shafts now from 6 up i find these easy enough to hit despite all the negative reviews about how unforgiving they are.
Today was a nightmare for me and nothing seemed to go right...So seeing as my younger brother bought a set of G15's 3 months ago i started to get itchy fingers...

I made a point of teeing off and hitting all his irons all the way home from our 14 until the 18th and i have to echo everything that has been posted previously....
I have an out to in path which isnt too severe but do take big divots but these seemed to glide across the ground...

The funny thing is i was hitting greens from 4,5 and 6 iron distances like i was playing with a wedge...

Now im not sure what direction to go...
The G15's were regular shafts and my i10's as i said are stiff i would hit a 7 iron in the i10's comfortable from 150-155 yards but i was hitting his G15 8 iron from that distance...

So if i was to opt for the G15's do i go with stiff or regular shafts and would it have a huge impact on my game?

Oh and im also living in Ireland so as you can imagine our summers are non existant and my parkland course is rarely dry..

The looks won me over the minute i saw how accurate those long irons were.

[gdb99]

I know this thread is mostly about the G15's, but I have to say, since I've gone back to my X-20's, I've been playing some pretty good golf.

In the past month or so, I have gone from a 7.4 index to a 3.4, my lowest ever, I think. This past month I shot even par 72 twice, and a 71 once, and of course a couple 80+ rounds thrown in on those bad days. GIR's are way up. I'll never leave the SGI camp ever again.

Now, to sell a set of X-22 Tour's and 710 AP-2"s......

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='gdb99' timestamp='1312761677' post='3460277']
I know this thread is mostly about the G15's, but I have to say, since I've gone back to my X-20's, I've been playing some pretty good golf.

In the past month or so, I have gone from a 7.4 index to a 3.4, my lowest ever, I think. This past month I shot even par 72 twice, and a 71 once, and of course a couple 80+ rounds thrown in on those bad days. GIR's are way up. I'll never leave the SGI camp ever again.

Now, to sell a set of X-22 Tour's and 710 AP-2"s......
[/quote]

no worries, we got love for other SGI's too. Never intended to be just a G15 thread. I strongly considered the AP1's myself when i bought the G's

[jeffrey r]

Took my Rapture V2 irons (G15's on steroids) out for another round this weekend, and had a good round, but I'm still not sure they're the best iron for me. Hit some wonderful shots, and hit some not-so-wonderful shots. I have three GI sets that I love, the Rapture V2's, Callaway X-22's, and probably my favorite, Mizuno MX-200's. Still trying to figure out which set is the best for me out on the course where it matters.

[Ripken08]

[quote name='TCMP' timestamp='1312681470' post='3457971']
[quote name='buster' timestamp='1312609348' post='3456262']
Super thread.. I went down this road some years back as I was playing 690.cb's and was a 3-4. Got a caddie job with a pro who happened to have the then new g-5s in his bag. I was surprised but happy to get a win the first week with my new boss.. As we got to know each other better we developed a really good relationship and one day he asked me about my game and what equipment I played.. I told him and he looked at me like I'd given him a seriously bad number to the front edge and pin and said something like "no way...that's stupid". He got me a set of Rapture Js (i5 offset) eventually and I was sold on the concept. I play with a gang who run from Pro to 5 and all play mid-sized perimeter weighted heads or G-10/15s. Just how it is.. the one bit of advise I'd add to all this SGI love is to think about lightweight and possibly softer flex shafts. There is a lot of evidence that points to many of us over swinging in an attempt to load a shaft that is just too strong. One of the Gang played college golf and still shoots under par. He was fit by the mizuno guys into nippon 950 regs. he'll be happy to take your money after a round!
[/quote]

You are spot on.

While I no longer game the G15's, I do game GI/SGI irons with lightweight and relatively soft shafts. I for one always thought the CS-Lite shafts that PING offers were great shafts.
[/quote]


Back to G5s Kendall?

[Timmay_MO]

Still diggin' my OG Raptures. I go back and forth between the Pings and my Srixon i701s. Might be time to finally sell the Srixon's.

[SoCalTitleist]

How do you guys feel about AP2s the original ones, would I gain anything going to AP1s or G series? Is it truly that much differnece?

[goliath23]

My golf season is coming to an end and it has me thinking my bag for next year. I got the g15s near the beginning of the season and although they have been amazing for me, I don't know if I wouldn't have gotten there with other irons. I brought my handicap from 15-16 down to about 12. The problem I am having is that my good rounds have nothing to do with my iron play. It's all about my driving, chipping and putting. My iron play is usually the same and my GIR is usually dependent on my spot on the fairway and my great rounds are when I hit fairways and chip and putt low. If anything as the season goes on I am finding that my g15 irons are costing me strokes with them going to high and getting caught in he wind or not being able to work my shots enough to give myself easy approach shots.

I am seriously thinking of ditching the g15 irons for a pure blade like the titleist mb or mizuno 68 or 69 or even a combo set like the titleist cb and mb. I know it will be an adjustment period but this is all for fun for me and my fun has and will always be getting better faster even if I have to go the hard way.

I might be going crazy with just wanting to switch and wanting something completely different but I think it's the way to go.

Has anybody gone the route I am thinking of going? I do have the swing speed for blades and really don't need any help getting the ball in the air and i am fairly consistent with my iron play so I don't think the idea is completely nuts but I definitely have some doubts

[Paybax]

How will new irons get your drives in the fairway, your putts in the holes and your chips close to the hole? You need to work your iron shots? Why? I am a 9 and going lower but I am going to get more forgiving jpx 800 pros very soon. Goal is getting more GIR partly from bad drives costing me but not entirely. Then once I get my GIR up and I need to start working closer to the hole I will go that route. No point of trying to work the ball its tough enough to hit greens.

[Paybax]

To add I average 54% FIR and 35% GIR

[Number7]

[quote name='goliath23' timestamp='1318906176' post='3686445']
My golf season is coming to an end and it has me thinking my bag for next year. I got the g15s near the beginning of the season and although they have been amazing for me, I don't know if I wouldn't have gotten there with other irons. I brought my handicap from 15-16 down to about 12. [b]The problem I am having is that my good rounds have nothing to do with my iron play. It's all about my driving, chipping and putting. My iron play is usually the same and my GIR is usually dependent on my spot on the fairway[/b] and my great rounds are when I hit fairways and chip and putt low. If anything as the season goes on I am finding that my g15 irons are costing me strokes with them going to high and getting caught in he wind or not being able to work my shots enough to give myself easy approach shots.
[/quote]


This is why you shouldnt change.

[goliath23]

[quote name='Paybax' timestamp='1318914078' post='3686859']
To add I average 54% FIR and 35% GIR
[/quote]


I am fairly close to you. I am at 38% GIR but my fairways % is only 44%.

The problem with me is that I am fairly long off the tee so most of my appraoch shots even if they are from the rough are from 150yards or less and most are 100yards or less even on a 400yard hole. I am just finding that sometimes I need to fly the ball low under trees or wind and its just not possible or the G15's are so thick they get caught in the rough and cost me valuable yards or possitioning. Not to mention I love the look and feel of blades.

[goliath23]

[/quote]


This is why you shouldnt change.
[/quote]

Pls explain. I find that if i am in the fairway I can pretty much guarantee a GIR or atleast most of the time no matter the iron but I am really not feeling any difference when I miss the fairways. The supposed forgiveness or the irons are all but gone when I am in the rough so what would be the difference in switching? I find that right now I am missing GIR due to the irons not being able to produce the ball flight I am hoping for. I do love the easy to produce high ball flight but it seems to be all I can get. I can fade or draw OK with them but I have to over do it just to get a little bit of movement which sometimes turns out bad.

Maybe I am just bored and need to golf more but well see. Might try to pick up a used set of blades next year and see how it goes.

[jeffrey r]

Not sure why you need to go the blade route Goliath, but it's your game, so you don't need to convince us why you should do it. If you want to give it a try, go for it. I pretty much only buy used clubs, and on 3balls, or globalgolf, or callawaypreowned, it's pretty easy to pick up excellent sets of irons for $300 in some cases, $200 or less in other cases. It should not be a terribly expensive experiment for you.

That said, there are lots of irons in between the G15's and blades, Adams CB1 and CB2, Ping I5 and I15, tons of Mizuno choices, etc. So perhaps try a more player's-type CB iron instead of going full-blast to a blade. I get different turf and rough interaction with my Mizuno MX-200's than my G15's, I just prefer the overall performance of the G15's. Good luck.

[Number7]

[quote name='goliath23' timestamp='1318951151' post='3688143']

Pls explain. I find that if i am in the fairway I can pretty much guarantee a GIR or atleast most of the time no matter the iron but I am really not feeling any difference when I miss the fairways. The supposed forgiveness or the irons are all but gone when I am in the rough so what would be the difference in switching? I find that right now I am missing GIR due to the irons not being able to produce the ball flight I am hoping for. I do love the easy to produce high ball flight but it seems to be all I can get. I can fade or draw OK with them but I have to over do it just to get a little bit of movement which sometimes turns out bad.

Maybe I am just bored and need to golf more but well see. Might try to pick up a used set of blades next year and see how it goes.
[/quote]

With your handicap, a solid iron game (predictability from fairway) like you have is partly due to gi irons.(asumption) One of the thing with gi irons is that they tend to come out the same way even with slight variance in impact. Shots from the rough are always with an amount of randomness. Not saying that blades don't have any upsides, but they might not be like you hoped, and the downsides might be a lot worse than expected. Lack of consistency is one of them, and IMO it is one of the biggest keys to scoring and hitting greens. Trying doesn't hurt, but you might risk losing your fairway sharpness without improving your rough troubles

[Tim Kratz]

Wow, great thread and right up my alley. I'm a plus one handicap and have played MP33's with DG x-100's for 10 years. During that time, I've probably taken less than 50 swings on the range or the course with any iron that was not my MP33's (i.e., I have not connected with my inner club ho). My iron game has always been OK but not great and I'm going to make a switch and open it up to SGI contenders. Read an article about pro and Ping designer Marty Jepperson, who is a really great player, and uses the G20's he designed. Also, got my butt kicked in state mid-am by a bunch of guys, many playing shovels. So, I'm thinking wtf anm I doing with blades. Going to get fit at Ping HQ some time this Winter and will hopefully try out every shaft/'head combo available. (I also think the x-100's are probably too stiff). May the best Ping iron win, whether it be G20 with a ladies' regular shaft or S56 with an x. Whatever works is going in the bag (probably for another 10 years). Looks, feel, workability are all overrated in my book. Score is all that matters. Should be interesting. Love to hear further updates from low handicap players who went the SGI route.

[goliath23]

Thxs for the comments guys. I am definitely not bashing the g15 irons by any means. They are great irons and should be looked at by almost everybody. They are definitely great and will be very hard to replace if I ever decide to. The club HO in me is strong so I am always looking.

[Paybax]

The point he was making is that you said shooting low has nothing to do with your iron play, so why change? I would focus on the big stick, get fitted or even a driver only lesson. Also if you can get GIR fairly easy maybe try 3 wood off the tee and have a longer iron in. I personally wouldny buy a club because its good out of the rough. Goal would be to buy a club to stop me from going in the rough.. They invent one of those yet?

[A V Twiss]

I am sort of a halfway house. I bag I15 irons and for a supposedly players club I find it remarkably easy to hit. My set comprises of I15s from 6 to 9 iron with a G15 5 iron and hybrids for the 3 & 4. I feel I need all the help I can get at the longer end of the set. My wedges (47,52 and 58) are all Tour W's. My fairways hit sits around 64% but my GIRs are pretty poor at only 34%. I don't try and work the ball - off my handicap (16) the safest bet is to go for the fattest part of the green and concentrate on getting it pin high. As I am UK based our greens tend to be somewhat smaller than those on many US courses. I do have a set of S57s as well but to be honest I don't hit them nearly as well as the G/I15 combo and there are confidence issues as well.

[Ripken08]

I ordered another set of G15s which just got here (but they screwed up my order). That said, I am also getting my MP68s back and going with 2 bags. Can play good or bad with either set, but need the blades around so I don't get the itch to ho.

[CarloGolfer]

During my second round with the G15s...

Par 3
179 to the flag
slight Right to Left wind
Choke down smoothie 5 iron with a little cut that never left the flag
(not my putter in the pic)

[attachment=889779:Canada5iron.jpg]

G15s... I like 'em.

[StuartRS]

Great to see this thread still going.

After using various clubs over the years, (Hogan FTX, X-18, MP-60, 690MB, X-18 Pro) the one thing that gets me with GI/SGI is the occational hot shot.

I had this at a company golf day last month (x-18 pros). Hit a good drive but a little offline. Played sensible and chipped out. 115 to flag, 105 to front, hit a steady wedge, right on line and flew it 130-135 (my 9i distance) off of back of green. Walked off with a double, were it should have been par/bogie at worst. Just don't ever remember having that with a blade or the MP60s/FTX irons.

This may not be the case with Pings? but have read this quite a few times about this type of iron.

I don't have it happen a lot but it always happens at the most inconvienient time.

[station2station]

[quote name='minhjn' timestamp='1286857977' post='2739136']
offset doesn't cause hooks. it's either your swing or it's in your head
[/quote]

^^^ This poster is correct. Offset irons do not hook based on proper club usage.

BUT a player with offset clubs will be more likely to hook the ball if, from address view he closes the iron toe to get the toe parallel with the hosel. A lot of players subconsciously will twist the toe closed at address because they don't like the visual of the hosel being the most forward part of the iron.

not unlike this photo:

[station2station]

[quote name='CarloGolfer' timestamp='1319109097' post='3696419']
During my second round with the G15s...

Par 3
179 to the flag
slight Right to Left wind
Choke down smoothie 5 iron with a little cut that never left the flag
(not my putter in the pic)

[attachment=889779:Canada5iron.jpg]

G15s... I like 'em.
[/quote]

2 stroke penalty for laying your club on the ground as an alignment aid.

Nice shot - Cheers.

[Vinny Nguyen]

Hit some g15's at the range today with my terrible iron play and man I have to admit they are impressive. Even with my extreme digging problem these were still only 10-15 yards short. Can't wait to get my hands on the g20's

[BENCHMADE]

What are the diffrences between the G15 and G20 ?

[Vinny Nguyen]

[quote name='BENCHMADE' timestamp='1319155581' post='3699071']
What are the diffrences between the G15 and G20 ?
[/quote]

From what I've read and heard, the ball flight and distance is more consistent. Slightly wider sole and thinner face. I've hit both and both are great clubs but the newer technology in the g20 wins it for me.

[MtlJeff]

this thread is going to outlast my G15's haha....my next set will be GI, just not sure which yet, but have a pretty good idea. But as of this winter the G15's are no more....

[BENCHMADE]

I went from SGI to GI, now i want to go back lol. This time im going all ping. Loving the G20 driver and 3 wood ATM. Goin 3-5 hybird and 6-U irons.