forged `v` cast

[mollieduke]

Hi Gents,

I am 67 and have a handicap of 15

I am starting to lose confidence in my irons lately which are Mizuno mx 25`S. with TTlite r300 shafts. They are fantastic to use however the distance per club is becoming a worry . Eg . I hit a 7 iron 145 yards carry with almost no roll. (very high flight) .This sounds good but can become very frustrating for an old bloke when you are always trying to fly the flag instead of say landing on the front and allowing some decent roll. I am wondering if this flight is consistant with forged clubs and I will get more carry and roll with cast clubs . eg TM or Ping. Any thoughts.

[AlohaJim]

[quote name='mollieduke' date='20 March 2010 - 10:25 PM' timestamp='1269152739' post='2330514']
Hi Gents,
I am 67 and have a handicap of 15
I am starting to lose confidence in my irons lately which are Mizuno mx 25`S. with TTlite r300 shafts. They are fantastic to use however the distance per club is becoming a worry . Eg . I hit a 7 iron 145 yards carry with almost no roll. (very high flight) .This sounds good but can become very frustrating for an old bloke when you are always trying to fly the flag instead of say landing on the front and allowing some decent roll. I am wondering if this flight is consistant with forged clubs and I will get more carry and roll with cast clubs . eg TM or Ping. Any thoughts.
[/quote]

Wow. I wish I could hit consistent 145 yard 7 irons with no roll. Really.

Assuming that you've had these clubs for awhile and the swing is sound with no changes beyond senior loss of distance from flexibility loss or whatever, why not work with what you have and plot out your new yardages and score that way?

Regarding cast/forged. IMHO it's club design and swing dynamics and shotmaking that effect ball flight and roll out over the difference between forged or cast irons. For example, your ball flight would probably drop with Wilson PI-7's with Dynamic Gold shafts vs the TTLites and the less aggressive GI design. And this is a cast club. But your distances and flights across matching irons would vary due to brand/model differences of club specs like loft, etc. For example, modern Ping lofts are very aggressive compared to older model forged Mizuno blades. Sometimes nearly a club difference. So the number "7" on the end of the club is moot.

Regarding ball flight and roll out. My swing coach said ball technology is very refined right now and to try high spin high flite balls if I wanted that, and vs vs. Try switching balls and maybe some small swing dynamic adjustments. That's much cheaper than a new set of forged irons. On the other hand, any reason is a good reason to buy a new set of forged irons.

[rge]

The behavior of your ball flight and roll characteristics are hardly attributable to the fact that those clubs are forged but rather due to the shaft and ball characteristics. If the shaft you are using has a high trajectory, it will necessarily affect the amount of roll that will occur. Same can be said if the ball you use creates a lot of spin (or more precisely, backspin) You may want to try a ball with lower spin characteristics or, if you do not wish to replace your present ball, bring the clubs to have them reshafted to a Dynamic Gold instead of the Dynalite Gold that usually comes with that club. Those MX-25's are wonderful clubs. They just need the appropriate shafts. I hope this helps.

[mollieduke]

Thanks for the replies Aloha Jim and Rge.
You are both correct on what you say. I am using Taylor Made TP Blacks right now so I will experiment with some low flight balls.
I think the other reality check from your replies was that perhaps I should take one extra club and not worry about going through on approaches.
I have had the clubs for 3 years and have known that the lofts are a club or more weaker than the Taylor Made CGB`s I have but it never worried me till lately.
Thanks again

[I'm a lefty]

IMHO a different shaft might help. The TTLR300 hits very high. I just had the GS95's put into my forged irons and picked up about 5-7 yards due to increased swing speed. Also flies lower than TTL.

[mollieduke]

Thanks for feedback `I`m a Lefty`. I have been trying various balls in last two rounds with mixed success Srixon AD333 . ProV1 Bridgestone E6 and E7.
If I cannot find ball I`m totally happy with on the green as well as the fairway I reckon I have a couple of options. 1. Get swing fitted and change shafts or strengthen lofts by 2 degrees. The shafts are actually Dynamic Gold Lites

[ping8153]

I play mizuno's also and I took each club and strengthened it 2*, I picked up a few yards that way. Ive enjoyed hitting the ball a bit further with a lower iron. Give it a try. MX 25's are fored, easily bent.

[retfr8flyr]

If you want to lower your ball flight first change from the TP blacks, as they are designed to fly high, then I would recommend reshafting your MX 25's with Grafalloy Prolaunch Red graphite shafts. These shafts will definitely bring down your ball flight and they will be lighter than your TT shafts so you should pick up a little distance also. The Prolaunch run stiff to flex so I would recommend getting regular flex and soft stepping them one time. You may find you like the flight and can keep playing the TP Black's that you like. The graphite will also be easier on your joints now that you are getting older, I am 65 and I switched to graphite long ago.


Earl