average players using better player irons...

slugger

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I'm not talking about using blades, but something with a little bit of cavity.

I'd be interested to hear from folk here, who are around a 14-19 handicap and who use irons that are intended for the better player.

Any time i have a shot with a better players iron, or even just have a shufty at one in the golf shop, i feel more comfortable and at ease looking at the club rather than the clubs i currently use. I know my MX900s aren't the most cumbersome clubs out there, but comparing them with other clubs in Mizuno's line up and they look big and cumbersome.

I was in the pro shop at Kinross at the weekend and the Wilson Staff FG tours caught my eye. They were very nice and the sole didn't seem so narrow that it would punish even the slightest mistake.

So, any mid handicappers out there made the change to a smaller headed iron and noticed any improvement, or has it gone the other way and you wish you had stayed with your more "forgiving" irons?
 
Slugger, the best advice I would give is that it isnt the irons that will make the biggest difference, stick with what you have and get your game down with the wedges, if you are using old or high handicap wedges then this is the area to focus on.
Getting back to irons, it depends what you want to do with them, callaways styled clunky headed clubs give a more forgiving contact but send the ball very high. If you want to hit the ball lower, they wouldnt be for you. Blades can go high also depending on the shafts and can be shaped a lot better. The next question you want to ask yourself is this, if you cant hit the ball straight intentionally, what chance do you have with clubs designed for manouvreability (sp)?
Swallow the pride and get what works best, not what sparkles and sounds best.
 
at the moment im using the old AP2's. I got them last year when i was playing off 19 and it did take me a while to get used to them, even now I still sometimes struggle to hit them. on the other end of the stick, my dad (who plays off 19), has bought a 2nd-hand set of mizuno mp-37's which are as bladed as they get and hits them a dream. in the end I think it comes down to your personal strengths and weaknesses, not what the manufacturers guidelines say.
 
I know my MX900s aren't the most cumbersome clubs out there, but comparing them with other clubs in Mizuno's line up and they look big and cumbersome.

I know what you mean. :)

I have gone t'other way for a while and am currently using some Callaways. So far, so good.

I reckon if you can play with the 900s you can play with plenty of the better players irons out there. They (MX-900s) may look a bit chunky but they are not overly forgiving.
 
I play with mizuno mx 17 irons and for me there the best club for someone 14-16 handicap.Ive used them from new for about 4 years,and the ball goes where I want it to,so all in all Im happy,but the problem is,I realley want a set of mx 300,but I dont know weather if I could use them
 
I am using Mizuno Mp62's for the following reasons:
1.I love the look of them.
2.I love the feel of them.
3.Most importantly they are what worked best for me when I had the fitting. MX300 created too much spin and too great a launch angle and didn't feel right. MP 58 were a bit the same but with better feel. MP68 were awasome but I didn't feel thet I could make a consistent strike with them under all ground conditions.
Yes I only tried Mizuno because that was what I wanted and boy am I glad I did.
As they say nothing feels like a Mizuno.

Get out there and try what you like and don't be put off by the people who say your h/c is too high to usee them. If they work for you your h/c wont be too high for too long.
 
Slugger, the best advice I would give is that it isnt the irons that will make the biggest difference, stick with what you have and get your game down with the wedges, if you are using old or high handicap wedges then this is the area to focus on.

I'm pretty happy with my wedges. I play with Mizuno MP-T and love them. My 53º wedge is probably the most consistent in my bag.

Swallow the pride and get what works best, not what sparkles and sounds best.

I'm not after what sparkles bes and sounds best. I need something that i enjoy useing and can improve my game. If there's one are of my game that lets me down, it's hitting into any wind stronger than a breeze - trust me, that affects me a lot at my course. I currently get waaaay too much height from my irons. This is one of the main reasons that i am thinking about different clubs, with a stiffer shaft and a lower launching head. I just wanted to hear feedback from players similar to myself that have made the change.

The wedges aren't the problem, but quite often, getting into a good position to use them is!

RGdave's process of going the other way is an interesting one. I think that if i got anything even more forgiving, then the ball would only go even higher!

One of the clubs that i've tried out on a few rounds is the Cleveland cg7 tour... i still get the ball too high with this :(

I guess i can only keep trying different clubs and see how i get on. Maybe need to save up for a proper fitting though.
 
thanks for that ( big_russ )your right because when I looked at mx 200 they just didnt feel right for me,but then again after using the 17s for so long what is,my mates got a set of 300s and one day were going to swap clubs for a round,until then its another round tomorrow
 
I am using Mizuno Mp62's for the following reasons:
1.I love the look of them.
2.I love the feel of them.
3.Most importantly they are what worked best for me when I had the fitting.
Yes I only tried Mizuno because that was what I wanted and boy am I glad I did.
As they say nothing feels like a Mizuno.

Get out there and try what you like and don't be put off by the people who say your h/c is too high to usee them. If they work for you your h/c wont be too high for too long.

thanks for the reply.

what clubs did you use previous to the mp62s and have you noticed if the ball stays lower for you?
 
Its not what goes on the card that counts its what it looks like.
If you like the idea of blades or small cavity backs then go and get some, At least you'll have fun cleaning them with their silky smooth contours.
If you go to a custom fitting centre then you can get a good idea of the set up. If he suggests a game improvement iron then just get the shaft and loft/lie stats from him. These are probably more important than the heads.
If you do get some blades then get some head covers as it'll help them keep some value when you decide you can't hit them and you want rid, or it'll keep one of your best ever buys nice and new for much longer.

I'd get some 2nd hand blades to start with as they are cheap and they can give you an idea of how you'd get on with them.
 
RGdave's process of going the other way is an interesting one. I think that if i got anything even more forgiving, then the ball would only go even higher!

Quite possibly!

I haven't noticed a difference in height. I did when I swapped from stiff graphite to steel, but not going from the Mizunos to the Callaways.

So much depends on how you hit it of course.
 
I am currently off 15 and use x20 tours. Not exactly blades I know. But I have never hit irons better than the last 6 months that I have had these. Changed from x16s.

I just didnt like the look of the big shovel type clubs at address, but was fitted by my pro.

If you like them and can hit them, I say why not!
 
I am currently off 15 and use x20 tours. Not exactly blades I know. But I have never hit irons better than the last 6 months that I have had these. Changed from x16s.

I just didnt like the look of the big shovel type clubs at address, but was fitted by my pro.
The x20 tours are about as game improving as the normal varieties of x series irons matey, not knocking them but they shouldnt be mentioned in the same breath as blades.
Its like comparing a VW Caravelle 170ps 2.5tdi and an Aston Martin, both are great at what they do but are too different to be compared.
I have AP2's and wouldnt compare them to blades neither. A lot of pro's arnt using blades any more, the desire to use the hardest clubs available doesnt really attract me much either I have to say.
 
I am currently off 15 and use x20 tours. Not exactly blades I know. But I have never hit irons better than the last 6 months that I have had these. Changed from x16s.

I just didnt like the look of the big shovel type clubs at address, but was fitted by my pro.
The x20 tours are about as game improving as the normal varieties of x series irons matey, not knocking them but they shouldnt be mentioned in the same breath as blades.
Its like comparing a VW Caravelle 170ps 2.5tdi and an Aston Martin, both are great at what they do but are too different to be compared.
I have AP2's and wouldnt compare them to blades neither, then again, a lot of pro's arnt using blades any more.

Fair point.

But compared to the x20 there is a big diff. It was a toss up between these and the i10s at the time ( imo slightly more better player) but I hit the x20T slightly better and they were far cheaper.

My problem is that I love blades. I have a old set of pin seeker blades that I often use to practice with, and so GI or SGI clubs just look huge. But I am not good enough to hit blades, especially not 20 year old knives. lol
 
As i mentioned in my OP, it's not necessarily about blades, it's about more aesthetically pleasing clubs and clubs that are going to help me in the wind and improve my score.

Id like to change the original question around a little bit,if you changed your clubs,what brand would you pick?

No fussed, as long as they sit right for me and i can hit them. It just so happens that, at the moment, the Mizuno range are the best looking to me and i really liked the look of the Wilson Staff tour FG that i handled on Saturday.

Another question... from experience, are smaller headed clubs easier to hit from tight lies?
 
Id like to change the original question around a little bit,if you changed your clubs,what brand would you pick?

Probably Ping but since I haven't tried any clubs since I bought my S59s who knows?
 
Another question... from experience, are smaller headed clubs easier to hit from tight lies?

Why would they be? You still need to take a divot. If anything, I would have said the smaller head has less resistance through the clag.

If you try a players set of clus, you will undoubtedly find several things:
a/ in the scoring clubs, you can hit them well enough.
b/ the middle iron are ok, but not as forgiving.
c/ the 3 and 4i are a liability.
I take players clubs to be as Titleist CB style, minimal cavity, small head, thin top line.

HTL has a set of MP58s. This is anther players iron. Good looking club.

I know alot of golfers who have tried beutiful looking irons, and nearly all come back to something more forgivin fairly quickly.

You won't buy this sort of iron to improve your golf. You are either a good ball striker, or you are not. If you are, then you will be fine, regardless of h/cap.

A custom fitting session would put the correct shaft in for you, but you would need to explain why you want a low launch, or they will fit you for a high launch, which is what most golfers want, and what is also considered normal.
 
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