"Better Player" Irons, truth or myth?

[medwayjon]

What has got me thinking about this subject is that I am in the infancy of thinking about replacing my Titleist 755's.

Nothing wrong with them, I hit them well and absolutely adore them but I just want a newer, shinier set of irons.

The reason I say truth or myth is that I am a 27 handicap. Apparently I shouldnt be able to hit my 755's let alone the ZM/ZB's I have tried but I hit them beautifully of late, even in my last lesson on tuesday it was great.

So why do these irons get recommended for single-figure golfers only, or for better players???

It left me thinking would I be a better golfer now if I hadnt messed around with cast irons with deep cavities prior to changing to "better player" irons?

What you reckoning?

 

[Smiffy]

Because if the manufacturers said "these one clubs will suit everybody" who would they then sell their game improvement range to?
The whole club industry would collapse overnight if the promise that you could "buy a better game" was removed.

 

[TonyN]

I think its just 9/10 better players (lower handicappers) are better ball strikers than higherhandicappers. Just through time spent in the game, practice etc. BUT there is no reason why a high handicap player can't be a naturally great ball striker and a really bad putter! I hit the 57's really well on the range last monday and they are for low handcap players. Go figure!

 

[vig]

There are many reasons why a player has a high handicap and not just because "they are not very good".
As has already been said ball striking consistency is one
But you may strike the ball as sweet as a nut every time.
Short game may let you down.
Putting may stink
Or just generally attitude.

When i'm playing well my G.I.R's are up to 14/15 putting lets me down. I've sub 80'd a few times in the last twelve month but I am equally happy to have gone out and enjoyed a round in good company and shot a crappy score.
When i'm not playing so well, scrambling gets me out of it (sometimes).
Sometimes ALL aspects let me down but my attitude sucks TBH.
I say sucks but only if I was striving to be a pro.
I play the game to relax and enjoy myself. If I start to take it too seriously as I previously did, I would cease to enjoy the game as much. I may get down to low singles with a more single minded approach. On the other hand I may not. I don't care really as long as i'm still enjoying it.
It doesn't mean that a high handicapper can't play with a "players" club.
It all depends what you want out of the game. I personally feel more confident if I like what I see when looking down at the club. I use the Mizzy's because I am comfortable with them, I could equally be comfortable using some GI irons as long as they looked right.
I don't buy all this crap about high H/cappers HAVING to use GI irons.

 

[OldWindy]

Getting my new irons it didn't occur to me that I would walk away with MP60s. I tried r7s, x20s, mx25s etc. and ended up hitting the 60s the best. Ultimately, it's what suits you. I would say the Cobras from the 90s helped me learn to play the game down to 11 hcap; I have hit them recently and they are still OK but the offset is so pronounced that most shots from 7i down were strong fades/slices.

 

[MVP]

Nothing wrong with them, I hit them well and absolutely adore them but I just want a newer, shinier set of irons.

HAHA i know the feeling!! ..its like a women wanting a pair of shoes i guess?


in my opinion if you want to be a better player! you gotta leaave your self 1 putt opportunities after shortgame shots and start hitting some more gir

It probably makes little difference what irons you use.

Aesthetics plays a big part, if you think your clubs look ugly you wont enjoy hitting them!
so by all means jon buy a nice new set of irons mate!!

If i had the money i would splash out on MP67s or titleist ZBs !! I know they're blades and im a higher handicap but i think theyre sex on a stick (shaft) and dont give a toss!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The thing to bear in mind with bladed clubs or better player clubs is that there is only a limited margin for error. Granted the sweetspot is bigger now than the blades I used in the 80's but it is still not as big as say a Cally X20 or TM Burner. Therefore if you are not a consistant striker you will sacrifice distance as mishits wil be penalised. However if you consider yourself capable of making a good solid and REPEATABLE contact on the ball there is nothing to stop you buying a set of better player irons.

They will give you more feel which should help with control on the short irons and will allow you to move the ball both ways. I guess if you went the whole hog and got C/F you could get a shaft to match your swing speed etc.

However for my money I would opt as I did for a middle of the road compromise. I got the TM Tour Burner because it offered less offset, a smaller head and thinner top ine but I still get the benefit of the cavity back. I guess you would class these as the TM version of the X20 tour or similar. I get a lower ball flight than the burner, more distance (than my X20) and more spin on the short irons giving me more control on approach shots.

 

[Herbie]

I had a set of bladed clubs when I played off 6 a long time ago, I was much better than I am today.
I wouldnt choose bladed clubs today when I can have something that is easier to use.

A lot of high h/c players I know or watch lose a whole lot of shots by either playing the wrong mental game and/or trying to do things they are simply not ready for or confident at.
Ive played with guys who can hit a club 200yds well but when faced with a 200 yd shot to a green with bunkers and a pond nearby nearly always mess up by thinking too much and doing the wrong thing due to a sudden lack of confidence, then there are others who try and try to do things they are not that proficient at in the hope they will make the shot that they have only managed once all year.

High h/c players and bladed clubs dont gel well in most cases. They are often trying to run before they can walk, and are often difficult to help as a listening ear doesnt always result in taking the advice or tip given.

I took a high h/c player out once (26) and decided to have a round where we both had to play 2 shots to the green on par 3s, 3 shots on par 4s and 4 shots on par 5s regardless of whether we could reach them in less, followed by addressing puts without any routine line up.

He played better than his h/c (21 over I think)and more to the point, never lost a ball and rarely left the fairway and did his best round of putting ever! When he felt he didnt have to try as hard his golf game improved.Yet he told me he didnt feel he had used his clubs to their performance level. I asked him to look at his score because the object of golf is to take the least number of shots possible regardless of HOW!

 

[haplesshacker]

Good point Herb.

I'll add that little idea to the other little nuggets of info from here.

 

[RGuk]

It's hard to say "what" and "whom" with all the different types of clubs. I reckon everyone is different in how well they hit the ball in relation to the forgiveness of irons.
I've had 2 sets of blades, 3 (4?) sets of fairly conventional cavity-backed but no out and out improver irons. I am considering gettting a set of X-series (16/18/20) Callaway to experiment and find out what's best for me.

I guess if you hit the ball out of the middle but not that straight you could play with irons with a very small sweet-spot. If you feel good with 755s it's not like they are "middle or bust" sort of club, they are a game improvement irons, like the sets I have had.......

I knew a pro that used the original big berthas from the mid-90s. He was a wonderfully straight hitter but reckoned that after quitting regular competitive play was not finding the middle as often, so liked these irons.

A cavity can only do so much to help your direction, and I'm not entirely convinced it really calms down a shot with bad direction. What it does do is help with the consistent distance. I had a set of Mizuno TP irons, I don't remember them being more wayward than my cavity irons, but I do remember coming up horribly short unless I middled it.

If a player off a high h'cap says they hit the ball well, but they're all over the shop with direction, I wouldn't instantly tell them to change their irons. Surely it's all about maximising consistency?

 

[Imurg]

If it works don't knock it. I've always struggled to hit pure blades but got some joy when i trialled some Mizuno T-Zoid Pro years back. They were similar to the 52/57 range range (cavity-wise). Just couldn't justify the expense at the time. A while back I tried the 57's and although they felt good, I felt I was coming up short on mishits. The X-20 Tours didn't feel as good but were more consistent.

And that's what you need - consistency.

If you've got good consistency then you'll be able to play blades. if you've got decent consistency the X-20 Tour/Burner Tour/Ping i10 will see you right. Those who lack consistency need the G10/X-20 stable.

BUT.......................

There are always exceptions to the rule and if you're a 27'er and you can hit blades, then good for you and good luck - don't feel the need to change. You've learnt your craft with cavity backs and now you've progressed. But I doubt you would be any better if you'd started with blades. You'd have got so frustrated so quickly that you'd probably have given up.

 

[Herbie]

There are some similarities with me, before I got MS I stopped hitting the centre as often as I did, maybe it was a run up to the MS, I dont know, but it happened, if I could get that level back I would buy bladed without a second thought but I fear those days are over.....sob sob! lol. I think we all have an optimum play level with golf that lasts for a varied period of time with different people, I know mine has gone but with new technology I can hang onto some of it......bugger, Ive just gone OOB!

 

[USER1999]

I have played with out and out blades for 5 years. For me, when I was playing well, they were brilliant, but eventually I found the 4i/5i a bit too inconsistent.

So, I changed to ZBs. These are great clubs. The cavity back 4i/5i are so much more forgiving than my blades, and the sole grind is more suited too. The bladed short irons are great for feel too.

I looked at the ZMs, as I did love the looks, but my opinion (for what it is worth), is that these truly are for better players than me. Yes, I could play with these, but the Zbs are way more consitent for me.

If you really want to make this move (although Titleist would probably recommend the AP2s), ZBs are really nice irons.

Personnaly I would hang fire for another year, and really work on your h/cap. A change of sticks will take a little getting used to, and your whole swing could change pretty quickly over the next year as your h/cap comes down.