Driver + irons advice welcome.

[johng]

Hi Guys.

new to the forum but have been reading for a while, hope you don't mind me joining in.

Anyway my 'dilema' is this....

I play on a links type course and am fairly happy with my current clubs, however I'm thinking about a new driver, possibly Ping G5 or new G10. Not sure why but was wondering if they are generally better clubs than the older Callaway X460 i'm using.
I'm also thinking about changing irons. I generally like my Di7 irons but have realised they have basically stamped a normal 6 iron with a 7 to make you think you hit it further. I've noticed that the wider soles are great in parkland courses but i'm not so sure about them off very tight summer lies, been thinking about getting an old set of Titleist 704's which have a narrower sole.

My driver swing speed is 85-88 and i have a generally high ball flight with a slight fade as normal. All my clubs are Regular Flex, or Uniflex on the Di7's.

Sorry to ramble on but any ideas, experience of these clubs would be great to hear.

Cheers.
John.

 

[medwayjon]

My pro hit my Cobra FP's last night and was amazed at the distance and ball flight. He said they were comparable to a £800 set of irons.

I have the Taylor Made Burner TP on review form golf monthly.

If you want detailed comments on either, get in touch via send message.

Jon.

 

[def]

welcome johng, just wondering does it really matter what is stamped on the club as long as you hit it well,save your money and have a holiday

 

[Craigy_Mac]

The boy is right! All tour pro's play with usually 2 degree strong irons which basically means there 7 is actually a 6, this is more for a lower ball flight.
Technology is getting better in drivers but the shaft is what makes the club work, you have to try many different shafts before you pick the perfect 1 for you, no need to rush into an un-needed purchase.
Your irons would be better for links golf with thinner soles but then they maybe harder for you to hit, again try some out and see what you think.

 

[viscount17]

The boy is right! All tour pro's play with usually 2 degree strong irons which basically means there 7 is actually a 6, this is more for a lower ball flight.

Now I know why the pro's seem to take ridiculously short irons for what should be mid- or even long iron shots.

 

[madandra]

Welcome to the forum. I would advise you to have a go with a G10 as Atticus hits it for miles.

 

[The23rdman]

The boy is right! All tour pro's play with usually 2 degree strong irons which basically means there 7 is actually a 6, this is more for a lower ball flight.

Now I know why the pro's seem to take ridiculously short irons for what should be mid- or even long iron shots.

This has less to do with the loft on the club than the quality of the strike. the reason the pro's hit it so long is the amount of forward shaft lean they get at impact, which effectively de-lofts the club.

 

[ACP]

Hi John - and welcome to the forum.

I switched from playing with a Callaway Hawkeye VFT (12 degree stiff) about 3 years ago. I got a ping G5 (12 degree) with Grafalloy stiff shaft and my driving accuracy improved instantly. Although I was still getting great distance with the 12 degree driver, I felt with winter approaching (wind and soft fairways) I would benefit from a lower degree loft. Last year I switched to another G5 (same shaft) with 10.5 degree loft. To begin, I found it slightly harder to control but it wasn't long before it was back to business as usual - and I haven't looked back!

I love the club and love the Grafalloy shaft - You can pick these clubs up quite cheaply now (I paid £99 for my brand new 10.5 from Robin Hood Golf Centre last September). I'm sure the G10 follows in the same vein - and probably offers some improvements over the G5.

Why pay more than £200!?

ACP

 

[Craigy_Mac]

[/QUOTE]

This has less to do with the loft on the club than the quality of the strike. the reason the pro's hit it so long is the amount of forward shaft lean they get at impact, which effectively de-lofts the club.

[/QUOTE]


Unfortunatly you are mistake mate, if you closely watch the tour boys hitting balls on software programmes like gasp and you slow it down or even split into 18 frames then you'll see that they only use lots of forward lean for knock down shots mainly to take spin off the ball.
There distance comes from timing and the pureness of the strike plus alot of them dont hit the ball 300+ yards of the tee, its exagerated.

 

[The23rdman]

This has less to do with the loft on the club than the quality of the strike. the reason the pro's hit it so long is the amount of forward shaft lean they get at impact, which effectively de-lofts the club.

[/QUOTE]


Unfortunatly you are mistaken mate, if you closely watch the tour boys hitting balls on software programmes like gasp and you slow it down or even split into 18 frames then you'll see that they only use lots of forward lean for knock down shots mainly to take spin off the ball.
There distance comes from timing and the pureness of the strike plus alot of them dont hit the ball 300+ yards of the tee, its exagerated.

[/QUOTE]

Sorry dude, that's simply not true. Granted a pro hits the ball a long way due to the quality of the strike, but the quality of the strike has everything to do with impact position. If there isn't some shaft lean at impact then the hands haven't beaten the clubhead to the ball. Granted its much more pronounced in a knockdown shot, but there is still a delofting going on.

Here's Chuck Quinton hitting a normal 7 iron. On the left you can see the bow in the shaft through impact and how it has delofted the club.

In the second picture You can see how the shaft is leaning about 7* towards the target and how the initial launch angle is 18*(give or take a little for camera inaccuracies) even though the 7 iron Chucks hitting has 35* of loft.

 

[MVP]

So in theory 23rdman your saying, pros hit the ball further because they deloft the club more, effectively turing a 7iron into a 6 or 5 iron ?? Is that bout right?

 

[StuartD]

Hi Johng and welcome to the forum

I looked at the Di7 irons last year when i was buying last year. As i prefer a more traditional look (i used to play with blades) they felt a bit to chunky on the eye.
I settled for Taylor Made R7's and felt they were as forgiving as the Di7 but had a more traditional look and slightly narrower sole. The lofts on the R7's are still quite strong and may match the Di7.

 

[The23rdman]

So in theory 23rdman your saying, pros hit the ball further because they deloft the club more, effectively turing a 7iron into a 6 or 5 iron ?? Is that bout right?

Basically, yes. They have much more efficient swings that lead to vastly improved impact positions which lead to more distance.

you can hear the difference in the strike of a properly compressed golf ball and you only get that compression by having forward shaft lean.

you'll notice a good players shots start out lower and then keep climbing. it's the initial launch angle coupled with the speed and spin they get that gives them that soaring trajectory.

the good news is you can do some things to get some of this yourself.

Simply practice with a tee in the ground 6 inches in front of the ball. Make your swing trying to hit the tee out of the ground after striking the ball.

 

[Craigy_Mac]

This has less to do with the loft on the club than the quality of the strike. the reason the pro's hit it so long is the amount of forward shaft lean they get at impact, which effectively de-lofts the club.

Unfortunatly you are mistaken mate, if you closely watch the tour boys hitting balls on software programmes like gasp and you slow it down or even split into 18 frames then you'll see that they only use lots of forward lean for knock down shots mainly to take spin off the ball.
There distance comes from timing and the pureness of the strike plus alot of them dont hit the ball 300+ yards of the tee, its exagerated.

[/QUOTE]

Sorry dude, that's simply not true. Granted a pro hits the ball a long way due to the quality of the strike, but the quality of the strike has everything to do with impact position. If there isn't some shaft lean at impact then the hands haven't beaten the clubhead to the ball. Granted its much more pronounced in a knockdown shot, but there is still a delofting going on.

Here's Chuck Quinton hitting a normal 7 iron. On the left you can see the bow in the shaft through impact and how it has delofted the club.

In the second picture You can see how the shaft is leaning about 7* towards the target and how the initial launch angle is 18*(give or take a little for camera inaccuracies) even though the 7 iron Chucks hitting has 35* of loft.

[/QUOTE]


If you actually read what i wrote, i never said they dont use forward lean. When your at address your hands should be infornt of the ball, yes? Well that means you need slight forward lean to get the true loft of the club. players dont deloft as much as you seem to think. Your left picture shows the club at exactually 37degrees. I think your confusing yourself with someone who knows what there talking about!!