Forged Irons for mid handicapper

[keef]

I know this is a bit of a daft question but for those of us who like the looks of "better player" irons, but just cant use them well enough, and yet don,t want to play forever with something which looks like a shaft with a lump of metal on the end of it - what say you? JPX 800? AP1? Taylor Made and Callaway seem to only offer chunky. Look forward to hearing views and opinions - thanks

 

[brendy]

Ap1s are cast matey, you could get to a Titleist supplier and try the ap2s though. The longer irons are not that hard to hit and still have a small cavity rather than out and out blade design.

 

[Imurg]

Don't think AP1 are forged.
Nor are JPX800
JPX800 Pro are forged though and probably easier to hit than, say, MP53's - but not a lot.

Why forged?
Plenty of good cast clubs around and to be honest unless you're a really good striker of the ball you'll struggle to tell the difference
I've gone back to cast (Cally RazrX Tour) from forged (MP58) and, on a good strike, there's really no difference to me - the ball goes where it's supposed to and I don't feel the ball off the clubface.
If you're looking for a thin topline then you're looking at forged - but most forged clubs are "aimed" at the "better" player so may be a bit tricky for a higher handicapper to use - less offset, smaller head etc etc

Too many people fall into the trap of wanting to use forged clubs because the "better" player uses them - I'm getting better - ooh I must use forged clubs because that's what better players use..Who says?
Use what's best for you, if it's forged, cast, or a can of beans on the end of a stick.

 

[2004Champ]

This "better players must use forged irons" myth doesn't wash with me.The most played iron on Tour is a cast club (Ping S56).

I'm actually in the process of buying new irons and you know what? I'm going to buy the ones which give the best results on the launch monitor.I don't care whether they are cast or forged and I don't care what they look like.

But in response to the OP check these babies out - the best of both worlds>>>>>>>>>> http://www.taylormadegolf.com/products/irons/tour-preferred-cb-irons

 

[Ethan]

This "better players must use forged irons" myth doesn't wash with me.The most played iron on Tour is a cast club (Ping S56).

The most played iron on Tour? Any evidence that the S56 is the most played iron?

 

[Smiffy]

My Ping i15's feel forged when I catch one sweetly. Having said that, I couldn't tell Stork from Butter either.

 

[MashieNiblick]

I'd imagine Lee Westwood falls into the category of "better player". He uses Ping I10 irons. Lots of top pros use cast clubs nowadays.

Although a lot is made about the different "feel" of a forged club there is a lot of debate about whether you can tell the difference. I have used only forged clubs for years but my vokeys are cast (from a soft steel) and feel great. My current clubs, MX25s are forged but have a good cavity (they were the JPX Pros of their day). The fact they are forged is a part of their appeal and I do think that makes a difference to how they feel. I can't be sure though. All I know is that I like them.

I think the real difference, as Imurg suggests, is in head design, forged clubs tend to be either blades or shallow cavities, cast tend to be GI or SGI with bigger cavities. That in itself has a big impact on what the club feels like. However there are cast clubs (Razr Tours or Ping S56) which are smaller and sleeker. I also think it's ironic that for all the talk of better feel with forged clubs (a lot of which I do believe) the shot that really feels awful is the mis-hit forged blade.

If you do want to try a forged club aimed at a mid handicapper without spending a fortune you could do a lot worse than looking out for a good s/h set of MX25's, or the later MX200 and MX300. There's also always plenty of ex-demo clubs either in pro shops or on e-bay for 10-20 quid that you can try out.

The thing is though to forget what the club is made of, just buy something that you like and can hit well.

 

[CMAC]

Keef, you'll get a beautiful NEW set of Mizuno MP62's from Golf bidder for about £300 (less for excellent second hand) and the world #1 uses them.

I started golf when there was ONLY blade styles but go with whatever you like the look of especially at address

 

[timchump]

titleist ap2 are very similar to the ap1 but forged.

have a look at this vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Ioad7mRDE

 

[hovis]

titleist ap2 are very similar to the ap1 but forged.

have a look at this vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Ioad7mRDE

i have ap1's and was told they are forged...buggers

 

[Philm]

mizuno mx200

hard to beat

Phil

 

[USER1999]

Just to add to the confusion, quite a few clubs are cast, and then forged. A lot of the stuff made from made from 8620 for instance. Like my Adams cb2's.

Who cares?

 

[palindromicbob]

MD do a Seve Icon forged iron. It offers some forgiveness and is a nice forged iron for the cost. I was looking at getting them but couldn't strike them as well as the Callaway Razr X so opted for the thicker top line and more forgiving club.

 

[JustOne]

i have ap1's and was told they are forged...buggers

 

[NWJocko]

My current irons may be up the street you're looking for although they are pretty small and you do need to hit the sweet spot or you'll know about it results wise.

They are not big cavity back irons by any means but do have a cavity and are forged, I think their full title is Nike VR Forged split cavity. Rolls off the tongue.

Must agree with the forged v cast thing though. Not as if I hit a shot well and think "thank god I was using a forged club instead of a cast because it felt so much better"........

 

[splashtryagain]

Not much point in starting the forged vs cast argument but it so happens a lot of the better player clubs (ie good looking) are forged (with the exception of ping - the ansers are horrible but the s56 and i15 not bad at all).

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Never sure why mid handicappers (including myself) get so hung up about hitting forged clubs over cast. I've tried a lot of clubs, mainly because I enjoy it and really like to see how each performs. I can honestly say it makes no difference to the results whether I hit cast or forged. My favourite club of the year is the R11 and followed a close second by the Cleveland CG16 I tried at the Forest of Arden. Again cast. Cleveland are a make I've really overlooked for irons but this was an great club.

I don't want to move the ball (straight would be nice) and don't have the finesse around the greens to really make any difference to my short game. To me its whatever club keeps the ball in play, with decent distance a good flight and a fair degree of forgiveness without being overly chunky or ugly.

 

[keef]

thanks for the considered responses. I may look at the mx 25

 

[HomerJSimpson]

thanks for the considered responses. I may look at the mx 25

I would seriously look at the R11's too

 

[viscount17]

of course you could go the whole hog and get fitted too,