Just been told my irons arent right for me :(

[Philm]

I went in to a local golf shop and was having a browse around the store when my eye fell upon some 2nd hand Mizuno mx300 irons.

everything regular.

now as my conversation with the fella there got on abit I asked about trading in my mx100 in the stead of these mx300 plus cash his way ofcourse.

so he asks to see them and I grab them from the boot and next thing he lines them up againt the reg set of mx300s in the shop and lo and behold my clubs are 2degrees flat.

ofcourse that’s just perfect for him as a seller as he didn’t take long to convince me that this wasn’t ideal and I would indeed benefit from a new set of clubs.

just wondering am I really hampering my swing/connection by hitting these 2degree flat irons?

im a regular guy, 5,10/11 height and normal build for a 23year old fella bout 12stone.

Any advice appreciated

Phil

 

[KeefG]

I know the MX-100's are cast and not forged, but i'm fairly sure a decent pro would be able to adjust the lie for you on those again.

2 degrees flat is probably a little flat for your height, but then again the guy hasnt seen your swingpath or anything, so how he can say they are wrong for you is total bollocks to be fair!

He should a least have asked you to tape the sole of 1 or 2 of your irons up and go and hit a few balls to see where the club strikes the mat.

Dont be fooled my friend!!

 

[bobmac]

They might be perfect for your swing.
The only way you'll find out is to try them on an impact board at your local pro shop.
Then take it from there.
Good luck

 

[Philm]

so the clubs could be perfect for me?

I have been playing with the clubs for over a year and ive had no reason to doubt them any more than my own ability in that time. haha

well ill have a word to a pro and see if he can set me straight. and ill maybe even try to get them straightened out at the proshop too.

thanks for the input guys.

Phil

 

[brendy]

Dont let any sales guy tell you what is right or wrong without a decent bit of a session with contact tape etc. Just asking you to take a stance isnt enough I believe.
where did you go out of interest Phil?

 

[Philm]

Dont let any sales guy tell you what is right or wrong without a decent bit of a session with contact tape etc. Just asking you to take a stance isnt enough I believe.
where did you go out of interest Phil?

went to Nevada bobs in bangor.

I really want to have a detailed session, with all the equipment etc, but I also don’t want to feel pressured into buying new gear on the spot. I honestly don’t have the money to change my irons before the new year. but I could afford to have the lie sorted and a friend is a pro (neil and gareth graham) down at kirkistown so I may pay them a visit and get some friendly advice rather than some sales advice.

that being said the folks at Nevada bobs were very pleasant (a lady and a tall dark haired fella) but ultimately the are sales folk.(like most)

ive no idea how any of the tapes or contact mats work to be honest.

I think the big negatives for me are

a)i don’t want to FEEL forced into buying something (I wont be actually be forced lol)

b) im a 20 h/capper who is alittle embarrassed about that, I guess thats good that im not content with that!
so im not really looking forward to getting a fitting and having folk turn there nose up at my current ability when im on the mat.

c)im worried that playing with these clubs any longer could actually give me habits and feedback that is wrong or twisted.

Phil

 

[brendy]

Getting clubs custom fitted may well improve your game slightly, but to be honest, its technique and touch.
Yes your 4 irons might go slightly longer or whatever but if your swing is flawed (whos isn't?) it aint the clubs fault.
Having a slightly stiffer or softer shaft certainly wont be helping with 20 yard chips etc. I would say take the emphasis off the irons and get a couple of decent wedges and a putter you are happy with then practice the life out of them. It wont be long before the handicap drops towards single figures and you wont have the feeling of someone having to sort you out when you go looking for new weapons.

As an aside, I bought my G15 driver there as I had a gift voucher from leaving my last job. I was on the launch monitor for a good 45 mins before deciding to go for it (the guy was on his own so was looking after the shop which gave me more time and less interruptions and suggestions to cloud my own particular aims and testing), not before taking a v2 Rapture onto the course to find it was useless compared to my old mizuno and later, the G15 that I bought. I didnt pay any attention to the stats as the be all and end all, but I did use them to compare clubs that I tested. For example, I was hitting the G15 with a carry of 260+ every time, the V2 went 250 but seemed straighter (on the monitor), some Callaway driver went as far as the v2 but imparted more spin and a Titleist (was a year ago now and cant remember the exact model) carried 230. I have found I just cannot get on with titleist drivers, even when specced up with the same shafts as the rest I tested.
I still have the g15 and am a lot straighter now than I was before I bought it and now the handicap is heading back towards where I want it.

 

[bobmac]

Phil, what happens is they put some paper tape on the sole of your iron and get you to hit balls off a hard plastic board. Where the club hits the board a mark will be left on the tape. If the mark is in the middle of the sole it's right for you.
And don't be worried about your swing, they've certainly seen a lot worse.
We all have to start somewhere.

 

[Philm]

well i meight have a look for a bit of smooth hard plastic myself and some drawing tape myself. lol

see if i cant put my mind to rest myself.

Phil

 

[brendy]

I really wouldnt bother unless you are consistently dragging the heel or toe. Remember, you practically never hit of a flat lie so why get fitted for flat lies only? Some wont agree with that but the plain and simple truth is none of us are consistent enough until we hit very low single figures.
Personally, I know that I can go out on two consecutive days and swing like a pro the first then like donald duck the second, which swing do I fit for?

 

[haplesshacker]

I was told by a club Pro that cast irons, like the MX100's, shouldn't be bent and altered more than once. Firstly because it can seriously weaken the head, and secondly, it's flipping hard to do.

I don't know how much truth is in it as I think Ping offer a used club alteration service.

The 300's are very good though. I had the 100's predecessors, MX19's, and found that I could hit the 300's more consistently with the 'better player' club than the MX19's.

But as always. What suits one, may not suit another.

Problem is now you have it in your head that the 100's are not right for you. Even if they are good for you, your head will be telling you different.

 

[Ethan]

"Went to Nevada Bobs"

I think I see the problem.

I would look for a club based pro who can do a fitting. Pay £20 for it if necessary, and the pro will advise on what type of club, what lie, shaft, grip size. Make sure that includes an impact board, where you hit balls off a hard piece of plastic which leaves marks on tape attached to the sole of the club, and a launch monitor which measure launch angle, spin etc. Ideally a place that has the Mizuno shaft optimiser device too.

 

[ash01]

Keep playing with the clubs you have now.

Keep a pot aside with the cash in it ready for new clubs and keep adding to it when and if you can.

The winter season is great for practice, so work on your swing and ball contact.

Then when the new season starts you will have improved your swing and ball contact etc. and may well be ready for new clubs or decide that the ones you have are working well for you and will use them until your handicap levels out.

Ash!!

 

[Yerman]

You can tailor your clubs to your swing, but the wonderful human body can also tailor your swing to your clubs!

Don't believe the hype!

 

[griffgolf]

I would say go get a custom fitting from a proper Custom fitting centre as Ethan says.
If it costs you £20 so be it and at least it will get it out of your head.
If you do not buy anything at the time of the fitting you will definately have your swing specs from an authorised pro and not just from any oportunist sales man

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I know a lot of the big custom fitting centres (Belfry, World of Golf etc) will give you a C/F session at a one off cost but will give you all the specs and technical data and let you go away with it and sourse the clubs elsewhere. At least you'll know.

However why not get your pro to at least let you hit a few on an impact board and get a quick idea of whether they are wrong or not. It should be a 5 minute job just to hit a few and see the marks on the bottom of the impact tape

 

[sawtooth]

I often wonder about this myself and next year I promise to go to a reputable place to get evaluated for this sort of thing.

I ask myself - how can a standard club off the shelf be ideally suited to people of all shapes and sizes? I've ignored this until now because I needed to learn how to play to a reasonable level first. I would be interested in knowing if lie angle, lofts, shaft weight, flex, etc could make an improvement.

I'm sure it can a small difference but I dont expect it to halve my handicap for example. Lie angle is the one I am most curious about having never had it checked. I was told though (and this does makes sense) ,if the lie angle is too steep for you the toe will be in the air at address and the heel will have a tendency to dig in and close the club face on contact with the ground.