Let the buyer beware!!!!!

[swingalongamax]

Great post, you lending me £1000 for a set of custom made irons? Sorry but if you want golf to grow, you can not have the best of both worlds.

My bespoke forged irons 4-P (KZG) are the best forgings you can get, frequency matched shafts, MOI matched (makes the irons feel the same through the set, better than swing weight matching). Set up precisely for me. Cost £500. No marketing, no endorsements, no full page glossy ads, no paying off the golf mag to give a good review. Just great components built for me with care and attention to detail.

 

[swingalongamax]

swingalong

I don't subscribe to especially not needing the majority of my irons.

Oh You need them, but because the tolerances on loft, shaft length and shaft flex are so bad in most sets the overlap in tolerance makes two or more adjacent irons play the same. ie a 3 4 and 5 iron may actually produce the same distance for the same swing, instead of the expected 10yd distribution. Take that through the whole set of 9 irons and you may have 6 that become redundant due to this overlap in tolerance.

 

[swingalongamax]

[
I've nearly always had my sets double-checked by a pro or fitter. The manufacturing is so poor that in many sets, I've only had the odd club a degree or two out.

Sorry, but can't agree. None of the mass-produced stuff is perfect, but then again a few yards here and there with an inconsistent swing is OK for me....

Did they check the shaft length? Did they test the club on a frequency tester to check the flex?

My previous set of Callaways (Fusion £900 worth) when tested had flexes ranging from slightly softer than Reg to a very soft senior flex even with my swing that makes a big difference.

I know of one brand new set of Pings supplied from the factory when tested had all of the shafts incorrectly trimmed from the tip when they were adjusted to length, so the the 3 iron was seniors flex and the 9 iron was xxx stiff!

 

[RGDave]

I've nearly always had my sets double-checked by a pro or fitter. The manufacturing is so poor that in many sets, I've only had the odd club a degree or two out.

Sorry, but can't agree. None of the mass-produced stuff is perfect, but then again a few yards here and there with an inconsistent swing is OK for me....

Did they check the shaft length? Did they test the club on a frequency tester to check the flex?

My previous set of Callaways (Fusion £900 worth) when tested had flexes ranging from slightly softer than Reg to a very soft senior flex even with my swing that makes a big difference.

I know of one brand new set of Pings supplied from the factory when tested had all of the shafts incorrectly trimmed from the tip when they were adjusted to length, so the the 3 iron was seniors flex and the 9 iron was xxx stiff!

No, I didn't have the shafts checked. I doubt the results would be very good.

I'm interested to know (if anyone can help?) if there is a better level of consistency in steel shafts, and any particular make. My MacGregors were always a stop-gap, I went for them because I was more comfortable with the longer shafts and felt I got better distance from the graphite.
I tried all sorts that day and felt that these were as good for me as "Premium ticket" irons like TM and Callaway etc.
Now my swing is almost back to the days of old (a bit more slicey!!) I am REALLY keen to get a new set. I doubt I'll be anywhere near stiff rating, but would like to have an idea if there is any value in getting Rifles or Nippons or "something" over a True Temper or similar.

Top of the hit list a.t.m. is Callaway Diablo Forged, but I suspect the price will be way out of my range.

Sorry to hear about the Pings. If I didn't go for Cally or Mizuno, the i10s would be my cup of tea....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

swingalong

Its obviously something you feel pretty strongly on and that in itself is fine. However what I don't know or couldn't see is what qualifies you to talk with such accuracy about a) the manufacturing process, b) where your figures come through and how are they verified and c) what you know is wrong ot right for my game.

I'll help you with c)

I have gone out and measured a number of shots with all my clubs into and downwind (approximately 10mph) using an SC5 gps device. I have measured longest, shortest and taken a mean average, discounting any I hit fat, thin, sliced or hooked. Basically 10 per club that on a course would count as a decent shot at my level of playing

I'm afraid my numbers stack up pretty well.

4 iron 172
5 iron 161
6 iron 151
7 iron 140
8 iron 131
9 iron 119
PW 104

There is a pretty consistant gap of between 9 and 15 yards per club. At my level that level of dispersion is pretty average and so I'm sorry but I think your argument has some flaws.

 

[mono217]

your completely right homer

 

[woody8]

Onlinegolf made me an offer that I won't disclose on here, but suffice to say I was happy with them. Through onlinegolf I upgraded to Titleist AP2's (obviously not made to measure). I like a softer and smaller (small hands) grip so took them to the same professional who had measured my TaylorMade's. He picked out 4 at random and measured them (he was so confident in Titleist's engineering) - every club was exactly as it should be.

I'm sure that discrepancies do happen, just not on the scale or frequency of my TaylorMade's.

Only used them a couple of times, but the consitency is there: suddenly the 8 iron, 9 iron and PW are firing on all cylinders and landing where they should be. The same goes for the rest of the set. I'm happy.

 

[DCB]

Thats some post for a situation thats all been dealt with by the retailer.

Oh the joys of buying clubs online.

 

[M1tch]

4 iron 172
5 iron 161
6 iron 151
7 iron 140
8 iron 131
9 iron 119
PW 104

is that what you hit or is that just a normal person ?