Which irons do you use?

[RichA]

I've got Ping G425 irons which are great, when I'm playing well.
Going against standard golf philosophy, when I'm playing badly I use my half set of 40-year old Mizuno blades and find they get me back on track.
My handicap is teetering between 15 and 19 over the last year.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

This is problem i see with the modern stronger lofts. At the top end of the irons you can just stop at a 5 instead of a 4. But at the bottom you need extra wedges to fill the gap after the P/W.

Maybe its just a marketing think to make us buy more clubs. You find now when you buy a set its 5-p/w you then need 3 wedges and maybe a couple of hybrid/driving iron. Years ago it was 3-p/w in a set and you just needed the 2 wedges at the bottom.

For those using “shovels”, the big headed, game improvement irons, which have strong lofts; how far do you hit your pitching wedge?

 

[rosecott]

I’ve used Orka GS5 CTI Flatline 80A Graphite for the last 8 years

Had an iron fitting last year with a very well respected local fitter who stocks Ping, Mizuno and Cobra and we couldnt find anything that made any significant improvement.

I couldn't resist. Did he suggest any other means of making a significant improvement?

 

[PhilTheFragger]

I couldn't resist. Did he suggest any other means of making a significant improvement?

Rude
I’ll have you know my index has dropped by 2.5 in the last month.

No mention of cribbage was made ??

 

[RichA]

For those using “shovels”, the big headed, game improvement irons, which have strong lofts; how far do you hit your pitching wedge?

Is G425 a shovel? 44.5° and I use it for 135 yards.
For comparison, my 1980s Mizuno Pro MS-5 blade pitching wedge is 50° and is good at about 110 yards.

All things are relative though. MP-20 MMC irons are tech-heavy, strong lofted shovels compared to the irons of 40 years ago.

 

[Bratty]

Mizuno MP20 HMB, KBS C Taper Lite stiff shafts, play off 10.9. I find them forgiving on toe strikes, not as much on heel strikes but still pretty good. I'd recommend them to anyone, but wouldn't tell them that they will be suitable for them! I think they're a great iron, but others have struggled with them, so who knows! ?

 

[tsped83]

Ping G400s. Hcp is 12, the irons are nice and friendly.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Is G425 a shovel? 44.5° and I use it for 135 yards.
For comparison, my 1980s Mizuno Pro MS-5 blade pitching wedge is 50° and is good at about 110 yards.

All things are relative though. MP-20 MMC irons are tech-heavy, strong lofted shovels compared to the irons of 40 years ago.

I’m just wondering how far people hit these clubs. Especially as they get moaned about so much for being too strong.
If their users are suddenly knocking them 160 due to the jacked lofts I could understand the issue.
But as they are mostly used by higher handicap players, who on average don’t hit it as far I can’t see the problem with strong clubs.

 

[KenL]

Ping G425. Index will be 4.6 tomorrow, 4.9 today.
Hit my PW about 115 yards, that's 135 forumyards.

 

[RichA]

Ping G425. Index will be 4.6 tomorrow, 4.9 today.
Hit my PW about 115 yards, that's 135 forumyards.

I envy your obvious ability, with the 4.6 forumhandicap, but if I swung my PW at a speed that it would carry 115 yards, I don't think I'd actually get the ball airborne. I wish I could.

 

[Crow]

I envy your obvious ability, with the 4.6 forumhandicap, but if I swung my PW at a speed that it would carry 115 yards, I don't think I'd actually get the ball airborne. I wish I could.

I'd agree 115 yards seems a bit short, 44.5° is an 8 iron in my language and I'd reckon to hit that 125 to 130 yards.
Maybe KenL went for the "Retro Spec" with a 47° PW?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Either Ping I25 or Ping I's. The latter look better to my eye vut if my game is off the I25's give me marginally more help on off centre hits. Big Ping fan and the I25's were fitted but the I's were bought second hand via Golfbidder but were ex-demo and the majority hadn't been used and those that were had been hit only a couple of times

 

[Lump]

JPX 900 tours currently, Soon to be MP 221/223 combo. KBS C-Taper X.
Playing off 1 atm.
Love my current irons but they are battered after 4 years use.
Nothing feels like Mizuno, end of!

 

[Hobbit]

What irons? Er, I don’t know. I know they’re one of those hollow blade type irons but, bizarrely, I don’t know. Mrs. Hobbit bought them for me for my b’day last Oct, and used half a dozen times. We were in a golf shop and I happened to say they looked fantastic. She went back later that day and bought them.

HI is 5.3 but I’m not playing anywhere near that as I rarely play… maybe once a month. Still picking up two’s, so I guess they work for me.

Would I recommend them? Irons are a personal thing. I’d let people choose their own without colouring their judgement.

 

[Golfnut1957]

This is problem i see with the modern stronger lofts. At the top end of the irons you can just stop at a 5 instead of a 4. But at the bottom you need extra wedges to fill the gap after the P/W.

Maybe its just a marketing think to make us buy more clubs. You find now when you buy a set its 5-p/w you then need 3 wedges and maybe a couple of hybrid/driving iron. Years ago it was 3-p/w in a set and you just needed the 2 wedges at the bottom.

Marketing, all day long. Not so long ago someone invented hybrids and started to tell us that the long irons we had been hitting forever were too difficult for us and that we needed hybrids. Not long after OEM's ditched these difficult long irons from a standard set, but they neglected to include the hybrids that we were told we need, however to compensate us they dropped the price of a standard set...not.

As you say when we bought a set in the past it was 3 to PW, 8 clubs, suddenly we are only getting 7 clubs or in extreme cases 6 or 5, and the price is becoming more premium both for the set and for the clubs we are required to fill both the top and bottom of the bag. Marketing genius.

 

[BiMGuy]

Ping i500 with retro lofts.

Off 9.3

 

[srixon 1]

2016 AP2s and SM6 wedges.

 

[FuzzyDuck]

Cobra King F9 One Length.

 

[timd77]

Currently using Taylormade p790 irons. I say currently because I’ve changed clubs multiple times in the last 6 months…I’ve dabbled in buying and selling second hand, try them out before selling, like them and end up selling the other set! Handicap has still been coming down though and I’m currently a 17.9.

Not been hitting the ball great of late, shorts game and putting has been my saviour. But I think I’ll stick with the p790s because they’re nice looking clubs with a bit of forgiveness and muscle.

 

[Canary Kid]

Game improvement … Ping G20 5-uw. 28.6 handicap.