We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Golf Digest Obsolete list... Irons

SuperStroke
RedRum

RedRum

New member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
177
Reaction score
0
Location
California
Handicap
12.2
I get a couple golf magazines for free every month, must have been from something I signed up for, and this month they featured and opsolete list of clubs.

To my suprise, my irons were in the empty battery cattegory!! (they state as belonging in a golf museum) I have been looking at new irons, and this just seemed to add fuel to the fire.

Do any of you put weight behind these golf magazines' findings? Are my irons really that far behind the new offerings?

Oh, and the irons are Cleveland TA5's. I think from 2002 or so...
 
That was an interesting article. I liked that they mentioned that my irons and my FWs are still "relevant", which I took it to mean that they are still great clubs. I think so, and I'm glad that someone else does! :thumb:
 
I glanced through the article, but they only covered men's clubs so I lost interest.
 
I was reading that article too.... I would be lying if I said I wasnt looking to see if some of the fairway woods I have been eyeing were on the list haha.

Iron technology seems to improve or change each time a new iron is released. Its starting to feel like buying a computer. I'm almost afraid to purchase my irons today but I figure it will always be like that. You may find some clubs that give you an edge over what you have now. With all the new tech its probably out there :) Who knows though.

Let us know what you decide to do!
 
They had my Adams Idea Pro (07) irons with only half battery life, but I figure I've only had them for a season and I didn't play a crazy amount last year so I figure that they are good for a while. It did make me want to upgrade when I read that though.
 
You have to remember that the majority of these magazines are in the business of and supported by golf club manufacturers. While there may be some validity to some of the products that they put up you have to remember that they are in the business of selling.
 
Young Money said:
They had my Adams Idea Pro (07) irons with only half battery life, but I figure I've only had them for a season and I didn't play a crazy amount last year so I figure that they are good for a while. It did make me want to upgrade when I read that though.
Click to expand...

they arent talking about wear and tear, they are talking about technology. So no matter what condition your clubs are in, the so called 'battery life' will still be the same
 
Yeah, good point.
 
are the Ping S58's on there? I know on Pings website they are now considered "Classic Irons."
 
My hybrid is on the one-quarter battery life. I still think it is one of the best hybrids ever made.
 
Good point about the magazines selling up clubs... And their used club value seems b.s... Where can I get a set of Cobra s9 irons for 114$ ?
 
I wouldn't put much stock into it. It would appear to be nothing more than a magazine telling people their clubs are old and out of date to prompt them to get new ones. They have irons on there that are less than 5 years old. I have a driver that is 7 years old and a 3-wood that is 15 years old. There is nothing wrong with either of them and I haven't found anything I can hit any better so I stick with them.
 
I think if you are still comfortable with the clubs and you play fairly well with them then use them. There is something to be said about newer technology but there is no guarantee that you will play better if you get newer clubs.
 
bonknhead said:
That was an interesting article. I liked that they mentioned that my irons are still "relevant", which I took it to mean that they are still great clubs. I think so, and I'm glad that someone else does! :thumb:
Click to expand...

X2 I was thinking the same thing haha :act-up:
 
irons are very personal, and knowing your irons well is very important to playing well

unless you're having some issue with your current set I don't think there's any reason to change at all
(if people changed irons as often as they change drivers we'd all be terrible!)
 
First off if you clubs are on the list and you love them just ignore it. Second of all the golf industry like most others is in a world of hurt and GD is trying to help sell some clubs for them. It might have been better and reached more people if President Obama had issued this with incentives for the golf industry.:angel:
 
Gus R said:
First off if you clubs are on the list and you love them just ignore it. Second of all the golf industry like most others is in a world of hurt and GD is trying to help sell some clubs for them. It might have been better and reached more people if President Obama had issued this with incentives for the golf industry.:angel:
Click to expand...

Hmm, I guess they can't use "Cash for Clunkers" again, but how about "Dollars for Duds"? My bag would be worth almost $10! Woohoo!

Edit: I remember that you, I and Biggsy all play X-14s. I love the clubs, but I think Biggsy is defecting to Cleveland.
 
Last edited:
Why wouldn't they have just ran an article entitled: "please buy more things from our advertisers or else we might have to quit putting out silly articles like this one" ?

There is one major innovation in irons: the cavity back. Beyond that, they are all shaped hunks of metal designed to hit balls into the air. Yes, the technology has made them a little more forgiving over the years. Lofts in them have strengthened quite a lot so it seems like "technology" has made them better. That 9 iron you are swinging today is a 7 iron of yesteryear. But really, what has changed? A little mass moved around, until 2010 slightly larger grooves -- that's it. If you are swinging an old set of butter-knife blades, then yes, there are better options today.

Now, you want to talk about fairway woods, hybrids, and drivers. Technology has improved them in the last decade, though considering that MOI and COR are regulated at their maximums, there really isn't a whole lot more that can be done here, either.

There really is only so very much that technology can do. Technology cannot swing the club for you. Technology can ameliorate some of the effects, but if you hit the ball off-center, then the ball will not fly the same as if you hit it on the sweet spot. In the end, training and practice hitting the club correctly is the only way.

Give a touring pro any of the sets that are "empty batteries", and 20 mins to warm up and get used to them, and watch them destroy your home course. The swing is the overwhelmingly majority determinant of how well the ball is struck.

If you want to get fitted for the perfect shaft, length, weight, lie, lofts, etc. of your iron set, I think that those are all fine. In particular, I think that in recent years, there are many different shaft choices, especially if you want to consider graphite. If you just want a different look, or just want to try something different, I can get that too. But, please don't let some magazine tell you that your irons are "obsolete" just because there were made in 2002. Swing those irons well and hit the ball with the sweet spot and any iron from any reputable manufacturer made in the last 25 years will be fine -- and there are many sets much older than that for which the same statement holds.
 
Damn Bignose.. Lay it down!! haha. Thanks for the vote of confidence in my current set. Make me feel a lil better.

Im glad to hear other opinions, other than my irons suck. I have been hitting them really well, and still like the look of them, so I think they will stay.

And I would still like to find where I can buy cobra s9 irons, or other clubs they have listed for their "used values", at those prices.... Seems like they lower their credability with these "prices"
 
Yeah, I just hate when a source gives the appearance of impartiality when there is pretty clearly a bias. Look at how many players -- a few touring pros even -- still game the Ping Eye 2 irons. Those are from the mid 80s. It really has to tell you something when the people who play golf for a living don't feel an urgent need to upgrade. It tells me that whatever improvement have been made in the last 20 to 25 years haven't been that significant -- because why would these players allow other to have a significant advantage over them? If the newer irons were so much better, everyone would be playing only the newest irons and that's it.
 
I would be willing to bet that every set I have is on the list or too old to even make the list, yet they play just fine for me. I hear about club fitting and finding the set "just for you" as the key to playing much improved golf. I suggest that I could play almost any blade type iron just as effectively as I play my current sets. I can change sets every other round and get similar results. I agree that there are set out there that I could not play because I just can't adjust to the offset or the look at address, but if the sets are of the same genre, I can play em within a few holes. It is still the archer more than the arrow. Arrows can make it a bit easier, but it cannot straighten out poor technique.
 
RedRum said:
Good point about the magazines selling up clubs... And their used club value seems b.s... Where can I get a set of Cobra s9 irons for 114$ ?
Click to expand...

that price is the price stores will buy them for
 
It is amazing that they would tell you which clubs are obsolete. I know quite a few single digit handicappers who use irons from the 80's. I use the Nike Pc's, they are quite old, but they work for me. I do not have a lot of time to test new irons, and quite frankly I am very happy with my old set. With all the new choices, it can make your head swim trying to test all the options.
 
I think we need to take this list with a grain of salt in the same way we do with their Hot List. It's only an opinion and not necessarily fact. An analogy would be a car....I car from the 70's is technologically obsolete in many features compared to today's cars but if it still gets you to where you want to go and you're happy with it then why change?
rajohnson said:
It is amazing that they would tell you which clubs are obsolete. I know quite a few single digit handicappers who use irons from the 80's. I use the Nike Pc's, they are quite old, but they work for me. I do not have a lot of time to test new irons, and quite frankly I am very happy with my old set. With all the new choices, it can make your head swim trying to test all the options.
Click to expand...
 
I agree Thanks... But Car and Driver wont try to tell you that your car sucks. haha.
Just for the record, its not like I am upset about this article, but just made me think. I though my irons were in great shape, and to see something like this is a little dishearting, even if there are no facts to back it up.

It's kind of funny, because I remember an issue a couple months back, where they gave a tour pro a set from the 70's or even 60's, and he had results close to that of his new, custom fit, custom grinded clubs.

I guess in the end it is a good thing, because if nobody bought new clubs, they wouldnt be putting the dollars into R & D, which eventually benefits all of us.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top