Bridgestone J40 Cavity Back Irons
INgolfer
Internet Golfer
Man I tell you what...I took these out for my first range session with them Sunday to see if I needed to make any adjustments with this C-Taper shaft. I've never used it before and it seems some people absolutely loved it or hated it, there wasn't much in between. From the first swing it was nothing but beauty. First time hitting the irons and the shafts and the trajectory is exactly what I've been looking for. Nice penetrating flight, no loss in distance whatsoever. I may have even gained a few yards but I won't know for sure until I get them out on the course. I was expecting the shaft to feel a lot stiffer than the PX but surprisingly it wasn't. Everything felt smoothe through the whole swing and I was making great contact shot after shot that showed me immediately how amazing the sound and feel of these irons are. I am pumped to get them out on the course this weekend and get a couple rounds in!
dcbrad
locked and reloaded
That's awesome double D. You are going to be a dangerous man in myrtle!
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
I hit these for the first time today and I struck them so well. The sound was so pure.
I could manage the trajectory better than I ever have been able to before, and I was able to shape the ball both ways.
I can't wait to meet my opponents come July.
I could manage the trajectory better than I ever have been able to before, and I was able to shape the ball both ways.
I can't wait to meet my opponents come July.
Chunkylover77
Proud JakeNation Member
Took these out today and played OK. Starting to gain my confidence again. I hit some very solid shots especially with the scoring irons. Had a 5I that I hit outstanding on a long par 3. Played match play and pretty sure it was over by the 6th hole. Game is coming around
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
I have always considered myself a pretty good iron player, but I must admit I don't think I have hit anything this good. They launch high and they make a piercing sound like I've never heard before from my shots. And they spin too!!
- Staff
- #207
Very nice IN, glad to hear you're enjoying the pairing you went with in these. You're dead on about the original CT's, not for everyone but BLISSFUL for some.
Love it, hope the MC'ers that went with these are getting on with them well!
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
My first round with these yesterday and a ton of promise was shown. Even with 3* weak lofts there is no distance difference, because they are 1" long. These longer shafts are much easier on my back. These need to be bent a touch flat, which is why I missed a couple greens, but I am loving these!
INgolfer
Internet Golfer
Just a little update on how these irons are performing for me. This is my first experience with the CB irons as well as with the KBS C-Taper shafts. I combined the two to give me a little lower ball flight that I was desiring from my irons. I ordered my irons 1/2" long because thats what I played with all last year and it worked perfect for me. The one thing I forgot to do was ask them to bend the lie back to neutral because when you order irons the standard lie increases 1* for every 1/2" of length. Last year I had the extra length but a neutral lie. So far with these I have them 1* upright, which I may end up having to bend to neutral. I am striking the ball great, and I am noticing a lower ball flight. Not very low by any means, but lower than the PX shafts I had on my previous set. I no longer watch my 4 iron shot and think "wow that gets as high as my 9-iron." Great thing is I haven't lost any distance, I may have gained a few yards but couldn't say for sure until I get a few more rounds on the course. I've spent most of my time on the range trying to work out some flaws that have crept into my swing after my first lesson. My round on the course this past weekend went spectacularly with the irons, with the exception of just missing slightly left on a few shots, which I attribute to the lie, and it just throws me off mentally because my miss is to hook it sometimes if I throw my hands at it too quick, so thinking about that before a shot and knowing that the ball will go a little left anyway has messed with my head. But I had 2 approach shots that I stuck to 2 feet for easy birdies.
It was a little windy when I played on Sunday, which was perfect because those are the days I used to think "crap, this is not going to be good with my high ball flight." Well, I still managed 79 thanks to these irons keeping the flight down. It was only my second full round on the course with them. I am really glad I decided to take a chance with the C-Taper shafts. I am getting the ball flight I was looking for with no sacrifice in distance. As I mentioned, I may have gained about 5 yards or so but I need a little more time on the course with a rangefinder to hit some balls at an exact distance from the pin. I should have a chance to do that a couple times this week.
All-in-all these irons are working great for me. Still deciding whether to leave them 1* upright or return them to a neutral lie. I won't know til I get a few more rounds under my belt. They will only perform well if my confidence is high, and I don't feel like it is at a high level when I stand over the ball. I know I will make solid contact, but I don't know how much draw to estimate on my shots. If I can comfortably and consistently play the draw I will stick with it.
It was a little windy when I played on Sunday, which was perfect because those are the days I used to think "crap, this is not going to be good with my high ball flight." Well, I still managed 79 thanks to these irons keeping the flight down. It was only my second full round on the course with them. I am really glad I decided to take a chance with the C-Taper shafts. I am getting the ball flight I was looking for with no sacrifice in distance. As I mentioned, I may have gained about 5 yards or so but I need a little more time on the course with a rangefinder to hit some balls at an exact distance from the pin. I should have a chance to do that a couple times this week.
All-in-all these irons are working great for me. Still deciding whether to leave them 1* upright or return them to a neutral lie. I won't know til I get a few more rounds under my belt. They will only perform well if my confidence is high, and I don't feel like it is at a high level when I stand over the ball. I know I will make solid contact, but I don't know how much draw to estimate on my shots. If I can comfortably and consistently play the draw I will stick with it.
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
A little update on my iron situation, I absolutely love these. They take off like a rocket, soar high, land soft, and stop fast. I love that I've been these 3° week, because they mesh so well with my wedges. It also lets me have a CB 50° wedge and I have enough loft on the pitching wedge of which I can get creative with.
I have no issues elevating my three or four iron and getting it up and stopping fast. I am pleased with my set up and my transition. As of late, and I think my partners for the first two formats will be pleased as well.
I am hooking these irons a bit, and I will be getting these bent 1 or 1.5° flat. I love these golf clubs! They make me a better golfer. Period.
I have no issues elevating my three or four iron and getting it up and stopping fast. I am pleased with my set up and my transition. As of late, and I think my partners for the first two formats will be pleased as well.
I am hooking these irons a bit, and I will be getting these bent 1 or 1.5° flat. I love these golf clubs! They make me a better golfer. Period.
That's awesome dude. Can't wait to see you hit them.
mikedean441
6X HOF
To hear you may be getting more lethal with these afyer beding them should scare some folks
INgolfer
Internet Golfer
I had a few rough shots today that were not the irons fault, but for the most part these irons have been very solid for me. They have brought my iron flight down enough for me to not have to worry about the windy days so much, and I gained a good 5-7 yards on each iron. They have tremendous feel to them, but nothing too harsh at all if I do mishit one a little. That may partially be due to the shafts on them also. I will be getting them bent to neutral rather than being 1 degree upright this week. I have tried to adjust and learn how to play the draw but since I've been struggling a little bit to begin with the last thing I need is to be worrying about shaping shots. I just need to get the ball in the air and quit hitting so far behind it. Anyhow, I am extremely impressed with these irons, I have been blown away by the accuracy and consistent distances on my shots. I demolished the par 3's today thanks to these bad boys. I was even par on the par 3's for the day.
CharlieMoy
Well-known member
Had a pretty good day today with these irons, and I love them more and more every round. I still need to get these adjusted but I am hitting the ball pretty well just drawing/poking it a bit. Nothing I can't adjust for though and I am looking forward to the formats down in Myrtle Beach.
INgolfer
Internet Golfer
I have so many great things to say about these irons that I don't think I will be able to think of it all in one post. Thainer and I had a lot of conversation about these irons leading up the Morgan Cup. The DPCs are some great irons but the Cavity Backs just don't get enough credit. I paired my Cavity Backs with the KBS C-Taper shaft in order to bring my iron flight down a little bit, and it worked flawlessly. On a normal swing I would say I get a mid-high trajectory, which is fine with me because it isn't super high any more. But the one thing I do have is a low trajectory shot. I tried to pull this shot off a few times this past weekend and it worked every time except once lol.
Anyhow, I will share one shot. I wont mention which round it was in or what hole or anything since the coverage hasn't aired yet. But I had a hole where I had about 138 to the pin, slightly into the wind and had to go over some water, so coming up short wasn't an option. My normal 140 club is my 8 iron but I knew with the wind it would come up a little short, and I was scared to hit a full 7 iron and have it go too long because the wind wasn't strong enough to be a full club longer, and my 7i usually goes about 155. I can't choke down on clubs because it just throws me off mentally and I thin it every time. But I pulled my 7i out, pulled off the shot I had been practicing and it just went straight at the pin, very low and very high spinning. I have been looking for this shot for like 3 years!
I pulled off that shot a few times this weekend. I had been spending some time working on using my 7-9 irons to hit shorter shots like 75-100 yarders, and even out to 125 so that if it was windy I didn't have to pull my sand wedge and get it caught up in the wind. I think practicing this shot a lot over the last few weeks is what helped get my swing back in shape because in order to hit this shot I really have to hit more down on the ball, leaving a divot on front of the ball, and really keeping my hands ahead. This lead to keeping my hands ahead on full shots.
Anyhow, what I am trying to get at is that these irons with the C-taper shafts are KILLER, and extremely versatile. I think they offer almost as much forgiveness as the DPC, so if you've hit the DPC and love them you definitely should give the CB a try. Slightly smaller profile that can really pack a punch. The look of these irons fit my eye a little better than the DPC and I'm extremely glad I decided to go this route.
Anyhow, I will share one shot. I wont mention which round it was in or what hole or anything since the coverage hasn't aired yet. But I had a hole where I had about 138 to the pin, slightly into the wind and had to go over some water, so coming up short wasn't an option. My normal 140 club is my 8 iron but I knew with the wind it would come up a little short, and I was scared to hit a full 7 iron and have it go too long because the wind wasn't strong enough to be a full club longer, and my 7i usually goes about 155. I can't choke down on clubs because it just throws me off mentally and I thin it every time. But I pulled my 7i out, pulled off the shot I had been practicing and it just went straight at the pin, very low and very high spinning. I have been looking for this shot for like 3 years!
I pulled off that shot a few times this weekend. I had been spending some time working on using my 7-9 irons to hit shorter shots like 75-100 yarders, and even out to 125 so that if it was windy I didn't have to pull my sand wedge and get it caught up in the wind. I think practicing this shot a lot over the last few weeks is what helped get my swing back in shape because in order to hit this shot I really have to hit more down on the ball, leaving a divot on front of the ball, and really keeping my hands ahead. This lead to keeping my hands ahead on full shots.
Anyhow, what I am trying to get at is that these irons with the C-taper shafts are KILLER, and extremely versatile. I think they offer almost as much forgiveness as the DPC, so if you've hit the DPC and love them you definitely should give the CB a try. Slightly smaller profile that can really pack a punch. The look of these irons fit my eye a little better than the DPC and I'm extremely glad I decided to go this route.
I've been reading through this thread and figured I would bump it for those who are pondering going with the Cavity Backs or a combo set like me. I have not seen these in person, but in the pics they look gorgeous. I'm hoping to get a chance to hit both these and DPCs soon so I can see which setup would work best for me.
- Moderator
- #217
Great bump dude!!! I will most certainly be leaning towards a combo set, as these irons are awesome. Just need to decide on a shaft.
Have you hit the CBs? Any thoughts on these vs the DPCs in term of forgiviness/distance?
- Moderator
- #219
The CBs are a bit weaker lofted, but I'll be having mine bent to match the DPC specs.
I find them to launch a bit lower, but I personally don't see the benefits of the added forgiveness of the DPC in the PW/9/8 at least at this point.
Gotcha. I prefer the look of smaller scoring irons and agree with you in that I don't see the benefits in terms of forgiveness with scoring irons.
The setup I am looking at is the combo of 3-6 DPC 7-PW CB or straight 3-PW CB.
Tadashi70
Well-known member
I think these are beautiful and my bag may look similar minus the 5w and 5&6 irons as those will be DPC. Also not sure about the putter and will add another wedge....Oh you get the point I am trying to make
Johnny mojo
Mojovated!
Oh Yes Mr. Panda! Very nice....
dcbrad
locked and reloaded
Just wanted to put this in the appropriate place. I know there is a lot of talk about people automatically going for DPCs because of that added toe/heel forgiveness, especially in the longer irons. I will tell you, do not sleep on the CBs, use the test drive program to test both the DPCs and CBs out and see what is a better fit. The top lines on these both look like players irons, as evidenced by v.man's pictures in the MC thread.
In my opinion last year, I didn't notice a ton of difference between the CBs and DPCs in the forgiveness department. You will be penalized slightly less IMO on the toe with the DPCs, but nothing revolutionary IMO. There is a reason Bridgestone says these are for mid handicap and lower, both of these irons are definitely not game improvement.
But take it from a guy who was a 30+ handicap a little over a year ago. You can have success with either. I'm not trying to scare anyone, but these irons are real game changers. Message of the day, don't sleep on the CBs, you may be sad that you did!
One great piece of advice someone gave me about last year's cup is don't build a bag scared, as in, don't discount a better iron just because you feel like you may fail. Do some diligent work through winter, go through a fitting and let the results do the talking. Build your dream bag, this is the only shot you may have to do it.
In my opinion last year, I didn't notice a ton of difference between the CBs and DPCs in the forgiveness department. You will be penalized slightly less IMO on the toe with the DPCs, but nothing revolutionary IMO. There is a reason Bridgestone says these are for mid handicap and lower, both of these irons are definitely not game improvement.
But take it from a guy who was a 30+ handicap a little over a year ago. You can have success with either. I'm not trying to scare anyone, but these irons are real game changers. Message of the day, don't sleep on the CBs, you may be sad that you did!
One great piece of advice someone gave me about last year's cup is don't build a bag scared, as in, don't discount a better iron just because you feel like you may fail. Do some diligent work through winter, go through a fitting and let the results do the talking. Build your dream bag, this is the only shot you may have to do it.
Nebgolfer
Active member
Thanks for the bump, Brad. Was actually looking at a combo set for the first time today and wondering "what if I did that." I was all but sure I was going to be DPCs, but might have to put the CBs against them in test drive or at PGA Super Store to see which works better for me.
dcbrad
locked and reloaded
IMO you are doing yourself an injustice by not doing it. Even if you still go all DPCs, you can at least say, "I tried them, and they just weren't for me."