We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Forgiving Irons

SuperStroke
S

semi

New member
Joined
Oct 8, 2013
Messages
275
Reaction score
0
Handicap
6.5
I posted yesterday about 2 different irons i was looking at. Let me first say thank you to those who have been helping me determine the right irons for my abilities. I guess i should have probably started out with this post in the first place.

My golf game is improving, but haven't played much except for the last year or two. I played 4 rounds on a particular course in the last month that was rated slightly above average in the difficulty range. My scores were 95, 96, 98 and 104. So if that gives you any guess at how i play. the 104 was on a windy day with some rain and very wet ground.

I am looking for my next set of irons and have asked the question about Callaway Xhots and Ping G25.. want i would like to learn about is other "FORGIVING" irons on the market i should be looking at. My hits are not always consistent. I usually hit irons pretty straight at the range but on the course i get some some left and some right. i am working with a pro now to get my swing more consistent. I do believe that having a "FORGIVING" iron will only help my play as i get better. other than the 2 clubs i mentioned, is there others i should consider? i am looking at "game improvement" clubs right now and not super game improvement. My iron swing speeds are in the mid 70's and i play low spin balls whenever i can like the E6. I want to get as close to right this time. i have TM Burner 2.0's now and just never warmed up to them. They seem longer than my previous clubs and never really found anything special about them. My goal is to learn enough from you so i don't fall for what the box store sales guys are pushing and that i go in equipped with knowledge. Its seems whenever i go to look at new clubs they always push TM or Callaway and nothing else matters.
And trust me, I know what works for others may not work for me. Its going to be about what I feel most comfortable with, but I would like to learn a good starting point.
 
Both of the irons you were looking at are quite forgiving. I would say that each brand out there has a set that offers plenty of forgiveness. Other than the two you mentioned.

Cleveland - 588 MT & 588 Altitudes
Nike - Covert Irons
Wilson Staff Di-11
TaylorMade SpeedBlade
Cobra Baffler hybrid irons
And many more

If someone likes hybrids, it is hard to go wrong with the Altitudes from Cleveland. However if you are more of an iron guy, and many people are, the best way to find out is to try each. Outside of that, I would say pick the one that looks the best to your eye, fits your budget and enjoy them.
 
JB said:
Both of the irons you were looking at are quite forgiving. I would say that each brand out there has a set that offers plenty of forgiveness. Other than the two you mentioned.

Cleveland - 588 MT & 588 Altitudes
Nike - Covert Irons
Wilson Staff Di-11
TaylorMade SpeedBlade
Cobra Baffler hybrid irons
And many more

If someone likes hybrids, it is hard to go wrong with the Altitudes from Cleveland. However if you are more of an iron guy, and many people are, the best way to find out is to try each. Outside of that, I would say pick the one that looks the best to your eye, fits your budget and enjoy them.
Click to expand...

Thats a good list. I would add the TaylorMade Rocketbladez to the list. The reason I got them is because they are so forgiving, especially off the toe. I would imagine with the SpeedBladez coming out they can be had rather cheaply now.
 
Forgiving Irons

py6a2uma.jpg
these are the tour model but that just goes to show you that the RBladez can be had for cheap
 
Might look at the Cobra Amp Cell as well as a more traditional GI iron as compared to the Bafflers. I've hit both and for some reason the Bafflers worked better for me, but I liked the Amp cells as well. Both can be had for and absolute steal right now.
I think the biggest difference you will find in a top level SGI compared to GI will be mostly appearance at address and in some cases a difference in ability to work the ball. As a high handicapper I'm not sure how far out in your game shaping shots is. At the end of the day you will assess what fits best performance, eye, and budget wise.
 
My personal experience is with the RocketBladez, which are super forgiving on toe and low misses (not so much on heel misses).

I've seen hordes of people swear by the forgiveness of the Altitudes.

The reviews I've seen in the SpeedBlades thread seem to indicate the forgiveness of the R/Bladez is still there, if not even better.

The review threads for those three clubs in particular contain so much information...you may want to spend an afternoon reading through them to help you make a purchase decision.
 
JB said:
Both of the irons you were looking at are quite forgiving. I would say that each brand out there has a set that offers plenty of forgiveness. Other than the two you mentioned.

Cleveland - 588 MT & 588 Altitudes
Nike - Covert Irons
Wilson Staff Di-11
TaylorMade SpeedBlade
Cobra Baffler hybrid irons
And many more

If someone likes hybrids, it is hard to go wrong with the Altitudes from Cleveland. However if you are more of an iron guy, and many people are, the best way to find out is to try each. Outside of that, I would say pick the one that looks the best to your eye, fits your budget and enjoy them.
Click to expand...

I got the Wilson di11s this year and I am really pleased with them, very forgiving. You can get a full set for under $200.
 
I am not sure there is a "terrible" club in this category, but what is most forgiving for some of us may not be for you.

JB posted a great list to start with.

Do you have a budget in mind?

are there local golf shops that you can go to?

I won't be the only one to say it but testing off the rack clubs will not give you the best idea of what works best for you unless you are one that fits the stock length/lie and shaft combo. I would suggest getting a fitting and seeing what fits you best. A fitting is the best way to go when getting a new set of clubs as lie will dictate right/left misses and shot shape and proper length will help you hit the sweet spot more often.
 
I hope this isn't taken as condescending, but honestly the most forgiving irons you can hit are the ones you're fit for. If that means a particular dot for Ping irons, go with them. But a set or irons with the right lie angle isn't going to snap open or shut with turf interaction, and getting them the right height will lead to more easily hitting the middle of the clubface. As JB noted, every major OEM has a set or two with a lot of perimeter weighting and other bells & whistles to maximize forgiveness. The trick is finding/creating the set that best suits your swing and your game.

The way I see it, I won't ever buy another club that I'm not fit for. Golf is hard enough. Why make it harder by using, essentially, someone else's clubs?
 
Paladin said:
The way I see it, I won't ever buy another club that I'm not fit for. Golf is hard enough. Why make it harder by using, essentially, someone else's clubs?
Click to expand...

That makes sense, for sure. With that said, if you don't have that option, be it from location, or extra cost involved...then the ones Semi and JB mentioned are all solid contenders...but you have a point.
 
agree with all of this.. i have golfsmith and golf galaxy nearby. i will ask about a fitting. My budget is $700 or less. Less preferrably but that's what i have in my pocket for new clubs as of now. At least with what you guys are saying i can try some of them. There are just so many Taylor mades, and Callaways on the shelf i have no idea where to start. Its not that i don't completely trust the sales guys, but it seems as if they just want to sell what is expensive and they have their own bias. But there was no less that 6 different kinds of TM's on the shelf at golf galaxy..
 
Im not sure your location, but I would consider a demo day in your area or a THP event.
 
semi said:
agree with all of this.. i have golfsmith and golf galaxy nearby. i will ask about a fitting. My budget is $700 or less. Less preferrably but that's what i have in my pocket for new clubs as of now. At least with what you guys are saying i can try some of them. There are just so many Taylor mades, and Callaways on the shelf i have no idea where to start. Its not that i don't completely trust the sales guys, but it seems as if they just want to sell what is expensive and they have their own bias. But there was no less that 6 different kinds of TM's on the shelf at golf galaxy..
Click to expand...

Find out how much a fitting is from, say, GolfSmith (I use them as an example because that's who I've done my fittings with). Generally they'll offer some timeframe for how long a fitting is valid where the purchase of a certain value in clubs will be reduced by the cost of the fitting. In other words, pay $50 for an iron fitting, then, when you purchase a set of irons (even if not the set you're fit for) you'll get $50 off.

Alternatively, you can pay for the fitting, then find the set you want online, and potentially still pay less than the cost off the rack. If you discover you're an unconventional fitting, find out the store's policies on altering lie angles on clubs, and take that into consideration as well. Some places will alter the clubs to your specs upon purchase, and some places won't.

Lastly, there's nothing wrong with being up front with either your fitter or the employees of a store about your budget. A golfer looking for the best deal is (generally) going to get better interaction with staff than someone who just wants to buy the latest and greatest.
 
I was up front and honest about what I wanted to spend. At first I said, I don't want to know about pricing right now, I want to know a good club I can learn and grow with. I told him under $700 as I believe I can get what I need for my skill for that price or less. Someone of my skill level will not benefit from a set of $1500 clubs.
 
Really what you want to look for is something with a deep cavity, wide sole and offset. Theres lots of great options out there but Im partial to the Mizuno JPX-825 or even the JPX-800 or 800 HD if you are looking to save some money. The 825s are filthy long.
 
Being this time of year you should be able to get set up with an awesome set of irons for sub $500. I wouldn't let the sales person push you in one direction or another brand wise. Get fitted, test, purchase based on results. Test as many models as you can with an open mind. The quality of all of the top OEM sets will be equal so it comes down to what performs best for YOU, whether it be TM, Callaway, Cobra, Ping, Adams, Cleveland, or any of the others.
 
Ended up with a custom fitting for the ping G25's. I had the smallest dispersion pattern this this club. Tried the mizzuno jpx825, xhot, rocketbladz, and ping. Really like the feel of the ping clubs. Thanks for your help on this. The xhots did launch further than them all however by about 7 yards.
 
Good job getting fitted and congrats on the purchase. Those are really nice clubs!
 
semi said:
Ended up with a custom fitting for the ping G25's. I had the smallest dispersion pattern this this club. Tried the mizzuno jpx825, xhot, rocketbladz, and ping. Really like the feel of the ping clubs. Thanks for your help on this. The xhots did launch further than them all however by about 7 yards.
Click to expand...

Distance isnt everything. Glad you went with what worked best all around.
 
Buckeyeduffer said:
Might look at the Cobra Amp Cell as well as a more traditional GI iron as compared to the Bafflers. I've hit both and for some reason the Bafflers worked better for me, but I liked the Amp cells as well. Both can be had for and absolute steal right now.
I think the biggest difference you will find in a top level SGI compared to GI will be mostly appearance at address and in some cases a difference in ability to work the ball. As a high handicapper I'm not sure how far out in your game shaping shots is. At the end of the day you will assess what fits best performance, eye, and budget wise.
Click to expand...

I'm currently gaming the amp cells and think they are a perfect game improvement iron. You can also find some great deals on them now that the season is winding down.
 
Congrats! Hit them well.
 
Hi, I think a little different. The technology and the milling of the cavities on forged heads has gotten so good, it makes it hard to consider a cast club. The forged heads play as forgiving as any cast, but the advantage is they are bendable. Being able to correct for lie angle and occasionally loft corrections, make them easier to be more forgiving.
Ping , Cleveland and most everyone make a cavity back forged head.
Cheers,
 
First post on this website and I came straight to this forum. I have been researching the heck out of my iron purchase to come. Just wanted to thank everyone posting on this thread. I was a low single capper a few years ago but I just don't play enough anymore. I'm playing some srixon 506's with some rifle shafts that were trimmed for me. Fot them fitted at totally driven in Mn, but now I'm in DC. I'm hoping to have something wrapped up soon. Thanks again.
 
kmanc said:
Hi, I think a little different. The technology and the milling of the cavities on forged heads has gotten so good, it makes it hard to consider a cast club. The forged heads play as forgiving as any cast, but the advantage is they are bendable. Being able to correct for lie angle and occasionally loft corrections, make them easier to be more forgiving.
Ping , Cleveland and most everyone make a cavity back forged head.
Cheers,
Click to expand...
This should get interesting...:popcorn:
 
kmanc said:
Hi, I think a little different. The technology and the milling of the cavities on forged heads has gotten so good, it makes it hard to consider a cast club. The forged heads play as forgiving as any cast, but the advantage is they are bendable. Being able to correct for lie angle and occasionally loft corrections, make them easier to be more forgiving.
Ping , Cleveland and most everyone make a cavity back forged head.
Cheers,
Click to expand...

You can bend cast hands quite easily.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top