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Moving to players irons for better concentration?

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Duckhook247

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Hello all,

New to the forum so be gentle. I'm currently swinging 714 ap2''s KBS Tour V X. I've been kicking around the idea of moving up to the CBs with the thought that a slightly more difficult iron will help me concentrate more on my swing and ball striking and not rely so much on the forgiveness of the club. Just wanted to see if anyone had anyone has tested this theory or just what the general input would be.
5 HDCP.
 
Welcome to THP!

This is a topic that comes up every now and again. A majority of people feel that a more demanding club does not make you a better player and that you should play the most forgiving clubs you enjoy looking down at. A vocal minority will disagree.
 
I vote no. Concentrate just as hard at making solid contact with the AP2s and you'll be fine.

Between those two irons, I still think the error is still quite distinct.
 
I have never understood how harsher irons make a person think harder and thus make a better swing.

I vote no.
 
Doesn't make much sense to me, though some definitely disagree. But go for whatever is the most fun for you. That's what golf is supposed to be about!

I would ask as a 5 handicap where you are losing strokes. You probably have a solid game if you were able to go so low with your handicap. I'm wondering where your efforts are best spent.


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Do they make a player concentrate more and build a better swing? No I don't think so. I also don't think you need to be single digits to play blades. If you looking for a change I would say this. Try them and find out if they provide you what your current clubs are lacking. I think you'll be fine playing them but won't make you focus more.
 
I vote no also.

I am of the same school of thought. Having tried it, I've gone back to something more forgiving that I didn't mind looking at. Costly decision.
 
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I say play what you like, no reason to rationalize it. But my question is, are Ap2 irons not players irons?

They are played by "players" can be flighted and moved, thinner sole and minimal offset.
 
I've gone the opposite way over the last few years and I don't see myself going back any time soon. I love the fact that I'm no longer rattling my teeth on every mishit.
 
.. As others have commenting .. i vote no also ...... i don't see a players iron improving focus or concentration and what about woods , putter or wedges .... do you change them also ?? i believe you could change out all 14 clubs weekly and you have a much better chance of becoming a club ***** { junkie } then you do improving concentration .... concentration is a mindset which to me means getting your brain focused .... no club will help that .... changing pre-shot routine , maybe re-visiting some basics ? like alignment , finding a spot in front of the ball in the general direction on where you aim or plan to hit , it is too easy to get or become complacent or just going through the motions ... changing clubs just won't help that ... good luck
 
I say play what you hit better... Everyone's swing is different so some may benefit from the step up, some may not. No use in trying to justify it in your mind or on paper if the results don't match up.
 
I say play what you want. But why not concentrate more with the AP2s. They are pretty much a players irons already. I put these side by side last week and prefer the AP2s in a big way.
 
I know what you are saying, not sure where I exactly fall in the debate. My general feel is to play with what makes you happy.
 
Nope, because when I put a mediocre swing into a GI iron I get a mediocre to not terrible result. I worry less about my swing mid-round, so in general my swing doesn't go totally south.

If I put a mediocre swing into a player's iron and the ball goes nowhere, well, it only takes that happening a couple of times before I start thinking about my swing, not my target, not my visualization. That's not a recipe for a good round.
 
I've got a couple of thoughts for you Duckhook.

If I heard you saying you couldn't shot shape or flight your current set of irons like you want/need at your level then I'd say an iron change might be in order. But you didn't say that and we both know the AP2s are plenty good enough to shot shape, so no I wouldn't recommend changing irons.

At your level, improving your handicap through iron play is all about getting your approach shots closer to the hole. You need to challenge yourself to do so. If your average leave on an approach shot is 30 feet focus on getting inside 20 feet and track how often you do so working to up the percentage over time. This will get you to focus on these shots on contact, alignment, all the things that go into a more accurate result. It's also the kind of thinking and challenge you will need to improve from here forward. Because, guess what? Once you get your proximity to an average of 20 feet, you'll need to challenge yourself to get it down to 15 feet. PGA Tour pros make only 50% of their putts from 8 feet, so getting your approach shots closer to the hole is huge!

JUST FOR FUN - I guess if the original thought of improving via a less forgiving iron set was sound, we'd all be out their looking for hickory mashies and niblicks.
 
Thanks for all of the input. Just something I read the other day and wanted to know if anyone tried it and how it worked out. Honestly I lose more strokes in putting than in anything else.
 
Duckhook247 said:
Thanks for all of the input. Just something I read the other day and wanted to know if anyone tried it and how it worked out. Honestly I lose more strokes in putting than in anything else.
Click to expand...

If you lose more strokes in putting, then why not concentrate on improving that first, before looking at new irons?
 
Stick with the AP 2's, the last thing we need is something more to think about while swinging the club. Your ability to hit the more demanding irons will come with time.
 
I did the same thing. I moved from R9's to MP 52's and it worked out fine. Aim small, miss small I guess. I just moved up to coverts because the MP 's were getting old.

Still, bottom line, try them out before you make the switch. Whatever works is the gamer. And the ap 14's are not exactly a walk in the park.
 
It wouldn't improve "concentration" but you will sure as heck find out right quick if your swing is janky.

I would suggest finding a big outdoor range/shop and hitting some Titleist MB, Srixon 965 or Cobra MB's and have a fun workout. Then go back to your normal clubs and go "ooohhh yeah this is better."
 
I'm not sure switching to players irons will help anybody concentrate. But player irons are usually smaller then GI's, and therefore have a smaller area of forgiveness. I personally feel the smaller irons are easier to hit. I tend to get lazy with GI's and that's why I don't play them for now.
 
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Where are these GI irons that make every strike feel the same?
 
Look up "golf differential practice".
 
I too thought of this one day, didn't work out well for me. It ended up getting in my head. The best is to go into a swing with a clear mind. I think setting up and thinking about how you need to strike the centre of the face is one of the worst things you can do for your mental game, IMO. Set up, put a good swing on it and make subtle adjustments based on the feedback from previous shots. I would advise against going to a CB over your AP2. Your AP2's aren't that forgiving either, if you're hitting them well enough then keep at it. :good:
 
blugold said:
Where are these GI irons that make every strike feel the same?
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FWIW, there are some irons out there that do very much blur the feedback given on strikes across the face. So I get that point.

I'm one who plays better with smaller irons though, and have taken crap for it in the past. It makes literally no sense, but, it is what I have seen time and again.
 
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