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THP member's recommendations wanted..

SuperStroke
AB_from_Oz

AB_from_Oz

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Hey THP Crew,

Only been here a short time but I love the site and all the product reviews. Would like some input from the very knowledeable THP members...

I am upgrading my irons in the next few weeks and began reading all the reviews on the various irons but being pages long I thought I would save myself some time and create it as a thread...

Okay I am a scratch golfer and I swing it reasonably hard (100mph 6i speed and 130mph driver speed). I prefer a thin top line on my irons and like minimal offset. I have been playing a very ordinary aka cheap set of blades (will keep brand anonymous to protect the company) with very light (100g) just over R flex steel shafts - I was competing in LD so I didn't worry about my irons at the time of making them up. Now I am playing golf though and want to go further with it, it is time to get some decent sticks, with some heavy X flex shafts. I have played okay with what I have but feel I am sometimes shooting myself in the foot with them currently (in terms of distance, direction and trajectory control)

I am thinking about stepping away from blades and taking advantage of the forgiveness of a player cavity... Been a LONG time since I hit a cavity iron though, hence my hesitation. No doubt THP is the best place to get feedback though...

So far the sets I am looking at are:

Callaway Razr X Forged
Callaway Razr X Tour
Taylormade Tour Preferred MC

Forget Ping as in Australia the freight kills it for us...

Would love to hear feedback from anyone who has hit these, tested them or owns them....

Cast votes as to what you think I should be looking at (If I have missed any irons, please feel free to make suggestions also)

Are the player cavities still workable and able to varied trajectory wise?

Finally the shaft... Tossing up between Dynamic Gold X100 and KBS Tour X, both at 130g. If you have thoughts on these or a preference between the two please let me know and why...

Many many thanks ahead of time, your input will be appreciated.

AB
 
I'd put up the Nike Pro Combo too. I personally game them and I know most of the testers in the thread are raving about them.
 
I'll tell ya that the Project X shafts are 120g, and I think they are great. I have the flighted version in my 2.0s, and I love them. I know I've seen them in quite a few pro's clubs, so they must be pretty legit.

EDIT: I just looked, if you're swinging that hard, the stiffer flexes are actually more than 120g. Goes up to 135g based on your flex for flighted, up to 130g for non-flighted.
 
Definitely check out the Nike VR Pro Combo set, I personally think they are one of the best set's on the market at the moment
 
Have you the opportunity to get fitted? Reason I ask is there's a lot more than just swing speed to consider when choosing a shaft.
 
Might want to look into Mizuno JPX-800s. Some of the best irons I have ever hit. Crazy good.
 
MikeF said:
Definitely check out the Nike VR Pro Combo set, I personally think they are one of the best set's on the market at the moment
Click to expand...

These felt really solid when I hit them as well. Definitely give them a look.
 
Have to hop in with the others and recommend to at least try the Nike VR Pro Combos. Get the blades in the scoring irons and some cavities in the rest of the set. Shaft options GALORE as well.
 
Are the player cavities still workable and able to varied trajectory wise?
Click to expand...

Absolutely.

Dynamic Gold X100 are gonna be the lowest launching shafts. I love the feel of them also. However shafts are a very personal trait for a golf club so I would recommend trying them both.
 
MikeF said:
Definitely check out the Nike VR Pro Combo set, I personally think they are one of the best set's on the market at the moment
Click to expand...

JT723 said:
Might want to look into Mizuno JPX-800s. Some of the best irons I have ever hit. Crazy good.
Click to expand...

From all I have read I would definitely include these 2 with the 3 you have mentioned. Right now without having hit any of these but based on reviews and looks the Nikes would be the early leader, but a fitting would be the determining factor for me. Good luck and keep us updated.
 
Another vote for the Nike Pro Combo's. I am loving mine.
 
JRod said:
Absolutely.

Dynamic Gold X100 are gonna be the lowest launching shafts. I love the feel of them also. However shafts are a very personal trait for a golf club so I would recommend trying them both.
Click to expand...

This may be personal to everyone, but I second what JRod said about the x100 shafts... I've had them in my last two sets of irons and their flight is lower than any other iron shaft I've used.
 
bingo. tempo, transistion speed are big factors as well

the_paulo said:
Have you the opportunity to get fitted? Reason I ask is there's a lot more than just swing speed to consider when choosing a shaft.
Click to expand...
 
I hit all three at the outing. I was super excited about the MC's until I hit them. I really wanted to like them but ended up being very disappointed. The Razr X forged felt way better and I was getting better dispersion and ball flight characteristics than the MC's. IMO, they also looked much better. I ended up going with the Razr X Tours because they gave me everything the Razr X forged showed me plus it was more forgiving on the mishits which is beneficial for me since I'm not a great ball striker. Top line wise the RXF's were the closest to blades out of the three.

Went with Rifles since they gave me the best numbers but out of those two shafts the DG is definitely the lower launching of the two. I tried the DG, PX, Rifles and KBS Tours and felt the DG and PX were the "boardier" of the 4 and the latter two gave me some extra tip flex that I liked so I can easily shape some shots better. Only issue with that is that it didn't help my high ball flight (none of the 4 really helped) and that's why I'm really curious about the new C-Tapers that KBS came out with (supposedly it has feel of KBS Tours + lower launching characteristics). Hope this helps and good luck with the search!
 
I would also look at the Adams CB line. I really liked both the CB1 and the CB2. I thought they had a very good feel, consistent ball flight, and were very workable but forgiving if that makes sense. Almost bought those, but the PING numbers were better. The other shaft I would look at is the Project X line. To me the most consistent ball flight and feel, with the DG a close second. The Project X line also comes standard in the CB1 series.
 
Another set to look at if you are considering going back to cavity backed would be the Taylormade R9's. I hit them and they are forgiving with the short irons, but not so much with the longer irons. The long irons play great if you can strike the ball well (you can because you're scratch), so they play a lot like blades. The short irons are much more forgiving and offer great feedback. I highly reccomend these.
 
AB, I've played a fair bit of golf in Australia, so I know that the wind can be a factor at times. I honestly think (and I'm assuming you are a high spin, high launch golfer) that you should put KBS C-Taper's in Xstiff in your irons. As for the irons themselves, it's very personal but I have to cast my vote for the Razr X Tours. If it's forgiveness you seek, these have them. You can still flight them lower if you want and you can certainly move the ball laterally if you want but what they excel at, is straight. They are gorgeous at address and I think they inspire a ton of confidence.
 
From the ones you listed I would check out the TM MCs #1 and RAZR X Tours #2, I didn't particularly like the RAZR X Forged as I just don't see the benefit of hit something so hard to hit. I have been gaming the MCs for a few months now and these are by far the best irons I have ever hit!!! The RXTs were really nice, but when I was testing them, I got better results with the MCs. Also, I tried the Nike Pro Combos and honestly I don't see what all of the fuss is about. I wasn't a fan, but that's why they make more than one flavor of ice cream! Get out and try a bunch of stuff before you make the purchase. Also, if I can give one more suggestion. If you can get your hands on a set of Heavy Irons. It is probably next to impossible in Australia, but these irons are legit. I was watching super low handicaps up to high handicaps hit the same irons and just hitting them super well!

As far as shafts go, it all depends on your ball flight and preferences. I have the X100s in my MCs and I really like them. I have lost about 5 yards with them, but have gained a ton of accuracy. I love the way the KBS Tours feel but I hit them too high. If you are a low hitter these would probably be perfect. If you hit it high then the X100s or even the KBS C-Tapers maybe the way to go (these are my new obsession!)
 
Everyone is so different with different needs. Try a ton and get what works best for you in a real world setting. I narrowed my search down to two sets of irons based on what I was told by friends, but found out neither set gave me the best numbers in both distance and accuracy as the TM 2.0's. I've tried a bunch of others since and keep coming back to those as the one's that just give me the best return, yet others have better results with say the Razor X that just didn't seem to fit for me. It may be the shafts, or the look, or just my particular swing, but the 2.0's were actually about the last thing I wanted and turned out being what I needed.
 
I really like the TM MCs, and they do promote a lower ball flight than some others I've tried. They also provide more forgiveness than a blade style club head. As for shafts, my golftec instructor, who competes in long drive and has a 140+ mph swing speed, games the DG X-100s hard stepped to help bring ball flight down. I think TC's suggestion of the new C-Taper shafts is definitely worth checking out too.
 
I am a huge huge fan of the Razr X tours. I think they are one of the best irons on the market right now
 
Thanks heaps for all of the advice so far THP crew, I really really appreciate it... Some great and helpful comments.

I was initially swayed towards Taylormade being offered an awesome deal, but I am starting to lean towards the Callaway side of the fence. Still I want to hit all of these models prior to making the final decision.

I have done an initial testing and fitting but I will definitely do some more in depth work prior to making the final call. I am actually considering going to the Callaway Performance Centre in my state to try all of their products in the options I am looking at. Have been to a couple of demo days, Ping being one, but the hard thing as they didn't have a full X flex compliment in gear to test, with it being the least frequently sort after flexes.

I hit the X100 against the KBS tour, and found that the KBS went a little too high for my liking. I need something with a very stiff tip as I tend to bend the clubs when compressing them. I also felt for some reason that the X100 felt heavier (even though they are quoted at the same weight?) and this was something I really liked. Will definitely check out the other options you guys have mentioned though.

I did find the comment on the softer tip providing ease of workability interesting though as I have found the opposite. Currently my irons play so soft, fades become pulls and draws become blocks as the heads are lagging or releasing too much. Also getting some big "flyers" off the fairway with these shafts.

I will take care to analyse the data carefully when I go for another testing session. The LM I think provides some weird distance calculations. Last time I hit against it, I was producing 210 yard 7i's on the LM (one that was 226 yards when I stepped on it!). I generally game my 7i on the course at about 180 yards so I think a 30 yard gain is a bit innacurate. But looking at ball speeds, trajectories, spin and dispersion figures could give some good comparitive data.

Thanks for the input THP, very knowledeable crew in here and the advice is much appreciated. Please feel free to keep it coming as it is definitely taken on board.

Sometimes better to have a groups input than just your own as you often overlook things that others can pick up. So thanks again.:clapp:

AB
 
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