We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Adams a12 OS Irons Review Thread - Forum Testing

SuperStroke
Yoccos said:
I think even in the very beginning of our golfing lives, if you have a set that isn't a good transition to your game.. It just might cause you more trouble than good. I'm not in any way belittling the previous AOS line but I think the difference visually is pretty clear with the 12's over the previous sets. That might play a factor mentally.
Click to expand...

For sure. The hybrid irons really put me at ease at that time. Even though the scoring irons were packed w/ forgiveness I still preferred the bulk.
 
I have had these for almost three weeks now so I thought it was time for an overview of the a12OS. My first rounds with these have been an adventure to say the least. I've shot 85, 98 and 96 in my full rounds and 47, 43 and 48 in my nine hole rounds, so four times out have been positive to two times out not so positive. On the good side, the 98 and the 96 were full of three putts!

My thoughts so far:

Hybrids: I was really excited to try these, possibly more than any of the other clubs and they haven't disappointed. I am very impressed with the Velocity Slot Technology; I like these so much more than the Nickents. Longer, higher and a LOT more forgiveness. I've hit the 4 as much as 196 yards but have had a few mis-hits that went 120 or 130. I guess a normal shot is about 170-175 for me. The five and six are about ten yards less each normally. I can get more but when I try to get extra yardage, I see the slice coming back, so I have to aim more left to compensate.

I have been working on turning my wrists over more throughout the whole set and I am seeing some extra yards, but I am still at the stage where I have to force myself to do it, and I have been seeing a few pulls left, which at times has got me in trouble, which has led to the two high 90s scores. It's happening less often, but when it does, there's almost always either a penalty shot or recovery shot involved! The bigger pulls have been occuring in the hybrids, but I don't think it's as much on the hybrids as it is on my release. The course I play really penalizes you when you don't keep it near the fairway, and the high scores are the result.

The Velocity Slot has remained pretty clean throughout this whole testing; I haven't cleaned these other than wiping down the face as needed because I've been wanting to see how the slot fills up with grass/mud/etc. Really the only time it's an issue is when it's wet, but a little thump on the ground has kept it clean.

My yardages with the hybrids are about 10 yards farther than the similar clubs in my HB3 set.

Transitional clubs (7 and 8): When I first unwrapped these I was intrigued with the concept. These are the clubs I am having the most problems with on a consistent basis out of the whole set. The gap between the transitional irons and the hybrids is what I have been working on reducing. I think the natural progression says I should be at 140-145 with the 7, but it's been consistently 130-135, with the 8, 10 yards shorter in the first rounds I've played. My last couple of rounds I've been seeing some increase in them, but it's still not quite to where I am expecting it to be the more I get used to them.

As with the hybrids, I am concentrating on turning my wrists over better and have been seeing better results as I get more comfortable with it. I have pulled a few left because of it, but not so much that it's causing me any worry. I don't think it's going to be impossible to get these to the gap they should be, just taking me a little time. Seems like I have been getting in more reps with these two clubs lately, which is good and bad as these have left me short at times, but the reps are getting me more confident in them. I don't hesitate to pull them out, because they haven't been getting me in anny major trouble other than being short with them.

Even so, my yardages are similar to the same clubs in the HB3 set. I have been using them as though they are going to go ten yards more, as that is the goal.

Irons (9, PW, GW): I have liked these since the beginning, especially the Gap Wedge. I have had less full shots with these than any of the other clubs, so I've been switching between these three clubs mainly from 80 and 90 yards and in. When I do get the chance to hit these full, they are consistently about 5 yards farther than the HB3's for the 9 and PW. I hadn't been using a Gap Wedge previously. I think as I get more used to them I will get an additional 5 yards or so as I have seen it already on occasion.

The one thing I do see is that the yardage with the irons is that they don't roll out much. A couple to 10 feet or so on fuller shots, 5 to 15 feet or so when hitting shots that put less spin on them, chips and pitches, for instance. Around the green, these are very nice because I can fly them closer to the hole.

Overall: From what I've experienced so far, If I had to create a new bag right now, it would be the Adams hybrids and irons. I would drop the transitional clubs and instead use the 6 and 7 irons in the HB3 as I think that gives me the correct gaps. I like the hybrids so much that I will likely be purchasing the 3 before next season.

It's been a long time since I have hit the HB3's so I think tomorrow I might rest the Adams and take those out to get a refresher on how I hit those.
 
Good write up Smallie! I'm going to looking to add the 3H to the set as well and maybe the F-11 3w with the velocity slot technology.
 
Nice writeup Smallie! I can say from experience you hit those hybrids really well
 
Great writeup Smallville, I really want to hit these hybrids
 
That's really interesting stuff, Smalls. Do you think you're mis-hitting the transitional clubs more often? Have you hit them the expected distance at some point?
 
Nice writeup Smalls. Sorry to hear about the transitionals. I was wondering exactly what Hawk asked because even if you're just mishitting it a tad, it could effect your distances some.
 
Hawk said:
That's really interesting stuff, Smalls. Do you think you're mis-hitting the transitional clubs more often? Have you hit them the expected distance at some point?
Click to expand...

Spank818 said:
Nice writeup Smalls. Sorry to hear about the transitionals. I was wondering exactly what Hawk asked because even if you're just mishitting it a tad, it could effect your distances some.
Click to expand...

Yes, and I think it's mainly in my head. I do get better with them every round though, but I'm just not improving as much with those as the rest of the set. I have hit them much farther than the expected distance, just like hybrids and the irons, so I know the potential is there, I just haven't got the consistency with them yet. Which sucks, because it seems like everyone else is not having any trouble with the 7 and 8! I am at the point where I hit them when I am at their expected distance, sooner or later I'll get them dialed in. In the meantime, the times I leave them short gives me more practice chipping and pitching!
 
It makes sense and I appreciate the honest feedback, Smalls :) I had a similar issue with the mixed set, just with a different portion of it.
 
Smallville said:
Yes, and I think it's mainly in my head. I do get better with them every round though, but I'm just not improving as much with those as the rest of the set. I have hit them much farther than the expected distance, just like hybrids and the irons, so I know the potential is there, I just haven't got the consistency with them yet. Which sucks, because it seems like everyone else is not having any trouble with the 7 and 8! I am at the point where I hit them when I am at their expected distance, sooner or later I'll get them dialed in. In the meantime, the times I leave them short gives me more practice chipping and pitching!
Click to expand...

You know, just to add to your post Smalls, for the average consumer who is a bit of a head case when it comes to looks and how they hit them the transitionals don't even seem any different. I think maybe the best thing Adams can do is just get rid of the 'hybrid' tag on the hosel because I wouldn't have thought of them any different than the cavity backs unless that tag was there. I like the fact that there is somewhat of a consistent look and size of this set (the irons and the transitionals) that don't scream "I'm built for forgiveness".
 
Smallie, nice job man. My first thought was possibly the shafts are wrong for you, but you are used to graphite I think. No idea what's up with the transitions, but I'm struggling with the hybrids on soon days.

I read through quick, still at work, but are you seeing fat, thin, or toe shots?

Tap,Tap,Tap
 
thedue said:
Smallie, nice job man. My first thought was possibly the shafts are wrong for you, but you are used to graphite I think. No idea what's up with the transitions, but I'm struggling with the hybrids on soon days.

I read through quick, still at work, but are you seeing fat, thin, or toe shots?

Tap,Tap,Tap
Click to expand...
Yes! hahaha

Interestingly enough, a combination of fat and thin shots. More fat, but enough thin to pi-- me off!
 
Went out and played 7 holes with my instructor tonight. Hit my driver great, my FW woods pretty good, but was not hitting my hybrids or irons well. It was just an off day for me. I tried to help the ball up, flipped, hit thin shots you name it. I did manage to hit a few good iron shots later in the round. Funny thing was that while warming up on the range with my PW, I was sticking it to the pin over and over from 100 yards out. I usually hit a 9 iron to that pin but the PW was dead on it today. This pretty much confirmed to me that my distance is a club longer with these irons. It also amazed me at how close to the pin I was getting EVERY time. The ball flight was dead straight.

We ran out of time for him to check my clubs tonight so I am going to take them back up (maybe tomorrow) to let him check the lie angles.
 
KellyBo said:
Went out and played 7 holes with my instructor tonight. Hit my driver great, my FW woods pretty good, but was not hitting my hybrids or irons well. It was just an off day for me. I tried to help the ball up, flipped, hit thin shots you name it. I did manage to hit a few good iron shots later in the round. Funny thing was that while warming up on the range with my PW, I was sticking it to the pin over and over from 100 yards out. I usually hit a 9 iron to that pin but the PW was dead on it today. This pretty much confirmed to me that my distance is a club longer with these irons. It also amazed me at how close to the pin I was getting EVERY time. The ball flight was dead straight.

We ran out of time for him to check my clubs tonight so I am going to take them back up (maybe tomorrow) to let him check the lie angles.
Click to expand...

It happens, KB. Let us know if they find stuff on the lie angles and whatnot. I gotta get mine checked out too.
 
Been catching up on the thread today, some really good stuff going on with the testing and hopefully TBT's quote will be used in an Adams commercial. We just got back last night so I took the opportunity today to extend the shafts on the GW thru 7i, they were all shorter than the Mizzy's I play normally. New grips with 2 extra wraps and now I am ready to get back to the testing. Heading to St. Simons Island/Brunswick tomorrow for 3 days of golf in a tournament, should have some thoughts and possibly some pics going up again soon. Glad to be getting back into playing these clubs. Also I sent Patty @ Blind 9 an email today inquiring about the 3h, I want to go ahead and get one now that they are out (got an email from GolfSmith today).
 
Glad you were able to get these to your specs, DawgDaddy. I can't help but think that it will make a big difference for you in terms of comfort and consistency.
 
Sheew finally got caught up on the testing, fantastic job everyone. The impact tape is so cool in helping us relate to what you all are seeing on hits across the face. Smalls your comprehensive thoughts a few pages was very neat to read, real helped paint a picture of your entire testing so far.

Anxious to see these in action in a week, I've always liked the Adams stuff but these just have a wow factor to them that I like.

--
tapatalk
 
We all have those days KB, don't worry about it...DawgDaddy, glad you got them adjusted to your specs, can't wait to see how they work for you now.

I got out this afternoon and played a quick 18, the wind was really howling so it was a pretty tough round. I did manage to scratch and claw my way to an 87..not great, but not horrible either considering the wind. The highlight of the round was the fact that I hit every single par 3 in regulation today...I am not sure that I have ever done that! One of them was only on by about a inch..but a GIR is a GIR right!

Hybrids- These have just been money for me the last couple of rounds, I did hit the 4H and the 6H thin once each today on dead pan lies just off the fairway. Both shots came out as low screamers and flew on their intended line, the 6H shot actually stayed on the very back of the green and the shot with the 4H ended up in a greenside bunker. My home course has 5 par 3's and as I told you, I hit every green on them today and 3 of the 5 were shots with the Adams Hybrids, all three nice high baby fades that just seem to fall softly out of the sky. The only complaint I have with the hybrids are the headcovers, they seem to fit really tight and can be difficult to get on and off, other than that these flat rock!

Transitional Irons 7-8- I had some pretty good shots with these today and a couple that werent great. I hit a perfect high and straight 8 iron on the par 3 12th to about 7 feet (missed the birdie, but oh well) from 151 yards. I did hit a couple of really big dead pulls today and all of them were with the 7 iron, this is something I am going to have to keep an eye on.

Scoring Irons 9 iron - GW - Again some good shots and a few not so good. I hit 2 or 3 shots today fat with the 9 iron and PW, not sure if I was just dropping a shoulder or what but they were REALLY FAT...LOL. The GW is quickly becoming one of my favorite clubs in the bag, with a full swing I can easily carry it 110 yards which is what I was hitting for my R7 PW. I used the GW from several distances and lies today and all with good results, I even had a 77 yard fairway bunker shot that I landed about 18 feet from the pin.

Overall - Another good round with the Adams a12 OS clubs, I need to go to the range and work on the 7 iron and with the scoring irons. I am becoming very confident with most of these clubs in my hand and if I continue to see results like I did on the par 3's today then my scores will be falling soon.
 
Awesome writeup TBT. These seem like some great clubs and the hybrids are for sure on my list to try
 
DawgDaddy, I know when we were playing the other day you mentioned that although the hybrids and transitional irons were doing good for you you're scorin clubs were a little shor on distance as compared to your Mizzies. I know your a tall fellow so let us know if lengthening those shafts helps you gain back that lost distance or not. I'm sure that at standard they were a poor fit for you.


Tempo, timing, tapping.
 
Good write-up TBT. I'm with you on the hybrid headcovers. They are really hard to get off. I wish they would just add a little pocket or something that you can grab to pull it off.

DawgDaddy - I am glad you finally had a chance to get your clubs adjusted to fit you better. It will be interesting to see how they perform now. Looks like you and I are about to have a lot of opportunities to put these clubs through the ringer.

I have a very busy golf schedule for the next couple weeks playing five courses away from my home course. All five of these trips will involve competitive play, mostly just fun competitions (cat fight with 40 ladies, GA get together in Blairsville) but one 2 day state senior women's competition. It's a two person best ball/scramble format. I am keeping all the Adams clubs in my bag during these trips as I feel they are performing well for me. I have had some bad shots and not so good days with them but that's golf.

Funny that looking back over my round with my instructor yesterday, my bad shots were not terrible. My only miss with a hybrid was hit a little thin but went straight for the green and was just short. I actually saved par on that hole thanks to a good chip/putt. My first miss with an iron was an 8 iron on a par 3. It made it across the water and was just short of the green. Funny thing was that it was straight at the pin, cleared all the trouble, and I made a bogey because my chip was a little too long. Another miss with an 8 iron was in deep rough and I went pin high left into a trap on the first shot. After a little instruction from my coach about hitting out of rough, my 2nd shot landed 10' right of the hole. I got some good coaching as we played and hit the ball much better on the last two holes.

Yesterday was actually my first day on the range with any of these clubs and I only hit a PW. The accuracy and distance I saw was surprising. The 100 yard target green I used was the one I always use when I warm up before a lesson. I just aimed at it as a target never expecting to be able to reach and kept hitting right next to the flag. What I saw in that few minutes yesterday compared to what I've been seeing on that same range with my Ping 9 iron convinced me that these clubs might just be better.
 
Sounds like you are building some major confidence with these clubs Kelly Bo. Being a club longer has it's advantages. Since you've had these would you say your approach to the game is different? Do you manage your game better or has it stayed the same?
KellyBo said:
Good write-up TBT. I'm with you on the hybrid headcovers. They are really hard to get off. I wish they would just add a little pocket or something that you can grab to pull it off.

DawgDaddy - I am glad you finally had a chance to get your clubs adjusted to fit you better. It will be interesting to see how they perform now. Looks like you and I are about to have a lot of opportunities to put these clubs through the ringer.

I have a very busy golf schedule for the next couple weeks playing five courses away from my home course. All five of these trips will involve competitive play, mostly just fun competitions (cat fight with 40 ladies, GA get together in Blairsville) but one 2 day state senior women's competition. It's a two person best ball/scramble format. I am keeping all the Adams clubs in my bag during these trips as I feel they are performing well for me. I have had some bad shots and not so good days with them but that's golf.

Funny that looking back over my round with my instructor yesterday, my bad shots were not terrible. My only miss with a hybrid was hit a little thin but went straight for the green and was just short. I actually saved par on that hole thanks to a good chip/putt. My first miss with an iron was an 8 iron on a par 3. It made it across the water and was just short of the green. Funny thing was that it was straight at the pin, cleared all the trouble, and I made a bogey because my chip was a little too long. Another miss with an 8 iron was in deep rough and I went pin high left into a trap on the first shot. After a little instruction from my coach about hitting out of rough, my 2nd shot landed 10' right of the hole. I got some good coaching as we played and hit the ball much better on the last two holes.

Yesterday was actually my first day on the range with any of these clubs and I only hit a PW. The accuracy and distance I saw was surprising. The 100 yard target green I used was the one I always use when I warm up before a lesson. I just aimed at it as a target never expecting to be able to reach and kept hitting right next to the flag. What I saw in that few minutes yesterday compared to what I've been seeing on that same range with my Ping 9 iron convinced me that these clubs might just be better.
Click to expand...
 
Nice stuff Smalls, I can appreciate the comfort you are starting to feel with these. What is about the Transition clubs is it that you don't like. Is it the lose of distance or the inconsistent production you have found? Keep at it I think it will get better unless it's a mental thing. Also You mentioned you are working on turning your wrist over through impact. Are you getting consistent results (draw or straight shots) or has is been a mix of different shots?
 
Tadashi70 said:
Sounds like you are building some major confidence with these clubs Kelly Bo. Being a club longer has it's advantages. Since you've had these would you say your approach to the game is different? Do you manage your game better or has it stayed the same?
Click to expand...

I have major confidence that when I put a good swing on it and am aligned correctly, the ball is going straight. I don't have a draw or fade and I know what to expect. It makes me feel more confident shooting at the pin or whatever target I choose. In the past, I would aim right of the target expecting a draw. Sometimes it would stay straight and sometimes it would draw.
 
Great write ups in here everyone! Hard to keep up with this thread moving so quickly.


Tappin' from my iPad
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top