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Forged Irons?

SuperStroke
Rageshadow

Rageshadow

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Ok, I really need some honest opinions here. I have been looking at different iron sets for a while now. I have never had a set of clubs fitted for me. I will be taking lessons here in the next few weeks and I had thoughts on buying myself a new set of irons after I take my lessons and pratice for a few months getting my swing down. I have read so much about forged irons having so much better feel than the SGI irons I am using. I would have a full fitting on the new irons. I have seen several used sets on ebay for a reasonable price. Do you guys and gals think I would be wasting my money on these? What I plan on doing if I do it is to buy the irons put them up and have them built for me from the heads up.

Now for the big question. What is a decent brand and model to be looking at?

Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice or help you can give.
 
That choice is totally up to you. Shape, metal used, style, shaft, ball and so many other factors play into feel, it is hard for someone to quantify what will feel better for you. I suggest choosing a budget. Then trying a bunch out and seeing what you like that fits in that budget.
 
JB said:
That choice is totally up to you. Shape, metal used, style, shaft, ball and so many other factors play into feel, it is hard for someone to quantify what will feel better for you. I suggest choosing a budget. Then trying a bunch out and seeing what you like that fits in that budget.
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That is a problem JB. I live in one of those tiny one horse towns with the closest place to test irons over an hour away. To make that worse is the fact that I am fulltime caregiver for both ny mother and grandmother. I have about the max of three to four hours at a time to be away from home. I have to depend on reviews and opinions to buy my equipment. There is a club fitter close enough to get the fitting done and built.
 
Rageshadow said:
That is a problem JB. I live in one of those tiny one horse towns with the closest place to test irons over an hour away. To make that worse is the fact that I am fulltime caregiver for both ny mother and grandmother. I have about the max of three to four hours at a time to be away from home. I have to depend on reviews and opinions to buy my equipment. There is a club fitter close enough to get the fitting done and built.
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Completely understand. If that is the case, what is the reason for changing irons? Do you not care for the ones you have now?
 
Couple months back, I was in the exact same scenario. I was in desperate need to upgrade from my Mizuno MX-19's and was curious to try forged irons. Thus, I sold my existing clubs, used that scratch to buy a used set of Mizuno MP-30's on eBay. I came out almost dead even on cost and my game did improve since I can now receive feedback from the club as to what I'm doing wrong.

With that said, I'm not sure that forged clubs are the "holy grail", but when you hit them right....buttah.

LAW
 
Rage,
Here is something that might help a lot. Here is an interview THP did with one of the greatest club makers of all time. Someone that works with both cast and forged irons and his thoughts on it. Is he right? You be the judge, but its a great listen and something that is very educational.

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/?p=13612
 
One thing that sucks with forged is bag rattle they get dented and scratched quicker
 
Personally I think forged vs. cast has less to do with feel than people think. If you're looking to move onto GI irons, I would focus more on something that's aesthetically pleasing and has characteristics you're looking for. Multi-material composition is all the rage these days with increasing MOI and lowering CG without having a super huge clubhead.
 
JB said:
Rage,
Here is something that might help a lot. Here is an interview THP did with one of the greatest club makers of all time. Someone that works with both cast and forged irons and his thoughts on it. Is he right? You be the judge, but its a great listen and something that is very educational.

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/?p=13612
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Very cool, thanks for the link. Validated what I've thought. I've done blind tests myself and it's impossible to tell.
 
Go with what suits your eye and where you want to be in your golf game. Also understand that forged doesn't necessarily mean less forgiving, its just the material the clubs are made out of -- although of course most "players" clubs are some sort of forging. There are some VERY nice forged clubs that are forgiving, Nike VRS forged, Ping Anser, Adams CB2/CB3, etc... a lot of these clubs give you the best of both worlds.

As to fitting, there's not reason you can't buy a set online that you like and then have them fitted after the fact like you suggested.
 
Theres a lot of great forged irons out there. IMO, Mizunos are the ultimate but I may be a bit biased. LOL Just dont think that forged irons are going to make THAT big of a difference. The sound of them at impact is the biggest change and whether or not a club is forged shouldnt be you only concern. I love forged irons because I like the dull thud sound at impact and find that I get more consistent distances with them but Ive played some very good golf with cast irons and would never say they are junk or are lesser clubs. Infact, theres some signifigant advantage with cast irons: namely distance. I used to game a set of Mizuno MX-100s and have demoded the JPX-800 and JPX-825 and the ball speed is certainly higher.
 
Just make sure you do your do dilligence with you research. There is plenty of time till golf season really takes off so make sure you get what you need. If your looking for something forgiving in a forged i would recommend the amp forged or the TM tp cb's. That said there are a lot of good cast options out there too and although i prefer my forged faces i dont notice enough difference until i get into the very good players clubs to completely go away from cast yet. Just make sure the clubs you get are best for your game. Good luck.
 
JB said:
Completely understand. If that is the case, what is the reason for changing irons? Do you not care for the ones you have now?
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Well to tell the truth I am not unhappy with the irons I have now I am just not totaly happy either. If this makes sense I want to make a fresh start with my game once I take my lessons. Complete fitting custom setup on my shafts and lies even my grips. This is the first year that I really gotten the bug to be a better golfer. I know I said forged irons but I am not closed to other choices, part of the want to change has been looking at the topline view of the smaller head clubs as opposed to the huge line on my current clubs. This is not something I am going rush out and do. I really just want to get my options layed out to check and think about.
 
Rageshadow said:
Ok, I really need some honest opinions here. I have been looking at different iron sets for a while now. I have never had a set of clubs fitted for me. I will be taking lessons here in the next few weeks and I had thoughts on buying myself a new set of irons after I take my lessons and pratice for a few months getting my swing down. I have read so much about forged irons having so much better feel than the SGI irons I am using. I would have a full fitting on the new irons. I have seen several used sets on ebay for a reasonable price. Do you guys and gals think I would be wasting my money on these? What I plan on doing if I do it is to buy the irons put them up and have them built for me from the heads up.

Now for the big question. What is a decent brand and model to be looking at? Any of the top manufacturers are going to make great clubs, Nike, Taylormade, Callaway, Mizuno, etc etc.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice or help you can give.
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I'm going to vote against a forged club. If your handicap is a 29, the lack of forgiveness will frustrate and discourage you and you'll ultimately change to a more forgiving iron which will cost more money again. You'll get tired of hearing that you shouldn't be playing a forged stick and your determination to prove them wrong will ultimately prove them right lol. Work your way into them, maybe modify the clubs you have and get them properly fitted with a good shaft and the right lie angle and you'll probably make a better investment. Callaway makes great gear, and your clubs fall into the great gear category. Play them for a while then move to a smaller club and so on, before you know it the lessons you've hopefully invested in have paid dividends and your swing is tuned enough to get those sticks you want. I love forged clubs Rage and I hope this post makes some sense to you, I share your excitement and can't wait to hear your choice either way.
 
Trout Bum said:
I'm going to vote against a forged club. If your handicap is a 29, the lack of forgiveness will frustrate and discourage you and you'll ultimately change to a more forgiving iron which will cost more money again. You'll get tired of hearing that you shouldn't be playing a forged stick and your determination to prove them wrong will ultimately prove them right lol. Work your way into them, maybe modify the clubs you have and get them properly fitted with a good shaft and the right lie angle and you'll probably make a better investment. Callaway makes great gear, and your clubs fall into the great gear category. Play them for a while then move to a smaller club and so on, before you know it the lessons you've hopefully invested in have paid dividends and your swing is tuned enough to get those sticks you want. I love forged clubs Rage and I hope this post makes some sense to you, I share your excitement and can't wait to hear your choice either way.
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I totaly agree about not rushing in Trout, my plan is to take lessons the pratice my new swing and game for several months at least before I jump in with both feet. It is like I said earlier. With research and reviews my main way to chose equipment I need to do my honework early to actualy be ready for the deed.
 
You could go with one of the new RZR irons but not forged. Those you have are really forgiving. If it was me I would go to something with a slight cavity.
 
Rageshadow said:
I totaly agree about not rushing in Trout, my plan is to take lessons the pratice my new swing and game for several months at least before I jump in with both feet. It is like I said earlier. With research and reviews my main way to chose equipment I need to do my honework early to actualy be ready for the deed.
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Ok cool, I don't ever want to discourage anyone from getting what they love, it's such a good game and it's fun improving. Let us know what you decide to do or get, there are some serious gear heads here that can help a ton with stuff like this.
 
theoretically, by taking lessons you should improve your iron game regardless of if they are forged or cast. my advice would be to take the lessons & play a few rounds with the irons you already own. I used to think that if I bought "newer" and "better" irons that my game would improve but realistically it was me that needed the work.
 
Rageshadow said:
I totaly agree about not rushing in Trout, my plan is to take lessons the pratice my new swing and game for several months at least before I jump in with both feet. It is like I said earlier. With research and reviews my main way to chose equipment I need to do my honework early to actualy be ready for the deed.
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My advice is so simple: play clubs that make the game more enjoyable for you. I'm almost a single digit handicapper and I recently switched from r7 TPs (more of a players club) to the rocketbladez (more of a "game improvement " club) and I have enjoyed playing golf more in the last 5 weeks than ever. My distance is up, my accuracy is up, I'm holding more greens, and my misses aren't penalized as much. I am now playing the most enjoyable clubs for me; who cares about what category they fall into.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
 
giedz said:
theoretically, by taking lessons you should improve your iron game regardless of if they are forged or cast. my advice would be to take the lessons & play a few rounds with the irons you already own. I used to think that if I bought "newer" and "better" irons that my game would improve but realistically it was me that needed the work.
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I second this. My swing has been more important to my game then the clubs. I dont want to belittle the newer equipment because its some better stuff but if you cant hit the old clubs your probably not gonna be able to hit the new stuff till you fix yourself first.
 
Feel is so subjective. I hear beginners say all the time when they finally hit a perfect shot on the nuts "I didn't even feel the ball"! So wouldn't it be I love these clubs because when I pure them the have no feel? lol
 
toughestsoldier said:
I second this. My swing has been more important to my game then the clubs. I dont want to belittle the newer equipment because its some better stuff but if you cant hit the old clubs your probably not gonna be able to hit the new stuff till you fix yourself first.
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I do totaly agree with this. New clubs are not going to make me a better golfer. Lessons and lots of pratice is what will do that. Just be sure everyone I do thank everyone for any and all input here. I am not one who dismisses good sound information just because it doesn't agree with what I want or think. If you aren't willing to listen, watch and learn you have no hope of getting better. I know I will more than likely never be a scratch golfer, but I see no reason that I could not be in the 80's someday.
 
NJRob said:
Feel is so subjective. I hear beginners say all the time when they finally hit a perfect shot on the nuts "I didn't even feel the ball"! So wouldn't it be I love these clubs because when I pure them the have no feel? lol
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See thi is part of the kind of information that I was looking for starting this thread. I don't know what "feel" is yet. Going from a once every two or three month golfer to two or three times a week player has changed my wholr outlook on the game my main goals are to break 100 this year and be able to compete in the course league without totaly embarassing my self. Thus the lessons as soon a the rain everyday lets up and the want for a real fitted set of clubs.
 
I agree with the recommendations to give the lessons a chance to work before you make up your mind on an equipment change. You might be surprised at the value you get from the lessons.
 
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