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SGI Irons - Suggestions

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leftydoc

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I am a 24 Handicap. Lefty. 4th year playing golf. Pretty much a Sh*tty golfer that is missing a huge chunk of the game...my irons.

I can get off the tee okay for the most part, about 225 avg...230-250 here and there. Short game is okay, probably my strong suit. My irons are where I am lacking, severely.

-I currently hit X-18's but only use P-7 really...trouble with 6 through 4. I use a Taylormade 4 iron hybrid from just about anything past 160 (I know that is bad, but it works the best for me...after 3 seasons of frustration trying to hit an iron like an iron I just gave up). The X-18's were my very first set, this is my fourth year with them. Never really liked the X-18's a whole lot cause I can't hit them, but they were free so I kept them. I have just discovered the whole SGI category...never knew it existed. I've been reading reviews on many and looking at some in local sporting good stores. I love the bigger faces, just standing over them gives me more confidence. I would consider my swing a "digger"...somewhat of a baseball swing...but overall a good "bad" swing lol. I realize lessons are the best investment...however, I want new irons as well. Any suggestions? I would like to maybe get away from the Callaway "offset"...I'm not sure it really bothers me or not cause it is all I've ever known...but would like to maybe try something different.

After research...I see that the Adams and Mizuno clubs get the most exposure...curious if anyone has hit several and which ones they recommend. (I also realize I will have to just hit the clubs myself to really know and get fitted for max effectiveness). Any reviews of SGI clubs would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all very much in advance!
 
I would recommend the 588 Altitudes by Cleveland . I know they have been very popular with a lot of people. I'm a high handicapper too and found I prefer the game improvement irons better (especially once I learned to swing inside out properly), which is why I switched from the Adams a7os to the Ping G25's. You really won't know until you go into a Golfsmith or somewhere similar and try some clubs out.
 
Don't overlook RocketBladez. They are more in the GI category but they are super forgiving, long and get the ball up.
 
You won't like what I'm going to say but it took me years to get better. Actually let me change that it took me a little over 5 months to get better once I got lessons.

I spent the first 4 years buying selling and trading equipment. In my fifth year I decided to get lessons. Went from slice to fade to hook and now draw off the tee. Went from hitting my pitching wedge 75 to 110 yards. My ball striking improved drastically after a couple of lessons just from a posture and set up point. I'd say invest in lessons then get fitted.


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I think lessons are a good idea, however it does not mean really forgiving irons will not be beneficial. Good golfers and golfers getting good can still benefit from their forgiveness.
 
Thanks guys. Any thoughts on getting away from the Callaway offset? And yes...lessons are on the horizon...but still believe SGI Irons will be very beneficial to my game.
 
First of all Welcome to THP!

I fall in you category, lefty, was 23 handicap at the beginning of the year, tookl 1 lesson, got the adams a12os and now sitting at 16.7 handicap.

the lesson had a lot to do with it, but i can tell you that the hybrid iron set was a game changer for me, I can now sit on the wairway with more that 130-145 yards from the green and be confident that i can reach it. That also allows me to be smarter of the tee and not try to bomb the driver every time.

I can't say enough about how I like this set, but its not the only one, go and try some to see if they fit you.
top 2 for me when I was shopping for this kind of set were
- adams a12 os
- adams V4
- cobra baffler

I couldnt find left handed versions of mizunos ( I doubt they make them) nor the clevelands to try them

Finally I went for adams for the feel and looks and the a12 were much cheaper than the V4

hope you find what you like and you get to enjoy the game more as your scores get better
 
RE: Cleveland 588's

RE: Cleveland 588's

Thanks! Checking these out now...haven't really looked into these...liking the info.
 
Great to hear from a lefty! Thanks!
 
I played a rental set yesterday that had the Adams A7 OS irons. I found them pretty easy to hit and you can pick them up off ebay for pretty cheap.
 
leftydoc said:
Thanks guys. Any thoughts on getting away from the Callaway offset? And yes...lessons are on the horizon...but still believe SGI Irons will be very beneficial to my game.
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I'm not exactly sure what feedback you are interested in. That design feature is intended to help golfers get the club face closed at impact. The effect of less offset will depend on where you are at in your swing changes/lessons.

I went from Callaway Big Berthas with a pretty sizeable offset to the RocketBladez, which have less offset. It was a complete non-issue for me. I liked the way it looked when I was standing over the ball. Through my lessons I no longer needed the offset as I once had.

I believe I've read here that offset also helps get the ball in the air, though I must admit to not understanding that part of it (or if it is accurate). My feeling is that you can get at least as much help with that in modern shafts and face designs, which would at least be equal to the help the offset provides.
 
I have always been a fan of "its not the hammer, its the carpenter" but i try to match with my equipment that will give me the best chance of eliminating things i can't use. Being in the 24 hdcp range, i struggle with lots of things as well. But for my irons, i went with Ping g25's that offer lots of forgiveness, and just felt great in my hands. Golf is also about confidence and you want to swing a club that you feel good with regardless of brand, design or looks. I tried them all, mizunos, TM, Callaway and nike. I suggest you keep an open mind and just try numerous clubs and see which ones fit you the best. Put it this way, i didn't want to like the pings, i wanted to like the Xhots, but i just felt better with the ping clubs and they actually helped me score one of my best rounds a few weeks ago. I was confident, hitting straighter, and was alot more consistent. I also got fit for them which i think helped.
 
semi said:
I have always been a fan of "its not the hammer, its the carpenter" but i try to match with my equipment that will give me the best chance of eliminating things i can't use. Being in the 24 hdcp range, i struggle with lots of things as well. But for my irons, i went with Ping g25's that offer lots of forgiveness, and just felt great in my hands. Golf is also about confidence and you want to swing a club that you feel good with regardless of brand, design or looks. I tried them all, mizunos, TM, Callaway and nike. I suggest you keep an open mind and just try numerous clubs and see which ones fit you the best. Put it this way, i didn't want to like the pings, i wanted to like the Xhots, but i just felt better with the ping clubs and they actually helped me score one of my best rounds a few weeks ago. I was confident, hitting straighter, and was alot more consistent. I also got fit for them which i think helped.
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I agree with this completely. I just got a set of G25's myself, and early in my search for new irons, i was leaning toward the x hots, followed by rocketbladez. didn't even really consider the pings until a buddy of mine started raving about them. The look of the prior ping irons really turned me off, and I had already ruled them out without a whole of of consideration, which was a big mistake. i wanted to love the x hots bc i like the look of them and have historically played their drivers and loved them, but they just didn't feel as good or perform as well as the others for me, and ultimately ended up being my least favorite of the 3 options. be open minded and try everything, if I had not, i would have ended up with the wrong set without even knowing it.

No matter what equipment you end up with, make sure to get fit! i did it for the first time ever when i bought my G25s, and it was a great experience. Really helped me understand my swing.
 
Well...everyone has been incredibly helpful and I really appreciate all the input. I added the Cleveland 588 and Ping G25's to my interest. I think I am going to take a hard look at the Cleveland, Adams, and Pings.
 
the 588 and the Adams Idea are very nice choices
 
Callaway diablo edges are great, as well as the RBZ max from Taylormade.
 
I've owned or hit every set suggested in the thread. Here are some other thoughts as someone with a similar handicap as you.

- Callaway XFs are really SGI visually. They have that elongated face that looks much bigger when you look down at the ball. The black also looks great. They're a little pricey though.
- For the money at today's prices, I think the Diablo Edge might be the best Callaway SGI club. It leans a little more towards GI, but it's very easy to hit and just sounds fantastic.
- If you're looking at Ping G25s, I'd actually suggest looking at Ping K15s. They're very similar in overall size, sole shape and offset, but the K15 has a titanium face that produces higher ball speeds. You can probably find some used K15s for cheaper than G25s as well.
- People love Mizunos, but I'm not convinced that's the best brand for SGI players.
- On the Adams side, I personally like the slotted A12OS much, much more than the older Adams A7OS, A4OS, etc.. When you shop Adams, look for the OS lines as they're the most SGI.
- Strong plug for the Altitudes. They're easy to hit, long and I can move the ball right to left without looking down at a lot of offset.

Most importantly with respect to the equipment, figure out what it is you don't like about the X-18s and then pick from there. The sets above are all SGI, but differ in how they're constructed.
 
The Adams Tech V3 set is very nice so is the Callaway XF's. Good luck in your search.
 
Spiritomb said:
Callaway diablo edges are great, as well as the RBZ max from Taylormade.
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The Diablo Edge's ARE great and super easy to hit. My buddy who just started last year is using them and is getting the ball up in the air with ease. I hit the 4 iron just to try them out and was really impressed with the feel and distance. Definitely worth a shot and I'm sure can be obtained at a super price.
 
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