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When is it time to move away from SGI Irons???

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kkelley

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Hi All,

Mid-way through last season I got back into the game after over a decade lay off. I purchased a set of TM Burner Plus irons (stock regular steel) at Golf Galaxy. My fitting was a little dissapointing as the "fitter" had me swing the 7 a few times with tape and on the board and said "your good with the stock clubs". Having said that, I have been very happy with the clubs so far!

I started this season as an honest 40 and am down to a solid 24. Blow-up holes are now becoming more rare and am putting about 18-22 per 9 holes. My home course is 131 and 140 rating from the tees that I like to play from.

I am generally hitting my Burner Plus' high (very high) and straight. Still struggle with the 4 iron but can hit the 5 with some confidence.

Sooo, I'll still keep hitting lots of balls but my goal is to be able to consistantly break 90 by the end of next season...

Do you think I am still good with my Burner Plus' for the upcoming season? Is it enough of an upgrade to get the Super launch? Or, is it time to start looking into more of a GI club like the Burner 2.0 or JPX-800?

Thanks in advance for the guidence!!
 
You don't have to switch clubs ever. If you are comfortable with the clubs you have, then keep on using them until you feel like you want an upgrade. Then go out and swing some other clubs and decide. It's all personal. It depends on if you want feedback and working the ball or forgiveness and more confidence.
 
i would say to stick with your current sticks until you start consistently breaking 90, then buy new ones as a reward or something. i think it's best to buy your "dream" set once you've honed a repeatable, consistent swing, then go with a full on fitting. until then, keep what you have, set some intermediate goals.

or

if you have a disposable income and just want new stuff, i'd give the nod to the 2.0's. they are the best irons i've hit. i love them. they offer everything i need in an iron: they look great, the give feedback, they're long, they're forgiving and they're cutting edge!
 
Im not sure there is ever a time if they work. The preconceived notion that all good players play thinner clubs just does not have to be true. With the improvements you are seeing, I am not sure I would switch for quite some time. The allure of new clubs that are shiney and thin is always out there, but truth be told, the game is about scoring.

Something that may interest you is the THP Golf Outing & Demo Day. You can hit all of the latest stuff on an actual course and determine which ones work best for your game.
 
Thanks guys! I'll probably give them another season.

TC- being the "good dad", I just had my HS Freshman son fit for a set of Burner 2.0's as he REALLY needed an upgrade. We were looking at the X-24s (per another thread) but since they are essentiallly being discontinued, Callaway wouldn't let us order them the way he wanted... After reading some threads here, I realized that the extra "feedback" he was feeling on the 2.0 was probably a better thing for his game impovement anyways. I supect he'll be out hitting them in the snow here in Denver next week when they come in!

To be honest, where I probably need to improve my bag is to add something between my 19* rescue and driver which I currently don't have. Bet that's probably worth a couple of strokes...:beat-up:
 
I know your quandry well and struggle with it myself. I keep trying to get away from my SGI set by going back to the WS Ci7's, mainly because I like the way they look. The problem is that my swing has to be in it's best shape to hit the Ci7's well. Some days they are great, but the bad days are very bad. In the end, I can get away with mishits much better with the SGI's.
 
KKelley...this is totally up to you, but there is no reason to change clubs just based on game improvement status. I'm beating on the hibore xli's, which I believe fall into the super game improvement group. I've managed to drop quite a few strokes from my handicap this year, but it's from a combination of professional instruction, lot's of practice and work on my short game. There are two reasons I'm considering new clubs. The first is because I purchased the clevelands on the trade in program that allows me to trade them in for a new set within two years of my purchase. The other is because I've hit the Adams V3 and really like them! However, I will not get rid of the xli's until I'm sure the next set will help me improve my scores!!!
 
I change clubs from ping s57 to Mizuno jpx 800 pro. I think it was worth the switch because it a forged club that plays like a cavity back.
 
I think first you need to ask yourself why you want to switch.
 
I went to SGI in April after 30 years of playing. I wish I had done it 29 years ago (except they didn't have them back then!).

I have never enjoyed the game more.
 
I have to say that I have been a much better player and ballstriker after getting away from SGI. Started playing blades this year for the first time ever, and playing my best golf ever. I feel like it has trickled down throughout my entire game.
 
CMUgol4 said:
I have to say that I have been a much better player and ballstriker after getting away from SGI. Started playing blades this year for the first time ever, and playing my best golf ever. I feel like it has trickled down throughout my entire game.
Click to expand...

I am glad that switching to blades has helped your game, so please don't take this the wrong way... but.

If you took 100 mid-high handicapers and gave them blades to play everyday and see what happens to their scores I would wager your experience would be FAR in the minority. I am glad it works for you but I don't think it is necessarily wise advice for everyone.

Spoiler
Results not typical


Maybe I am alone in this thought, but I don't think you can will yourself into a better swing based on the irons you play. The only thing that can do that is time, hardwork, and professional instruction. Simply switching to blades would hurt my hands and piss me off, not improve my game
 
I agree with most on here. If you're hitting your irons well, there is no need to change. Why do you want to change? Looking for a different ball flight, workablitity (although that can be debated), forgiveness, feedback, stigma?

I'll suggest something else. If you can look at your clubs after a range session, and see that the ball shreddings are all within 1/2"-3/4" of the center of the iron, you might be able to move to GI irons. If after a range session the ball shreddings are all within 1/4" of the center of the iron, you might be able to move to "players" irons.

SGIs will give you the greatest amount of forgiveness on mishits, even if you dont mishit every time. It only takes a few bad shots to ruin a round. :)
 
jdjanda said:
I think first you need to ask yourself why you want to switch.
Click to expand...

jdj this is a great quote, if you can easily answer this one with some sound logic, then it might be time. Better yet, if your pro can answer this, then maybe its time.

I had a co-worker that I believe switched to GI irons way before he should have. He had played for 3 months and could hardly repeat his swing twice on a par 4, let alone the whole course. So he came up with this answer, "I need new irons and a new driver so I can work the ball". So after I advised against switching, along with a grimace from his teaching pro, he went ahead and got a set of Mizzys and a 909 D3 driver. Needless to say it didn't really help his game. I think he's avg scores have gone up since the last time I talked to him.

less forgiving irons can indeed improve your game, just make sure that you have out grown the SGI's 1st.
 
When you feel your current set of irons don't let you pull off the shot you have in mind due to their design, then make the switch. If you can hit knockdowns, low/high cuts/draws with your current set, don't switch. If you can't and you feel those types of shots are something you want to add to your repetoire, then consider it.

I'd start with a demo club and see if you even like the feel of a players CB or forged club. If you don't, you're only out the cost of that club (normally 30-50 dollars or less depending where you find it)
 
I wouldn't swap until u look down on the club at address and u don't feel comfortable with how it looks. The burners will do the job for a low marker as long as they like the look of them.

At 36+ putts I'd be working on that. There is atleast 6 shots to be saved right there.
 
I agree Players or Blades would lead to better ball striking if I had time to hit a bucket of balls every day for an extended period of time.

It's OK to be honest and say you want to switch because of the looks or stigma, as long as it makes the game more enjoyable for you. Maybe your version of enjoyment is that you are looking for the feeling or pride of hitting a pure shot.

Me, I want to hit the ball in the air and narrow my cone of uncertainty so I will continue to play my Burner Plus until I want a new set of irons (possible) or feel they are holding me back (less likely).
 
Well I actually don’t think the game is all about scoring although I care about scoring and I have no ax to grind with folks that do make golf all about the scoring. I care about scoring in the sense that it is one measuring stick for improvement. Since I have never had any aspirations about making a career out of playing tournament golf and I don’t wager anything that anybody would care about on golf the score is never anything more than a measuring stick to me. Frankly I think it is that way for many golfers. There are so many mid to high handicappers out there on the links that remain mid to high handicappers for their entire golfing life. Are we to think that golf is about scoring for them? It is probably a good thing that it is not all about the scoring for many golfers or there would not be enough golfers to make golf a workable business enterprise. We would all be swinging in corn fields because there would be no courses to play on.

Golf can be whatever you want it to be for you. That is a very personal decision in my view. I can tell you that I don’t think golf should be about being intimidated into buying players irons because somebody expresses the view that one cannot be a “good player (whatever that means)” unless they game players irons. However while I think it is wrong to think that way, again what someone might want and what we all want to do with our golf games or more importantly what we want to get out of our golf games is a very personal decision. Unless you are a competing player at some level, golf is a leisure time activity. The idea that someone must improve scoring or must make scoring the focal point of what is a leisure time activity simply does not make any sense. In fact the notion that they must improve anything that resides within the confines of a leisure time activity does not make much sense. You step up to the window, you pay your money and as long as you are civil and respectful of others and what they want out of the game, you get to do what you want to do.

As to the issue of switching, I am in complete agreement with the poster that recommended that you look at what you are capable of doing with your clubs and compare it to what you want to do. If there is something you want to do and can’t do with the clubs you have then it might be time for a switch. However nothing comes without a price and I am not talking about dollars and cents. So, I would get some advice from a teaching pro if I were in your shoes and weigh what you will give up against what you will are hoping to get and you should also want some advice about the state of your current game as well so that you can have some understanding for whether or not your expectations are realistic regardless of the sticks in your bag.
 
^^^

good posting
 
I was in the same predicament. For the last year, I was playing Ping G-10's (SGI clubs). I got my HDCP down to a 6. I wanted to try more of a players club but was afraid to invest $1k.
I went to the GolfWorks (on-line). They have the Maltby ratings so you know where all the clubs stands as far as SGI, GI, Classic., etc...

They also sell very good component clubs at a mere fraction of OEM. I bought a set of forged blades (very cheap price) and am very happy. But, now I have to determine if the forged clubs allow me to score any better than the SGI. If I score the same, I may go back to the SGI since they are more forgiving.
The point is that I invested very little to try a players type club. For ME, I can feel comfortable about investing the $1k in OEM clubs, if I want to.
Another thing you could try is buy a couple of used clubs to see how you hit them.

Don't rush. Your HDCP is still up there and at this point, you may not benefit from a better club. Improve your swing and get those putts down.
 
Don't get bogged down with club classifications.

Don't get bogged down with club classifications.

I was fitted w/ 09 Burner irons when they first came out. (2* up plus 1/2") I was aware of the "vanishing loft" club makers are doing so essentially my 5 iron was the length of a 3 iron and the loft of a 4, which is why they're considered "hot." Problem was I now needed another wedge. I did OK with these for over a year, then one day there was a Taylormade Demo-days at our course. I talked w/ the rep & he had me hit my clubs then made up a Burner 6 iron w/ the stiff shaft. Shots got better. Then he suggested I try the R9 TP. The demo club was already set up w/ stiff. It was, for me, like swinging a 2X4. The he set it up with the KBS regular shaft which is heavier that the Superfast in the Burner. Much, much better. The reps comment was he felt I had a better feel of where the club was throughout the swing and tended to not rush the swing and as a result better contact. I made the switch from GI irons to more of a players iron & gained control.I ordered the 5-AW. One exception, the TP 5 iron has a different look & feel that the rest so I'm using a 5 hybrid. Glad I took the time to ask the rep.
 
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