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Looking for opinions on changing irons - 1st time in 12 years

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TommyV

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Hi, I thought I'd introduce myself to the forum since it's my first post. My name is Tom and I live in Missouri. I'm a young 51 and lifetime golfer. My dad got me and my 2 closest age brothers started when I was about 4-5 years old. We mostly hacked it around the public courses in the St. Louis area back then. I got really obsessed in college where the school had a course a block from my house that was free for students. Classes in the AM, 36 holes in the PM. I spent 10 years out of school in a golfers paradise (at least it is for 6 months of the year), Peoria, IL. Great public golf at cheap prices! Six courses to choose from in the public park system. I now live in a town of 35,000 in Missouri and we are fortunate to have a fine club here that has been ranked highly by a couple publications. I am blessed to be able to afford to be a member. On this challenging course that plays about 6900 yards from the tees I normally play I'm a 4.9 index. I have decent length off the tee, but can get a little wild at times and have trouble playing within myself with the driver. I wouldn't call myself a ball striker, but my iron play is good enough to keep me out of the worst of the trouble around the greens. My short game is my saving grace. I'm an excellent chipper and an even better putter. I think it's safe to say that if my short game wasn't so good, I'd probably be an 8 or 9.

Here are the irons that I have owned since I started buying my own clubs:

MacGregor Muirfields - 1984-1988
Ping Eye2's - 1988-1994
Titleist DCI Black - 1994-1998
Callaway X12 Pro Series 1998-Present

As you can see I don't change equipment much, lol. I wish I still had all these iron sets! My college age son is playing the DCI these days and I sold the Muirfields and Pings back in the day to afford the upgrade.

I've finally got the bug to get a new set of irons. I won't ever get rid of the Callaways, they've been too good to me! So I've been interested in Mizuno for a couple years and went to local shop for a fitting yesterday and to talk about what irons I should consider. I was thinking about another newer set of Callaways, but he steered me to the JPX 800 pros. The mizuno swing analyzer recommended a project x 5.0 flighted or the TT Dynalite Gold S300. My X12's have Rifle 6.0 shafts.

Reading some reviews and posts here about the JPX 800's, led me to looking at the MX300's. I don't want to give up the forgiveness of the X12's, but I figure that iron technology must have advanced in the last 12 years that there has to be something better. And maybe it will be just a better fit for my age and swing speed, etc. with regard to the shaft.

I'm 5'8" and so naturally have a somewhat flat swing. I tend to play the ball more back and hit down and take a divot. My normal ball flight is straight to a slight draw. My home course is tightly mown zoysia, so it's tough to be a sweeper there. This leads to some pretty low trajectories. I think hitting it higher would be beneficial to me. The local shop told me the 5.0 or the Dynalite would both make for a higher trajectory with the Dynalite going higher.

So obviously I'm looking for some input on the two Mizuno' mentioned above and how they will compare to my X12's. I'm going to take a JPX 800 pro 6I demo with both shafts out to the course in the next few days if it warms up enough and stops raining. They don't have any MX300's in the shop. The JPX 800 pro is $600 with the Dynalite shaft in the shop right now.

Hope this wasn't TMI! Thanks in advance!!

Tom
 
welcome to THP Tom! i'm sure there will be plenty that can offer their thoughts and feedback on those particular irons. as a lefty, i know not what it's like to hit the 800 pros, but i did like the 800's quite a bit.
 
good luck Tom, I am sure you will get some great advice here and you will wind up with some amazing irons. I will leave the recommendations to the experts on here, but welcome to THP!
 
Thanks for making me feel welcome guys! BTW, how do I create a signature with WITB? I looked around, but couldn't find it. It was probably too obvious!
 
Welcome to THP! Now since you are on here, you will replace clubs more often than ever before. You have to have more than 10 post to have a sig.
 
Wow - to me, it sounds like the (iron) world is your oyster. Bear in mind, I'm pretty new to golf (~2 years), but I have done a lot of reading on this site and in magazines. I think you're right to assume that iron technology has changed / improved over the last 12 years. Heck, I have seen quite some change in the two years I've been playing. So far, it sounds like you're going about it the way most would recommend. I would say see what the JPX800 feels like, and compare / contrast the shafts and get a feel for which shaft you prefer. Early reviews that I have read about the JPX800 have been generally positive. There are, however, so many good irons out there to try, so I can understand the feeling of being overwhelmed. I suppose start checking out brands/models that are pleasing to the eye, and see how they feel. Then again, maybe you'll fall immediately in love with the JPX-800s?! Well, I rambed a bit too, so I hope any of that helps.

Cheers,
C
 
OK, here's no. 3!
 
Welcome to THP Tom. Going to the outing this fall was a real eye opener for me and I would highly suggest it to you if at all possible. I was totally convinced on two set's of iron's for me, but figured out very quickly just how good the 800's really were. I was so stubborn that I continued trying everything they had against them, but time and again the 800's came out straighter, longer and more forgiving of my swing. At 5'6" my swing is similar to yours, some what flat and shallow divot. I currently play Nickent 4DX Pro irons, so I was pretty convinced the 800 pro's would be the way to go, but I was wrong for that day at least.

All of us are different and a head to head test on the range or with a monitor, or both in the case of the THP Florida outing in May, IMHO is the only way to roll. Good luck.
 
tom, are you dead set on the mizuno line or are you wanting some other iron recommendations? seems like you prefer more of a "player's" type iron and i know that there's some great stuff out there. personally, i quite liked the mx300's and i'm assuming that they are cheaper than the 800 pros? but in all honesty, i much preferred the mx200 to the mx300, which i know you could snag up relatively cheap right now.
 
thedue said:
Welcome to THP Tom. Going to the outing this fall was a real eye opener for me and I would highly suggest it to you if at all possible. I was totally convinced on two set's of iron's for me, but figured out very quickly just how good the 800's really were. I was so stubborn that I continued trying everything they had against them, but time and again the 800's came out straighter, longer and more forgiving of my swing. At 5'6" my swing is similar to yours, some what flat and shallow divot. I currently play Nickent 4DX Pro irons, so I was pretty convinced the 800 pro's would be the way to go, but I was wrong for that day at least.

All of us are different and a head to head test on the range or with a monitor, or both in the case of the THP Florida outing in May, IMHO is the only way to roll. Good luck.
Click to expand...

and didn't you come away liking the JPX 800's moreso than the 800 pros?
 
TC said:
and didn't you come away liking the JPX 800's moreso than the 800 pros?
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Yes I did. The pro's were sweet, but I could do no wrong with the regular 800's. To tell the truth, I didn't want to like them, there were better looking clubs there, lol. I'm such a TM fanboy, but the 800's are simply better for my game based on that testing.
 
thedue said:
Yes I did. The pro's were sweet, but I could do no wrong with the regular 800's. To tell the truth, I didn't want to like them, there were better looking clubs there, lol. I'm such a TM fanboy, but the 800's are simply better for my game based on that testing.
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i completely understand buddy. during our last trip to THP HQ, i spent most of my time on the range with the 800 6 iron and i fell for it hard, lol. i came away really, really impressed.
 
Welcome Tom!! Oh man, I still have my Callaway X-12s. I LOVE THEM. I still take them out to play sometimes, even though I have new clubs. They were my first set of clubs (hand me downs from my mom). Oh my sweet X-12s. Did I tell you that I loved them? Oh right, I did.

Btw, if you're interested in getting a better price, call the shop (Blind 9 Golf). We can price match &/or beat the price you get- and ship for free (no tax b/c you're not in California). (626) 284-4653. Ask for Dennis and tell him you're from THP. :) We have a website, but we don't post all of our products up on the site, as we have a brick n mortar store too.

Good luck on your decision!!
 
TC said:
tom, are you dead set on the mizuno line or are you wanting some other iron recommendations? seems like you prefer more of a "player's" type iron and i know that there's some great stuff out there. personally, i quite liked the mx300's and i'm assuming that they are cheaper than the 800 pros? but in all honesty, i much preferred the mx200 to the mx300, which i know you could snag up relatively cheap right now.
Click to expand...

TC, I'm not dead set on the mizuno line, but I really like their whole approach. I'm an engineer by education, so their grain flow steel tech and such appeals to me. I also am leaning to forged because they are so much easier to adjust for loft and lie (correct me if I'm wrong). About a year after I got the x12's a guy opened a shop locally. He was a former club maker/engineer for Arnold Palmer Golf. He put me on a striking board and adjusted all my clubs. It was shocking how far off some were. He asked me after he measured them about my 6 and 7. He said I didn't use one of them much and he was right. I could never get any noticeable difference in distance with the 6. Turns out it was lofted with in a degree of the 7. So I really want to have a dynamic loft/lie adjustment done to any club I buy.

Re the MX200, my impression is that they have a pretty strong offset and I'm concerned about being able to adapt to that since I haven't played an offset club since the Pings back in the 80's. Should I be concerned about that?
 
TommyV said:
TC, I'm not dead set on the mizuno line, but I really like their whole approach. I'm an engineer by education, so their grain flow steel tech and such appeals to me. I also am leaning to forged because they are so much easier to adjust for loft and lie (correct me if I'm wrong). About a year after I got the x12's a guy opened a shop locally. He was a former club maker/engineer for Arnold Palmer Golf. He put me on a striking board and adjusted all my clubs. It was shocking how far off some were. He asked me after he measured them about my 6 and 7. He said I didn't use one of them much and he was right. I could never get any noticeable difference in distance with the 6. Turns out it was lofted with in a degree of the 7. So I really want to have a dynamic loft/lie adjustment done to any club I buy.

Re the MX200, my impression is that they have a pretty strong offset and I'm concerned about being able to adapt to that since I haven't played an offset club since the Pings back in the 80's. Should I be concerned about that?
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well, adjusting to offset is more of a visual thing and less of a performance thing in my opinion. and there's nothing wrong with that. many believe that offset will cause a hook or the pulls but it won't, it's there to help get the golf ball up into the air, that is all.

i understand completely why you would want to play forged irons for the adjustability factor and you are correct, they are easier to have adjusted, but they will need to be checked and adjusted periodically b/c they can "unadjust" over time. if you wanted to go with a cast iron, you can have them built to your specs after you go through a fitting and they'll never need adjusting, that's a good thing.

i think you're doing the right thing in taking some stuff out and trying it on your golf course, and going the shaft optimizer route was also a smart thing to do. there's nothing wrong with any of those irons you are interested in at all either. i just want to make sure you get what's best for you.
 
pattyblind9golf said:
Welcome Tom!! Oh man, I still have my Callaway X-12s. I LOVE THEM. I still take them out to play sometimes, even though I have new clubs. They were my first set of clubs (hand me downs from my mom). Oh my sweet X-12s. Did I tell you that I loved them? Oh right, I did.

Btw, if you're interested in getting a better price, call the shop (Blind 9 Golf). We can price match &/or beat the price you get- and ship for free (no tax b/c you're not in California). (626) 284-4653. Ask for Dennis and tell him you're from THP. :) We have a website, but we don't post all of our products up on the site, as we have a brick n mortar store too.

Good luck on your decision!!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer, but if I buy new I'll buy local. They have put time, effort and money into their bricks and mortar and were there to fit me and let me see the clubs in person. If I go used I'll look around for the best deal on the internet.
 
Welcome to the board TommyV.

Our evolutionary jump in irons is very similar. The first set of clubs I bought myself were DCI Golds, then I went to the X-14 Pros and now I am with the Clevelands that I have and was fit for.

I'm a big fan of the Project X shafts and have several regular buddies that play them that feel the same way. I would seriously consider them in your testing process.

I've hit the MX-300 quite a few times and really liked the iron. This will sound funny, but I thought they were too long with a very hot face and extremely forgiving. Given that I am not looking for a big distance jump causing major wedge gaps, I wouldn't put them in the bag. Other than that, which some people would kill for, it was one of favorites from last year.

I have only hit the JPX800 Pro a couple of times. I liked the look and feel of the iron and it had a really nice ball flight.

As far as the offset goes, you may have difficulty adjusting. I know I don't like hitting offsets, I find I hit them too high and I don't like the way they set up as much as a club with less or no offset. I would hit both of them and see if you experience the same thing. It doesn't bother some players out there.

I don't think you can go wrong if you choose a set of Mizunos, they make a really nice iron.

Just for reference, I'm 5'11, but take a divot and use an X-stiff.
 
biggsy said:
Welcome to the board TommyV.

Our evolutionary jump in irons is very similar. The first set of clubs I bought myself were DCI Golds, then I went to the X-14 Pros and now I am with the Clevelands that I have and was fit for.

I'm a big fan of the Project X shafts and have several regular buddies that play them that feel the same way. I would seriously consider them in your testing process.

I've hit the MX-300 quite a few times and really liked the iron. This will sound funny, but I thought they were too long with a very hot face and extremely forgiving. Given that I am not looking for a big distance jump causing major wedge gaps, I wouldn't put them in the bag. Other than that, which some people would kill for, it was one of favorites from last year.



I have only hit the JPX800 Pro a couple of times. I liked the look and feel of the iron and it had a really nice ball flight.

As far as the offset goes, you may have difficulty adjusting. I know I don't like hitting offsets, I find I hit them too high and I don't like the way they set up as much as a club with less or no offset. I would hit both of them and see if you experience the same thing. It doesn't bother some players out there.

I don't think you can go wrong if you choose a set of Mizunos, they make a really nice iron.

Just for reference, I'm 5'11, but take a divot and use an X-stiff.
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Thanks for the input, yeah, I really like the rifle shafts. I special ordered them back when I bought the x12's because I loved the damping characteristics. It will be hard to find MX300 or MX200 in a project x 5.0 I think. The JPX 800 will have to be ordered to get them which will bump the price. (can you tell I'm a tight wad? lol) I really think that the a big reason that the X12's feel so good is the shaft. I haven't really hit the dynalites, but for a few swings at the range yesterday, but they felt decent.
As far was the mx300's being long, I wouldn't mind that as my course is long and there just aren't that many holes where you can drive it to pitching wedge distance. I feel I'm pretty decent with knock downs and taking something off to fill the gaps when needed, so that part doesn't sound like a problem for me.

BTW, I am open to other suggestions on irons to try that are in the criteria of great feel with similar forgiveness to the X12 pros.

Thanks!

Tom
 
JUST REGISTERED TODAY...I’m a mid-handicapper and am also looking for a set of new irons. I’m currently playing a set of Taylor Made Rac OS I bought in 2003. Please tell me what you know about the following sets of irons: TM R9, Mizuno MX 1000, Mizuno JPX 800. Thanks for your help.
Jeff
 
gummy said:
JUST REGISTERED TODAY...I’m a mid-handicapper and am also looking for a set of new irons. I’m currently playing a set of Taylor Made Rac OS I bought in 2003. Please tell me what you know about the following sets of irons: TM R9, Mizuno MX 1000, Mizuno JPX 800. Thanks for your help.
Jeff
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Hi Gummy -

Here are few links to check out:

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?11157-Mizuno-MX-1000-Irons-Review&highlight=Mizuno+1000

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?11057-Mizuno-MX-1000-Mini-Review&highlight=Mizuno+1000

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?13778-Mizuno-JPX-800-and-800-Pros&highlight=Mizuno+1000

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?14008-Mizuno-Demo-Day-THP-Outing-Reviews&highlight=Mizuno+1000

http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?5557-Taylormade-R9-Irons&highlight=Taylormade+irons
 
If you like the rifles, you'll love the PX. No comparison in my book.

If you want to try other sets, look at the R9 TP and Cleveland CG7 Tour. They stood out to me when I went through my testing and demoing. They are last seasons models so you'll save some $$$$.
 
gummy said:
JUST REGISTERED TODAY...I’m a mid-handicapper and am also looking for a set of new irons. I’m currently playing a set of Taylor Made Rac OS I bought in 2003. Please tell me what you know about the following sets of irons: TM R9, Mizuno MX 1000, Mizuno JPX 800. Thanks for your help.
Jeff
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hey Gummy, I also played the RAC's for a long time and I absolutely loved that club. from the list you provided that you wanted some more info about I would say give the R9's a good look. Def my favorite from the 3 you named. But, I would also recommend you demo all of them. oh and welcome to THP
 
Tom, I won't even try to recommend anything to you, but welcome to the site!
 
I'm taking a couple days off from work, so I'm doing a lot of reading. I found some reviews on the MP53's and I'm really interested in that club!

On the Mizuno Swing Optimizer - It recommended a TT Dynalite S300 or the 5.0 project X. I did the analyzer twice and the dynalite came no. 1 and px 5.0 no.2 the first time and they were reversed the second time. I really like my rifle 6.0 shafts in the callaway and the 5.0 seems like a big change. I'm worried as I'll have to custom order a set of any of the mizuno's and probably any other club to get those shafts. I can't hardly find any out on the net with that shaft which also says to me they will be hard to move it I don't like them.

So long story, but please tell me your experience with the Mizuno Swing Optimizer and how well it worked for you and your shaft choice.
 
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