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Help me shortlist some new irons

SuperStroke
Br1an_g

Br1an_g

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Nov 4, 2009
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Location
Glasgow, Scotland
Handicap
CONGU 11.7
Ok, so i have finally bitten the bullet and cleaned up my irons for sale and listed them on the bay, so in the market for a new set.

bit of background may help. 17 handicap usually hitting mid to high 80's on my home course. good fundamentals. bad shot a hook. ball flight is naturally high. so i dont want to accenuate any of these swing traits.

been playing the bridgestones for about 18 months, and they are awesome clubs when you are on your game, not so much when your having a bad day. :beat-up:

so my initial thoughts of a list were:
Mx-300 and/or mx-200
Titleist Ap1 and/or AP2
Cleveland CG7

i think im more looking towards the blended set of irons as im so used to a thin topline i dont think i would like the GI looks but im willing to give them a go if the results are fantastic. was also thinking with the greater offset it might make my bad shots worse.

I have a good driving range which stocks most brands and lets you demo. they also have fitting options for every major brand and are the mizuno national fitting centre.

so i need a short list to demo, then i will take my top 3 to a fitting. looking for the input from you knowledgable people to assist me in my search for a set of irons to get my handicap down a few strokes this year, and create a more consistent game all round :banana:

TIA.
 
Hi. As a fellow Celt I'll throw in my two shillings worth. I changed to MX300s a few weeks back after extensive R&D with every iron I could beg, steal, or borrow. I am delighted with the choice. Shafted with Nippon 1150 tours which work detter for me than the KBS tous I had in 08 Burners. Flight is lower and dispersion is excellent. Extremely easy to hit.
I was glad to hear yesterday that a pro I know was also converted to them. I think in terms of feel you will find it hard to get anything better. It was mentioned here that because they are set up strong that the PW @ 45* might cause an issue with yardage gaps but I don't find it a problem at the moment. I'm going 52*,58* at the moment but can go 50,54,60 if needs be. because I don't carry a 3i and alternate between a 20* and 23* adams idea pro.
Anyway I hope thats of some help and good luck with the quest
Slán
 
Br1an_g said:
been playing the bridgestones for about 18 months, and they are awesome clubs when you are on your game, not so much when your having a bad day. :beat-up:

so my initial thoughts of a list were:
Mx-300 and/or mx-200
Titleist Ap1 and/or AP2
Cleveland CG7
Click to expand...

Most of the sets you have listed have similar forgiveness to that of the clubs you are playing now. AP1 and CG7 have more, but outside of that, the forgiveness is all about the same. I hate to be the messenger here, but if you are playing bogey golf, most likely you are struggling a little bit with your iron play. If that is the case, I would look to something with added forgiveness anywhere I could get it.
 
JB said:
Most of the sets you have listed have similar forgiveness to that of the clubs you are playing now. AP1 and CG7 have more, but outside of that, the forgiveness is all about the same. I hate to be the messenger here, but if you are playing bogey golf, most likely you are struggling a little bit with your iron play. If that is the case, I would look to something with added forgiveness anywhere I could get it.
Click to expand...

I am totally open to suggestions JB. what would be on your list?
 
I can't recommend clubs for you personally, but I can tell you that if the Bridgestones were giving you fits when your swing was slightly off, it would seem that playing bogey golf could in fact be a direct result of your iron play. If that is the case, I would be looking for GI. Something with more perimeter weighting and extra forgiveness.

There are tons of great GI sets out there. Some can be had for very little money as well.
 
so even more web searching and investigation later..

taylor made burners
mizuno mx-200 / and or mx-100
cleveland cg7
nike VR full cavity or Nike SQ machspeed (when we get them)
wilson staff pi7's (they are on special offer :))
Callaway BB diablo

whats the opinions?
 
There are tons more too. The MX-1000s are more GI to me than the MX-200s as they added even more forgiveness into them. The Adams A7s are simply awesome, the Nickent 4DX cb's are great clubs and can be had for next to nothing right now.
 
Br1an_g said:
so even more web searching and investigation later..

taylor made burners
mizuno mx-200 / and or mx-100
cleveland cg7
nike VR full cavity or Nike SQ machspeed (when we get them)
wilson staff pi7's (they are on special offer :))
Callaway BB diablo

whats the opinions?
Click to expand...

That looks like a solid set of clubs to check out. As you mentioned before, keep an eye on the offset if you have problems with a hook/draw. Of your selection, I've taken swings with the Burners, MX-200's, and the cg7's and they are all great sets. The Burners shots were long and straight, but be aware of their strong lofts because it could cause gaps in your short game and/or overlaps with your long shots. The MX-200 irons had an amazing feel to them when my swing was in the groove. I couldn't get very good consistency on ball contact though because I wasn't used to the heavier head that they have (compared to what I'm used to). It was probably more of an issue of only swinging with the stock shaft. The cg7's won a spot in my bag because they offered me the forgiveness and finesse I needed and because I went in with a bias from the promotion they were running.

As many others say, swing as many as you can to get a handle on what works best for you. Good luck on the search!
 
If you are looking for GI irons with forgiveness I would not overlook Adams.
 
Good luck with this, I say go somewhere you can hit the clubs on your list. There is no better way to pick a set. Its easy for all of us to give you an opinion but what feels good to me might not be the same to you. I am excited to hear what you go with.
 
thanks for the feedback so far, keep it coming.

JB looks like i would only be able to get the adams or the nickents via a web based company. no stockists to let me try them. :(
 
ok, so got an iron fitting booked for Monday night.

i will be able to test all of the irons on my 2nd list except the clevelands which they dont have in stock. :(
 
New Clubs

New Clubs

Just bought the new X-22s, love them. I tried the following: burner, AP-1, Cobra S2.
 
I hit the CG7 BP's last week. Had to hit them off a matt, so not the best feedback, but they felt GREAT!! I am partial to the black look, prolly because that is what I play now. haha.

I agree with the other comments, nothing better than hitting them yourself, if that is a possibility.
 
Gotta throw the TM R9s into the mix. Clean lines and very forgiving.

The others I would recommend are already on your list, the Mizzy MX-200s.
 
they have brand new X-22's at my local golf lounge (simulator). im sure they will be on the callaway cart so will do a comparison.

Had a look at the R9's last night when i went to book my fitting. They are very good looking clubs, in fact, I would say they are the best looking clubs i have seen in a while. not sure they will be forgiving enough but will be sure to have a hit with them just for fun

I will report back on the process and outcome. will try and post a few pics as well on my twitter. :D

thanks for all the input. really looking forward to monday now. :clapp:
 
Br1an-

The R9s are surprisingly forgiving. Not as much as the Burners, but they have tons more feel. The KBS shafts make the ball want to go straight.

If you are interested, I did a long-term review here:
TaylorMade R9 Irons - Long Term Review - The Hackers Paradise

The nice thing about that thread is that several other people chimed in with their opinions and results too. So it's not just my thoughts. And as you will see in that thread, I was not really a TaylorMade fan before the R9s.

But definitely try the MX-200s too. I liked those as well. The Nike full-cavs are good, but I didn't like them as much as the R9s or MX-200s. The Burners are forgiving, but they just felt "dead" to me. Not lively and no feedback. However, there are plenty of people who love them. Watch the TM shaft lengths though. They tend to be longer than other brands, and vary from model to model. For example, in the Ping i5s, I was +1/2", but in the R9s I'm +1/4". The Callaway X-22s are stupid easy to hit, but I think they lack a little feel. But again, many people absolutely love them.

But the most important thing is to try as many brands and models as you can and find the right one for you. Good luck!
 
ok, so club fitting last night and thought i would post a wee update.

ive got a few pics on twitter: http://twitter.com/Br1an_g but will add the summary below.

Started off with a wee warm up. considering its about -3 in glasgow i needed to loosen up before i went for the fitting.

i currently have Bridgestone J33 combo irons and the main reason for changing is to get something a bit more forgiving that will help me on my off days rather than hinder me.

had a shortlist but on the night here is what i tried, and what i thought of each club:

Mizuno Mx-200 - really like these, nice feel, good distance and easy to hit
Mizuno Mx-300 - considering they are not that different to the Mx-200 i had a few bad shots with this one.
Callaway X22 - didnt like the look of it, hit the ball well enough but didnt consider it
Ping i15 - the G15 has too much offset for myswing so i tried the i15. have to say im not a fan of the looks at all. i hit the ball well with them though, but they lacked feel for me.
Nike VR cavitys - nice looking clubs, not as forgiving as i thought they would be
Taylor Made Burners - big heads, forgiving as it gets, felt a bit dead even on sweet strikes.
taylor Made R9's - big surprise of the night. quite large heads, but look great overall. Very forgiving, and nice feel
Titleist AP1 - loved the look of these. they felt sweet when hit.
Titleist AP2 - too much like my current irons, need to be on my game to play them so not forgiving enough.

So out of the clubs above i narrowed it down a bit to the following:
Taylor Made R9's
Mizuno Mx-200
Titleist AP1

hit some more balls with each club and checked the vector to understand ball flight, direction, spin etc.

one of the most interesting stats for me was the dispersion.
R9's had the lowest
Mx-200 next
Ap1's last.

i ruled out the AP1's for this reason as the dispersion was quite high. i had a tendencey to pull the ball left bordering on a hook.
The mx200's felt great off the face. distance was a little lower than the other 2 and dispersion was pretty uniform
the R9's had the tightest dispersion. the ball just flew straight every time. even when i tried to hit it badly it still went straight.

so i had it down to 2. it was greater feel with a higher dispersion with the mx200, or sacrifice a little feel to gain more accuracy..

and the winner was........

Taylor Made R9's.

have to say i was a little surprised by these clubs. but they are awesome in all regards.
from when i made my choice we went on to fit them for me.

ended up 2 degrees up, standard length, standard grips, KBS stiff shaft. 4-PW

and the sweetest thing about the night? they only cost me £268 as i got £250 trade in on my old set :)

very pleased, now counting the days till they get delivered..cant wait.

thanks for all the feedback and input (Harry, your threads excellent ;))
 
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nice choice and good luck with them. I recently picked up a new set of mx-200s after hitting them on a local golf stores simulator. Loved the feel and was by far the best iron i have hit. Went from 6 iron going 170 with my 7-8 year old cobra ss i irons to 205-210 with the mizunos.
 
Congrats on the new clubs Brian.

I've just pulled the trigger on a new set myself after extensive web based research. Living in NW Ireland I couldn't find anywhere to properly demo clubs unfort, so Google was my friend.

I'd narrowed it down to the same 2 sets as yourself, MX200s or R9s. Ended up going with MX200s on KBS Tours, as the idea of forged clubs won me over. Hit both in a shop and both felt great tho (coming from Burner XDs most clubs are going to feel good in comparison).
 
Putty Man said:
Congrats on the new clubs Brian.

I've just pulled the trigger on a new set myself after extensive web based research. Living in NW Ireland I couldn't find anywhere to properly demo clubs unfort, so Google was my friend.

I'd narrowed it down to the same 2 sets as yourself, MX200s or R9s. Ended up going with MX200s on KBS Tours, as the idea of forged clubs won me over. Hit both in a shop and both felt great tho (coming from Burner XDs most clubs are going to feel good in comparison).
Click to expand...

yeh, having been so used to my forged bridgestones i was surprised at how good the R9's felt, yet at the same time the accuracy of them and consistency of ball flight and distance was awesome.
the mx-200 did feel better, but didnt provide me the same results. so i went with the clubs that will help me score.
you will love the mx-200 though im sure. im partial to mizuno equipment and they were the front runner before i even hit them..:D
 
Congratulations on your choice! I'm sure you are relieved to have decided on a set of irons. Good luck and I hope you enjoy them. :)
 
Congrats on your choice of sticks! Be sure to post pics once they arrive!
 
Sean said:
Congratulations on your choice! I'm sure you are relieved to have decided on a set of irons. Good luck and I hope you enjoy them. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks Sean, one step closer to breaking 80 ;)

thanks1974 said:
Congrats on your choice of sticks! Be sure to post pics once they arrive!
Click to expand...

I will post some pics in the WITB thread as soon as they arrive :D



may need to change my wedges now though as the R9 PW is 46* and its too big a gap to my 54..wifes going to love that..:beat-up:
 
That's great to hear! Good luck with the new sticks. I'm sure they'll treat ya right.
 
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