How many rounds to determine if forgiveness if working for you?

[BigMac]

I think 3-5 rounds, on a familiar course, sounds about right. I feel like I can gauge things like that much better on my home course because I'm so familiar with where my shots usually end up and what my usual misses are.

 

[djt311]

I would say 3 to 5 rounds. Reason why I say that it would probably be new irons and it would take a little time to get the feel of the clubs and whether or not you can feel where your miss is on the clubface. Once I can feel where my miss is on the clubface I can then determine how bad the miss was in regard to yards and on target. If I know that data can tell if it is really helping me score even on my screw up shots.

 

[Raiderboost]

1st round or a good range session. I noticed it very quickly when switching from the Forged Tecs to the Forged Tec X. If your uncertain then I bet if you went back and hit the less forgiving clubs you would notice that and the difference would stand out more.

 

[Scooby45]

That's a good question. I don't know. I need time to adjust to any new irons, maybe a few weeks. After that, the question about whether more forgiving irons improves scoring, for me, is an experiment I hope to explore in 2024. I also feel like "players" irons have gotten so much more forgiving. I think the outcome will nuanced and subtle. TBD.

This is where my head is at. Determining the nuance of if the new irons are improving scoring seems pretty tough and would need a fairly large sample size.

 

[Scorp]

A few rounds probably

 

[mtbloco]

First hole played.

If you need a reminder…carry a non forgiving club.

The new offerings keep packing more and more into them.

 

[gkeller813]

Is there a difference between liking and performance benefits though? (although I'll concede those go hand in hand to a degree)

I guess part of me liking a club, or set of irons, is how it performs for me, like you note. If I'm not hitting the ball well, or it doesn't have the forgiveness my game demands, I'm not going to like a set. If I struggle to elevate, or hit greens, etc. I'm not going to like the set.

 

[USAF Retired]

I do t feel it takes me long to determine if they’re forgiving enough for me.

1 round or so

 

[Bryndom]

Had an interesting chat with @hedley_lamarr08 the other day about how many rounds it would take to see how much forgiveness in clubs are noticeable. Whether it's comparing GI irons to players cavities, or even just iron set to iron set. What sample size do you think you really need to notice it?

Edit: And maybe more pointedly, when do you know it is helping your scores/performance, not just that you like them and they mesh well?

I think between 5-7. I hit some real stinkers regularly, so I should be comfortable with how much forgiveness I get relatively quickly!

 

[Rebel4life]

I used to be very impatient with new irons. If after 2-3 rounds I wasn't seeing noticeable improvement, I would move on. Then I bought my Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metals (I was fit for them). They were shafted with Recoil 95's, F3. I could tell during the 1st round with them that they fit my swing well and were super forgiving.

I played them for 4.5 years and still have them. Earlier this year, I bought a set of Callaway Apex irons with Recoil Dart shafts. Obviously they are not as forgiving than my 919's. It was a struggle at first and I almost gave up on them. But, the Recoil Dart shafts, while also F3, are roughly 20 grams lighter and I loved the feel the forged heads gave the rare times I made proper contact. The point is that after about 12-15 rounds I got to where I could actually strike them decently well. They are forgiving, but not as much as my 919's, though I am slightly longer with them.

Now that it's gotten cold and the grass is dead/dormant, I'm considering switching back to my 919's for the winter. That extra forgiveness can be helpful this time of year. I'm concerned about going back to slightly heavier shafts, but I've still bagged the 919 6-iron all along (the Apex 6-iron just doesn't seem to like me). So, hopefully the transition won't be too bad.

 

[Hacker67]

As someone whose miss is low on the face switching from traditional irons to hybrid irons, the forgiveness difference was immediate.

 

[WMac19]

I’ll know pretty much right away. Irons, for example, my usual miss is toward the toe. A not so close second place is low on the face. Although I’ll be pretty sure very early, I’ll usually give irons a couple of rounds to confirm.

Happened very recently. Been playing my steel shafted JPX-923 Pros for well over 100 rounds this year. First time playing steel since 2017, I think. Lately, I’d developed issues in my left wrist and hand. Not at all sure it had anything to do with my irons or steel shafts, I figured to temporarily change back anyway to my tried and true Apex CF-16 irons with SteelFiber i95 shafts. LOL… I could tell the difference in forgiveness immediately.

The CF-16s are very forgiving in their own right, particular off thin hits. But the very first swing, a 7-iron tee shot into the par-3 third hole, there it was. Contact was only slightly toward the toe, and the result wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the near full forgiveness from similar contact that I’d become spoiled by using the 923 Pros. Later a thinnish shot, good result there too. Just not as good as I’d anticipate with my Mizunos.

Still, typical for me, I played them again for a second round. Confirmed. Back to the 923, hand be damned.

It’s the same with me with contact toward the toe with driver, I’ll just know.

 

[hedley_lamarr08]

One round or about 25-30 shots in a sim.

I can see this but also does it show up quicker if you play at a higher level?

 

[hedley_lamarr08]

I think it’s about 10 rounds for me. I can’t go off of average score because I am perfectly capable of 25 putts or 35 putts.

 

[WLG1952]

Usually after I am well warmed up in the first round. Say, after 4, or 5 holes.

It's all about ball flights for me. If the ball flights are landing on, near my chosen landing areas, that's when I know.

 

[Parrot]

Me, speaking specifically to irons and my miss being on the toe, the feedback is pretty instant. When I first put the Aerojet irons in to play, I would miss and feel it significantly out on the toe, but see results were not as drastic as me previous iron set. That feedback came with the first few swings, the first time putting them in play.

Same. The help from the Aerojets was immediately noticeable. And welcomed.

 

[War Eagle]

Same. The help from the Aerojets was immediately noticeable. And welcomed.

First time, by choice, that I will be gaming a 4i in over a decade.

 

[DataDude]

I am coming at this from the wedge area right now since I recently moved from a 2 year old set of Vokey's to a set of Cobra Snakebite X wedges. I think the larger presentation at address immediately made me feel more comfortable that I was going to get good contact with the ball. The large sole glides across the turf a lot easier than my Vokey's did as well. I feel like I have picked up 2-3 strokes since that change just because I am pitching the ball so much better. I noticed it immediately in this case. That is not always true. I almost immediately felt like One Length was not working for me when I tried that. I just lost my gapping and really struggled to hit certain yardages.

 

[Parrot]

First time, by choice, that I will be gaming a 4i in over a decade.

4 irons are a young man's game.

 

[Parrot]

4 irons are a young man's game.

But, if I was going to carry one, the AJ would be an easy choice.

 

[War Eagle]

4 irons are a young man's game.

I am not one of those any more, but the AJ 5i is so easy that the 4i HAS to be the same, right? RIGHT?

 

[JonD]

Same for me as getting comfortable with new clubs. I see forgiveness as an attribute of comfort. 1-2 rounds. I usually know pretty quickly. If something isn't working I'll bench it and try to work with it on the range, but unless there's some sort of eureka moment it's likely not going back in the bag.

 

[Parrot]

I am not one of those any more, but the AJ 5i is so easy that the 4i HAS to be the same, right? RIGHT?

 

[Jman]

I can see this but also does it show up quicker if you play at a higher level?

No idea. But having reviewed stuff for 10+ years now helps with knowing what works rather quickly haha

 

[JAM01]

Generally a few rounds, though I lasted 2 holes with the stock Rocketbladez (black and yellow). Couldn’t carry a 30 yard pond 3 shots in a row. It was me, but the clubs moved on.