How old is too old for a set of irons?

DaveGolfer15

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 4, 2021
Messages
2,498
Reaction score
1,762
Location
UK
Handicap
8 (WHS)
At what point do a set of irons become too old to consider using because of losing out on more modern technology? And does it depend on the design, ie. blade, cavity back etc... Up until last year I played Mizuno MP33’s from 2002 - pushing 20 years old. Are the MP20s better/more forgiving? Or... within reason... are all sets of Mizuno forged blades comparable?
 
Completely depends on the iron type and the player.

I wouldn’t say that all Mizuno forged sets are comparable though. I have a set of both MP-57 and MP-20 SC, and while they’re similar, they aren’t quite the same. Both great irons, but I found the MP-20 set to launch a little easier while having a similar look on address.
 
I have heard that for irons either every 5-7 years that there are advances in technology that would help your game with the latest and greatest. It is not to say you can play an older set if they are still in good shape (grooves) and perform as you want. Your call.

PS. Since this is THP it has to be noted that we like new and shiny ;).
 
As long as your seeing consistent and expected distance out of older irons, I think they’re still ok to play. I’ve never seen consistent and expected distances out of any irons, which is why I’m constantly on the quest for new. Because we all know it’s certainly not me that’s the problem. Ha.
 
At what point do a set of irons become too old to consider using because of losing out on more modern technology? And does it depend on the design, ie. blade, cavity back etc... Up until last year I played Mizuno MP33’s from 2002 - pushing 20 years old. Are the MP20s better/more forgiving? Or... within reason... are all sets of Mizuno forged blades comparable?

I'm not an expert, but your mileage on a set of irons will vary by how many rounds you play a year (grooves, face, etc). So, they could last you a couple years or many.

Supposedly the tech changes enough every 5 to 7ish years which someone will notice a performance improvement. SGI and GI ckubs will probably see the biggest bumps in performance.

As @Jimmy3864 said THPers like
 
I think any age person can play a set of irons.
 
Ball flights tell the golfer all they need to know about how their equipment is playing.

My main gamers are from around 2007 I think. I also have an older set of TE Ironwoods from 2000+/-. Earlier this year I purchased a new set TE blades that I'm slowly getting comfortable with. Earlier this week I was hitting 1983 Hogan blades.

Pretty sure I could break 90 using any of those iron sets based on the ball flights I see from these different clubs.
 
At what point do a set of irons become too old to consider using because of losing out on more modern technology? And does it depend on the design, ie. blade, cavity back etc... Up until last year I played Mizuno MP33’s from 2002 - pushing 20 years old. Are the MP20s better/more forgiving? Or... within reason... are all sets of Mizuno forged blades comparable?
Time to change the set when, the grooves are wearing out or in the old days with the soft forged heads, when the face has a slightly concaved spot from golf ball striking.
Your Mizuno might have the issue of spot wear from hitting golf balls for over 2o years. Use a straight edge ( ruler/ or a piece of paper ) check the face for wear spot.
I'd only wore out one set ( partially , with the short irons ) in the last 4 decades, then again, I had more than a dozen set of irons in rotation and always clean them after use.

Keep the old set when you replacing it. You might want to take it out once in awhile even with the new purchase.
 
Used ladies irons can be a good deal as I doubt many women wear out the faces of their clubs.
Not only do women tend to play less, they have slower swings speeds and often play softer balls.
 
I know a guy that has and still uses a putter that is about 35 years old. The face is concaved now. I never saw anything quite like it and he can drain some putts. I did not get a chance to look at his irons, but I am sure they are extremely old as well.

Some of the seniors I play with have clubs 30+ years old. During one round a guy hit a nice drive and was walking off the tee box and said to me, "Do you know how old this driver is?" I said, no, and he said it was around 30 or 35 years old. Just goes to show you don't need new clubs to hit good golf shots. Too old is no good is a mindset.
 
Like a lot of others have said, it really all depends on the type of player and the irons. There have been a number of YouTube tests with older irons vs newer, and if the ball gets hit on the sweet spot consistently, they're all pretty close in distance. So a 20 year old set of Mizunos, if hit the same way as a new set, may still feel and perform just as good. It's really the mishits that matter more, if you're not as consistent a ball striker then yeah a newer set is probably going to be less penal when hit off the heel or toe.
 
I would say there is no such thing as an iron that is too old. Wear is the only issue. If the set was brand new, a set of irons from the early 90s or older is still extremely playable.
 
So you played them till last year, What are you playing now?
 
I don’t think there is a set time. That said, hitting the old Ping Eye 2’s I have in my garage, I reckon I was seeing 20 to 30 yards difference between the equivalent P790.
 
I currently play PE2s and like the higher flight with the more traditional lofts. With that said, there isn't much difference in distance besides forgiveness. And the only difference in distance is because of the difference in lofts.
 
I have always heard to make sure you switch by 10 years to make sure you're not giving a lot away. However, I'm sure it depends. My current irons are about 7 years old so I'm getting a fitting next week to see if it's worth switching.
 
I still play 1986 Spalding Tour Edition forged irons. About one club shorter than today's irons but otherwise, just as good.
ca4ce832d8587ec53ce194a8442101fb.jpg
b9ef0b756f8a2f4e35d5b143823a6e81.jpg

560739806bd0dc56c00a2b495791935f.jpg
 
Last edited:
I put my Hogan Edge GS's into play this year. They're probably from 1993(?) They were re-gripped earlier in the year. Even when they were my main set they saw maybe 20-25 rounds a year.
I was having 'strike' issues, so I went to these with their bit more of forgiveness. They worked fine- The tech on that style of club can't really be improved on too much. Sure if you use SGI or GI Irons, the tech has improved immensely with weight shifting and stronger lofts, etc... But Blades and perimeter weighted forged clubs like the GS's are harder to improve on.
 
At what point do a set of irons become too old to consider using because of losing out on more modern technology? And does it depend on the design, ie. blade, cavity back etc... Up until last year I played Mizuno MP33’s from 2002 - pushing 20 years old. Are the MP20s better/more forgiving? Or... within reason... are all sets of Mizuno forged blades comparable?
Never because its never been all about technology. Ive got an old set of Spalding irons from the 1930s and I still play them from time to time. Guess what? They still work just as well today as they did in 1930, you just have to factor in that the lofts are about 2 clubs weaker than modern irons are and that with even the 2-iron you are only going to hit it about 200 yards. I love playing those clubs though because they have pyratone shafts (steel shafts with a chemical coating that makes them look like they are hickory) and everyone thinks they are hickories. Ive had many times when I played with randoms who marveled at how well my real wood woods and hickory shafted (I usually just let them think they really are hickories) irons.
Its the same with my Mizuno T-Zoid True blades from the '90s and my Titleist Cobra Pro CBs from the early '00s. They all work just as well as they ever did and other than distance due to jacked lofts, Ive never felt like I was giving up much of anything over modern irons and all of their supposed great new tech. 🤷‍♂️
 
I put MP-33s in the bag some rounds (19 years old). AP2 712s in the bag some rounds (10 years old). And even MP-29s when I'm feeling froggy or nostalgic (29 years old). As long as the faces and grooves are in good shape, I don't think they can get "too old."
 
I think with irons, performance due to wear is going to play a bigger role.. but maybe not that wide of a gap the more I think about it.

Any club can Be ‘hit’ just fine, I guess it’s more about need And want and expectations. New tech is absolutely going to support more forgiveness across the face, better turf interaction, better construction, etc.
 
Back
Top