I wonder if I'm just supposed to be using super improvement player irons?

[Desmond]

I think you want to survive until you've found an instructor that gets you towards where you want to go.

A wider sole effectively gives you more bounce, which helps the club glide more easily when fatted or you come in too steep. You will still lose yardage on the worst fatted shots but the closer you "fat", the better wider soles will help.

You might look at preowned clubs, for example, like Callaway Big Bertha Irons or Mizuno Hot Metals - wide sole, more offset, hot faces, very forgiving. Those are two OEMs I like because there are so many great choices that I don't have time to demo everything.

 

[DG_1234]

You might be well-served by reading this thread: Golf instruction and golf lessons... and finding a better instructor.

My thoughts on instructors are dependent on the goals of the player. For example, the OP claims he is able to dedicate 4 hours per week at home and, or, a driving range making swings. That is more than enough time to develop soon his own naturally effective swing thru learning-practicing address fundamentals (grip-posture-alignment).
These address techniques can be learned from a book including photos and, or, illustrations. My two favorites are Jack Nicklaus "Golf My Way" or Tiger Woods "How I play Golf".
For players who don't have the time or the will to commit the hours the OP does, I think the instructors out there giving students positions and, or, body movements to think about during the swing are selling tips and band-aids which at best provide a short term quick fix. This is ok for some players, but the OP seems to have the time and willingness to do it right, which is why I suggested he learn-practice address technique fundamentals.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

Having played SGI irons in the past, in my experience, they did not help me very much with fat shots. Your experience might be different.

My current irons, while older than the hills, are GI irons (CB, offset hosel). My wedges are definitely GI wedges (Cleveland CBX'). Trust me: I can chunk shots with both of those with the best of 'em I can top shots with them with the best of them, too. Consistently finding the bottom requires a consistent swing.

What helped me a lot with that was single-plane swing, but I lost a lot of distance with that, so I decided to go back to a more traditional swing.

 

[Rebel4life]

@V14_Heels, you're talking about "losing control" of the club face and changes to your irons when you admittedly can't strike the ball cleanly, consistently as it is. IMO you're putting the cart before the horse.

You say you're on your 13th lesson and feel that you know what you're supposed to do, but apparently are unable to execute with any degree of consistency. This suggests to me you're getting ineffective instruction. @DG_1234 alluded to this in his comments just above.

You might be well-served by reading this thread: Golf instruction and golf lessons... and finding a better instructor.

As for SGI irons, fitting, etc.: None of that is magically going to turn poor, inconsistent swings into good ball-hitting.

I could not agree more with everything @Duffer Seamus said. If you haven't improved much after 13 lessons, you might need a different instructor. I'm not saying your instructor is bad (though you having that swing thought about flipping wrists is worrisome). A particular instructor may be great for 1 golfer, but not another. You need an instructor that explains things in ways you can comprehend and put into practice. You have to be able to mentally envision what an instructor is telling you before your body can do it. I love watching Lee Trevino videos online because he explains things in ways that I can see in my mind what he's trying to get me to do. You might watch the same videos and think they're junk.

 

[NeverWiff]

Alright this is a confusing one to explain my thoughts on, but I just want to be slightly better than a bogey golfer...17 handicap or so would thrill me! Right now i'm lucky if I break a 100. According to arccos i'm a 30 handicap.

I golfed a 104 yesterday and comparing it to a 17 handicap it's something like this:
Lost 7 strokes to driver
Lost 11 strokes to approach shots IN PARTICULAR 9 from 100-150 yards
Lost -0.7 shots on short game
Gained +2.5 on putting (averaged 1.8 putts and had 3 up and downs)

It's not hard to see where I struggle, and this is consistent across multiple games this season. So in comes my question. I have two clubs I love. My putter. And this dumb 37 degree chipper I got from Pinemeadow 2 years ago for like $40. Can't say I have any confidence with any other club in my bag. It's basically a 7 iron with a massive sole. I use it off the fringe, out of the rough, anywhere from 10 yards to 50 yards. https://www.pinemeadowgolf.com/golf-clubs/wedges/excel-egi-chipper.pfs

My question is should I be looking at some of these super game improvement irons that almost look like this 37 degree chipper? Would a club champion even fit those type of irons? I'm talking something like the Cobra T Rails or the Cleveland Turbo HB's? I have just cheap player improvement irons now that kind of mimic an old school ping (gigagolf p3 bros). I just don't understand how much you take away from your play when you go this super improvement route. My weakness is literally contact. I just struggle to make clean contact with any of my clubs on a full swing, and I'm wondering if equipment can't help me? I'm currently trialing a set of OL Cobras from globalgolf to try to improve consistency but...was curious if anybody like me has had success moving from the club they learned golf on, took lessons with and still moved to some of these super improvement player irons with the really fat soles?

What is your current set of clubs? I don't see that noted anywhere..... (EDIT: whoops, sorry just noticed that they're ping knock off's?) if you're playing a set of blades, i can understand having trouble hitting them consistently and effectively. If you're using game improvement irons, that's a good start and you might not see significant improvement if you go to SGI irons at this point. I'd go for the lessons, keeping the ball in the fairway off the tee (which i struggle with) and i really like the idea from a previous THP'er, on finding a par 3 course near you to work on your 100 -150 yard shots. Don't be shy about trying a number of instructors until you find one that helps you out and "speaks your language" Having the right communication is key. Good luck!!

 

[JPR1959]

Are your lessons/swings caught on video? Having your instructor review those with you might answer lots of your questions. There’s nothing wrong with instructors not using video, but it just might help you see what the instructor is trying to fix.

 

[Tywithay]

Game improvement irons only help you improve if they're a good fit for your swing. I'm a high handicap as well, but have to use more of a players iron because wide soles don't mesh with my swing. A good fitting would make sure you're using the best clubs for YOU, not just your skill level. After that, lessons will be the biggest improvement.

 

[Nappy]

All of this sounds so familiar to myself about 10 or 11 years ago. Seemed like nothing would help, but I found that 95% of the game is just having confidence that you know how to swing a golf club and nothing thinking too much. The rest is technique and skill.

I'm sure I might be in the minority here, but when you're just trying to break 100 (and you've already been taking lessons) I think the best thing to do is just slow it down and an enjoy the game. Take a break from grinding over it and just grip it and rip it.

 

[Muchmore]

at a 17 handicap how much does control of the iron face really come into play

When I was at that point, all I wanted to do is hit it straight. Never once did I think about a draw or a fade. It is true that SGIs aren’t very workable. The whole point of them is to not punish a mishit on the face as much as more player oriented irons.

your stats show that obviously there is something missing with your swing and your contact. Which to be clear, there is nothing wrong with and can be fixed but that fix isn’t from a club all by itself. You also say you’ve been getting lessons, so I’m going to answer your actual thread question.

SGIs will most likely give you a bit of help you as you are right now. They don’t make you a better golfer, but they help hide or counter issues that you have. But while I say that, a swing with an open or closed face isn’t automatically going to go straight. clubs don’t fix that. But in the swings that the face is coming through properly, the tech in these clubs will keep distance and shape consistent even though you may not be centering them every time.

 

[PatsFan]

I guess my 1st question is what Irons do you have now? how old are they?
If they are more than 5 years old yes you would probably benefit from the new tech in clubs these days.
But If you are struggling to make consistent contact then find a teacher and take a few lessons.

 

[Raiderboost]

For reference I'm headed in to my 13th lesson next week. I've had lessons, I feel good about knowing what I SHOULD be doing. But it's alot, and for whatever reason I just can't seem to execute the steps I've been given consistently when it comes to irons in particular. It's frustrating obviously. I do think some of it is I just need to swing and not THINK so much, but I do wonder if a more forgiving iron would help.

As a low handicap...do you all think about your swing at all when you step up to a ball? I'd love to hear what like a 17 handicapper thinks about at address. I've always heard only go to the ball with 2-3 thoughts cause it's all your mind can handle. But my 2-3 thoughts change 50 times throughout a round. "Hands high at top of swing, flick wrists at impact" "Rotate hips, stop sway" "F everything...just think about HITTING the ball" "hmm ok that didn't work um how about we think about keeping my head down, left arm straight." "Crap...ok lets really think about rotating that hip out before downswing this time." Like...that's how my mind goes lol..

Have these lessons all been with the same person? If so you might look at another as you aren’t meshing. Personally for me, and I haven’t had lesson but have a good friend who is a +5 and knows my swing, I play the best when I don’t have swing thoughts. I will have them on the range but try not to during the round. One thing I’ve heard that may help with better contact would be to look at either the front edge of the ball or even the ground like maybe an inch in front of the ball. Try to focus on that and swing to and through that and just let the ball get in the way.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

I guess my 1st question is what Irons do you have now?

Well, apparently, as of yesterday, now he's playing Cobra OL Speedzones: https://www.thehackersparadise.com/...n-the-revolution.8925563/page-36#post-9828041 - so I'm not certain why he even asked the question

 

[tequila4kapp]

For reference I'm headed in to my 13th lesson next week. I've had lessons, I feel good about knowing what I SHOULD be doing. But it's alot, and for whatever reason I just can't seem to execute the steps I've been given consistently when it comes to irons in particular. It's frustrating obviously. I do think some of it is I just need to swing and not THINK so much, but I do wonder if a more forgiving iron would help.

As a low handicap...do you all think about your swing at all when you step up to a ball? I'd love to hear what like a 17 handicapper thinks about at address. I've always heard only go to the ball with 2-3 thoughts cause it's all your mind can handle. But my 2-3 thoughts change 50 times throughout a round. "Hands high at top of swing, flick wrists at impact" "Rotate hips, stop sway" "F everything...just think about HITTING the ball" "hmm ok that didn't work um how about we think about keeping my head down, left arm straight." "Crap...ok lets really think about rotating that hip out before downswing this time." Like...that's how my mind goes lol..

I am concerned that you have that many thoughts going on. Does your instructor know about this? Encourage it? It just seems way too complex.

how much have you progressed in these 13 lessons? How much time do you take between lessons to practice?

To answer your question, if I’m playing normal I have maybe 1 thought. If I’m hitting the ball really well I have no swing thoughts, I’m focus on course management things like where I want the ball to land where the ball cannot go, ball flight, etc

 

[BigMac]

You shouldn't be having any thoughts at all. You know how to hit the ball, look from behind the ball and find the line, take a practice swing, address the ball and hit it. There is no need to over think what you are doing when you address the ball. Try it and I bet you will find things will improve.

^ Strongly agree. Overthinking is one of the biggest weaknesses in my game, and the more I overthink my swing, the worse it gets.

Yea again I don't care about the look. I think maybe what I'm asking is...at a 17 handicap how much does control of the iron face really come into play. My buddy is probably a 22 handicapish and he actually said yesterday I've never tried to hit a draw or a fade in my life. Which led me to think down this path. I get you lose "control" on these big super improvement irons like the Cleveland HB Launcher Turbos, but I'm not even sure I'll ever get to the point where I need to think about shaping my irons lol. I hope...but...if that's really all I'm gaining from playing a player improvement over a super playing imrpovement. I guess I ask myself why not get the way more forgiving club?

I might be in the minority here, but I think a high handicapper should be giving exactly zero thought toward shaping their shots. Focus on being able to make solid contact and keeping the ball in front of you and in play. That’s more than enough to consistently break 100. If you’re not making good, consistent contact with the ball, messing around with altering your setup and swing to try to shape the ball is putting variables you don’t need into the equation. Worrying about hitting fades and draws on command is putting the cart before the horse at that stage - it's like trying to qualify for the Indy 500 before you have your driver's license.

 

[Kenomikes]

@NEhomer - He doesn't really tell me to do anything, but in the various lessons I've had all those points have been made to some extent.

@DG_1234 - I don't really know what you mean. The purpose of lessons is to teach right? Teaching creates thoughts and things to study. I've also read Ben Hogan's book. That all creates thoughts and things to think about?

I practice daily. At least 30 minutes a day. I have a net at home and a flight monitor I use. I also go to the simulator twice a week for an 1.5 hours or so, and play weekly which includes range time. And I can see that practice in other areas of my game. My short game is really good for a 30 handicap. Imo. Just isn't translating as well on course.

Sounds like you're doing a lot work with lessons, practicing, and more. Post your swing video here, let guys take a look.

 

[Sean]

Game improvement irons only help you improve if they're a good fit for your swing. I'm a high handicap as well, but have to use more of a players iron because wide soles don't mesh with my swing. A good fitting would make sure you're using the best clubs for YOU, not just your skill level. After that, lessons will be the biggest improvement.

I agree 100%. I once had a set of ultra game improvement irons and ended up hitting a lot of low hoods with them. Seeing as they were the most "forgiving" clubs on the market I thought they would be perfect. Not so. Turns out they had too much offset for my swing.

Also, when I went for my first fitting, it turned out I needed clubs that were +2-inches and 2º upright.

 

[JB]

Im not sure why some tell every person asking about clubs, to go get lessons. That is like answering elephant when asked about favorite dog breed.

To answer the OP, it really depends. Wide soles have a lot of merit for golfers struggling, dependent on their swing and contact issues. As can weight placement low and deep. They won't be a magic wand, but the dismissal by some that they help golfers struggling is pure nonsense.

Fitting can also help, but to the OP, pretty easy test. Hop into a store or range and grab a 5 iron and 5 hybrid and see which one you hit more consistently.

 

[V14_Heels]

I guess my 1st question is what Irons do you have now? how old are they?
If they are more than 5 years old yes you would probably benefit from the new tech in clubs these days.
But If you are struggling to make consistent contact then find a teacher and take a few lessons.

I play a set of Gigagolf P3 Bros. (They're kind of like a Ping knock off...no idea how old they are but they gotta be around that 5 year mark)

Well, apparently, as of yesterday, now he's playing Cobra OL Speedzones: https://www.thehackersparadise.com/...n-the-revolution.8925563/page-36#post-9828041 - so I'm not certain why he even asked the question

Haha. This is a good catch, but not quite what you think. I ordered a set of Cobra OL Speedzones to TRY. I have them on a 14 day trial with a mindset that is exactly what this post is about. Trying to see if that will help with striking consistently. It just led me to this second question of hmm maybe I need to just look at super improvements instead since I hit my little 37 degree chipper so well.

I am concerned that you have that many thoughts going on. Does your instructor know about this? Encourage it? It just seems way too complex.

how much have you progressed in these 13 lessons? How much time do you take between lessons to practice?

So I had to go back and look. I lied. It's 11 lessons. So I had 8 lessons with the same instructor when I started golfing two years ago and before I even hit the course. He gave me what I think is some really great fundamentals, old school style, no video or tech. I started seeing a new guy here about 2 months ago because I just had no power. My 7i pure would go about 110 carry. He diagnosed it in my first session, i was literally not rotating my hips at all and was way to focused at bumping my hip towards the target at downswing. From there, i came home and was topping absolutely everything, so next lesson focused on that, and after that lesson I was actually in a really good place, and then the last lsesson it all went to crap. I had no hinge in my wrist at all, so at backswing my club was kind of way back behind my shoulder and flat. I wasn't really working my hands into my shot at all, and this one has messed me up. I think he's been good. He doesn't really tell me what to think on a shot...I guess I've never really asked.

I'm torn on lessons at this point. My first two went magnificently, but my last one did not. I wish I would've never learned how to hinge my wrists a bit more, and it's almost like I don't even want to know more at this point. I had a 7i that was carrying 20-30 yards more after those first 2 lessons and would it be awesome to someday have a 160-170 yard 7i. YES, but lessons really seem to have a delta for peak for me almost like a stock. I feel like I gotta get out at some point and just practice. I'm very athletic and usually learn very quickly, but I'm a thinker as well. Tweaking every little thing weekly hasn't really worked well for me?

Im not sure why some tell every person asking about clubs, to go get lessons. That is like answering elephant when asked about favorite dog breed.

To answer the OP, it really depends. Wide soles have a lot of merit for golfers struggling, dependent on their swing and contact issues. As can weight placement low and deep. They won't be a magic wand, but the dismissal by some that they help golfers struggling is pure nonsense.

I REALLY appreciate this post and can't agree more. It is a consistent answer from people on here when they ask anything. It's never made a whole lot of sense to me.
When you say weight placement low and deep, where on the iron is that weight. I'm legit trying to understand what you mean by low and deep? Your talking literally adding like a lead tape in some cases to particular spots on an iron?

With all that said, this post has been incredibly helpful. I had a session on my net yesterday where I shot about 70-100 balls thought about very little and I made really good contact on the vast majority of the shots. Best I've felt about it in a VERY long time. I did use the cobra speedzone OL's in that session though.

I also have a fitting scheduled next week with Club Champion. I hope to try some super improvements and I really want to feel some heavier graphite shafts. In conjunction with testing these OL speedzones I feel like I should find some type of answer here.

 

[Luchnia]

You will always get a lot of different views based on the information you give. IMO, first thing is to look at your mishits to see what you are doing that is causing issues. I remember early last year I was hitting the ground too early on a number of my ball strikes.

I simply put a piece of tape down in my practice bay mat and started to practice over and over hitting on the other side of the tape toward the target. That also meant I needed a slight change in my weight position on my left foot and my club a tad forward more. That made a night and day difference for me and my game started changing for the better.

There are so many different things you can work on in the golf swing and most of the time it is the simple things you have to look at. I had to get all the garbage thoughts out of my head and play target golf with strategy learning to minimize the mishits as much as I possibly can.

 

[erock9174]

I play a set of Gigagolf P3 Bros. (They're kind of like a Ping knock off...no idea how old they are but they gotta be around that 5 year mark)



Haha. This is a good catch, but not quite what you think. I ordered a set of Cobra OL Speedzones to TRY. I have them on a 14 day trial with a mindset that is exactly what this post is about. Trying to see if that will help with striking consistently. It just led me to this second question of hmm maybe I need to just look at super improvements instead since I hit my little 37 degree chipper so well.


So I had to go back and look. I lied. It's 11 lessons. So I had 8 lessons with the same instructor when I started golfing two years ago and before I even hit the course. He gave me what I think is some really great fundamentals, old school style, no video or tech. I started seeing a new guy here about 2 months ago because I just had no power. My 7i pure would go about 110 carry. He diagnosed it in my first session, i was literally not rotating my hips at all and was way to focused at bumping my hip towards the target at downswing. From there, i came home and was topping absolutely everything, so next lesson focused on that, and after that lesson I was actually in a really good place, and then the last lsesson it all went to crap. I had no hinge in my wrist at all, so at backswing my club was kind of way back behind my shoulder and flat. I wasn't really working my hands into my shot at all, and this one has messed me up. I think he's been good. He doesn't really tell me what to think on a shot...I guess I've never really asked.

I'm torn on lessons at this point. My first two went magnificently, but my last one did not. I wish I would've never learned how to hinge my wrists a bit more, and it's almost like I don't even want to know more at this point. I had a 7i that was carrying 20-30 yards more after those first 2 lessons and would it be awesome to someday have a 160-170 yard 7i. YES, but lessons really seem to have a delta for peak for me almost like a stock. I feel like I gotta get out at some point and just practice. I'm very athletic and usually learn very quickly, but I'm a thinker as well. Tweaking every little thing weekly hasn't really worked well for me?


I REALLY appreciate this post and can't agree more. It is a consistent answer from people on here when they ask anything. It's never made a whole lot of sense to me.
When you say weight placement low and deep, where on the iron is that weight. I'm legit trying to understand what you mean by low and deep? Your talking literally adding like a lead tape in some cases to particular spots on an iron?

With all that said, this post has been incredibly helpful. I had a session on my net yesterday where I shot about 70-100 balls thought about very little and I made really good contact on the vast majority of the shots. Best I've felt about it in a VERY long time. I did use the cobra speedzone OL's in that session though.

I also have a fitting scheduled next week with Club Champion. I hope to try some super improvements and I really want to feel some heavier graphite shafts. In conjunction with testing these OL speedzones I feel like I should find some type of answer here.

Out of curiosity are you an athletic coordinated person?
Do you or did you ever play other sports?

Back around 2007-2013 I was in a very bad place golf wise. I went from playing like 5 times a year to wanting to play more and improve. I started learning about equipment and started trying many different iron sets, all different brands. Nothing seemed to help. Still was shooting 95-105 for the most part. Sometimes worse.

I got fitted for some Ping G25's in 2013 and soon after took a 3 pack of lessons at Golf Galaxy. The pro they had their was actually pretty good. That definitely helped. Another thing is that I didn't rush the lessons. Sometimes information overload can get the best of us. I took one lesson per month then would go work on the pointers in the lesson to try and groove them and engrain them into muscle memory.

My game got a little better, and the specs on my G25's didn't really fit me anymore (started hooking them, they were 3* upright). So then I went on the iron carousel. Bought some Wilson Di11's, some Ping K15's, Mizuno JPX800 HD's. Nothing really helped. My scores after the lessons had dropped to a more consistent 92-95 range but all the iron sets I tried couldn't get me any lower.

Then around 2014-2015, my buddy kept urging me to try the Cleveland 588 Altitude irons, which are the earlier version of the HB's Turbo out now. He knew I loved hitting my 3,4,5 hybrids and probably figured they would work for me.

It was love at first swing. This was my first ever hollow body, hybrid style iron and they clicked in a big way. With no other lessons since the initial 3, I was able to drop my average that season down to around an 86. I played those irons up until 2018 but actually switched back to them in late 2019 and was shooting in the high 70's low 80's with them. Finally last year I wanted something new and went with the Cobra T-Rails. Still shooting anywhere from 75-85 with those with my season average around an 81/82.

Granted along the way I watched many a Youtube video and tried to get tips that way. Some worked, some didn't.

Not sure the entire point of my soapbox message there, but I guess its that sometimes certain clubs just click and can make the game much more enjoyable.

I give you credit, it sounds like you are really putting the time and effort into the game.

Oh and one other point I wanted to make. Around that same time as my lessons, my coworker also got caught by the golf bug. He had a set of mizuno blades then started taking lessons. He wanted something a little more forgiving so he bought a set of Mizuno Muscle backs and then a set of their game improvement irons JPX800's. In my opinion he played his best ever golf with the 800's yet he insisted on playing the blades or the muscle backs because of the bag vanity.. golf is a crazy game, lol

 

[JB]

I REALLY appreciate this post and can't agree more. It is a consistent answer from people on here when they ask anything. It's never made a whole lot of sense to me.
When you say weight placement low and deep, where on the iron is that weight. I'm legit trying to understand what you mean by low and deep? Your talking literally adding like a lead tape in some cases to particular spots on an iron?

With all that said, this post has been incredibly helpful. I had a session on my net yesterday where I shot about 70-100 balls thought about very little and I made really good contact on the vast majority of the shots. Best I've felt about it in a VERY long time. I did use the cobra speedzone OL's in that session though.

I also have a fitting scheduled next week with Club Champion. I hope to try some super improvements and I really want to feel some heavier graphite shafts. In conjunction with testing these OL speedzones I feel like I should find some type of answer here.

Iron construction is not the same across the board, very similar to driver construction or really anything else. An easy way to explain this is taking a look at driver construction. If you have more weight internally up front closer to the face, you will get a flatter flight with a bit less lateral forgiveness. Move that weight all the way back and you will get something that launches it a bit higher and a club head with a higher MOI meaning more stability against twisting. Now I am speaking generally as there are definitely exceptions to the rule. Now move into iron and hybrid designs that doesnt change, but it does make a difference. Place weight directly behind the ball in a thin design such as a muscle back iron, you will have a club designed to shape shots that starts out a bit flatter. Take a hybrid in comparison with weight moved back internally and you will have something that gets up pretty quickly.

Instead of adding more to the confusion, its important to note that generally speaking hybrids and irons are not just more mass. The former having a face that features bulge and roll and the latter not, so there is a bit of forgiveness differences there as well.

Having an iron with mass around the perimeter, a larger sole, etc can absolutely help a golfer struggling with consistency if they miss around the face. While it won't change the way the club is delivered, the general idea by some that it doesn't help and forgiveness isn't real is absolutely false.

In the end, you need to enjoy the game the way you want to. If that means lessons? Great, some great teachers are out there. If that means finding equipment that helps you enjoy the game better? That is awesome too.

Hope that helps.

 

[V14_Heels]

Out of curiosity are you an athletic coordinated person?
Do you or did you ever play other sports?

Back around 2007-2013 I was in a very bad place golf wise. I went from playing like 5 times a year to wanting to play more and improve. I started learning about equipment and started trying many different iron sets, all different brands. Nothing seemed to help. Still was shooting 95-105 for the most part. Sometimes worse.

I got fitted for some Ping G25's in 2013 and soon after took a 3 pack of lessons at Golf Galaxy. The pro they had their was actually pretty good. That definitely helped. Another thing is that I didn't rush the lessons. Sometimes information overload can get the best of us. I took one lesson per month then would go work on the pointers in the lesson to try and groove them and engrain them into muscle memory.

My game got a little better, and the specs on my G25's didn't really fit me anymore (started hooking them, they were 3* upright). So then I went on the iron carousel. Bought some Wilson Di11's, some Ping K15's, Mizuno JPX800 HD's. Nothing really helped. My scores after the lessons had dropped to a more consistent 92-95 range but all the iron sets I tried couldn't get me any lower.

Then around 2014-2015, my buddy kept urging me to try the Cleveland 588 Altitude irons, which are the earlier version of the HB's Turbo out now. He knew I loved hitting my 3,4,5 hybrids and probably figured they would work for me.

It was love at first swing. This was my first ever hollow body, hybrid style iron and they clicked in a big way. With no other lessons since the initial 3, I was able to drop my average that season down to around an 86. I played those irons up until 2018 but actually switched back to them in late 2019 and was shooting in the high 70's low 80's with them. Finally last year I wanted something new and went with the Cobra T-Rails. Still shooting anywhere from 75-85 with those with my season average around an 81/82.

Granted along the way I watched many a Youtube video and tried to get tips that way. Some worked, some didn't.

Not sure the entire point of my soapbox message there, but I guess its that sometimes certain clubs just click and can make the game much more enjoyable.

I give you credit, it sounds like you are really putting the time and effort into the game.

Oh and one other point I wanted to make. Around that same time as my lessons, my coworker also got caught by the golf bug. He had a set of mizuno blades then started taking lessons. He wanted something a little more forgiving so he bought a set of Mizuno Muscle backs and then a set of their game improvement irons JPX800's. In my opinion he played his best ever golf with the 800's yet he insisted on playing the blades or the muscle backs because of the bag vanity.. golf is a crazy game, lol

Yes i would say I'm athletic and coordinated. I pick up most things that have to do with sports very quickly.

This is fantastic. And this is really what I was kind of looking for. You sound exactly like the place I'm in and it sounds like clubs did make it CLICK for you. That's exactly how my gimmicky chipper felt. My other buddies laughed at me buying it, they call it a "cheater club" which is totally tournament legal, and it feels fantastic every time I hit it. I use a putting stroke with it from 40 yards out. Putting has always been strong for me, and I saw this a way of using my best stroke from 40 yards in and it's worked perfectly.

I'm actually toying with this C3i 65 degree sand wedge right now too as another gimmicky club. My last lesson had a 15 minute sand session, and I came out of that thinking why on earth does sand have to be so complex. Really!? I now need a completely different stance, completely different swing, open the face big and wide so your aim is all weird, it just felt like it was WAY to complex for the goals I'm shooting for. I'm all about helping my game with whatever equipment is necessary, I don't care what it looks like or if it's "unconvential," but it can be a tricky balance.

 

[DG_1234]

Im not sure why some tell every person asking about clubs, to go get lessons.

The suggestions of lessons usually seem to be within the context of the OP first proclaiming a desire to hit better shots and, or, shoot lower scores.
If the OP wrote "My swing is terrible, I don't want to take lessons or practice, I just want to buy new club (s)" then I doubt that poster would receive the suggestion of taking lessons or practicing.

 

[Rebel4life]

Yes i would say I'm athletic and coordinated. I pick up most things that have to do with sports very quickly.

This is fantastic. And this is really what I was kind of looking for. You sound exactly like the place I'm in and it sounds like clubs did make it CLICK for you. That's exactly how my gimmicky chipper felt. My other buddies laughed at me buying it, they call it a "cheater club" which is totally tournament legal, and it feels fantastic every time I hit it. I use a putting stroke with it from 40 yards out. Putting has always been strong for me, and I saw this a way of using my best stroke from 40 yards in and it's worked perfectly.

I'm actually toying with this C3i 65 degree sand wedge right now too as another gimmicky club. My last lesson had a 15 minute sand session, and I came out of that thinking why on earth does sand have to be so complex. Really!? I now need a completely different stance, completely different swing, open the face big and wide so your aim is all weird, it just felt like it was WAY to complex for the goals I'm shooting for. I'm all about helping my game with whatever equipment is necessary, I don't care what it looks like or if it's "unconvential," but it can be a tricky balance.

As for clubs being "gimmicky," I love the expression that there's no video cam on the scorecard. If you have a club or clubs that help you enjoy the game more and is/are legal, then great!

 

[V14_Heels]

The suggestions of lessons usually seem to be within the context of the OP first proclaiming a desire to hit better shots and, or, shoot lower scores.
If the OP wrote "My swing is terrible, I don't want to take lessons or practice, I just want to buy new club (s)" then I doubt that poster would receive the suggestion of taking lessons or practicing.

Ive genuinely appreciated the large net of feedback that has come, but this isn’t exactly true. The OP is very specific about the equipment. Just see the thread title alone. They’re in bold in fact. Someone shouldn’t have to say “I don’t want to take lessons” as a disclaimer to not get that response. Jb’s point is very true and his analogy is pretty spot on.

But again I’m truly ok with all the opinions and thoughts. They’ve been helpful. But I do agree with JB. I do think people snap to “go take lessons, save that money here and instead go take lessons”