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Transition: Players Iron to GI...

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Titleistforlife

Titleistforlife

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A little background: I've been playing the Ping "i" series and "s" series irons since their existance. In High School and College I "cut my teeth" on the original Ping Eye, Eye2's and ISI's. As I get older, (I'll be 50 this summer) I'm feeling the need to shift to a more friendly Game Improvement Iron. My distances have dropped off a bit but I still strike the ball fairly well with my irons. I THOUGHT the new Ping G30 was going to be my iron of choice. I bought them last fall when they came out after a session with them on a launch monitor but didn't have a chance to game them due to knee surgery. I've been swinging them indoors all winter trying to get used to their "look".

Here's my question: How in the world do you transition from the nice clean lines of a players iron to the chunky 2x4 look of a GI iron? I am really struggling. So much so, that I went out and bought a set of Ping S55's this week. The G30's are sitting in the corner collecting dust. I've got a couple golf trips planned in the next two months and think I have to take the S55's because I cannot stand the thought of looking down at that huge "plank" look of the G30's.

Last night I was able to get outside and hit some shots with both sets of irons to do some comparing. The wind was really inconsistent so it was hard to get a feel for distance. On average I was a hair longer (4-6 yards) with the G30's however the lofts are 1 degree stonger on the G30's. (My S55's are strong lofted) Dispersion was pretty good with both, but with the S55's I hit an occasional draw while the G30's were pretty much dead straight every time. I hit the G30's really well, but I just can't stand to look down at them.

For those that have made this transition, do you eventually get over this issue, or do I need therapy? :bulgy-eyes: For now, my plan is to take the S55's on my two trips, then, this summer spend some time with the G30's. Maybe I'll even mix the set. G30 4,5 iron and S55 6-pw. I don't know that I will ever be able to get used to a chunky short iron. Random thoughts?
 
It's 100% mental. You just have to be committed to it. Maybe, instead of looking at the GI irons and seeing offset and thickness, try looking at them and seeing forgiveness and increased GIRs.
 
Well, I play GI irons almost exclusively and don't like the way the G30's look either if that helps. They are pretty ugly.
 
I think that there are some fantastic "Gi" irons out there that look more traditional. I don't think a golfer looking for a good amount of forgiveness has to make a sacrifice in the looks/footprint department anymore.

Srixon 545
Callaway XR Pro
Callaway Apex
Taylormade RSI2
Mizuno 850 Forged

Just to name a few.
 
The thing that did it for me was tracking stats and working pretty hard for a whole year but seeing my stats confirm what I intuitively knew - my iron game sucked.

It was hard to give up the looks of the players irons at first. Then I started hitting more greens and lowering my scores. And my irons keep looking better and better all the time.
 
I'm in the process of doing this very thing right now. I've been playing blades for many years and recently was given thr opportunity to test the TaylorMade RSI 2's which are larger, louder, wider soled, thicker top lined, and just bulkier.

Really for me is the time and dedication I am able to put in my game, I just can't go to the range 4 or 5 days a week to keep up the swing and better than average ball striking I used to have. I just turned 50 last August and I noticed my already mid trajectory ball flight getting lower in the long irons and really it's just something I have accepted that I have to do in order to play mediocre golf while I stabilize my life and career.

The RSI 2's aren't a SGI or anything like that and still need a good swing put on them but they are more forgiving than my blades. I'm hoping one day to get back to the forged clubs I love so much but chances are I'll get over myself lol and accept that I'm not as good as I once was but I'm as good once as I ever was lol.

Good luck with the transition, it's a tough one but one that will bear riper fruit.
 
For what it's worth, I don't think it's mental, I think it's built on practice. No different from changing the weight of a shaft you normally play by 20+ grams.

I cringe when I see "player to GI" because I think about some guys who've tried to change from a bladed iron to something with a big old profile, rounded thick sole, and huge cavity. These are designs that are made for forgiveness, but they are also made for increased launch and better turf interaction. Truth is, it's nowhere near as easy to drive into the ground with a GI iron, and that could cause some initial struggle. When I switched from a player iron to a GI iron two years ago, it actually caused a hitch in my swing for a couple months afterwards purely because I was trying to drive harder with the GI to create a similar turf experience.

In both cases, I think there's value, but it's GOING to be a big change. How you react is an individual experience I can't tell you about, but I'd at least encourage you try and find a happy medium instead of bouncing back and forth between the two.
 
I went the opposite way, from Ping G5's to smaller irons, and now can't stand to look at SGI irons anymore as well. The best thing about it though, is in today's market there are options that offer very good forgiveness in smaller packages. The G series from Ping tend to be on the larger side of all irons that I've found. Jlukes listed a bunch of good irons that are plenty forgiving but have a much smaller profile than SGI irons. A very good option as well would be the Bridgestone DPF's that they just released. Should have the forgiveness on mishits you're looking for, but are a fairly thin compact design. If I didn't have the RSi2's, I'd probably get those.
 
Forgivenesss is beautiful to me. Whatever form it happens to take. :act-up:

JM
 
No doubt, the day is coming for me. I just don't know if I'm ready. :banghead: If I play well on my Arizona run the next couple weeks and again in April, I will probably put the GI's off for another year. If I don't play well with the S55's, I will sell the S55's, "bite the bullet" and make the transition. So far you guys have made some excellent points and really have me "pondering".
 
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I'll let you know when my Callaway XR Pros arrive in a few days. I've been playing muscle or cavity back blades since I started in 1978. Honestly I think I will adjust to the looks pretty easily. When I tested the XR Pros vs. the XRs I didn't see hardly any difference in performance and IMO, the Pros just look better. My only concern is the slight offset may require a little extra attention when aiming the club face. I will have my first on course experience with the XR Pros today because my buddy just got his last night and I'm sure I will be taking a dozen or so extra approach shots with them this afternoon.
 
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Srixon z545 look like a solid players iron.
 
I think sticking with Ping was maybe your mistake. Their GI and SGI irons are super chunky. There are definitely GI options that look much nicer.

That said, everything is going to be a bigger clubhead. If that's your problem, you may just need to look for the most forgiving player's irons you can find.
 
It's funny - I tend to not like the "oversized traditional iron" look that a lot of GI irons have, but I've always been a fan of the G series, because they have that classic different PING look. But, probably because I played a set of G15s when I came back to the game a few years ago. If you're looking for a bit more forgiveness, but don't love the G series look, why not play the i20/i25? That will give you a good deal more help than the S55, in a smaller blade size than the G30.

Canadan said:
For what it's worth, I don't think it's mental, I think it's built on practice. No different from changing the weight of a shaft you normally play by 20+ grams.

I cringe when I see "player to GI" because I think about some guys who've tried to change from a bladed iron to something with a big old profile, rounded thick sole, and huge cavity. These are designs that are made for forgiveness, but they are also made for increased launch and better turf interaction. Truth is, it's nowhere near as easy to drive into the ground with a GI iron, and that could cause some initial struggle. When I switched from a player iron to a GI iron two years ago, it actually caused a hitch in my swing for a couple months afterwards purely because I was trying to drive harder with the GI to create a similar turf experience.

In both cases, I think there's value, but it's GOING to be a big change. How you react is an individual experience I can't tell you about, but I'd at least encourage you try and find a happy medium instead of bouncing back and forth between the two.
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It's interesting that you bring this up - I think I ran into something that's sort of the reverse of this when I switched to the 545s from a larger headed iron - the 545 felt miles different going through the turf than the G15s I mentioned above, and it took a while on the range to get used to the feeling. I was hitting almost everything bottom groove. Not nearly as big a change as for you, but something I hadn't really thought of until now.
 
Here's what I did:

Look at results with the GI club.

Compare to results with player's club.

Play GI club.


Honestly, there are enough "player's" looking GI clubs that they meet the eye test while also performing beautifully.
 
Seems like you're a Ping homer. Did you consider I25 before you got the S55? I think I25 are the best blend of looks and forgiveness out there.
 
I'm probably trying to fix a problem that wasn't broke coming off of i20's. Maybe I'll make my way through this summer and go with i30's next year! :beat-up: If you guys haven't noticed, with regard to irons, I am a Ping "homer". I've played Pings since the early '80's. Since then I've tried to transition to some other brands and it just hasn't worked out. Tried Cleveland's, Titleist AP2's and even Taylor Made. (my first attempt at Gi Irons were TM Burner 2.0's) I will admit, I've "fondled" the new TM RSi2's and the Callaway XR Pro's and love the looks of the Srixon z545's but can't bring myself to go away from my beloved "Ping". I DO need therapy...
 
out-off-bound said:
Seems like you're a Ping homer. Did you consider I25 before you got the S55? I think I25 are the best blend of looks and forgiveness out there.
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out-off-bounds...Hilarious...We posted at the same time! I did consider the i25, however coming off the i20's I just wanted to try something different. And one of my favorite sets of Pings ever was a blended set of s56 and Ansers. I may very well end up with another blended set before this is all over.
 
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I did a little more "testing" at noon today. I was on a tear with the S55's. My miss with them appears to be a high lazy hook with pretty decent distance. My miss with the G30's is usually just a "fat" shot due to me trying to have too much turf interaction. (I'm generally a big divot taker)

Distance wise, the two 5 irons were almost identical. Dispersion with the well struck balls out of the S55's was phenomenal. Dispersion with the G30's was good but more "general" vs. the "pin seeking" s55's. When I missed with the S55's I was well left. When I missed with the G30's I was just a little short. I can already see that on those days where the swing isn't quite there, the G30's will provide a benefit. But, on those days when things are "grooving", the S55's will be incredible. Right now thinking I may need to order a 4 and 5 iron in an i25 and go Pw-6 with the s55's. Anyone else liking "blending" a set?
 
Based on your comments about digging and such, I I bet the 545s would blow your mind. And they'd blow the g30s out of the water from a looks and feel perspective
 
jlukes said:
Based on your comments about digging and such, I I bet the 545s would blow your mind. And they'd blow the g30s out of the water from a looks and feel perspective
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Srixon Irons have always intriqued me, in fact I almost put a set in the bag two years ago. They are at the top of my list to try.
 
Not the g30s, but here are two photos I had taken

1115141238.jpg


1115141238a.jpg
 
blugold said:
It's 100% mental. You just have to be committed to it. Maybe, instead of looking at the GI irons and seeing offset and thickness, try looking at them and seeing forgiveness and increased GIRs.
Click to expand...

I agree that it is mental. But for me, as I've tried several sets of GI irons, they all result in lots of left shots for me given the offset, and I've always been a fade player taking the left side out of the course, so for me there will be no more GI irons, or at least anytime soon, and I'm 53 years old.

Irons/clubs are very subjective. There is no right or wrong. You just have to give em a go and see if they will work and if you can get by the look at address.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
I agree that it is mental. But for me, as I've tried several sets of GI irons, they all result in lots of left shots for me given the offset, and I've always been a fade player taking the left side out of the course, so for me there will be no more GI irons, or at least anytime soon, and I'm 53 years old.

Irons/clubs are very subjective. There is no right or wrong. You just have to give em a go and see if they will work and if you can get by the look at address.
Click to expand...

I thought offset in irons was there to encourage ball first contact to increase launch rather than to help prevent slices.
 
jlukes said:
I thought offset in irons was there to encourage ball first contact to increase launch rather than to help prevent slices.
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You're correct.
 
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