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Forum Thread of the Day: “Best Distance Irons for Seniors?”

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Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from disco111, who asks fellow GolfWRX members for their opinion on what are the best distance irons for seniors. Plenty of different clubs get a mention, and some of our older members also offer their advice on how to solve the issue of decreasing length.

Here are few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • jjfcpa: “I’m 71 and been looking for more distance since I started playing just three years ago.  Took a few lessons last year from Golftec just to make sure I had the fundamentals down and was not grooving a bad swing.  I have pretty good luck with the short irons, but the long irons are a real problem for me.  I’ve tried many irons and brands and just recently acquired a set of Z585’s from Srixon with lofts jacked 2 degrees and UST Recoil senior flex shafts.  I’m finally seeing distances that I’ve expected from my mid irons and long irons.”
  • Cslade: “Rogue X are very strong lofts, but they also have a very low and deep CG. They should launch at about the same angle as more conventional lofts, spin a little less and go really far.”
  • farmer: “At 68, I play hybrids through the 7 iron.  Easy to hit, easy to get into the air, distance is as good as any iron I’ve hit in my senior years.  Easily 150 with the 6, easily 140 with the 7, good decision for me.”
  • wmblake2000: “I’m 66 and this getting older is a real thing.  But I also notice I still have days and swings where I still hit it like I think I should.  It just takes a better swing than it used to.”

Entire Thread: “Best Distance Irons for Seniors”

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. Methusalem

    Jan 14, 2019 at 4:40 pm

    Sorry but this makes no sense. What does that even mean „Distance irons for seniors“? Distance irons need a certain amount of clubhead speed so the proper question would be „Are there any distance irons for people with a low clubhead speed?“ And there is only one answer to this: If you can‘t generate enough clubhead speed for your distance iron, replace it with a hybrid. Why is this the forum thread of the day? Its a stupid question.

  2. budT

    Jan 14, 2019 at 10:58 am

    Don’t mess with Senior Golfers. We’re the ones who have the time and the money to play golf.

  3. Tom

    Jan 10, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    Senior golfers are more concerned about peeing every other hole than distance of their iron shots.

  4. Brad

    Jan 9, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    The irons that the majority of seniors should be playing with are the Cleveland Launcher HB irons, or similar from Tour Edge or even the older Cleveland Altitude hybrid irons.

    Most of the “distance” irons on the market have lofts that are far too strong for the swing speeds of most senior golfers. Because of D-plane, stronger lofts are also harder to hit compared to clubs with more loft, no matter how low or deep the CG.

    Golfers need to get off of the ego train and stop drinking the kool-aid from the marketing machines of these golf companies, so they can actually play better golf and save a few dollars.

  5. Johnny Penso

    Dec 26, 2018 at 4:17 pm

    The best distance irons for seniors are called hybrids.

    /end thread

  6. abe

    Dec 26, 2018 at 1:18 pm

    If your core is compromised with a loose weak enlarged belly and no x-factor between your hips and shoulders, you will never be able to generate enough kinetic energy to power up your kinetic chain. You are terminal.

    • geohogan

      Dec 27, 2018 at 12:05 pm

      Power in the golf swing comes from the turning of the torso. Clubhead speed from LAG.

      So called X factor is simply an illusion created by proper use of the scapula(loosest joint in the body)

  7. Jamie

    Dec 26, 2018 at 11:28 am

    Lofts being equal, it’s the shaft that will help seniors hit it further in a meaningful way and not the head.

    • smz

      Dec 26, 2018 at 2:18 pm

      Nothing will help seniors hit it further… it’s ‘old age despair’ creeping into the rest of their life on the golf course. Pathetic.

      • JAMES BERRY

        Dec 27, 2018 at 8:28 am

        Just remember, getting old is a pleasure denied to many. I hope you get the pleasure.

        • geohogan

          Dec 27, 2018 at 12:08 pm

          A truth for every golfer, the day will come when we will have hit our last golf ball.

          True at any age, we know not when that shot is our last.

          • dixiedoc

            Dec 28, 2018 at 11:40 am

            Really, the slow play at our club is the 25 to 45 y/o who think that the pro tour is only a step away. Excessive times deciding which iron to hit, excessive times on the greens and you stroll along like you’ve got all the time in the world. The old guys play in about 3hrs and 40 minutes or less. We’ve timed the members so don’t say I’m making it up. You will be old one day too so learn to keep pace.

          • Jim K

            Dec 28, 2018 at 12:47 pm

            Really? Then why are our two foursomes of old men in their 60s and 70s always waiting for the young guys ahead of us to get out of our way so we can finish in less than four hours and get to the bar for a few beers? By the way, most of us usually score between 75 and 85….how about you?

          • joro

            Dec 28, 2018 at 1:07 pm

            Abe, just remember this, you will get old also, at least I hope you do not leave us early. When you do just remember this shitty remark you made when you are wobbling around the green and trying to crawl out of a trap. It affects everyone that makes old age, but I hope your not hinting that we should just go away.

      • Drbopperthp

        Dec 28, 2018 at 12:46 pm

        GFY

        • Howard

          Dec 28, 2018 at 2:38 pm

          The cultured and educated reply from a moron. No/fewer seniors = fewer players = higher costs.
          If you are lucky you will live long enough to reach our “old age”.

      • Robert Dicks

        Dec 29, 2018 at 9:48 am

        SMZ, if you worded your comment more cleverly, it might be taken tongue-in-cheek or as satire. But nope, it’s just mean. And the #1 reason for slow play is jerks of all ages playing from the wrong tee, not seniors on the course. And for distance as seniors, nothing beats a hybrid, as others have mentioned.

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

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Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

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With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

 

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play? 

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week. 

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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