Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “Low handicapper switching to game improvement irons”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from jasonTel3 – a low handicap player who plays blades but who has had his head turned by game improvement irons. According to jasonTel3, every ball was hit straight when testing out a set of Ping G400’s at a simulator, and he’s been asking fellow members for advice on whether he should make the move to GI’s.
Here are a few posts from the thread discussing jasonTel3’s conundrum, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- balls_deep: “My first thought is to say don’t do it.. but then if you’ve hit them, liked them, and the numbers were right, it could be a good option. A friend I play with uses G400 and they have too much offset for my liking. I also don’t like that you can see the cavity on the 4 and 5 iron. Top line is actually very nice for a SGI iron. I just read the Ping Blueprint article on Golf Digest where they were talking about how some players hit small heads better. I definitely fall into that category. That said, I just ordered a set of i210 to try as I had really good luck with the i200 and should never have sold them. Have you tried the newer I series? IMO it’s GI help in a players look with an acceptable sole width. Long story short though – if you felt comfortable and the fit was right, why not try them? If you don’t work the ball a ton, I don’t see any issue with it. High and straight is a good way to go!”
- hammergolf: “I’ve been playing Ping G25’s for 6 years. Still can’t find anything I like better. I can hit any shot I need to whether it’s my stock draw, fade, high, or low. And when I hit it a little thin, or on the toe, it still lands on the green. My thought is why play golf with a club that will punish you for mishit when you can play one that will help you.”
- azone: “Everyone has an opinion, and here is mine. If you are/have been a good ball striker with a sound mental game, your mind will keep writing checks your body may not be able to cash as you get older or don’t practice enough. Those “ugly” forgiving irons look beautiful when a miss ends up on the green, and you are putting– not in rough or deep in a short side bunker. Those irons won’t be AS ACCURATE as, say, a blade, BUT if you aren’t as dependable as in the past, your results will be better. I used to keep two sets of blueprinted irons; blades for practice and CB for play. I play with guys that have cashed checks playing…and they don’t care how ugly the iron is.”
- Jut: “As a decent player (and ball striker) and a sweeper/picker (I could hit off of a green and not take any landscape with me), I’ve found much success with the F9s (which, with the wide sole, are very similar to the G410 irons). In the past 4 years I’ve gone from Mizuno MP-68 to Callaway Apex CF16 to Ping i500 (a brief and bad experience) to the Cobra F9’s. For what it’s worth, the Cobras have been the best of the bunch by far.”
Entire Thread: “Low handicap going to game improvement irons”
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- Steve Stricker WITB accurate as of the Zurich Classic. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, C4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 7.2 X
3-wood: Titleist 915F (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist 816 H1 (17 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (3, 4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8 (46-10F @55), Titleist Vokey SM10 (54-10S @53), Titleist Vokey SM4 (60 @59)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 w/Sensicore
Putter: Odyssey White Hot No. 2
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Grip Rite
Check out more in-hand photos of Steve Stricker’s clubs here.
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- Alex Fitzpatrick what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 TX
Irons: Ping iCrossover (2), Titleist T100 (4-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 9 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-12F, 56-12D, 60-08M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Bettinardi SS16 Dass
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Alex Fitzpatrick’s clubs here.
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In our forums, our members have been discussing Mini-Drivers and accompanying shafts. WRXer ‘JamesFisher1990’ is about to purchase a BRNR Mini and is torn on what shaft weight to use, and our members have been sharing their thoughts and set ups in our forum.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- PARETO: “New BRNR at 13.5. Took it over to TXG (Club Champ but TXG will always rule) in Calgary for a fit. Took the head down to 12, stuck in a Graphite Design AD at 3 wood length and 60g. Presto- numbers that rivaled my G430Max but with waaaaay tighter dispersion. Win.”
- driveandputtmachine: “Still playing a MIni 300. The head was only 208, so I ordered a heavier weight and play it at 3 wood length. I am playing a Ventus Red 70. I play 70 grams in my fairways. I use it mainly to hit draws off the tee. When I combine me, a driver, and trying to hit a draw it does not work out well most of the time. So the MIni is for that. As an aside, I have not hit the newest BRNR, but the previous model wasn’t great off the deck. The 300 Mini is very good off the deck.”
- JAM01: “Ok, just put the BRNR in the bag along side a QI10 max and a QI10 3 wood. A load of top end redundancy. But, I have several holes at my two home courses where the flight and accuracy of the mini driver helps immensely. Mine is stock Proforce 65 at 13.5, I could see a heavier shaft, but to normal flex, as a nice alternative.”
Entire Thread: “What’s the perfect Mini-Driver/Shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
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joro
Jun 7, 2019 at 1:27 pm
Why not, they are more forgiving and easier to hit.
ChipNRun
May 27, 2019 at 2:13 pm
I have run into several former small-college golfers who made the switch. With a job, wife and young kids, they don’t have the golf practice/play time they once had. Since they can’t keep their swing “blade ready”, they find they shoot better with GI irons than blades.
Ed the clubfitter from May 25 says it all:
“… If I can get someone into an iron that’s going to launch a bit higher and improve his or her misses…now we’ve got something.”
Steve
May 26, 2019 at 7:26 pm
The feeling of flushing a cavity back or blade is half the fun of the game. I think the ideal situation is cavity back/blades for the front nine, Max GI for the back nine.
Dave Linkchorst
May 25, 2019 at 11:25 pm
http://www.golfwrx.com/374934/forgiving-irons-a-perspective-you-might-not-like/?fbclid=IwAR2TdaYpJY3l1_13ux0zOCVonU4t1bPl-4aGN8se_aK9pC_6RVaQLRaIRuc
Dave r
May 25, 2019 at 6:16 pm
The more forgiveness the better no matter your handi cap. Golf is not easy and we do get older and our bodies do tend to not rotate as when in our younger days. Sore knees arms etc need all the help you can muster up for them. I play to a. 5 handi cap and am 70 years old and I know it’s the clubs not me , I really enjoy playing the game and these have allowed me to.
And I agree with Mitch you sure do not need top of the line to play well.
ken
May 25, 2019 at 11:23 pm
I disagree.
One can compare two players of equal ability, give one the muscle back forged irons, the other cast game improvement irons made for mid to high handicappers and these two players will make similar scores.
Now, take two players, each of equal ability, Take one and give tto play forged muscle back irons.
The other gets the wide sole game improvement irons.
Almost a guaranteed certainty the player using the appropriate clubs will score better
steve
May 25, 2019 at 4:39 pm
Golf is not an easy game. Why, for gods sake, would anyone want to make it even more difficult than it already is? If there is equipment available that makes it easier to keep the ball in play, why would someone not use it? Ego is a horrible reason, but all too often it rears its ugly head.
Ed
May 25, 2019 at 3:35 pm
With the technology today, there are plenty of options for a good player who may not be the best ball striker…or doesn’t hit it as high. With irons, remember it’s about accuracy not distance. As a fitter I’m paying as much attention if not more on misses as the good ones are going to be …well, good. If I can get someone into an iron that’s going to launch a bit higher and improve his or her misses…now we’ve got something. This will without question lower your scores… As you will hold more greens,, you will maintain ball speed on misses and your dispersion will be tighter. If you’re hesitant on going to a more game improvement iron because of what your buddies will think, that will change when they’re paying you out for the skins beat down you’ll be giving them. Good luck.
Steven M
May 25, 2019 at 1:43 pm
The question is. Why wouldn’t you want to improve your game? If they’re going to help, it’s obviously a good thing…
Gary Oxenforth
May 25, 2019 at 12:52 pm
what is considered a low handicap? I am a 9.
nolongerKucherfan
May 25, 2019 at 3:04 pm
8.9 is a low handicap..golf is cruel
MattH
May 23, 2019 at 3:50 pm
The bigger problem here is the guy trying to make a choice from hitting off a simulator.
Turf interaction is a huge part of the strike and it’s way different in a blade to an SGI.
P
May 23, 2019 at 1:43 pm
Get the PSi
Mitch Stockdale
May 23, 2019 at 12:07 pm
I am 52 years old, a scratch player, and I switched to a game improvement club (Maltby’s) and I love them. I have found that having that extra forgiveness is nice!! There is nothing wrong hitting it higher and straighter. I can still play knock down shots and produce draws and fades when needed. The only adjustment I had to make was looking at a larger, thicker club head. It was an adjustment at first, but now no issues. It’s not what you play, but how you play it. I also went to a “generic” set of clubs after playing top of the line for years. I will keep my reasons why private because I do not want to start a debate. But I will say, I have saved a great deal of money and my game has not suffered one bit!!!!!