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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- Martin Trainer what’s in the bag accurate as of the Texas Children’s Houston Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Wilson Staff Staff Model (6.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kai’li Blue 70 TX
3-wood: Wilson Staff WLabs Prototype (13 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 80 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Staff Model (2, 4-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Wilson Staff Staff Model (52, 56, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Putter: Bobby Grace Greg Chalmers Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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It seems like we spot some really amazing putters each week out on the PGA Tour, and in that vein, the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open didn’t disappoint. We spotted some new and really great flatsticks out on the practice green and in a few players’ bags. Here’s a sampling of the putters that caught our eye this week in Houston.
Kevin Dougherty’s Scotty Cameron Timeless
This might be one of the most classy Scotty Cameron gamer putters on tour at the moment. It looks like a Timeless head as the cavity has the “ears” in the upper corners and the bumpers look to be a touch larger. The head has a flat black finish to it and just a simple site dot on the topline. The back flange is naked, but we do get two Circle T stamps in the cavity where the name “Tristyn” is stamped. A shallow face milling is present, along with a small Circle T logo over on the heel. The sole is pretty clean with just the Circle T, Scotty Dog, and the 350g stamps on it.
Ping PLD Anser
OK, so this might actually be the cleanest putter on this list! An antique finish that looks to be a bit more bronze in color than usual adorns this putter. A traditional L-neck is in place and the topline is clean with just a simple alignment line on the flange. The back cavity features Ping’s PLD logo in matching white paint and the sole of the putter is completely blank; we don’t even see the model name on this one. The face looks to have a very shallow milling pattern as well that should offer a slightly firmer feel and louder sound at impact.
Tom Hoge’s Custom Scotty Cameron Phantom T-11
Scotty Cameron’s Phantom 11 is probably the most advanced putter they have ever created with a head made from 303 stainless steel and 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum. Tom wanted a little different look and feel for his and opted for an L-neck hosel to be welded on. The L-neck, or plumbers neck, will create additional toe hang compared to the traditional bent shaft in the Phantom 11. Hoge’s T-11 was given a deeper milling on the face that should offer a little softer feel and more quiet sound at impact.
Piretti Tesora 2 CU
Piretti had a good amount of putters on the green, but this Tesora 2 CU stood out as a real stunner. The head shape takes cues from the iconic Anser 2 and Newport 2 with a squared-off shape and sharper corners on the bumpers and shoulders. The head is milled from 303 stainless steel, and then Piretti installs a soft copper insert for additional feel. A single site line, paint filled in black, is milled onto the flange and the cavity contains Piretti’s lion logo and four bolts to hold the copper insert in place. The sole contains twin adjustable weights to let the player dial in the perfect feel and balance.
Bettinardi Proto D.A.S.S. Hexperimental
Bettinardi is showing us that heel-shafted putters aren’t just a thing of the past with this Hexperimental prototype. Heel-shafted putters like this usually have full toe hang and a unique feel through the putting stroke. Bettinardi milled this out of their double-aged stainless steel (D.A.S.S.) that is annealed twice to ensure it has a very soft and responsive feel. The topline is straight and on the thicker side with a single site dot for alignment. A round back of the putter slopes gently from the face back and has a slight concave shape to it.
Scotty Cameron Circle T T-11 “Long”
The second Scotty T-11 on this list, this one is built a little different as well. I am calling this a “Long” because it looks like a counterbalanced build, and those are usually a little longer in length to get some weight up into the hands for stability. A standard T-11 head with the traditional single bend shaft should offer a face-balanced, or close to it, feel through the stroke. A deeper milling, and a red Circle T logo, are applied to the face for a softer feel and more muted sound. On the sole we can see that two heavy 30-gram weights have been installed to compensate for the longer build and heavier grip. This T-11 is also shafted up with UST Mamiya’s All-In multi-material shaft and finished with a long Super Stroke grip.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Open
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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a set of Miura TC-201 irons
From the seller: (@Vinny Nguyen): “Miura TC 201 5-PW w/ Modus 105X Black shafts. Half inch short of standard, 2 flat, standard loft. $825.“
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Miura TC-201 irons
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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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!!!!!