24 replies to this topic

[cjfrankum]

I, for the last 4 years, have been playing some TPS Powerbilt irons.  They were bought in a complete set from Dunhams by my dad as a gift 4 years ago.  I finally decided to splurge and get a great iron set.  I went with the r11, KBS regular flex shafts.

I have played 6 rounds with them.  I hate them right now.  When i hit them absolutely perfect, the ball flies and flies where I want it.  But this does not happen very often.  Mishits don't fly very far and are inaccurate.  I truly feel like my powerbilt irons were more forgiving.  

Am I just inconsistent with them right now and need to keep trying?  Or am I out of my element

[mufasis]

Just keep them and put in some hard work building a swing you can replicate and be consistent with. My 2 cents....

Edited by mufasis, 21 November 2012 - 10:56 PM.

[GoPokes44]

We've all been there, and honestly, you need to start taking lessons before spending a few hundred on irons. Just a few lessons will get you shooting in the double digits.

[Guia]

You should be able to hit them.  They are a cavity iron the head is a little small for a high handicapperbut practice and it will work out.

[CCUgolfer23]

pratice, pratice and oh yeah PRATICE. In all honesty its not the arrow its the indian. Take lessons and build your game up. R11 irons are more game improvement, so they are supposed to be easy to hit.

[Timanator]

Should be perfect, they are not exactly unforgiving.

[tdelam]

Lots of forgiveness in those, my wifes father plays R11 irons with a regular flex shaft, he's 58 and has significant back problems, his HCP is 22 but his iron play stepped up when he got rid of his old cally's for these and helped him lower his scores a bit.

[HiSpeed48]

You've played 6 rounds, but how many times have you been to the range with them? Practice, practice, practice.

[Cwing]

They will work with time and effort
But there are better choices out there.

[Desert Golf]

If you want to hit those irons well, please take a series of lessons from a good instructor.
I'm cheap and I don't like shelling out money for lessons, but it is very difficult to build a swing on you own by trial and error.

[Nessism]

Yes, yes, lessons and all that.

Regarding the irons, R11's have a high CG and medium short blade length, so they are not the most forgiving.  Something like Ping G-series are renowned for their ease of use and in my opinion, would have been a better choice for a 28 capper.

[Shambles]

cjfrankum, on 21 November 2012 - 10:52 PM, said:

I, for the last 4 years, have been playing some TPS Powerbilt irons.  They were bought in a complete set from Dunhams by my dad as a gift 4 years ago.  I finally decided to splurge and get a great iron set.  I went with the r11, KBS regular flex shafts.

I have played 6 rounds with them.  I hate them right now.  When i hit them absolutely perfect, the ball flies and flies where I want it.  But this does not happen very often.  Mishits don't fly very far and are inaccurate.  I truly feel like my powerbilt irons were more forgiving.  

Am I just inconsistent with them right now and need to keep trying?  Or am I out of my element

After 4 years of playing, one would expect sufficient skill as to be able to change clubs without falling into complete disarray. However, the number of years does not nearly matter as much as the amount of work and amount of learning done, regardless of how much time was involved.

Assuming you actually have sufficient skill, I suggest you have a proper fitting with those clubs and compare them with your old clubs. It's rare that two sets of clubs would vary that much but it's not impossible. A very good fit can reduce the amount of new learning needed for new clubs. Once you get that set working, you can decide whether you like it or not, and know what you like or don't like about it. It's personal.

It's also possible that you simply fell into a small panic at the strange sight and feel the confronts you when you address the ball. That's often temporary, but some people actually convince themselves that they truly cannot get along with those clubs, or even those type of clubs.


Shambles

[josh44]

They are a nice clubs, you should use them as motivation to build a good swing to go with them!

[BigPete]

They're good irons, they topped at least one iron test that I read. If you've only played with one set, then anything else will feel strange for a while. Stick with them and good luck.

[Par-A-Medic]

No offense at all but how many times have you played in 4 years. The r11 iron is a cast game improvement iron. The head is a little smaller than a sgi and the sole is a bit narrower but still an easy club to swing, and taylormade iron tech in those irons makes a huge sweet spot. You have to commit the time in to get irons, or any club dialed in for that matter. Lessons or just finding it in the dirt is your answer. I would keep them, they are great irons. I have a fried who loves his and they look good as well. Just my 2 cents

[fairwaysroverated]

I think it's rare to find a set of clubs that you love right of the back. Once you get used to swinging them you'll get back to hitting good balls. It's just a transition phase. You can probably pick up your old irons and they just feel right in your hands. The R11's will get hat way as well. It jst takes time and practice.

[Mulligan26]

Just keep practicing man

[richard t]

I'm going to say something that might seem offensive, BUT hear me out. As OPs have all said, one way or another, YOU need lessons if you are a 28. No big deal. Got to start somewhere. Usual route is lessons, fitting, pick new clubs. You went the other way. Those are darn good irons (and I'm a PIng devotee). Now that you have those irons make up your mind to take lessons, practice, and learn to work with those clubs. Please, please always remember there is no set of clubs that will make you play better, in and of themselves. You, on the other hand, can learn to play with anything you want to use. Someone once told me, " money for clubs won't buy a good swing, but money spent for lessons/practice will."  Hang in there, get lessons, hit balls-lots of balls and you'll be singing the praises of those irons to us in no time. Good Luck!

[cgasucks]

Just stick with them...you're playing with a much higher quality shaft and head now and you're body will have to slowly get used to it after playing your Wal-Mart clubs for the longest time..

Edited by cgasucks, 23 November 2012 - 11:20 AM.

[Pritam]

I was where you are exactly 1 year ago. At that point I had Nike VR Blades and a HDCP well over 25. I figured that blades would force me to swing correctly. Wrong. I did 2 things that changed my life. The first was to ask my wife for lessons for my birthday. The second was to get a set of R11 irons. I now have a standing lesson every month and a 9 HDCP. The lessons helped me learn how to swing and the R11 irons made it easy to see progress. They also minimize my mistakes which keeps me positive. I also did something that's mentioned here a lot which is practice. I found time for the range but also found more time for 9 hole rounds by myself. There's nothing like hitting a real shot on a real course. Keep the R11 irons. They are legit and will grow with your game.

[sharkiesj]

I would ditch them immediately. Try to sell them and get some of your $$ back.

Put your Powerbilts back in the bag and take this whole thing as a learning experience. The next time your ready to buy clubs, get fit or go to a demo day and try tons of stuff out before you pull the trigger.

[scomac2002]

sharkiesj, on 23 November 2012 - 11:38 PM, said:

I would ditch them immediately. Try to sell them and get some of your $$ back.

This isn't a bad piece of advice.  If you have something that isn't working for you, then get out now while you can still maximize the resale value.  As other have already said, there are likely better choices for a golfer at your level.  Having said that, we all seem to go through this period where we develop our game over a period of time and get to the point where we believe that new clubs can help take us to the next level.  In my experience, this is at best a 50/50 proposition.  Some will work, some won't, no matter how much demoing you do.  Even getting fitted is no guarantee because it depends a great deal on who is doing the fitting.  Fitters are a lot like instructors, I think.  Some will help you, some won't.

The point is that if you have something that works, stick with it.  New isn't necessarily going to be better.

Edited by scomac2002, 24 November 2012 - 12:07 AM.

[Anser3]

Don't worry about it. Just practice when you can. I am in a similar boat. I am a high capper (no official handicap but I don't break 100 too often).  You bought what you want. I have PING S56 irons (custom fit) and last year had KBS C-Taper shafts put in them (X-flex). I previously had the KBS Tour shafts (X flex hard-stepped) but couldn't resist after I saw and hit the C-tapers. I am not a good golfer. I am awful (right now). However, It was my money (and my wife's    ) so I bought the irons I wanted.  they are maybe the last set I will buy for  avery long time so I bought exactly what I wanted and will work to improve (don't you hate when your equipment is better than you are?    )  Enjoy your R11's and don't let anyone tell you you should have bought something else. By all rights, I have no business playing Player's irons. But again, I bought what I wanted and am very happy.


That said, I have fewer than 30 rounds my entire life. i started golfing at 18 and haven't played at all since 2008 (only been to the range 5 times or so) because of work, family emergencies, children (one of which passed away, one of which was in a NICU for 90 days-- thankfully the NICU miracle is now 2 and doing well and our three-year old is also very healthy), house projects, wife's medical problems, etc.  

I hit the ball a ton but my short-game needs much work. I did get to a range last year--no rounds played-- and was still hitting the PW 145, (obviously all carry). I have a fast swing speed and have a good ball flight. I just need to improve from 50 yards and in. I am not a good putter but practice that whe I can at home. Once things settle down, I will have more time for golf and can devote the time to get better, then get good, then get great at it. My clubs are screaming to hit some balls and I have the  itch REAL bad.   Congrats on your purchase !  

[rafal]

The thing with R11's is that they are borderline-GI irons and once you learn to play with them you can play any iron pretty much.  They won't hide many swing flaws as they have high VCOG, thin sole, and only moderate offset.

[tbowles411]

rafal, on 24 November 2012 - 04:12 PM, said:

The thing with R11's is that they are borderline-GI irons and once you learn to play with them you can play any iron pretty much.  They won't hide many swing flaws as they have high VCOG, thin sole, and only moderate offset.

THIS