Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “Is it easier to hit players irons?”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day was created by lazyjc4, who asks fellow GolfWRX members for their opinion on what they feel are some of the easiest to hit players irons on the market. Our members have mentioned a multitude of players irons, with plenty of detailed reasoning behind their choices.
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.
- thewral: “New Level 902. Single piece forging, feel great, smallish head, low offset, distance lofts.”
- naj959: “I went through a couple of sets of irons this year which included 765s, flyz+, and finally settled on the…..Bridgestone J15 DPF. There are some great reviews of these irons. The 765s are forgiving, but the j15s are even more so. They have a very thin top line, are workable, and are lonnnng.”
- Casper_golf: “Take a good look at the Wilson V6, or if you are looking for something older, guys really like the V4’s that can be found as a steal. Way underrated irons. Soft feel forgiving and long for the weaker lofts they have. No offset.”
- Sonja Henie: “Very interested in the comment about the 745s being similar to the 545s in forgiveness. I’ve been very tempted by the 565s but might do better with the 765s.”
Entire Thread: “Easier to hit players irons?”
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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
Hybrid: Titleist TSR3 (19 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue HB 9 x
Irons: Titleist T200 (4, 5), Titleist 620 CB (6-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.0
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 50-12F, 54-12D, 60)
Shafts: Project X 6.0
Putter: Scotty Cameron P5 prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.
TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.
TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.
Can you see where this is going?
Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”
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TaylorMade PUDI
TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)
Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.
In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.
TaylorMade PDHY
TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).
Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.
Club Junkie’s take
Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.
For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.
PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?
TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:
- PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
- PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
- Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
- PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
- PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family
Pricing, specs, and availability
Price: $249.99
At retail: Now
Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)
Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)
PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed
PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed
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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, D1 SureFit setting) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X 3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)...
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Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here....
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ChipNRun
Dec 18, 2018 at 10:26 pm
“Is it easier to hit players irons?”
Easier for whom? For those of us that don’t always break 90, the answer is no.
At demo day rough fittings, I usually chart out best with GI irons with sub-100 gram steel shafts, or Recoil 95s.
A couple of the “player’s cavity” irons such as the Ping i200 fly well for me, but the bladish clubs are very tough to handle.
A common tale I’m hearing from former college players who now have jobs and families: they shifted from players to GI irons because they don’t have time to keep a “players” swing in tune. The GI forgiveness helps their score, whereas the players high miss-to-supershot ratio hurts their score.
To GM: Your thread focus was a bit hard to decipher. In future, you might run your question by a colleague to make sure you say what you mean to say. It’s rough when you end up as your only editor.
John
Dec 18, 2018 at 2:36 pm
“Is it easier to hit players irons?” Is not the question he asked. Did you decide to make up your click-bait headline?
A. Commoner
Dec 15, 2018 at 11:10 am
Good grief! Start with a ridiculous question and go from there.
Gerald Teigrob
Dec 14, 2018 at 5:59 pm
I am always going with the thinking that I was always hit and miss with players irons but I might possibly be able to play with forged and forgiving irons. However I find the game improved a lot like my oversized irons, so I will keep playing them over the players’irons…I would make an exception with the Cobra Bio Cell+ irons though!