Geoff93

... They have said while it may not be a serious problem at this moment, it is certainly going to be at some point. It was gonna happen sooner or later and they chose now to draw the line in the sand for the future. I don't see how this is different than when they "rolled back" the distance on a drivers cor and made illegal those that produced too much speed. Whether or not anyone agrees with their stance, and certainly the average golfer may not, I do think they are truly attempting to protect the game as a whole. 

Surprised no one has suggested this -- Get fitted and see what the fitter recommends. Have him make up a 7i or go to eBay or the brand's used club wesite (or buy new). Buy a 7 iron model that the fitter suggested. Try to get the same shaft recommended or something close. Have the fitter make sure that works for you (ie length, lie, grip). Take that out on the course a couple of times, use it for lessons, and see what you think of the club. If the shaft doesn't work for you try shafts others with your fitter. You could even have him put the new shaft in your eBay 7i head. Again go to the range and course to try it out.
At the end of the process either buy your iron set without a 7i or buy the entire set and you will have an extra 7i to experiment or practice with.
Personally I like to keep an extra 7i and wedge in my car for when I want to sneek in range time.
I did this when two different fitters suggested the same very exotic ($$$$) Japanese iron. Found a 7i on eBay with the factor installed shaft, used for a month, then found an on-line a club builder who specialized in that club head. He made the set for me at less than half of what the NYC club fitters were asking. The NYC fitters got paid for their time and actually did a great job! I got a set that worked well for me, and I learned a lot about club technology and my swing in the process. Found out I like light steel shafts like NS950 and Project X LS even though I previous thought graphite was the only way to go for a 60+ player.
This can be a bit of a rabbit hole, so try to get a good (and patient) fitter and instructor for guidance. 
One last point, if you are standard height, limb length, hand size off the rack will probably work for you. Taller that roughly 6' 2" or shorter than 5' 8" you need club length and lie adjustments. Sort of like buying a busness suit.
Good luck and have fun with the process (not said sarcastically).

I used to work for a Golf Digest rated Top 100 Club Fitter until he moved from California to Indiana. I later worked as a fitter at PGA Tour Superstore. In both locations we made efforts to help the customer with his/her swing so we would be fitting their best swing. The reason for that is so that, as they improved with the new clubs, they would be rewarded because their new clubs would fit that better swing. The new clubs would contribute to that improvement. The alternative would have been fitting their inferior swing. In that case, when they improved they would end up fighting their new clubs that were fit to their old inferior swing.
By the way, if your clubs are getting too heavy you may want to try graphite iron shafts in your fitting to see if they work better. They are available in all the same flexes and lengths as steel shafts. They tend to reduce the shock of impact compared to steel shafts. That is really obvious if you hit a shot thin on a cold day. In addition, there are other specs that can vary more by graphite shaft model than with steel shafts. The variations can also be more precise. Those include torque and bend point. Torque is the amount a shaft twists. More torque makes the shaft feel softer for the same flex. However, if you square up the face at the last instant before impact the face won't come around as quickly when you turn your hands if a shaft has more torque. Each shaft model (graphite or steel) has specific torque specifications. The other factor, bend point, varies by model for both graphite and steel. There are more choices with graphite since each shaft model can be designed for specific desired characteristics. In other words, graphite allows more exact specs and more variations available due to the way graphite shafts are made. Steel has more limited options due to its physical characteristics.
 
That is assuming the person giving the lessons knows custom club fitting. Many golf teachers do not understand how club specs affect the swing and resulting shots.

Adam Scott suggested making the driver more difficult to hit by making the size limit much smaller. 

... There is a course in Orlando now called Evermore Resort that pays homage to St Andrews with several replica holes and the rest of the course links style. They have the steep faced pot bunkers you mentioned but they are surrounded by about 1 yd of rough to stop a ball from rolling in them. When they first opened without the strip of rough, rounds were taking well over 5 hours as the pot bunkers were too penal for average golfers. Not only were they taking multiple strokes to get out, they were tearing up the revetted walls. Sadly 'Muricans aren't ready for steep faced bunkers. 

I have cb 302s and they are way more workable than the traditional cavity back cast iron.  I also play apex pro 21s and the performance is the same. Off hits feel the same...semi harsh.  But on the sweet spot the 302s are buttery and explosive.  My apex irons hit it much higher as to the trajectory, which I don't like.  The muiras are more workable. Offset is generally the same with both...very little