Paulb95

Hi guys A couple of people asked for an update so here it is. I went to club champion in Glasgow for an iron fitting at the start of February. Honestly wouldn’t go anywhere else for a fitting now, are they more expensive than the majority of fitters ? Yes. Do you still have to pay for the fitting even with a purchase ? Yes. Does the feeling of my new irons and improved dispersion counter the previous points ? Absolutely. First off the customer service is incredible, even as an 18 handicapper who probably has no business being in a place like that, I was made to feel more than welcome despite how nervous I was and how bad a lot of my warm up shots were . The most important point for me was the fitter said his business was a golf club fitter and he was there to tell me what I should be playing and what suited me best. Then if it was too dear for my budget we could come up with alternatives. I didn’t mention my budget and money wasn’t mentioned again. This purely felt like he was fitting me for what was best for my game and not what he thought he could sell. His first point of call was the shaft, the KBS tour lite stiff shafts I had weren’t as stiff as they’re made out to be. I felt like the head of the club had more weight to it and was lagging behind with my swing. We moved through several shafts both steel and graphite before arriving at aerotech steel fibre shafts. Once he felt we were in the right area for shafts we moved onto heads. I hit all types of iron heads and makes from still game improvement to player distance. Some I felt I was hitting well but when I was shown the numbers they weren’t great. Half way through the fitting I hit a Srixon zx5 mkII iron head which I felt was unbelievable in terms of feel off the face. We tried more after that but found through the numbers and my own feel the Srixon was the one. We then went back to fine tune the shafts and came out with what I feel is an iron I will never be tired of hitting. My 6 iron when I went in had the capability of going 180-200 yards and the fitter said no person needs a 6 iron with a 20 yard difference. I’ve sacrificed distance for a consistent iron that feels great and has an unbelievably tighter dispersion that currently ( after 2 range sessions and 3 rounds off fairway mats in winter in Scotland ) goes 180. In summer with warmer weather and more practice with these clubs I feel the distance will obviously increase. Overall I feel this is going to be a game changer for me with the season coming up. I can now understand why there are so many different types of irons and why game improvement irons are so popular. This game really isn’t about ego but enjoyment and that’s why we should use what makes it more enjoyable. To a lot of people that may be blades and to other people it may be player distance or even game improvement irons. So I suppose in answer to my own question at the start of the topic there is never a time to forget about game improvement irons and move on if they are what makes the game enjoyable for you.

During the fitting I got carried away with the 30 yard increase in distance especially hitting in an indoor studio into a screen where there is no hazards or trees on the software. Hence why I felt I was a bit naive. Looking back on it I’d never of got the driver and should’ve went elsewhere. Didn’t realise there was the ability to delete shots and such on the software either, definitely went in unprepared and regret the experience. All that said the driver does work well for me when I hit it well but I have no doubt there would be better options for me and my swing consistency.

Thanks for the reply, very good article. I recently switched from a blade putter to a spider GTX due to being unable to keep the club under control, didnt like the weight of the blade and my putting has drastically improved. Although I got fitted for a new driver last year which in hindsight I was very naive with. Got the srixon Zx7 which I hit 30 yards further but also meant it went 30 yards further left or right ( mostly right ) and to this day regret not trying the Ping drivers.

Thanks for the reply, definitely wouldn’t be looking at moving into blades, as you said I have no massive need for shot shaping nor do I have the consistency to play with them. The looks of a club plays a small part with my confidence over a shot ie. I hate the look of my hybrid behind a ball compared to an iron but again at my level I have no need for a 3 iron. I suppose this may be a reason a lot of manufacturers now have sets that can be combined.

Thanks for the replies, think I’m going to get a fitting done to see if it would benefit my game to change then decide if it would be worth it. Will post the results once I have them. @skraeling that was one of my thoughts that would they eventually damage my game but great to hear you’ve not experienced that.

Hi, I currently have Wilson D9 irons that I was fitted to when I took golf up just under two years ago. Since then I’ve became addicted to the game and play a lot. I’m only a 18.6 handicap but looking to get better this year through monthly lessons and a lot of practice. My irons would be the best part of my game for distance but I also understand the D9’s are strongly lofted. My question would be when should I move on from game improvement irons ? I find some of these irons are now launching very high and I lose distance ? My swing has also progressed (I hope) should this be a factor ? Thanks