hartrick11

My experience seems pretty similar to yours between agonizing over every detail of every offering and trying/fitting multiple times before settling on a P7 combo. I went 790 4i, 770 5-7i, MC 8-P with 4 degree gaps from 22-38, 42.5* 9i, 47* PW, and $ taper 120s. I am six rounds in and loving them so far…as you said there are a ton of great options available these days but I think you will be very happy with your new sticks! Curious to follow along

Saw the info on Cobras website… looks like the X model is similar to the older versions but with slightly stronger lofts. The FT carries the same lofts as prior iterations but with a bit less offset and smaller topline…the topline almost looks smaller than the MIM Tour in the pics. I think the two models should stand well independently but also blend easily; they should now appeal to a wider audience, similar to P790/P770, seems like a great approach. I would also bet that if they do bring the MIM Tour back it ends up being a bit smaller to provide a bit more differentiation vs the FT.

Right, I couldn't agree more...but Haywood & Fourteen ranked ahead of T100 and others in the forgiveness ratings within this article, which had my eyebrows raised because I would think that the multi material offerings would provide greater forgiveness than solid one piece CBs unless the CBs are much larger.

I know that there are fewer variables when you get to players irons, but today's players irons are still decidedly not blades. Shouldn't physics also dictate that tungsten impacts launch/forgiveness on off-center strikes? I know that the results are the results & I don't question the accuracy of the specific tests, and I think most here understand that every iron will perform differently for every golfer etc... but all else equal, I have a hard time with the claim of more forgiveness in a DTC players offering (I believe these all have zero tungsten right?) vs. say the Apex Pro, 223, or T100 with tungsten packed in at the top end of the set. Are the DTC clubs generally larger which leads to a larger sweet spot and equivalent/better forgiveness than smaller tungsten-packed offerings (I know the T100 is particularly small and thin-soled so could understand that argument to an extent), or is the concept of tungsten just overblown despite major industry investment in that material over the past decade?

Do you like golf trips but dread having to be the guy to plan everything? Or do you lack a little bit of faith that your buddy who can barely respond coherently to texts within 3 days will be able to setup a well-thought-out plan for an upcoming trip? If so, I would highly recommend https://www.whiteglove.golf/ for planning & concierge needs. Planning trips can be anything from a modest time suck for relatively "simple" groups to a legit extra job for larger or more complex trips, and that is in the pre-Covid days. Now with the explosion of popularity in the game making tee times harder to get, combined with the hassle of coordinating travel and dealing with random flight changes/cancelations that the pandemic has brought on, even the most carefully made plans can be thrown off in an instant, making a concierge service that much more valuable. White Glove is a new company that was just started last year and I randomly got paired up in a round with the founder, Conor, while I happened to be in the planning stages of a Scottsdale trip with my buddies. My job was extremely busy at that time and I also have a toddler at home so figured I would give his services a try and I am SO glad that I did. Here is what Conor provided for our group: Worked with us to find a house to rent after giving us a bunch of options at varying budgets Booked tee times (and re-booked when flight changes threw us for a loop) Got us hook ups for pro-shop and dining credits to be included in the price to play (in March in AZ!); I never would have imagined that this was doable with the current state of the game Discounted shipsticks pricing for the guys who had a really tight turnaround from the airport to the teebox and would not have been able to check their bags and still play 18 otherwise Arranged for customized embroidered gear (Linksoul quarter zips, polos for each team) Custom engraved wooden bag tags, Western Birch tees, koozies, and hats Booked dinners for us in downtown Scottsdale Other options that we didn't take advantage of were bottle service at bars, car services/rentals, booking dedicated blackjack tables at the casino, fittings from OEM reps, really anything that you could imagine depending on your budget I know there are are multiple larger companies out there that do this type of planning & concierge work, but working with a new founder that wants more than anything to make his services stand out from the crowd was a really amazing experience and Conor delivered and then some, helping to create a seamless experience and memories that will last a lifetime. I hope to re-create annually with my friends at new locations around the country. Think @GolfSub70 type services and apply it to your trip.

Curious what happened to the long/mid/short iron data? Is it still being incorporated into overall ratings? Especially with more and more irons that have different construction and/or size between long/mid/short irons I think it would be beneficial to see if testing backs up claims from OEMs. For example, forgiveness in the 223 4i might actually be really high, but low in the PW which nets out to a middle-of-the-road forgiveness rating if you are just assigning one grade but misses a lot of nuance that could be helpful for golfers to know.

From what I have read, watched, and tested for myself, Ping accomplished exactly what they set out to accomplish in making a small, consistent, *relatively* forgiving players iron, they just did it at a price point that shocked many of their prospective buyers, including me as I couldn't get past the price. I think a lot of the commentary gets clouded by the fact that they are so expensive... I found that once I sifted through the muck online, along with my own testing of the 7i I was able to come away with a really good impression even if I didn't think they were worth the price premium with so many great options out there. While I will never fully understand the MGS testing parameters I know what they are doing is objective and it's nice to see the i59 score well. I also need to apparently give New Level a try...:)

Those 659s look sick! Can't wait to learn more.

Not a surprise to many who live in CA, but PSA for people thinking about trips (especially couples trips): Sandpiper, just north of Santa Barbara. Billy Bell design (Torrey Pines), it is a muni that could use a little bit more in the way of investment dollars which I think is why it hasn't really made it to the "lists" in some time, but it was still in very good condition when I played and IMO the 5 hole stretch from 10-14 heading directly down to the beach (the 11 green/12 tee box is basically on the beach) and then banking left along the cliffs could compete with any stretch of golf in the world; one of those places where you just chuckle to yourself because you are so freaking lucky to be playing there while staring at dolphins swimming in the Pacific to the west & snow capped peaks to the east.

While nobody has answered yet, the answer for me was about 3 range sessions and 9 holes on the course lol!

This is exactly the logic I needed to hear!

I don't exactly have $1500 to burn after ordering irons but s!@t I'd kill for a round/pipe neck Anser or ZB in patina finish with tungsten plugs, site dot and a Redwood stamp on the face (hey, they said to just ask!). Oh and I'd like to avoid that whole fitting thing in case it tells me I need something at all different than that - it would probably be too pretty to game anyway!

My fitter a couple of weeks ago would be right up your alley! While I top out at 95mph with my 7i and have a quick transition that has been fit into 130g shafts in the past, his approach was to test how much I could drop in weight before it impacted my performance, as his working theory is that most golfers are playing shafts that are too heavy/stiff for them regardless of age and should play the lightest shaft they can perform with. In my case the heavy shafts helped my transition a bit, but they were creating other problems that were impacting my consistency. I ended up in 120g $ Tapers for my P series combo that gives me more forgiveness at the top compared to my King Forged CBs (790 4i, 770 5-7) along with buttery MCs in the 8-P. Now these irons are all I think about

From what I understand it is a slightly slimmed top line but otherwise similar dimensions/offset as the 2020 version. Hopefully they followed the King Tour MIM approach to the offset... to my eye they did a fantastic job of making those irons appear to have less than the stated numbers.

For people who have dropped in weight and/or flex in an iron set, how long has it generally taken you to get used to the new setup? In a recent fitting I was fit into 120g stiff ($ taper) shafts compared to 130g x flex (also $ taper) 3 years ago with no change in swing speed over that time (sit around 91-92mph with 7i, top out at 95 with a quick transition so it is generally right on the stiff/x-stiff border but my prior preference and the prior fitting results had been for X given the transition). We tested a bunch of shafts and the results were consistently better in the 120g range than 130g, even across multiple shaft profiles, which was interesting and gave me the confidence to go with the fitter's recommendation. That said, when I took the new irons to the range for the first time the difference in feel and performance was significant, with left-right dispersion being pretty bad. Since the fitting was really comprehensive I think this is just an in between the ears adjustment more than anything, but curious to hear from others who have dealt with that type of shift before - how long did it take you to start feeling confident with the new sticks, or conversely how long did you wait before going back to the prior setup?

Well I was surrounding the right answer but the fitting was still extremely helpful. I could have honestly gone with about 5 different setups and been more than happy but ended up in a Taylormade P series combo with $ Taper. The 223 with $ taper was the runner up, but the 770/MC felt like a bit better turf interaction for my swing. Guess I won’t be losing my Mizuno virginity just yet…someday!

Well 8 months later I finally pulled the trigger! I tried and over analyzed pretty much everything on the market and at the end of the day settled on a TaylorMade combo after my real fitting. P790 4i, P770 5-7, MC 8-W. 4 degree gaps from 22-46, 1 flat, $ taper 120. I struggled picking something because I needed to bring spin down a bit and gain some forgiveness, but LOVE the feel of my Cobra CBs so most of the clubs I “should” play couldn’t match up in feel. The fitting definitely helped on that front, seeing data from a bunch of clubs at once, and also testing with real golf balls vs beat up range balls. I think this combo gives me what I need at the top end while maintaining the top notch feel of the MC in the short irons. Taylormade did a fantastic job making the P7 series blendable in that respect. ZX7 and the mizuno 223 were awesome in feel and forgiveness but the turf interaction was a bit better for me with TM. The Titleist T series and pings were also great, and had the turf interaction I like, but price on i59 was just too high to stomach and I liked the 790/770 4-7 better than the T200. The 790 in particular is nuclear. Now I just have to wait to get them, ugh…

Thanks for this - always great to hear shaft comparisons that are in the same neighborhood as mine even if impressions vary greatly. I have been trying to love the X100 and Project X (regular and LS) since they seem to be most readily available shafts without upcharge (I don't like Modus 120x feel and don't get along with regular KBS Tour or C Taper either, which are the other stock offerings from most of the big OEMs); The X100 and the LS have come closest to unseating my $ Taper 130s; interestingly I found the regular Project X 6.5 to be harsher than the $ taper 130 or LS. I sit at 93-94mph with the 7i and have an aggressive transition FWIW. Without doing a full fitting yet I have tried at various points over the last few months: T100, ZX7, i59, Wilson CB, Apex Pro, 770, X Forged, & MIM Tour, they all delivered in many ways, but nothing that screamed BUY (ZX7 with the X100, and X Forged with LS 6.5 were closest - agree with you 100% that the X forged are buttery soft but I think I have an anti-Callaway bias or just don't agree with the way their offset appears, not sure). I finally got to hit the 223 with my gamer $ Taper 130s this past weekend and almost cancelled my fitting because it seemed like a perfect pairing. I'm going to stick with the fitting and see if data matches up with my impressions/biases, but the 223s with black $ tapers and the icon ferrules are like 80% in the bag lol.

Thanks for the color! One other question since you built them - did you find that swing weights were a fair bit higher than with the CTL? My gamer $ Taper seems to be out of stock/backordered pretty much everywhere so I may just take a chance on a 105TX set given my experience with the 125tx and the reviews I have been able to read. When it comes to irons I am not much of a club ho but if I can blame it on the supply chain...

Recognizing that all mileage varies, now that you have played the 105tx for a while can you talk about them compared to other iron shafts you have tried? I have a 125tx utility in my 3i that is a bit too much for me so am thinking about 105tx in my next iron set. I did see that you came from C taper lites so that scares me a bit when I will be coming from $ taper 130 and have always played heavy shafts, but it also looks like you have stout wood shafts so I am guessing your swing may have changed a bit over the years? I am guessing that 125 stiff or tx soft stepped is likely my answer but the 105 is so much easier to get and I would rather save the hundreds of dollars by avoiding a fully customized component build if possible. My local golf mart didn’t have the 105tx to try so I am sourcing as much outside information as possible. Thx!

Missed out on fantasy league but in for this one. Thanks for setting it up!

Not going to post the link but a popular golf publication has the 525 posted on their 2022 hot list website if anyone wants to check it out. Based on these pics and the commentary, it seems slightly smaller heel-toe vs. i500, with a thicker but more beveled sole. Almost like a cross between the i500 and i210, but with i59 grooves. Me likey.

Hit a bucket today with the 223. After three years with my Cobra CBs I have gotten used to their size but it kind of shocked me how small they are compared to the 223! The heft of the 223 sole scared me a bit but they bevel really does it’s job; I was going in and out of the turf nicely with it. Feel is great out of the middle and feedback is easily detectable. Not 100% sold yet until trying other shafts (today used the LS 6.5 which seemed a bit much for me) but leaning toward a 4-P set; should get a bit more forgiveness than the current gamers at the very least!

There's a good bit of information floating around now; I won't re-post what I have seen but looks very similar to the i500 which IMO is a great thing. No alumicore which I would guess is why pricing is lower than the i59. I think there was pretty widespread feedback that the sound/feel needed tweaks so I would expect the new goo/foam/air combo to be a big improvement and if it is, Ping will have another hit product. Going to be hard for me to not go with a full set of the 223s which seem to be a bit more forgiving in the long irons than T100/i59 and don't need to be combo'ed since they basically already are a combo set, but as I am a huge Ping fan a 4-5 i525 / 6-W i59 combo is tempting...I have a fitting set for Feb and then will be ordering something after overanalyzing everything on the market for the last 8 months lol

I am also interested in this. Very curious to see what a i525/i59 combo might look like, although if they are also using aluma-core on the i525 I'm guessing it will be priced like the i59 which would be a bummer.