Did I make a mistake

[pulledabill]

Dropped my old Eye 2s and bought fitted new 716 AP1s. Striking the ball well and my hdcp is plummeting...but....i cant work the ball with the 716s. Pro at my course said I might regret them and a guy at the course sold his because he couldnt work the ball with them Pro said its because of the weighting in them. My old clubs didnt fit me real well but I could work the ball pretty good with them. Im torn...i might have to go to the candy store and trade them in for some AP2s or something different. I can only go big on my draws and cuts. No baby cuts or fades. Maybe more practice?

 

Anybody hesr of this or experience this with these clubs?

[GB13]

I have the 710 AP1's and really struggle with "baby" anything. I can hit big hooks or cuts but no "soft" shots.

The AP2's are more workable but less forgiving. There are tradeoffs for both clubs.

 

My main advice is if your handicap is plummeting, is don't change a thing. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

[pulledabill]

Interesting for sure. Thanks for your input. I dont mind hitting big draws or fades with the long irons, but not being able to go smmall is shorter clubs is slighly bothersome. Shooting in the 70s regularly isnt though. Trade off for sure.

[NiftyNiblick]

In my experience, working the ball with GI irons is actually EASIER than working the ball with blades or blade-like irons.

 

You don't have to perfect subtle little adjustments and techniques.

 

You can make exaggerated adjustments to your swing,

moves that are instinctive for what you're trying to do,

and less likely to be inadvertently repeated when you try to hit the ball high and straight.

 

like an obvious cast for a fade or a hitting to right center field but with a hooded face for a draw

 

I grew up before GI irons existed and didn't begin working the ball until they did

because that's when it got easy enough to do..

 

I do agree with GB13 that the curves will be bigger and not smaller.

 

As for your old Eye 2s, they were GI as well as i'm sure that you know.

I just never understood the 1-iron size offset on the scoring clubs.

[Charli]

You said your number is dropping quick maybe working the ball wasn't good for your game.

[GB13]

Interesting for sure. Thanks for your input. I dont mind hitting big draws or fades with the long irons, but not being able to go smmall is shorter clubs is slighly bothersome. Shooting in the 70s regularly isnt though. Trade off for sure.

Well, it sounds like you might be a good candidate for a mixed set. 4-7 AP1(maybe AP3 or bend the loft weak a degree or two) 8-PW AP2 (again might have to bend strong).

This will give you the forgiveness in the longer irons and workability in the shorter irons.

[NiftyNiblick]

Well, it sounds like you might be a good candidate for a mixed set. 4-7 AP1(maybe AP3 or bend the loft weak a degree or two) 8-PW AP2 (again might have to bend strong).

This will give you the forgiveness in the longer irons and workability in the shorter irons.

 

While a tad pricey, one can order a mixed set of Titleists--

 

say,     718 AP3s,  718 CBs, and SM7s,  just for sake of example,

 

one club at a time,

 

lofts adjusted,

lies adjusted,

lengths adjusted,

shafts matched,

grips matched,

and ready to play,

 

in about fifteen minutes without even having to talk to anybody

if you know your fit specs.

That's delivered to your door in two weeks or thereabouts.

[Badams69]

My inference is that you are sort of set on Titleist.

Latest irons and balls combine for a tough time working the ball .......

If you were doing ok with it while using Eye2's, it obviously is the iron and weighting (forgiveness)

 

Seems you would go as far away from helper club as you can while not losing some forgiveness.

 

Titleist, to me is major hype with other brands making superior products all the while.

 

Wilson, Mizuno, Ping, Cobra, Srixon all combine to give you superior options somewhere along the way.

I too recently played Eye2's and miss them.  Just seemed a more appropriately balanced club between forgiveness and feel (although cast isn't soft) ... feel as in consistent performance among strikes.  Predictability in my book = feel and translates to workability as well.

 

Good luck!

[pulledabill]

Mixed set was on my mind for many months but not in the budget. Hit many clubs before I found a good deal on these. When I hit clubs, it just never crossed my mind to hit different shots with them other then some punch shots. Lesson learned. Worked my butt off over the last year to go from basically bogey to a 12 to 9 then it started rising a bit. Ive gone from a 9.2 to trending to a 6.7 i think in just less than a month with these new irons. No complaints there, just was having fun adding some new shots to my game. Im sure lots of clubs woukdve did that especially since I got the proper flex, length, and lie for the first time. See how it goes then go from there.

[Badams69]

Mixed set was on my mind for many months but not in the budget. Hit many clubs before I found a good deal on these. When I hit clubs, it just never crossed my mind to hit different shots with them other then some punch shots. Lesson learned. Worked my butt off over the last year to go from basically bogey to a 12 to 9 then it started rising a bit. Ive gone from a 9.2 to trending to a 6.7 i think in just less than a month with these new irons. No complaints there, just was having fun adding some new shots to my game. Im sure lots of clubs woukdve did that especially since I got the proper flex, length, and lie for the first time. See how it goes then go from there.

 

I posted earlier but after reading this ........

Have you considered it could be ball related and those missing curves could be from one of these newer fly straight super balls ???  

Even if it is the brand you were playing before - it may need to change with these irons compared to those.

[RickyBobby_PR]

Golf is about getting the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible which you are clearly doing so from that aspect you didn't make a mistake. Imo most golfers want “consistency” which could be in swing, performance, clubs that go the expected distance every time and not catch hot shots from the middle of the fairway...from that perspective it sounds like you didn't make a mistake there.

 

With current iron technology and new balls the ball doesnt move as much s the older version and this has been the case for several years.

 

Imo ap1 or other gi irons can be worked in all directions but it may require a bigger separation in path to face angle to get it

[russtopherb]

Just keep at it, you'll find the correct ball position/swing/feel to get the workability that you want. 

 

Any time your handicap is plummeting, you did not make a mistake. 

[PlaidJacket]

I always love this discussion. Working the ball. In my short 50 years of playing this game I've found few players (including myself) that truly "work the ball". And I'm talking about producing the shape of the shot as might be required... and on demand. Hell, not that many pros can even do it anymore. They rarely need to since all they do most days it drive the ball 300+ yards and then wedge it on the green. They mostly stick with their Stock Shot Shape off the tee and knock it over/through the dog-leg with either their normal fade or draw shot.

But I read about amatures like us  - especially mid to higher hcp players working the ball. Really? I'm a 4-5 hcp player and don't truly work the ball. Same for lower hcp. players I know. My stock shot is a draw. If perhaps I'm in need to play a fade or even a slice of some degree I can pull it off reasonably well. But not always. But that's not working the ball really. It's usually a "get out of jail" shot because I may have no other choice and I'm usually in some degree of trouble. If I'm in the fairway and the pin is on the right I rarely attempt to hit a fade. I'll instead play my normal draw to the center of the green and move on. At my skill level I'm not proficient enough to "work" the ball into position for that right pin.  But perhaps that's only a shot for higher hcp. players.

Working the ball as in the old days meant shaping shots throughout the round and as circumstances, hole design, or pin placements demanded. Not a get out of trouble shot per se'.

[chisag]

I always love this discussion. Working the ball. In my short 50 years of playing this game I've found few players (including myself) that truly "work the ball". And I'm talking about producing the shape of the shot as might be required... and on demand. Hell, not that many pros can even do it anymore. They rarely need to since all they do most days it drive the ball 300+ yards and then wedge it on the green. They mostly stick with their Stock Shot Shape off the tee and knock it over/through the dog-leg with either their normal fade or draw shot.

But I read about amatures like us  - especially mid to higher hcp players working the ball. Really? I'm a 4-5 hcp player and don't truly work the ball. Same for lower hcp. players I know. My stock shot is a draw. If perhaps I'm in need to play a fade or even a slice of some degree I can pull it off reasonably well. But not always. But that's not working the ball really. It's usually a "get out of jail" shot because I may have no other choice and I'm usually in some degree of trouble. If I'm in the fairway and the pin is on the right I rarely attempt to hit a fade. I'll instead play my normal draw to the center of the green and move on. At my skill level I'm not proficient enough to "work" the ball into position for that right pin.  But perhaps that's only a shot for higher hcp. players.

Working the ball as in the old days meant shaping shots throughout the round and as circumstances, hole design, or pin placements demanded. Not a get out of trouble shot per se'.

 

 

... Good stuff Plaid. When I played Maxfli HT-100 balata's with MB's and persimmon woods I worked the ball both ways. Basically because I knew the ball-club combo was gonna turn one way or the other and never go straight so I embraced it. I played a draw but always practiced working it both ways and was confident playing a fade or draw.

 

... Fast forward to todays super low swinging balls on full shots combined with woods and irons that all promote a straight ball flight and I very rarely work the ball, as you said taking trouble shots out of the equation. I now play a slight fade to straight ball and occasionally will work the ball to a back right pin location, starting the ball in the middle of the green and if it fades back to the pin that is ideal, but it will still go dead straight on occasion and that works too. But I only work the ball on days I feel my swing is really in a groove, so many days with a back right pin I just aim for the center and am happy to hit it there. So all in all I probably only work the ball 5% of the time max. 

[revkev]

Refer to Plaidjackets thread about working the ball. Important on tour - way better for one of us to have a stick shot and play it exclusively -

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[AH1980MN]

Side note: it seems like we're hearing a lot of guys question getting rid of their PE2s...

[Larryd3]

Interesting for sure. Thanks for your input. I dont mind hitting big draws or fades with the long irons, but not being able to go smmall is shorter clubs is slighly bothersome. Shooting in the 70s regularly isnt though. Trade off for sure.

Don't fix what isn't broken.

[pulledabill]

Side note: it seems like we're hearing a lot of guys question getting rid of their PE2s...

Im actually considering finding a set 2 degrees upright and reshafting.