Senior golfer

[ricksarno]

I am 70 years old and loved golf my whole life.  I am thinking about new irons and am looking for recommendations for brands that would be appropriate for my 80 mph swing speed.  Suggestions please.

[CarlH]

1 hour ago, ricksarno said:

I am 70 years old and loved golf my whole life.  I am thinking about new irons and am looking for recommendations for brands that would be appropriate for my 80 mph swing speed.  Suggestions please.

There are no specific brands that are better or worse for seniors.  I'm just a bit younger than you and playing the same type of irons that I was playing 20 years ago.  The best way to figure it out is to go to a demo days at one of your local clubs.  You should start seeing them fairly soon as the new gear is rolled out.  Short of that, go to a big box store and hit some different clubs.

You say you have an 80 mph swing speed.  Is that driver speed?  Is it actual or estimated.  Most golf shops have some sort of machine to help you determine swing speed and appropriate shaft selections.  You're likely going to be looking at softer shafts, regular to maybe senior.  What are you playing now?

[LeftyHawk]

It is my belief that there is no one brand that's the end all be all of clubs.  Like CarlH stated getting to a fitter of some kind is what I would strongly recommend. You'll get the set up that's best for you!

Chris

[Mr. 82]

Well, I play PING clubs, but that's just my biased opinion from someone who has played this game for 45 years.  If I were you I would find a local fitter to help you find the perfect set of clubs that work for you.  That's the best place to start to be honest.

[cnosil]

XXIO is targeted at players with slower swing speeds.    

[RickyBobby_PR]

Lots of options since something with a larger forgiving iron with lighter shafts are offered by pretty much every brand. 
 

Brands that I’ve seen others your age play in my random pairings are PXG, Ping, Taylormade and Callaway. Brands that I think do a good job and make great equipment are PXG, Cleveland and XXIO 

[Pandaman]

I will echo what others have said...

Go to a fitter that can work out which brands and models work for YOU.

I did that a couple of years back.  I am a high handicap, moderate swing speed player.  Wanted to upgrade my 10+ year old set for more modern, more forgiving ones.  Went with an open mind as to brands, as i wanted the best for me for my budget.  He measued my swing to narrow down shaft options that suited me then 'blind tested' (as best as he could) about 8 or 10 different irons options, then did the same with hybrids and woods. 

[fozcycle]

First, Welcome to My Golf Spy , ricksarno. Now that you are here, you have the resources of thousands of golfers. Most will tell you to get fitted. Along the way, maybe you could tell us a bit about yourself, so we can get to know you. Where do you reside? When did you start playing? What equipment have you played? What courses have you played?

My best to you on your journey.....


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[ole gray]

On 1/9/2020 at 4:45 PM, ricksarno said:

I am 70 years old and loved golf my whole life.  I am thinking about new irons and am looking for recommendations for brands that would be appropriate for my 80 mph swing speed.  Suggestions please.

Welcome aboard Rick!   Personally myself and several other folks I know are enjoying their Callaway Rogue X irons.  I am 69 and my friend DawgDaddy (who is older than dirt) both game them.  They are easy to launch and have more kick than a broma bull courting a pretty little old heifer.   Oh and by the way, you are going to love it here! 

[Rickp]

First, Welcome to My Golf Spy , ricksarno. Now that you are here, you have the resources of thousands of golfers. Most will tell you to get fitted. Along the way, maybe you could tell us a bit about yourself, so we can get to know you. Where do you reside? When did you start playing? What equipment have you played? What courses have you played?

My best to you on your journey.....


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I’ll second the Fitting.


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[Kenny B]

On 1/9/2020 at 1:45 PM, ricksarno said:

I am 70 years old and loved golf my whole life.  I am thinking about new irons and am looking for recommendations for brands that would be appropriate for my 80 mph swing speed.  Suggestions please.

Welcome from a 72 year old golfer!  I started playing in my mid-40's, and I will echo everyone's recommendation for a fitting.  It all depends on what you are playing now, but if you need new clubs, it's best to get a professional recommendation.  That way you are more assured that you are not leaving yards or accuracy on the table.  

I did a fitting at Truespec in October, and while I liked some of the iron options, the fitter said that none of them were statistically better performers than my gamers.  At least now I know.  Of course, that doesn't mean that I won't change anyway!  lol

I can also vouch for the SuperSpeed training to increase your club speed.  Forum members tested the SuperSpeed clubs and training program and it works; you just have to stick with it.  Do a search at the top of the forum page.  

Best of luck!!

 

[NiftyNiblick]

I'm 73 and am now handicapped and unable to play.

Nevertheless, I played the game for over fifty years and have a few thoughts.

Go softer with your shafts and weaker with your lofts.  Irons are extremely strong lofted today. In some case, they're lengthened as well to give adequate length to loft correlation.  In many cases, however, they're not.

I always went 1º flat with my irons.  With new irons, I would go ½" long and two degrees flat.   No matter how much technology was put into the new club heads to launch the ball,

if they don't give you enough shaft length for the loft, your shots will never reach the intended apex of their trajectory.

Another thing that changed for me as I got older was set configuration.  Driver, 3-wood, 1-9 irons, PW, SW, and putter is just not going to cut it any more.  That's what Jack carried, but even young people aren't bagging that setup any more.  See if you do better with hybrids or with 5, 7 and 9 woods.  I preferred generously lofted fairway woods because I not only couldn't hit hybrids as high or as far, but I hooked the hell out of them to boot.  On the other hand, there are plenty of people on this forum who've enjoyed great success with hybrids.

Wedge choices are important too.  Since they now call what were 8 and 9 irons pitching wedges and gap wedges respectively, we're talking two clubs strong, you're going to have to give more thought than people used to about configuring the short end of your bag. You might do well with lower compression golf balls as well, but some take issue with that.

It sounds more complicated than it is.  Find sticks that you like and have fun.

[DawgDaddy]

8 hours ago, ole gray said:

Welcome aboard Rick!   Personally myself and several other folks I know are enjoying their Callaway Rogue X irons.  I am 69 and my friend DawgDaddy (who is older than dirt) both game them.  They are easy to launch and have more kick than a broma bull courting a pretty little old heifer.   Oh and by the way, you are going to love it here! 

I too welcome you aboard Rick!  I have been really enjoying the Callaway Rogue X irons, they are as that whippersnapper ole gray says, "easy to launch and have more kick than a Brahma bull".  I'm a fairly young 72 golfer with a lower back fusion from S1 to L4 and these clubs have really given me back some of my game.  

[Rickp]

I too welcome you aboard Rick!  I have been really enjoying the Callaway Rogue X irons, they are as that whippersnapper ole gray says, "easy to launch and have more kick than a Brahma bull".  I'm a fairly young 72 golfer with a lower back fusion from S1 to L4 and these clubs have really given me back some of my game.  

Funny how folks are different. I Demo’d the Cally Rogue X and was not crazy about them. I couldn’t do anything with them. Obviously not the club but the Player. Try “stuff” out and you’ll find your set.



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[tony@CIC]

I am 70 years old and loved golf my whole life.  I am thinking about new irons and am looking for recommendations for brands that would be appropriate for my 80 mph swing speed.  Suggestions please.

As another 70's golfer with an 80's SS I can relate. You're getting pretty consistent advice from all the members posting. I went through your dilemma of trying to pick the best set of irons last spring and decided to get a fitting (a first for me). In my fitting, I was surprised that the brands that I thought would work best didn't. We went went through every fitting cart he had, Ping, Cobra, TM, etc. etc. After 3 hours of hitting balls we ended up with a mixed bag: Cobra F-Max wood, 410 hybrids, D-7 irons with Recoil shafts.

What I found interesting was that some of his recommendations which worked best for me were unconventional such as a R Flex shaft on the driver (cut down) and wood. R flex Tensi shafts on the hybrids 1/2" longer. Again none of those would typically match up with an 80's SS and confirms the value of a fitter.

[revkev]

Welcome to the club here! 

 

I guess I'm a youngster at 53 but I have found that as my swing has lost its zip I've been consistently fit into clubs with more loft, softer shafts and thicker soles (to help get the ball up in the air.)  Fitting is a key - don't be afraid to go get fit and find out what works best - if you don't want to or can't spend the bucks on a full fitting I've found that going for a ball fitting and asking questions can be a huge help - I had a Titleist ball fitting a few years ago that helped me pick up my current irons for a song on ebay - I self fit them.  When I went for a long game fitting last Spring my fitter said that there was no way he could improve on that fit - Ironically the irons that I'm gaming aren't Titleist but that ball fitter simply said, "You need this type of iron with this type of shaft.) 

 

Good luck and let us know how you end up.

[tony@CIC]

An one last point about a fitting is that the cost of the fitting (alone) is less that buying a club that doesn't work for you. Don't ask how I know.

 

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[Kenny B]

8 hours ago, revkev said:

Welcome to the club here! 

 

I guess I'm a youngster at 53 but I have found that as my swing has lost its zip I've been consistently fit into clubs with more loft, softer shafts and thicker soles (to help get the ball up in the air.)  Fitting is a key - don't be afraid to go get fit and find out what works best - if you don't want to or can't spend the bucks on a full fitting I've found that going for a ball fitting and asking questions can be a huge help - I had a Titleist ball fitting a few years ago that helped me pick up my current irons for a song on ebay - I self fit them.  When I went for a long game fitting last Spring my fitter said that there was no way he could improve on that fit - Ironically the irons that I'm gaming aren't Titleist but that ball fitter simply said, "You need this type of iron with this type of shaft.) 

 

Good luck and let us know how you end up.

Wow!!  Each picture you post does make you look younger and younger, but 53...?  I never would have believed it.  

[Pandaman]

A thought...

'Fitting' does not have to mean a full, detailed, analysis of each and every club to tweak the exact loft etc. 

It can be as basic as checking your swing and making sure you get an appropriate shaft flex.  Trying a variety of different models to see what works best for YOU.  And making sure you get the right length and lie angles.  That's all my 'full bag' fitting was.  

A detailed gapping session and tweaking lofts to fine tune can easily be done later, if needed, once you get used to the clubs.

[gobama84]

I think we lost ricksarno the original poster.  Only 1 post.  Hopefully he will come back for everyone's good info. 

I had that happen to me a few times. I joined a forum and couldn't remember the name of it or how I got there.  Think I eventually found them again.