Out with the new and in with the old. Changing from Distance irons to hybrids and blades.

[RoverRick]

 

Right after the first of the year, I traded in several sets of Mizuno blades and bought a set of JPX 919 Hot Metal Pros (HMP’s). The claim is that they are easier to hit and go farther. They do. They are a great iron and, unlike some clubs, really do deliver what is promised.

 

 

And here is the reason the are currently in the spare club bag along with the ST190TS 3w and ST190 5W. For a while I also had an ST190G driver and Mizuno wedges giving me a 13 club Mizuno bag.

 

My thinking when getting these was that traditional lofted irons tend to have lofts that bunch up at the top of the bag, and thus, I tended to not have consistent gaps at the top. The reality is that with my swing speed, I don’t need to hit long irons. No matter how well I strike the 4 and 5 irons, I don’t see much difference in the carry. Of course that’s one reason they make hybrids.

 

But the biggest problem with these is the hot face. On full shots the ball flight is high with spin and darn near perfect. However, with partial shots and chipping around the green, the ball just comes off the face too hot and it rolls another 5-10’. I thought this was something I could adjust to but apparently not. A chip that goes 10’ too far is often a lost stroke. The 6-7-8 are perfect clubs for me. The 4-5, I really need to be hitting hybrids. Preferably hybrids that don’t go left. And the PW and 9 leave me a gap between my wedges.

 

The first solution was to swap the 52-56-60 for 50-54-58. But then swapped the 58 for a 60. Then I swapped the HMP PW for a Vokey 46. This helped a lot but I still couldn’t really trust the irons when chipping.

 

So I went to the garage and built my perfect set.

 

 

That is a M5 on a Hzdus Yellow, an R11 14° 3 wood, Hogan CFT 3,4, & 5 hybrids (I’ve had these since 2004) on KBS Steel Hybrid shafts, a CFT 6 iron, Ft Worth 15’s 7-9 iron and Vokey SM6 46, SM8 50, SM7 54, SM7 60 SM wedges. The wedges and driver are the same in both bags now, although the SLDR often replaces the M5.

 

The driver de jure, is based on what I’m hitting better that day on the range. The 3 wood was chosen because it is perfect on 12 which is a short par 4 with water and OB. The Hogan Hybrids are the best hybrid ever built for my swing. I don’t need help not slicing. I just want more launch and carry and nice spin. I have these on KBS Hybrid shafts because I don’t want more torque to close the face.

 

The Ft Worth 15’s are there because I hit them just fine on full shots, in the mid-short irons, but I am deadly accurate chipping around the greens. The guys I play with are no longer surprised when I chip in from just off the green. I use the rule of 12 and the short version is 1/3 flight/roll for the 9, 1/4 flight/roll for the 8, and 1/5 flight/roll for the 7. I pace it off then pick out my landing spot, adjust for how the ball will break and then just focus on that spot. No chip ins the last 2 days since I put them back in the bag but had 5 that stopped within a foot of the pin. I had no missed greens with these that I wouldn’t have missed with the HMP’s.

 

To clarify the rule of 12 a bit. I walk over to the flag on my way to the ball. I will have a couple of clubs with me. The PW is 1/2, the choice between 50-54-60 depends on uphill or downhill and is more feel. But as I walk by the flag, let’s say I have 24 paces to the ball. Then I pace off 6 paces back to a spot 2-3 feet on the green. That is 24/6=4. 12-4=8. So my club selection is an 8 iron and I know to land it on a certain spot. I adjust that spot based on the read left or right and perhaps a foot or 2 in or out if up or down hill. Then I have my exact spot.

 

My focus can now be totally on landing it on that spot because the rest is taken care of by the club.

 

So with the irons 7 thru lob wedge set I turned to the top of the bag. I’ve tried hybrids from just about everyone. The deal with hybrids is the are mostly made for slower swing speeds and people that slice the ball. The are weighted so that the clubhead closes faster. So a lot of people who don’t slice tend to “over-draw the ball” is the current phrase, which is polite speak for hook the b!tch off the planet. I’ve found that heavier steel shaft that have a lower torque and are much straighter for me. I have also experimented with slightly shorter shafts to flatten the lie angle, but the KBS Hybrid shafts (steel) launch high with loads of spin and are great for me. I tried the Mizuno CLK’s a year ago but they still had an occasional hook in them. Same with a number of TM hybrids and Titleist.

 

The Hogan CFT hybrids have been my go to hybrids since 2004. So much so I have these in 14°, 17°, 19°, 21°, 24°, 27°. These last 3 are now in the bag, but I may try some different shafts in the 14° or 17° and may replace the 3w. I did this 10 years ago with great results. It will not go quite as far but straighter and more reliable. I had a putt for eagle on our third hole today, first 1 in years. This hole doesn’t generally set up well for me and it’s such a dangerous green, OB on 2 sides, 2 sand bunkers, 2 grass bunkers with 8” deep grass, a false front that is always wet, all separate by 3 moguls. I hit a hybrid 194 yards and landed softly and I had a 15’ eagle putt (that I proceeded to totally misread, but made a birdie).

 

That left me with a hole in the center of the bag. The CFT 6 iron totally fit the bill. It is not near as intimidating as looking down at a blade. It offers loads of forgiveness and still accurate. I can make my control swing from 150 or feel I can also swing confidently to more than 165.

 

Of course, since I am on this site, obviously things can change suddenly, but this is similar to a set up I called my AARP bag a few years ago. It offers a nice blend of forgiveness and accuracy.

 

So what do you think?

 

Is anyone enamored with distance irons?

 

Is it all about distance?

 

Do you agree with the “it’s easier to hit a green with an 8 irons than a 7 iron” especially if they are the same loft?

 

[revkev]

Well thought out bag

I will let you know about the distance iron thing once I start testing them. I recall that you chip with a lot of different clubs and could see where a hot face could be an issue.

I do very little chipping with anything more than my 52 with the exception of a bump and run with my 7 wood.

Good look with that set up!


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[Cory O]

The all Mizuno bag certainly looked pretty, but if it wasn’t working for you, well done Frankensteining something that would. Also, great little segue on the bump and run chips. Rick Shiels posted a video this week on it and I tried a couple today with the 8i and PW instead of immediately grabbing a scoring wedge.

[BIG STU]

Yep now you are thinking straight. I think you have it set perfect in fact I believe I could play with your set up

[RoverRick]

My wedges are

SM6 46° 8° Bounce F Grind.

SM8 50° 8° F Grind.

SM7 54° M Grind

SM6 60° 12° D Grind.

 

Historically, I preferred the 56° 14° bounce and a 60° 7° bounce. When I saw my current wedges new on eBay but of an older generation I bought them and stupidly got the bounces confused. I got these and considered returning them, but they are actually are better this way. I just had to change my go to club off a short sided tight lie. I am now more likely to putt if possible.

 

Interestingly, I can’t really see 10 cents worth of difference in the SM6-7-8. Certainty, I see a difference in these specs but actual design of the club, all are nice and seem to function as perfectly as I hit them.

 

 

 

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