Narrowing down iron options

[yxugolfer]

I’m a high handicapper struggling with consistency (push/pull or occasionally fat) as I play <10 times per summer and rarely get out to practice, but have a solid swing speed (playing stiff shafts) and distance isn’t a problem. 

I have been playing TaylorMade Burner Superlaunch irons for about a decade. This summer I upgraded my woods (to Cobra F8 driver and 3-4 wood), hybrids (TaylorMade M2 3/19 and 4/22), and wedges (to Cleveland CBX2 50/54/58) all second hand. Driver was a huge success and my first upgrade (from a TM R1), the rest are recent additions so not much playing time with them.

Any suggestions for irons I should look at for as an evolution from the Burner Superlaunches? Would the latest S/GI irons like T300 or G710 be a huge upgrade? Obviously more practice is what I need most, but if I can pick up some more forgiveness from more recent tech I’d like to give that a go too.

[theebdk]

I just went through this journey and found it a bit difficult to test all of the irons I wanted to try.  I work with a fitter that closed their bays for casual testing due to Covid.  So I went for an iron fitting and tried a total of eight heads.  Spent a couple of hours between two sessions.

I am a 14 handicapper that had eight year old irons.  Since my last fitting my swing and my age has changed.  Anyway, I am not a consistent iron striker so I looked to the game improvement category and even into the super game improvement and players distance.  One of the biggest changes to iron technology in recent years is the hollow body iron.  I suggest that you try some of these out. 

What did I try and what did I select?  Tried: P790, P790 TI, Srixon 585, Titliest T400, Honma T World X, Mizuno HM 921, Miura IC-601, Epon AF-706, and Titliest CNCPT.  I went with the Epon AF-706.  They simply had the best numbers with distance, height, spin, and etc.  Plus they are a 2 piece forged club and have good feel for a hollow body iron.  I can really tell (feel and sound) when I hit it in the large sweet spot.  They are jacked loft clubs so my six irons is really a five iron.

The heads may be important but so is the correct shaft.  We tried 5 or 6 shafts eventually settling on the Fujikura Pro Senior.  Had the highest speed with this shaft.

Find a good fitter, try out the clubs and shafts, and let the numbers help you to decide. 

[Shankster]

There are many good options for you, but the answer is: do your wallet and your game a favor and see a fitter.

I don’t listen to my own advice, and I am 100% leaving something out there due to improperly fit clubs.  They are close I am sure, but a trained professional can see what I am lacking in a short session. 

[AH1980MN]

Speaking of doing your wallet a favor- check out Wilson D7 and Tour Edge EXS/220. Both are really solid and priced under the bigger names- not the most options available but definitely try them if your fitter stocks them.

[J.B. TexasEx]

On 10/12/2020 at 2:13 PM, yxugolfer said:

I’m a high handicapper struggling with consistency (push/pull or occasionally fat) as I play <10 times per summer and rarely get out to practice, but have a solid swing speed (playing stiff shafts) and distance isn’t a problem. 

I have been playing TaylorMade Burner Superlaunch irons for about a decade. This summer I upgraded my woods (to Cobra F8 driver and 3-4 wood), hybrids (TaylorMade M2 3/19 and 4/22), and wedges (to Cleveland CBX2 50/54/58) all second hand. Driver was a huge success and my first upgrade (from a TM R1), the rest are recent additions so not much playing time with them.

Any suggestions for irons I should look at for as an evolution from the Burner Superlaunches? Would the latest S/GI irons like T300 or G710 be a huge upgrade? Obviously more practice is what I need most, but if I can pick up some more forgiveness from more recent tech I’d like to give that a go too.

Sub 70 has a good, cost-effective GI option. https://www.golfsub70.com/sub-70-699-iron.html

[MDGolfHacker]

On 10/12/2020 at 4:23 PM, Shankster said:

There are many good options for you, but the answer is: do your wallet and your game a favor and see a fitter.

I don’t listen to my own advice, and I am 100% leaving something out there due to improperly fit clubs.  They are close I am sure, but a trained professional can see what I am lacking in a short session. 

+1.  Normally I would  also say to go and hit a few different irons at your local golf galaxy or second swing to get a feel for the different irons to narrow your choices further, but I'm sure with Covid, this has become a lot tougher to do...

 

MDGolfHacker

[Bossfan]

Someone mentioned Sub 70. They do have many different types of irons and all are quality clubs with great prices. There is a great thread about them in this section. I purchased their 739 irons last year which is considered their GI iron. They were as good as anything else I tried last year. They went out of their way to make sure the irons were a great fit for me. My scores were much lower this year and iron play was definitely the difference. You could afford quite a few lessons and practice sessions which is what will really help along with irons fit for you. They have a pretty simple demo program.

[Jtom2012]

Sub70 does awesome work!

Sent from my moto g(7) power using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[MNUte]

On 10/12/2020 at 1:13 PM, yxugolfer said:

I’m a high handicapper struggling with consistency (push/pull or occasionally fat) as I play <10 times per summer and rarely get out to practice, but have a solid swing speed (playing stiff shafts) and distance isn’t a problem. 

 

So forgiveness covers a lot of ground, especially when you're looking for something that you can play coming in cold with little practice. 

One route to go is the iron-wood category. So the Cleveland HB launchers, the Tour Edge Hot Launch line, etc. Almost every reviewer, including professionals, have noted that if you can get past the looks, they're some of the best irons out there for high handicappers in terms of forgiveness and launch. Then again, many can't stand the looks, so that's a factor to think about.

 

Another route is to go with the heavily offset stuff to try and give you a single type of miss. You're saying you both push and pull, so something very offset like the M2's might take the right side of the course away and have you either hitting straight or missing left. That way you aim a little right of your target you either hit straight and are good or pull it and are great. Or for me, since my bad strike tends to be a toe-strike, I got the Cleveland CBX launcher irons on the cheap, which have the weight pushed out towards the toe to compensate. 

[Nolan220]

On 10/14/2020 at 9:21 AM, J.B. TexasEx said:

Sub 70 has a good, cost-effective GI option. https://www.golfsub70.com/sub-70-699-iron.html

If I didn't just get irons (also there one lengths) I would of most likely wen with sub70... def next time I am looking for clubs I would put them on the top of list ... 

[cnosil]

I am one of the most wanted testers and am in the middle of doing SGI irons. Many people don’t like the visual of the SGI clubs, but if you can get past the general looks and sound they are a great options for someone looking for forgiveness. By forgiveness I am talking about mishits like heel, toe, fat, thin. These strikes just don’t lose as much distance as the other iron categories. I also mention sound because there is definitely an audible click with many of the clubs in this category. The Tour Edge Exotics line is one to consider.

The big thing is that you should definitely get fit when looking at this class of clubs. The stock shafts are lightweight (
The GI line is a good option as well. Take a look on the main MGS page for this years results.

[yxugolfer]

Thanks everyone. Good point about shafts — the Burner Superlaunch shafts are 85g which might be lighter than I really need. A lot of good suggestions.

I experimented with Cobra King F7 one length irons this summer. I liked the easy setup but disliked the low ball flight with the longer irons. I didn’t feel like I had confidence in the striking and ball flight. Maybe because they were their first generation. I also had a Speedzone one length 3 hybrid and it was the best hybrid experience I’ve had. 

I agree I need to find a way to get fit! Fewer options where I am in Canada though TXG is a 2-3 hour drive away, just a lot of $$ for how infrequently I get to play. 

[Pupini]

I just went through the process. If you live near a PGA Superstore, go through the Tour Van fitting process. It's about $50, but well worth it. The process is about 90 minutes and you will hit all sorts of club/shaft combinations. I would highly recommend it. I opted to buy Sub70 irons which you can't buy in stores. They recommended a set for me based on my fitting results. I couldn't be happier.

If you don't live near PGA superstore, Golf Galaxy does fittings but I don't think its as elaborate.

[BNewton51]

On 10/12/2020 at 4:23 PM, Shankster said:

There are many good options for you, but the answer is: do your wallet and your game a favor and see a fitter.

I don’t listen to my own advice, and I am 100% leaving something out there due to improperly fit clubs.  They are close I am sure, but a trained professional can see what I am lacking in a short session. 

the MOST sound advice anyone could give!  Seeing a fitter and testing everything you can there in front of their trained eyes and trackman will get you down the right path whether that be new or even a slightly used set.