Iron recommendation for 8-10+ handicaper

[Jeremiah.Cuellar]

I’m looking to upgrade my iron set from the Callaway Mavrik Max with regular steel shafts to something better tailored to my game, seeing that I’ve improved since getting them. Any recommendations? 

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 hours ago, Jeremiah.Cuellar said:

I’m looking to upgrade my iron set from the Callaway Mavrik Max with regular steel shafts to something better tailored to my game, seeing that I’ve improved since getting them. Any recommendations? 

You'll get many of the same answers here with a recommendation of going in to get fit and try as many different irons/shafts as you can. Someone recently asked the same question in their own thread maybe a week ago.

So instead I'll take a slightly different angle and ask some follow ups.

What kind of budget do you have? Not exact figure, bug more so meaning will you be going new? Or used? Or have you checked different DTC brands like Sub70?

What are you looking for in your new irons? More distance, just a smaller head and more potential shot shaping ability? Always good to play the most forgiving irons possible that you like the look at. 

There are so many irons out there it can be tough to narrow down, but checking out this and previous years most wanted on mgs can get as a starting point. 

Finally with the players distance category you can get a lot in a smaller iron head, often a little more expensive but is a really popular category right now!

[RickyBobby_PR]

Clubs shouldn’t be purchased based on handicap. We all get our handicap in different ways. Someone who struggles with irons will need something different than someone of the same handicap who hits their irons decent or good.

Also there is nothing wrong with not upgrading to something more players style just because one improved handicap. If you spend enough time reading golf forums and groups you will find low handicaps playing game improvement irons. I knew a 3 hdcp that played the Cleveland launchers.

Some of the most popular irons on pro tours were Ping i20 and Titleist AP2, now Ping i210 and Titleist T100.

Start with what you want to do with your irons. Are you looking to make it easier to move the ball up/down and/or side to side? Do you want better feel/sound?

What is it that you don’t like about your current set?

Thats really just the start. Getting the right shaft to pair with the clubs you want. Not having the right shaft and head combo can make the game harder because you are working harder to make the clubs work to get the desired result. This is why it’s always recommended to get fit. Even if you buy used your get an idea of what works and what doesn’t 

 

[LeftyMatt89]

45 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Clubs shouldn’t be purchased based on handicap. We all get our handicap in different ways. Someone who struggles with irons will need something different than someone of the same handicap who hits their irons decent or good.

Also there is nothing wrong with not upgrading to something more players style just because one improved handicap. If you spend enough time reading golf forums and groups you will find low handicaps playing game improvement irons. I knew a 3 hdcp that played the Cleveland launchers.

Some of the most popular irons on pro tours were Ping i20 and Titleist AP2, now Ping i210 and Titleist T100.

Start with what you want to do with your irons. Are you looking to make it easier to move the ball up/down and/or side to side? Do you want better feel/sound?

What is it that you don’t like about your current set?

Thats really just the start. Getting the right shaft to pair with the clubs you want. Not having the right shaft and head combo can make the game harder because you are working harder to make the clubs work to get the desired result. This is why it’s always recommended to get fit. Even if you buy used your get an idea of what works and what doesn’t 

 

Awesome advice here. A stat tracking device like arccos could help show you where you lose strokes comparative to your current or goal handicap. That can be a factor in your fitting to understand strengths and weaknesses. 

[Kansas King]

I fully agree with above advice. My advice is to see if you can get a demo or purchase an individual iron off eBay if it interests you. I've saved myself a lot of time and hassle by purchasing individual clubs and trying them on my course. Once you've tried a few different clubs on the course, you will likely start to find that you have a couple flavors you like. There are lots of great clubs out there but it's important to remember that not every iron head is good for everyone. The great thing about trying individual clubs is it lets you scratch lots of itches without having to fully commit. Want to try a muscle back blade? Go ahead. Eventually, you will find an iron head that you find checks most of your boxes. These individual irons may not have the ideal shaft but that's not going to stop you from figuring out if you like a head or not. I've found over the years that you will rarely find good images online that show how an iron truly looks at address. I have been disappointed more than a few times with irons that I thought I would love just to look down at them at address and immediately know that they weren't ever going to work for my eye.

I will say that trying clubs out in the wild isn't completely necessary but I personally have found that it's the best and one of the only ways to truly find what will work best for you. There is various levels of fittings and the best fitting will almost always involve going through a thorough fitting, getting the clubs built, using them, and then a couple returns to the builder for adjustments. Most fitters/builders (places like Club Champion) don't ever truly do a top level fitting as it takes a lot of time and money and rightfully so, average golfers don't usually have the time and/or money for that type of fitting. I've found when you try individual clubs, you will know what you want going into a fitting, and you're far less likely to be blinded by whatever forgiveness the mats and perfect conditions of an indoor hitting bay provide. I also believe that if you try some individual clubs on the course and you know what you want when you get fitted, you'll have a deeper-seeded level of confidence in the end product.

[BMart519]

On 5/16/2022 at 8:46 AM, Kansas King said:

I fully agree with above advice. My advice is to see if you can get a demo or purchase an individual iron off eBay if it interests you. I've saved myself a lot of time and hassle by purchasing individual clubs and trying them on my course. Once you've tried a few different clubs on the course, you will likely start to find that you have a couple flavors you like. There are lots of great clubs out there but it's important to remember that not every iron head is good for everyone. The great thing about trying individual clubs is it lets you scratch lots of itches without having to fully commit. Want to try a muscle back blade? Go ahead. Eventually, you will find an iron head that you find checks most of your boxes. These individual irons may not have the ideal shaft but that's not going to stop you from figuring out if you like a head or not. I've found over the years that you will rarely find good images online that show how an iron truly looks at address. I have been disappointed more than a few times with irons that I thought I would love just to look down at them at address and immediately know that they weren't ever going to work for my eye.

I will say that trying clubs out in the wild isn't completely necessary but I personally have found that it's the best and one of the only ways to truly find what will work best for you. There is various levels of fittings and the best fitting will almost always involve going through a thorough fitting, getting the clubs built, using them, and then a couple returns to the builder for adjustments. Most fitters/builders (places like Club Champion) don't ever truly do a top level fitting as it takes a lot of time and money and rightfully so, average golfers don't usually have the time and/or money for that type of fitting. I've found when you try individual clubs, you will know what you want going into a fitting, and you're far less likely to be blinded by whatever forgiveness the mats and perfect conditions of an indoor hitting bay provide. I also believe that if you try some individual clubs on the course and you know what you want when you get fitted, you'll have a deeper-seeded level of confidence in the end product.

This is a great idea if you can afford it. I did this with Callaway APEX irons recommended in a fitting, but I wasn't convinced only hitting it off a mat. Getting to try irons off the tee, 3/4 shots off sidehill lies, bump and runs around the green give you a much better feeling of what day to day life will be like with a set. Not to mention seeing how the misses play when you thin one or hit it off the toe.