When to move on from game improvement irons ?

[Bossfan]

I don’t think there is a magic handicap number to switch. I know single handicaps that play GI irons because they like how they perform. I know another guy with a much higher handicap than me and he plays players irons because that’s what he likes and he’s not worried about being a couple strokes better. Switch if you want but use a reputable fitter and follow his feedback.

[RangerGrey]

Well I have been playing Players/Distance irons now for the last 7 years and just recently tried to make the switch out of curiosity. I'm not getting any younger as I have always gone with what looks good, feels good and easy to hit. I've heard so many stories as to how this or that were harder to hit but when playing those certain clubs mentioned I never had a problem hitting them.

Ok when talking about what looks good I'm not into fancy colorful badges, half a dozen screws or one gigantic screw in the back of the cavity. I'm not into super shinny irons or fat bottom clubs with thick top lines. Well with my irons I have to feel where on the club face did I hit that ball. I like something that lets me know that I made a good shot so it better have that forged feel of a blade but perform with the forgiveness of some GI irons. 

So when I say I tried to make the switch I just couldn't stay with GI irons, They fly to high and make it harder to control the ball. The distance and forgiveness is there but I like feel, and consistency as I just think I'm rewarded better for hitting that sweet spot more than I'am with GI irons. It may not make much sense to most as blades are out of the question as I just stay in between and get the best of both worlds.  

[Paulb95]

Hi guys

A couple of people asked for an update so here it is. I went to club champion in Glasgow for an iron fitting at the start of February. Honestly wouldn’t go anywhere else for a fitting now, are they more expensive than the majority of fitters ? Yes. Do you still have to pay for the fitting even with a purchase ? Yes. Does the feeling of my new irons and improved dispersion counter the previous points ? Absolutely.

First off the customer service is incredible, even as an 18 handicapper who probably has no business being in a place like that, I was made to feel more than welcome despite how nervous I was and how bad a lot of my warm up shots were . 
 

The most important point for me was the fitter said his business was a golf club fitter and he was there to tell me what I should be playing and what suited me best. Then if it was too dear for my budget we could come up with alternatives. I didn’t mention my budget and money wasn’t mentioned again. This purely felt like he was fitting me for what was best for my game and not what he thought he could sell.

His first point of call was the shaft, the KBS tour lite stiff shafts I had weren’t as stiff as they’re made out to be. I felt like the head of the club had more weight to it and was lagging behind with my swing. We moved through several shafts both steel and graphite before arriving at aerotech steel fibre shafts. Once he felt we were in the right area for shafts we moved onto heads. I hit all types of iron heads and makes from still game improvement to player distance. Some I felt I was hitting well but when I was shown the numbers they weren’t great. Half way through the fitting I hit a Srixon zx5 mkII iron head which I felt was unbelievable in terms of feel off the face. We tried more after that but found through the numbers and my own feel the Srixon was the one. We then went back to fine tune the shafts and came out with what I feel is an iron I will never be tired of hitting.

My 6 iron when I went in had the capability of going 180-200 yards and the fitter said no person needs a 6 iron with a 20 yard difference. I’ve sacrificed distance for a consistent iron that feels great and has an unbelievably tighter dispersion that currently ( after 2 range sessions and 3 rounds off fairway mats in winter in Scotland ) goes 180. In summer with warmer weather and more practice with these clubs I feel the distance will obviously increase.

Overall I feel this is going to be a game changer for me with the season coming up. I can now understand why there are so many different types of irons and why game improvement irons are so popular. This game really isn’t about ego but enjoyment and that’s why we should use what makes it more enjoyable. To a lot of people that may be blades and to other people it may be player distance or even game improvement irons. So I suppose in answer to my own question at the start of the topic there is never a time to forget about game improvement irons and move on if they are what makes the game enjoyable for you.