Toura Golf Irons Build Test: 2024 Forum Review

[ctg44]

20 hours ago, JRDuck40 said:

@ctg44 Ouch! Double train has been my biggest issue this summer. I can knock out a few pars / birds in a row. Then one hole, wheels come off and log a double or trip bogey... UGH! Knock that out, I'm back to shooting 75-80s instead of 82-88. 
All that being said, I've seen pretty consistent ball flight as of late. However, quite a few of my misses are going left. I've made some adjustments to my aim line on 4i thru PW and now, knock on wood, hopefully have this knocked out. Did a 2 hour range session on Saturday. Worked almost exclusively on ball striking and aim for the irons. Min - 10-12 shots on each iron. Also did another practice session on my new net setup. Good for getting my consistency down... that's about it.

Excited for the week ahead. 

League night - Tuesday 

Friday - 18 at Kettle Hills GC

Saturday - 18 at Songbird Hills CC

Sunday - 18 at Oakwood GC

Onward

I have to admit, I did a Callaway iron fitting this weekend because I was so frustrated with my approach game even after doing so much work on the simulator to really dial in my swing and iron distances...like, how can these irons feel so good and with a swing I'm confident was very consistent from 1 day to the next, be producing such different results day to day.

I even made sure I did the simulator work using the same balls, had the PC with the Foresight GC Hawk launch monitor set to current DFW atmospheric conditions / altitude, etc...I hit from different points on the mat to account for different lies since the mat is sort of old and has a bit of a dip in it and the edges of the mat are raised to give the impression of ball above the feet or below the feet depending on placement....in other words, I controlled for everything I could control.  I still had ball striking issues on Sunday that were not at all present Saturday, even when I was really careful with my pre-shot routine, setup, and everything I could control.

 

So, onto the fitting I did Sunday afternoon...here I am after hitting a bajillion balls Saturday, playing Sunday morning, and having reffed 2 hockey games each Friday and Saturday nights...figuring I'd be tired and if I hit anything at all decent, it would be the Callaway Ai200s or TiFusion irons...

 

Nope, I hit those like crap.  Inconsistently long and longer and lots of hooks and pulls.  Too much offset on the 200 and the Ti, while better, was still too "hot" across the face and hard for me to feel like I had any distance control.  So, what DID I hit well?  Funny you should ask?  No, not the Apex, Apex Pro, or the even Apex CB...yeah, I was STRIPING the Apex MB.  I could not believe it.  I was shockingly forgiving, was flying farther than the Toura by a full club (10-12 yards), and my mishits were going the same distance as a clean strike from the Toura.  More importantly, it FELT like an MB should.  It was a VERY odd feeling for someone struggling with good iron contact to be handed a stock MB iron and start striping them down the start line and farther than I was something like the Toura, which is a fairly forgiving iron with all the mass below the center of gravity and being a CB iron. 

 

As an aside, the 7 iron data on the Trackman Pro in that bay was showing almost the same data for the @Toura Golf CB for me on Sunday as it was on Saturday on the GC Hawk, which was 155 carry / 162 total / 5800 RPM backspin.  My average proximity to the pin on Saturday was 23'3", which is at or around the PGA Tour average from 2022, which was 27'8".
 

The problem is replicating that on green grass, which has been an issue all year for me due to the turf interaction of the leading edge of the Touras which is a bit sharper than my previous 2 sets of irons, Mizuno Pro 223s and TaylorMade P7MC (2020).

So now I'm at a crossroads.  I think it's time to get back in front of a good pro w/ a Trackman / GC Quad with the @Toura Golf CBs and get them fully adjusted to a really good spec for me.  I think they're too upright and the fitter at PGASS mailed it in on me in giving me the data when I did that the 1st time and ended up having them bent upright.  I'm hitting some beautiful shots with the Touras, but also some really odd shots, like a PW to an easy pin location 125 out with water at about 110 yards dying mid-air and falling right, hitting the bank of the pond, and bouncing in.  That pin should have been VERY reachable for me since I normally carry 122 ON AVERAGE, with the lowest of my shots carrying 115, especially with a little wind behind me out of the south.  There's no reason a PW should have pulled up short at 105 yards like it hit a brick wall, especially when I felt like I hit it well. 

Basically, I am just VERY frustrated with my approach game right now, which sucks big time and isn't helping relieve much pressure off of my slowly improving putting and short game, especially when my driver is still a giant spin monster that won't keep a ball under 3200 RPM.  Needless to say, my new GT2 can't get here fast enough (come on September 6th!), so I can start getting a little closer to the green in better lies so I can start having a more consistent approach game that isn't always fighting to scramble from weird lies or the rough.

[azstu324]

28 minutes ago, ctg44 said:

I have to admit, I did a Callaway iron fitting this weekend because I was so frustrated with my approach game even after doing so much work on the simulator to really dial in my swing and iron distances...like, how can these irons feel so good and with a swing I'm confident was very consistent from 1 day to the next, be producing such different results day to day.

I even made sure I did the simulator work using the same balls, had the PC with the Foresight GC Hawk launch monitor set to current DFW atmospheric conditions / altitude, etc...I hit from different points on the mat to account for different lies since the mat is sort of old and has a bit of a dip in it and the edges of the mat are raised to give the impression of ball above the feet or below the feet depending on placement....in other words, I controlled for everything I could control.  I still had ball striking issues on Sunday that were not at all present Saturday, even when I was really careful with my pre-shot routine, setup, and everything I could control.

 

So, onto the fitting I did Sunday afternoon...here I am after hitting a bajillion balls Saturday, playing Sunday morning, and having reffed 2 hockey games each Friday and Saturday nights...figuring I'd be tired and if I hit anything at all decent, it would be the Callaway Ai200s or TiFusion irons...

 

Nope, I hit those like crap.  Inconsistently long and longer and lots of hooks and pulls.  Too much offset on the 200 and the Ti, while better, was still too "hot" across the face and hard for me to feel like I had any distance control.  So, what DID I hit well?  Funny you should ask?  No, not the Apex, Apex Pro, or the even Apex CB...yeah, I was STRIPING the Apex MB.  I could not believe it.  I was shockingly forgiving, was flying farther than the Toura by a full club (10-12 yards), and my mishits were going the same distance as a clean strike from the Toura.  More importantly, it FELT like an MB should.  It was a VERY odd feeling for someone struggling with good iron contact to be handed a stock MB iron and start striping them down the start line and farther than I was something like the Toura, which is a fairly forgiving iron with all the mass below the center of gravity and being a CB iron. 

 

As an aside, the 7 iron data on the Trackman Pro in that bay was showing almost the same data for the @Toura Golf CB for me on Sunday as it was on Saturday on the GC Hawk, which was 155 carry / 162 total / 5800 RPM backspin.  My average proximity to the pin on Saturday was 23'3", which is at or around the PGA Tour average from 2022, which was 27'8".
 

The problem is replicating that on green grass, which has been an issue all year for me due to the turf interaction of the leading edge of the Touras which is a bit sharper than my previous 2 sets of irons, Mizuno Pro 223s and TaylorMade P7MC (2020).

So now I'm at a crossroads.  I think it's time to get back in front of a good pro w/ a Trackman / GC Quad with the @Toura Golf CBs and get them fully adjusted to a really good spec for me.  I think they're too upright and the fitter at PGASS mailed it in on me in giving me the data when I did that the 1st time and ended up having them bent upright.  I'm hitting some beautiful shots with the Touras, but also some really odd shots, like a PW to an easy pin location 125 out with water at about 110 yards dying mid-air and falling right, hitting the bank of the pond, and bouncing in.  That pin should have been VERY reachable for me since I normally carry 122 ON AVERAGE, with the lowest of my shots carrying 115, especially with a little wind behind me out of the south.  There's no reason a PW should have pulled up short at 105 yards like it hit a brick wall, especially when I felt like I hit it well. 

Basically, I am just VERY frustrated with my approach game right now, which sucks big time and isn't helping relieve much pressure off of my slowly improving putting and short game, especially when my driver is still a giant spin monster that won't keep a ball under 3200 RPM.  Needless to say, my new GT2 can't get here fast enough (come on September 6th!), so I can start getting a little closer to the green in better lies so I can start having a more consistent approach game that isn't always fighting to scramble from weird lies or the rough.

Hey man, when something falls apart in your game, which is inevitable for us common folk, just remember, it's golf . Sucking hard at 1 or even 2 parts of the game is what separates a really good golfer from a pro. 

I've had times where I put so much focus into a failing part of my game, that eventually it becomes my strength, then to realize that what was my strength becomes another weakness because I shifted my focus. It sounds like you are making a good effort on getting your irons back in order.. but just prepare to have your putting or driving go $hit. It's all part of the neverending evolution we sign up for when we decide to take up this sport. 

 

[MuniGolfer]

1 hour ago, ctg44 said:

I have to admit, I did a Callaway iron fitting this weekend because I was so frustrated with my approach game even after doing so much work on the simulator to really dial in my swing and iron distances...like, how can these irons feel so good and with a swing I'm confident was very consistent from 1 day to the next, be producing such different results day to day.

I even made sure I did the simulator work using the same balls, had the PC with the Foresight GC Hawk launch monitor set to current DFW atmospheric conditions / altitude, etc...I hit from different points on the mat to account for different lies since the mat is sort of old and has a bit of a dip in it and the edges of the mat are raised to give the impression of ball above the feet or below the feet depending on placement....in other words, I controlled for everything I could control.  I still had ball striking issues on Sunday that were not at all present Saturday, even when I was really careful with my pre-shot routine, setup, and everything I could control.

 

So, onto the fitting I did Sunday afternoon...here I am after hitting a bajillion balls Saturday, playing Sunday morning, and having reffed 2 hockey games each Friday and Saturday nights...figuring I'd be tired and if I hit anything at all decent, it would be the Callaway Ai200s or TiFusion irons...

 

Nope, I hit those like crap.  Inconsistently long and longer and lots of hooks and pulls.  Too much offset on the 200 and the Ti, while better, was still too "hot" across the face and hard for me to feel like I had any distance control.  So, what DID I hit well?  Funny you should ask?  No, not the Apex, Apex Pro, or the even Apex CB...yeah, I was STRIPING the Apex MB.  I could not believe it.  I was shockingly forgiving, was flying farther than the Toura by a full club (10-12 yards), and my mishits were going the same distance as a clean strike from the Toura.  More importantly, it FELT like an MB should.  It was a VERY odd feeling for someone struggling with good iron contact to be handed a stock MB iron and start striping them down the start line and farther than I was something like the Toura, which is a fairly forgiving iron with all the mass below the center of gravity and being a CB iron. 

 

As an aside, the 7 iron data on the Trackman Pro in that bay was showing almost the same data for the @Toura Golf CB for me on Sunday as it was on Saturday on the GC Hawk, which was 155 carry / 162 total / 5800 RPM backspin.  My average proximity to the pin on Saturday was 23'3", which is at or around the PGA Tour average from 2022, which was 27'8".
 

The problem is replicating that on green grass, which has been an issue all year for me due to the turf interaction of the leading edge of the Touras which is a bit sharper than my previous 2 sets of irons, Mizuno Pro 223s and TaylorMade P7MC (2020).

So now I'm at a crossroads.  I think it's time to get back in front of a good pro w/ a Trackman / GC Quad with the @Toura Golf CBs and get them fully adjusted to a really good spec for me.  I think they're too upright and the fitter at PGASS mailed it in on me in giving me the data when I did that the 1st time and ended up having them bent upright.  I'm hitting some beautiful shots with the Touras, but also some really odd shots, like a PW to an easy pin location 125 out with water at about 110 yards dying mid-air and falling right, hitting the bank of the pond, and bouncing in.  That pin should have been VERY reachable for me since I normally carry 122 ON AVERAGE, with the lowest of my shots carrying 115, especially with a little wind behind me out of the south.  There's no reason a PW should have pulled up short at 105 yards like it hit a brick wall, especially when I felt like I hit it well. 

Basically, I am just VERY frustrated with my approach game right now, which sucks big time and isn't helping relieve much pressure off of my slowly improving putting and short game, especially when my driver is still a giant spin monster that won't keep a ball under 3200 RPM.  Needless to say, my new GT2 can't get here fast enough (come on September 6th!), so I can start getting a little closer to the green in better lies so I can start having a more consistent approach game that isn't always fighting to scramble from weird lies or the rough.

Do you have a grinder? I wonder if adding a little relief to the leading edge may help, plus it will drop the swing weights a touch.

[ctg44]

1 hour ago, azstu324 said:

Hey man, when something falls apart in your game, which is inevitable for us common folk, just remember, it's golf . Sucking hard at 1 or even 2 parts of the game is what separates a really good golfer from a pro. 

I've had times where I put so much focus into a failing part of my game, that eventually it becomes my strength, then to realize that what was my strength becomes another weakness because I shifted my focus. It sounds like you are making a good effort on getting your irons back in order.. but just prepare to have your putting or driving go $hit. It's all part of the neverending evolution we sign up for when we decide to take up this sport. 

 

I am just too much of a perfectionist and self-abusing a-hole to allow that level of kindness to myself!   What really separates me from being a good golfer is work, which is actually why I'm more frustrated than anything right now because work is taking up like 15 extra hours a week and is stupid levels of busy all day long most days, so that I don't normally even have time to let my ADD brain take a breather and check the new posts on MGS.  That just adds to the frustration of being in the office so late I can't get out in time to get in some practice or walk a few holes (you know, when it isn't hotter than the inside of the sun here in Dallas) after work...all combining to make me a grumpy butthead these days when I do get to play because I'm therefore playing like trash compared to this time last year when my GHIN was around 3 and falling instead of 6.9 and climbing...

[JRDuck40]

On 8/27/2024 at 10:37 AM, azstu324 said:

Hey man, when something falls apart in your game, which is inevitable for us common folk, just remember, it's golf . Sucking hard at 1 or even 2 parts of the game is what separates a really good golfer from a pro. 

I've had times where I put so much focus into a failing part of my game, that eventually it becomes my strength, then to realize that what was my strength becomes another weakness because I shifted my focus. It sounds like you are making a good effort on getting your irons back in order.. but just prepare to have your putting or driving go $hit. It's all part of the neverending evolution we sign up for when we decide to take up this sport. 

 

 

On 8/27/2024 at 9:57 AM, ctg44 said:

I have to admit, I did a Callaway iron fitting this weekend because I was so frustrated with my approach game even after doing so much work on the simulator to really dial in my swing and iron distances...like, how can these irons feel so good and with a swing I'm confident was very consistent from 1 day to the next, be producing such different results day to day.

I even made sure I did the simulator work using the same balls, had the PC with the Foresight GC Hawk launch monitor set to current DFW atmospheric conditions / altitude, etc...I hit from different points on the mat to account for different lies since the mat is sort of old and has a bit of a dip in it and the edges of the mat are raised to give the impression of ball above the feet or below the feet depending on placement....in other words, I controlled for everything I could control.  I still had ball striking issues on Sunday that were not at all present Saturday, even when I was really careful with my pre-shot routine, setup, and everything I could control.

 

So, onto the fitting I did Sunday afternoon...here I am after hitting a bajillion balls Saturday, playing Sunday morning, and having reffed 2 hockey games each Friday and Saturday nights...figuring I'd be tired and if I hit anything at all decent, it would be the Callaway Ai200s or TiFusion irons...

 

Nope, I hit those like crap.  Inconsistently long and longer and lots of hooks and pulls.  Too much offset on the 200 and the Ti, while better, was still too "hot" across the face and hard for me to feel like I had any distance control.  So, what DID I hit well?  Funny you should ask?  No, not the Apex, Apex Pro, or the even Apex CB...yeah, I was STRIPING the Apex MB.  I could not believe it.  I was shockingly forgiving, was flying farther than the Toura by a full club (10-12 yards), and my mishits were going the same distance as a clean strike from the Toura.  More importantly, it FELT like an MB should.  It was a VERY odd feeling for someone struggling with good iron contact to be handed a stock MB iron and start striping them down the start line and farther than I was something like the Toura, which is a fairly forgiving iron with all the mass below the center of gravity and being a CB iron. 

 

As an aside, the 7 iron data on the Trackman Pro in that bay was showing almost the same data for the @Toura Golf CB for me on Sunday as it was on Saturday on the GC Hawk, which was 155 carry / 162 total / 5800 RPM backspin.  My average proximity to the pin on Saturday was 23'3", which is at or around the PGA Tour average from 2022, which was 27'8".
 

The problem is replicating that on green grass, which has been an issue all year for me due to the turf interaction of the leading edge of the Touras which is a bit sharper than my previous 2 sets of irons, Mizuno Pro 223s and TaylorMade P7MC (2020).

So now I'm at a crossroads.  I think it's time to get back in front of a good pro w/ a Trackman / GC Quad with the @Toura Golf CBs and get them fully adjusted to a really good spec for me.  I think they're too upright and the fitter at PGASS mailed it in on me in giving me the data when I did that the 1st time and ended up having them bent upright.  I'm hitting some beautiful shots with the Touras, but also some really odd shots, like a PW to an easy pin location 125 out with water at about 110 yards dying mid-air and falling right, hitting the bank of the pond, and bouncing in.  That pin should have been VERY reachable for me since I normally carry 122 ON AVERAGE, with the lowest of my shots carrying 115, especially with a little wind behind me out of the south.  There's no reason a PW should have pulled up short at 105 yards like it hit a brick wall, especially when I felt like I hit it well. 

Basically, I am just VERY frustrated with my approach game right now, which sucks big time and isn't helping relieve much pressure off of my slowly improving putting and short game, especially when my driver is still a giant spin monster that won't keep a ball under 3200 RPM.  Needless to say, my new GT2 can't get here fast enough (come on September 6th!), so I can start getting a little closer to the green in better lies so I can start having a more consistent approach game that isn't always fighting to scramble from weird lies or the rough.

@ctg44 & @azstu324hear both of you. 

This summer has been brutal for my game. But one thing I have not been able to do as I was able to in prior years is get in multiple rounds a week, every week. With the boys schedules, new position with a new company, other commitments, it's been a grind just to find time to practice. Even though my office is literally 1 mile away from a full practice range / indoor facility / putting green. 

One thing I like to concentrate on for practice sessions, epically if I'm riding the struggle bus is get my confidence back. Start the practice with something you know you can do well. Maybe do this for 10% of the time and then build off of that. That's always helped me in the past. And like Stu said, it's golf. It's hard. Even the pro's have off days. Seeing that all of us here do not do this for a living, we cannot take it too seriously. Even though we'd like to...

Happy to say that last nights round was stellar compared to my season so far. 37 with 2 birds. The @Toura Golf CBs performed very, VERY well. Stuck my 8 iron on back to back holes inside of 10 feet. Just lipped out a third bird on 9 for my 36. And of course, the result didn't have much influence on the handicap.. But it at least went down a tic, down to a 9.1. Was as high as a 9.3 last week. 

Onward  

[ctg44]

I have worked so much more the last few months than in the past 2-3 years since I really got back into golf that I think that has more to do with it than anything else, because my routine of getting out of the office once or twice a week by 3:30 or 4:00 PM and going and hitting balls for a while and then walking 9 holes has been totally shot this year, first by the monsoon-like spring, followed by the crematorium-hot summer, followed by insanity-level busy back to school period.  Doing emergency management for a large school district is never short on work, but being in one where we have had a couple of high-profile incidents in the past 2 years just adds to the pressure to get everything done perfectly right...and you know what the odds of being perfect are...

 

So, yeah...stress from work doesn't really bug me so much as the grind of not being able to get out of here as often as I'd like when I'm approaching 80 hours for the two-week period by noon on a Wednesday or the soreness in my back and legs from sitting at a desk all day while wearing body armor does.  Golf is kind of my therapy, and man does it suck when my therapy is not as fun as I know it could be...so yeah, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk!  

[ZMendle10]

Toura better rerelease these irons asap because my goodness are they beautiful and I will happily purchase a set of heads immediately.

 

[bardezart]

1 minute ago, ZMendle10 said:

Toura better rerelease these irons asap because my goodness are they beautiful and I will happily purchase a set of heads immediately.

 

They were in stock like 2 days ago 

[ZMendle10]

12 hours ago, bardezart said:

They were in stock like 2 days ago 

Whelp that is an unfortunate set of circumstances then. I must have just missed them because I have been on the website the passed few days contemplating a long iron as a little self birthday gift and those irons have been out of stock each time i was on the site. 

[JRDuck40]

This past weekend was legitimately amazing. Drove down to Davenport, IA and had the privilege to play TPC Deere Run. The course was in immaculate shape. Greens, fairways in pristine shape. The rough.... Dear lord, I have not played in anything this thick since State Am qualifying / State Golf tourney 25+ years ago. It was insane. Wish I snapped a photo, but if you didn't step on it, hover directly over it or keep a GPS location on it, you were not finding your ball for the most part. Thankfully I was pretty decent with the driver all day. The few FWs I missed, I missed small. The lies out of the rough, I was mostly able to hit my normal shot, just keeping my hands through the shot. Wrists were a little sore after haha. 

Outside of holes 1, 2, 17 & 18, it was a great round. I was close to breaking 80 until I lost my ball in the rough on 17 and then chunked my approach on 18. Ended double, double for an 82. 
@Toura Golf the CBs were straight up fire. Hole #3. Uphill, into a stiff 15 mph wind (160 on the card, playing 180), hit my 5i to roughly 10 ft. Made bird. Hole 5, 405. Driver, 6i to roughly 10 feet with my 2nd bird in 3 holes. Shot a 39 on the front and I was buzzing! 

Back 9, couldn't get a putt to drop outside of 10 feet. Catching nothing but lips. Did have a few very nice par saves from 10-15 feet but all my bird chances were for not. 

Without a doubt, I will be keeping the @Toura Golf in the bag for the foreseeable future. Next event I have planned is a 2 man tourney at Hawthorne Hills. Feels like I'm in a good spot with my iron play and driver seems to keep improving. Handicap is also starting to come back down. After posting this round and our Sunday round in Rockford (Ingersoll GC, fun muni track for cheap.) happy to report I'm creeping back down. Currently at an 8.8. 

Excited for the next one! 

Onward. 

[bardezart]

5 hours ago, JRDuck40 said:

This past weekend was legitimately amazing. Drove down to Davenport, IA and had the privilege to play TPC Deere Run. The course was in immaculate shape. Greens, fairways in pristine shape. The rough.... Dear lord, I have not played in anything this thick since State Am qualifying / State Golf tourney 25+ years ago. It was insane. Wish I snapped a photo, but if you didn't step on it, hover directly over it or keep a GPS location on it, you were not finding your ball for the most part. Thankfully I was pretty decent with the driver all day. The few FWs I missed, I missed small. The lies out of the rough, I was mostly able to hit my normal shot, just keeping my hands through the shot. Wrists were a little sore after haha. 

Outside of holes 1, 2, 17 & 18, it was a great round. I was close to breaking 80 until I lost my ball in the rough on 17 and then chunked my approach on 18. Ended double, double for an 82. 
@Toura Golf the CBs were straight up fire. Hole #3. Uphill, into a stiff 15 mph wind (160 on the card, playing 180), hit my 5i to roughly 10 ft. Made bird. Hole 5, 405. Driver, 6i to roughly 10 feet with my 2nd bird in 3 holes. Shot a 39 on the front and I was buzzing! 

Back 9, couldn't get a putt to drop outside of 10 feet. Catching nothing but lips. Did have a few very nice par saves from 10-15 feet but all my bird chances were for not. 

Without a doubt, I will be keeping the @Toura Golf in the bag for the foreseeable future. Next event I have planned is a 2 man tourney at Hawthorne Hills. Feels like I'm in a good spot with my iron play and driver seems to keep improving. Handicap is also starting to come back down. After posting this round and our Sunday round in Rockford (Ingersoll GC, fun muni track for cheap.) happy to report I'm creeping back down. Currently at an 8.8. 

Excited for the next one! 

Onward. 

Very nice, jealous. I am originally from Central Illinois and Deere is probably my favorite course despite living in CO and playing a few big name courses here and elsewhere. Used to get up to Deere a couple times a season when I still lived in the area. Managed a 67 from the tips there a few years ago – not that good anymore  

Edited September 9 by bardezart