Need advice on irons

[Abominable Hillbilly]

I used to play fairly often but have got out of golf over the past few years.  I have started playing again and curious if technology of irons have improved enough to justify buying some new ones.  I have a set of mizuno (non forged) that I bought ten years ago. 

[JHESTER]

Which mizunos do you have?  My dad has a set of MX-17s from about that time and they are a very forgiving iron.  I had a set of the MX-20s and the MX-23s and I liked them both.  Sure there is better technology out there now but most of mizunos irons from around that time period was pretty good. 

[KCRazorbackfan]

I used to play fairly often but have got out of golf over the past few years.  I have started playing again and curious if technology of irons have improved enough to justify buying some new ones.  I have a set of mizuno (non forged) that I bought ten years ago.

I'm staffed by Mizuno; there is none better.  I know, someone is going to say I said that about Titleist, and I once thought that, but Mizzy's just have "that feel" to them.

[Abominable Hillbilly]

They are MX 15.  I still consider them to be very good just curious if eleven years of technology would make a difference

[Abominable Hillbilly]

I have never been "fitted".  Just had x stiff 2" longer shafts put in.  I'm 6'4". 

[KCRazorbackfan]

X stiff? Hmmm.  Probably should have paid about $50 and been fitted.

Many golfers do not have the swing speed needed for the extra stiff and stiff shafts. The incorrect flex of your shafts can have a dramatic affect on your game.

Let's go over the mechanics of why there are different shaft flexes; then we can get into how the shafts can affect your game differently. Golfers swing clubs at different speeds. When you swing your golf club, the speed and force of your swing gets carried through the shaft to the head. By the time the head makes contact with the golf ball, average golfers head speed is around 85 mph and professional golfers head speed is around 100 mph. Hitting a golf ball at 85 mph with a driver will carry the ball about 195 yards. If you have a slower swing, the flexibility of the club can assist you by adding a whipping affect to the club just before it hits the ball.  Just before contact, the head of the club will give that extra kick to push the ball off the tee faster. If you are not swinging at 85 mph or more, you should be looking at a regular shaft.

If the shaft of your club is too stiff, your golf ball will most likely not go as far or as high as it should. If your shaft is too soft, your ball may fly much higher than it should and possibly keep going left when you feel you are hitting the ball straight.

[tophawg19]

KC  i have a question for you . I have an old set of RAM VERTEX Clubs . i play better with these than any of the newer sets i've tried . even though the shafts and everything is equal. The ram clubs are cheap compared to the others . i guess i just like the feel. shouldn't the high end clubs give better results

[KCRazorbackfan]

KC  i have a question for you . I have an old set of RAM VERTEX Clubs . i play better with these than any of the newer sets i've tried . even though the shafts and everything is equal. The ram clubs are cheap compared to the others . i guess i just like the feel. shouldn't the high end clubs give better results

Never heard of those.  Theoretically, high end clubs should give better results, but that isn't always true.  Looks and feel is what makes a person choose a club and most of the time it's looks alone.  If a person doesn't like the looks of a club, they'll never be satisfied with it; they're only buying it because a friend has it, it's on GD gold list, etc., etc.  When I'm fitting someone, I'll have them bring their own 6 iron out and I'll take a 6 iron out of everything we sell.  We'll go through 5-6 hits with everyone of the clubs and then start weeding them out.  When it gets down to 2 clubs, we'll go through the process again with about 10 shots with each one; the whole process will last between 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If they can't hit the new clubs significantly better than their old ones, I'll tell them that.  Save your money and stick to what gives the best results for you. 

[71832]

X stiff? Hmmm.  Probably should have paid about $50 and been fitted.

Many golfers do not have the swing speed needed for the extra stiff and stiff shafts. The incorrect flex of your shafts can have a dramatic affect on your game.

Let's go over the mechanics of why there are different shaft flexes; then we can get into how the shafts can affect your game differently. Golfers swing clubs at different speeds. When you swing your golf club, the speed and force of your swing gets carried through the shaft to the head. By the time the head makes contact with the golf ball, average golfers head speed is around 85 mph and professional golfers head speed is around 100 mph. Hitting a golf ball at 85 mph with a driver will carry the ball about 195 yards. If you have a slower swing, the flexibility of the club can assist you by adding a whipping affect to the club just before it hits the ball.  Just before contact, the head of the club will give that extra kick to push the ball off the tee faster. If you are not swinging at 85 mph or more, you should be looking at a regular shaft.

If the shaft of your club is too stiff, your golf ball will most likely not go as far or as high as it should. If your shaft is too soft, your ball may fly much higher than it should and possibly keep going left when you feel you are hitting the ball straight.

He doesn't have to worry about swinging x stiff shafts because for evey 1/2" you add in length you reduce the stiffness by 6 cycles to the frequency of the shaft. If that formula holds true his clubs are somewhere between a senior flex and regular.

[KCRazorbackfan]

He doesn't have to worry about swinging x stiff shafts because for evey 1/2" you add in length you reduce the stiffness by 6 cycles to the frequency of the shaft. If that formula holds true his clubs are somewhere between a senior flex and regular.

True.  Now he'll know why, IF THE TIMIMG OF HIS RELEASE ISN'T CORRECT, his clubface will remain open and he pushes everything off to the right, assuming he's a RH golfer and assuming he had the swing speed in the 1st place to handle a x flex..

[reeser]

He doesn't have to worry about swinging x stiff shafts because for evey 1/2" you add in length you reduce the stiffness by 6 cycles to the frequency of the shaft. If that formula holds true his clubs are somewhere between a senior flex and regular.

Cut those shafts down and bend your knees, right?!!

[Abominable Hillbilly]

I'm 6' 4 1/2".  Golf Headquarters in LR is where I bought them eleven years ago.  They measured my driver swing at 118 mph.  I have never been fitted for the lie angle thou.  Should I go get a true measure for all of this

[KCRazorbackfan]

I'm 6' 4 1/2".  Golf Headquarters in LR is where I bought them eleven years ago.  They measured my driver swing at 118 mph.  I have never been fitted for the lie angle thou.  Should I go get a true measure for all of this

Probably wouldn't hurt to do that; too much toe down will drag the toe, open the face and push balls to the right.  Too much toe up will drag the heel, close the face and pull balls to the left - all this assuming you are right handed.  Most golf shops won't charge you to check your lie angle (putting lie tape on the bottom and hitting off a lie board) if they know they will get to charge you to adjust your clubs, usually about $3 per club.   

[tophawg19]

thanks with the ram clubs i tend to get about 7 to 10 more yards than with the others . could it be that they are better suited to the balls i was using ?

[KCRazorbackfan]

thanks with the ram clubs i tend to get about 7 to 10 more yards than with the others . could it be that they are better suited to the balls i was using ?

I don't think there is any proven correlation that certain balls work better with certain clubs.  There was a club/ball manufacturer a year or so back that said their clubs/balls worked better together; it was BS.  You're probably getting better distance with your clubs because they are 2" longer and possibly the clubs you were trying were standard length; longer clubs equates to longer swing arc which equates to longer distance.         

[71832]

Cut those shafts down and bend your knees, right?!!

You're close cut those shafts down bend them lies upright and bend them knees. It really doesn't matter how tall you are, it matters how close your hands hang to the ground. Some systems use the finger tips some the first knucle some the wrist. Go to a good Ping fitter and find your color code. You don't have to play Pings I don't but it is much easier to tell someone bend those to a Ping red dot than to keep up with my wedge is 63.75 lie and 48 loft my 9 iron is and so on. Then find someone with a Mizuno swing analyzer this will give you the best shaft reccomend based on swing speed shaft load and release point. Then you either use the info or you don't. Based on my late release point Tom fit me with some Dynalite Golds, low kick point, to give me more height on my ball flight but after 28 years of watching low ball flight I decided to go back to some Hogan Apex shafts because I much prefer the feel.

[reeser]

You're close cut those shafts down bend them lies upright and bend them knees. It really doesn't matter how tall you are, it matters how close your hands hang to the ground. Some systems use the finger tips some the first knucle some the wrist. Go to a good Ping fitter and find your color code. You don't have to play Pings I don't but it is much easier to tell someone bend those to a Ping red dot than to keep up with my wedge is 63.75 lie and 48 loft my 9 iron is and so on. Then find someone with a Mizuno swing analyzer this will give you the best shaft reccomend based on swing speed shaft load and release point. Then you either use the info or you don't. Based on my late release point Tom fit me with some Dynalite Golds, low kick point, to give me more height on my ball flight but after 28 years of watching low ball flight I decided to go back to some Hogan Apex shafts because I much prefer the feel.

You know I don't roll like that. I buy whatever looks pretty and roll with them till I play better than KOD. If they can't beat KOD I sell them and start over.