COMMUNITY

I would go with whatever's comfortable for you...but I do think you would have better long-term enjoyment out of a club aimed at mid- to low-handicaps. The Titleist AP1 is a good example...it's forgiving enough for 10- to 20-handicappers, but a scratch player can still play it as well.

You may also be able to have a clubfitter adjust the swingweight of your current irons by using different shafts or lead tape.

Hey Sylla,

While I belive firmly that beauty (and feel) are in the eye of the beholder, if I was to give you any advise, I would say stay away from the super game improvement and go the other way. Try more of a players club. I say this for two very good reasons: 1) You'll be forced to fine tune your swing to hit them sweet. Players clubs force you to make a good swing. Myself and countless others learned to play the game with blades because cavity backs weren't available. I learned tempo and ball striking first and foremost. You'll be amazed at how good you get. 2) When you get really good, you won't have to make an equipment change because you're already playing good clubs. There are 2 kinds of golfers. Recreational golfers and golfers that want to get better. Super game improvement clubs try and make compensations for the recreational golfers that don't care if they improve. It's the lazier way. If you really want to improve - make it harder on yourself. Don't take the easy way out. You'll be a better ball striker in the end. I'm also going to add that players clubs are more versatile around the greens because of the narrow soles and extreme dead spot out on the toe. They work better from more lies. Which ever way you go, good luck Syl, and keep your head up!

I see what you both mean and indeed, I don't want a club that's going to forgive all my swing flaws. If I'm practicing errors and the club is not giving me any feedback, then I'm wasting my time. Then again, if the club allows me to shoot lower scores because it's more forgiving of my flaws, well, I can't be against that ;)

I've only read very positive reviews about these clubs, even from low-handicappers, but one person said that the clubs created a high ball flight that wasn't too good in the wind. I'm playing a very windy course, so for sure I don't want something like that happening...

I agree with what ya'll have said, although there are blades and there are players cavity irons. i would not think of buying true blades but I did buy a players cavity back with a tour size head. It does force you to make better swings. I think the shaft is probably more important than the head though. Look into the rifle shafts like there 4.0 (R), Also look into the kbs shafts. Good luck.

I just read an old edition of the Golf Digest hot list and they say that Super Game Improvement irons are a good choice for beginners who hit all over the clubface... Thank goodness, I'm past that :) Hmmm... Now I'm really wondering why a club fitter would recommend me these clubs...

Yeah, I think I'm going to try more models (Titleist, Mizuno, Callaway, etc., like you're suggesting) before buying anything...

Go to the clubs web site and see what the pros hit. Not all of them hit blades. But none of them (I say that buy they may) hit a SGI irons.
Good Luck

I'm not sure I should model myself on the pros, honestly... They're way better athletes than I am, have a much faster swing speed and practice amazingly more. I do believe that the club should fit the player. Swinging let's say Tiger's clubs would be as uncomfortable as walking in shoes that are too large for me.

I agree, I guess what I was trying to say is the pro golfer also uses the Game Improvement Clubs just like the rest of us. I think if you look at KJ, Stenson and so on they are playing those clubs. Go to the Nike web site and you will see what I'm talking about.I know they are fitted to their swings. But we play with the same clubs they do. It's the shaft that makes the world of golf better. Thats just my two cents.

Yes, confidence is the number 1 factor! When I bought my current equipment (Callaway X-20 and FT-i driver) I knew these were amazing clubs and I felt confident with them knowing that I wouldn't outgrow them too fast. As a matter of fact, it took me 6 months to be able to hit my driver properly, because my coach had made me purchase a men's club with a neutral bias, instead of a draw. At first I was slicing it like crazy :) I'm now extremely confident with it and playing a draw most often, without the club helping me to do it. A few months ago, I tried several other drivers and not one of them performed better.

My new irons will have to feel good obviously, but I'd rather buy clubs that will help me grow than clubs that will immediately feel good simply because they're masking my flaws. Looks like I'm going to try some more clubs before deciding :)

Do you think it's important to try clubs with a launch monitor? I'd love to try clubs on grass, but I'm not sure where I could do that :/

I agree with you :) I think I'd better stick to the game improvement category for now (I'll also try players' clubs, just to see what it feels like :). It's a logical choice and as you say, even some pros play this kind of clubs. If I bought super game improvement clubs, I'd have the impression to go backwards...

I went to a golf store and tried several other clubs on the simulator: Ping G10, Titleist AP1 and Callaway X-22. They unfortunately didn't have the Mizunos at the store... I compared all these clubs with the Ping Rapture V2 and I must admit that the Rapture is pretty amazing :) Good hits feel so soft, it's unbelievable. The X-22s felt like my X-20s, so that's pretty good, although I was wondering why I would get clubs that essentially felt the same as my current ones. I didn't like the Titleist at all. The Ping G10 were pretty good. But that Ping Rapture V2... Waow... I managed to borrow a 7-iron to test drive on the course on Saturday, so we'll see. Right now, I must say that these Ping Rapture deserve their name :) I'm falling in love...

Go with what's comfortable and if you feel any reservations about the clubs I'd recommend against them. If you feel like you might regret buying super game-improvement irons later on, than don't buy em. :) One of the largest differences between improvement clubs and "pro" clubs is (as previously mentioned) smaller sweet spot and the ability to shape more shots. So if you're looking to focus more on that than, perhaps that's where you should head. You could also look into those partial cavity backs.

Yes, the high launch angle was worrying me, but as I tried the Rapture on the simulator, I saw that I wasn't launching the ball higher than with the game improvement clubs. So I should be good on this front. The feel is extremely important to me, and these clubs feel so soft when you hit them right, it's amazing... My former coach made me work my irons a lot and was always criticizing me. I developed a real aversion toward them because of that. Maybe those Rapture are what I need to get my confidence back. Then I'll switch to something more challenging. Thanks for all your input, it's really helpful!!

You guys and gals had all missed the point.

The solution is to have multiple sets of clubs. I play Hogan Apex ( blades), but I would take out my Callaway X-14 Pro Series when I'm not swing well and needed a little edge.
I have two sets of blades and two sets of semi-blades and two sets of game improvement irons.
Now, I'm interested in different shafts for my drivers, since I bought a shaft extractor.
Just too many toys to play with.