Recommendations for New Irons - 2nd Hand

[Violinguy69]

Hey guys.  I'm back to playing real golf regularly and my game is slowly starting to trend toward my handicap from a while ago when I played to a 15-19.  My lowest ever was 11 way back, but in my 30s and 40s, I didn't play as much and hovered in the high teens most of the time.  It's been 7 years since I played at all, until this summer, and I'm trying to play once a week or at least 3-4 times per month. 

Current irons: Ben Hogan BH-5 (2005) 3-PW - very forgiving but I hate my ball flight with these.  Way too high

8-iron distance: 150-160

5-iron distance: 185-200

Driver distance: 240-260 carry

Club head speed: around 100, usually a little higher

Ball Speed w/Driver: 150 at my best, but mostly 140-ish

My favorite clubs of the past that I've played: Ping Zing irons, Titleist DCIs (late 90s)

It's clear that distance is not really a deal breaker for me.  I hit it plenty far, especially at my age (52).  I've always been a good iron player and while I rarely work the ball off the tee, I do hit a variety of recovery and other fancy shots that I can work both ways.  It seems like what I'm looking for is an iron that is one-up from any manufacturer's most game improvement iron.  I also want a classic look, nothing big or garish.  I don't mind a thin top line and I absolutely hate irons that look like hybrids (I'm looking at you Wilson Staff).

Here's what I'm looking at right now:

Srixon Z7

Ping i210

Mizuno JPX900 forged

Titelist 718 CB

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Obviously I would hit any clubs before buying them.  I can't afford to get fitted and buy new clubs so I'm looking used right now.  Thanks so much!

[sroel908]

I would look into Sub70...they are a direct to consumer brand that can beat a ton of the big brand prices (used prices, as well) - and their clubs will come to you brand new. You can even get fitted as part of it, if you live close to one of the places that they partner with, or send them some basic info that will allow them to offer you a bit of customization.

I was looking at their line of 699 or 699 Pro irons for my game. There are some solid reviews out there, and all indications seem to suggest that have fantastic customer service, too.

www.golfsub70.com/

[Violinguy69]

@sroel908

Took a look around the interwebs and I will seriously consider these. I think the 699s are probably best for me, or a combo set with 699 pro.

Thanks!

[cer1949]

Jun 8, 2022 17:32:15 GMT -5 Violinguy69 said:

Current irons: Ben Hogan BH-5 (2005) 3-PW - very forgiving but I hate my ball flight with these.  Way too high

Reading through your comments, the one above jumped out at me perhaps because I once played a set of irons with graphite shafts and I loved the long irons because I hit them so high, but I hated the short irons because I hit them so high. If your main objection is that you are hitting your irons too high, there can be many reasons some having to do with ball placement in your stance, angle of attack, the tempo of your swing, etc., others having to do with the irons and, more often, the shafts. Heavier and stiffer shafts will bring down the ball flight. So you may want to do some reading or, better yet, go to a discount golf center and have a sales person put you on the machine and watch you hit different clubs and take some readings. Sometimes they carry used sets and, if you can find something that works for you, they may have it in stock; or they may be able to find a used set for you from one of their other locations.

I lowered my ball flight many years ago by switching from Callaway game improvement irons with graphite shafts (X-12s I think) to forged blades with stiff steel shafts (I played both Titleists and Mizunos for a number of years after that). I lost a little distance, but I gained more consistency in distance and in ball flight.

You will probably find many used iron sets that will do what you want once you know what you are looking for. And, as you have noted, there is no substitute for hitting the clubs to see how they perform for you.

Good luck.

[Violinguy69]

cer1949

Thank you for your reply. There is obviously some user input (error) into my ultra-high ball flight, but I'll tell you, even when I try to shut the club face and hit a punchy shot, it sails into the air. I don't think blades are going to be for me. While I've lowered my score by a few shots each of my last 4 rounds of golf, at the end of the day, I'm still about a 17-20 handicap golfer.

The sub-70 699s are sort of a blade/cavity back hybrid. As are those Srixon ZX5 or 7. That's sort of what I think will work for me. I thought about Ping I-Blades, but they might be a little too blade-y for me. I'm going to finish out this season with the Hogans I have. Being in GA, I can play through November before the weather dictates if the course is open or not. In January, I'll pull the trigger on new sticks, either new, or new to me. In the meantime, I do love your suggestion about getting in a simulator bay and seeing what's actually happening. PGA Superstore has a bunch of bays as does Golf Galaxy - both about 45 min from me.

Thanks again for your input!

[Deleted]

I’m 62 and was a golf pro in my 20’s, still shot low 70’s. I’ve played Calloway irons for past 7 years. Super forgiving. Woods and hybrids Taylormade M-2. Most important part of club is shaft, so splurge on a good custom fitting.

[twofor22]

Not being able to afford new fitted clubs is one reason I've delayed replacing my irons until now, but I also wanted to go through rebuilding my swing through regular lessons before I did it as well.

I've been putting money away for a little while, and will put whatever I get from tax towards it too, but I started the process yesterday with a 7 iron swing speed test to get shaft recommendations and the DG S300 seems to be the go. My speed was about 88mph. After that I hit a few balls with an AP2 head on that shaft, and it confirmed my feeling that my current irons aren't well suited and are probably holding back my progress to get my handicap down further (currently 13.7), and that I prefer a more compact head over the oversized ones, it looked a lot better at address and gave me more confidence to strike it well. It also felt much better to swing, felt lighter and easier to control it, so I'm glad I waited until I was able to afford it/improved my swing from whatever I was doing before.