Going all out with "forgiveness" in your clubs

[nobmontana]

So the last several seasons, my score has been hovering around 80... give or take.

I practice quite a bit and I have days where I occasionally shoot 1 or 2 over par on the first 9 holes.

but then all hell break loose on the back 9. Not sure what that is..... but anyway, lately, I have been seriously thinking about completely switching my direction with my clubs from using forged players irons

(Mizuno MP4 currently) to a much more forgiving Ping G30 irons.

I tried the G30 irons yesterday for the first time at a golf shop and honestly they felt great.

Yes, they are strong lofted by a bunch and they look very chunky with thick top line.

So appearance wise, they are completely on the opposite side of the spectrum compared to my MP4.

I was thinking I would get similar distances with similarly lofted clubs ( Mizuno 3 iron is same loft as Ping G30 4 iron both at 21 degrees ) but I was wrong. I usually hit my Mizuno 3i around 215 yds but I was hitting the G30 4i close to 230 yds. Crap!!

I believe the forgiveness of the G30 is helping me with the slight mis-hits and giving me more over all distance.

Easier to hit and longer ... Sounds like a good combination leading to a good score.

So I am going to give the G30 a try and see if it can truly help me with my score. We'll see.

If anyone has experience making a pretty significant switch like this, would love to hear your thoughts around it.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Can you tell me what your preference is in top line, offset, shape? That will help a lot because forgiveness can get pretty extreme i.e PRGR Super Egg or Titleist VG3 Type - E.

[bk24bk]

My experience making that transition (10 years ago) was to get some MP33's in the 7-PW and some cavities in the lower irons. To me, at least, I always find the game improvement or SGI irons to lack finesse and feel on the approach shots. Now, if you're just looking to hit the green, that is fine. But if you are a single digit capper, you probably want to have some more control. Just my thoughts.

[idrive]

Although they aren't mentioned much here, GI irons are a pretty large makeup in the JDM market.

PRGR, XXIO, ONOFF, as well as others have some really really good GI irons.

It comes down to what helps your game. Shoot lower scores. Personally I think most people that

play blades would do much better with an iron geared more toward GI.

Ego on the Golf course regarding the equipment you play is a bad thing. Experiment and see what

helps you shoot lower scores.

For me: I grew up playing and have always played blades or a players CB. Over the last couple of years,

mostly this year, I have been experimenting with slightly more forgiving clubs.

I'm shooting lower and more consistently than I ever have.

Ego checked.

[nobmontana]

Can you tell me what your preference is in top line, offset, shape? That will help a lot because forgiveness can get pretty extreme i.e PRGR Super Egg or Titleist VG3 Type - E.

Thanks Chris,

I have an Egg 1 driver , Egg Spoon and Egg i+ on the way. :)

I think PRGR is equivalent of Ping in the US in that they are not afraid to release non-traditional innovations that provide additional forgiveness to us players.

I like razor thin top line, minimal offset, small or mid size but more forgiving than Ping!!

If someone can come up with this design. I'll be all over it!

Oh, and it's gotta have buttery soft feel at impact! :)

[nobmontana]

My experience making that transition (10 years ago) was to get some MP33's in the 7-PW and some cavities in the lower irons. To me, at least, I always find the game improvement or SGI irons to lack finesse and feel on the approach shots. Now, if you're just looking to hit the green, that is fine. But if you are a single digit capper, you probably want to have some more control. Just my thoughts.

Thanks! Yup, one concern that I have is that I may have less control with GI irons, but right now, I think I care more about

making the game as easy as possible and not worry about "maybe the blades are not right for me.... "

[nobmontana]

Although they aren't mentioned much here, GI irons are a pretty large makeup in the JDM market.

PRGR, XXIO, ONOFF, as well as others have some really really good GI irons.

It comes down to what helps your game. Shoot lower scores. Personally I think most people that

play blades would do much better with an iron geared more toward GI.

Ego on the Golf course regarding the equipment you play is a bad thing. Experiment and see what

helps you shoot lower scores.

For me: I grew up playing and have always played blades or a players CB. Over the last couple of years,

mostly this year, I have been experimenting with slightly more forgiving clubs.

I'm shooting lower and more consistently than I ever have.

Ego checked.

Ego has definitely impacted my club selection in the recent years.

It's time to let it go and put more focus on the game itself. I really want to go low!!

[chiromikey]

If the problem is always on the back 9, may I ask what your mid 9 routine is? Do you stop at the turn for a break, drink, snack, etc?

[Craig]

Hi Nob

Have never made a significant chenge like this, or not really.

Generally I switch clubs like I change my undies.

Pretty much hit something different every time I play.

Just takes time to get used to the switch.

I would take notice of chiros thoughts.

Like you, I cant play a solid 18. Guys like him can and do.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Thanks Chris,

I have an Egg 1 driver , Egg Spoon and Egg i+ on the way. :)

I think PRGR is equivalent of Ping in the US in that they are not afraid to release non-traditional innovations that provide additional forgiveness to us players.

I like razor thin top line, minimal offset, small or mid size but more forgiving than Ping!!

If someone can come up with this design. I'll be all over it!

Oh, and it's gotta have buttery soft feel at impact! :)

That's what I call a Unicorn! Maybe I should ask a different way, what is the largest sized iron your willing to play based off of what you have seen in the forums here?

Now I assume the Super Egg's are way to big so taking it smaller the smaller Labo RB247G, 2014 VG3, RomaRo Type-R, Honma IS-03, JPX EIII Hot metal and taking it even smaller than that but not as forgiving as Pings are the JPX EIII Forged, RMX Tour Model CB, Believer CB.

I'm sorry there is no ping like forgiveness with a razor thin top line small/mid sized iron. Drop me an email if you need further help narrowing it down. If you can compare the size you want to another iron I can provide info on it's forgiveness.

Lastly, the most forgiving iron for it's size that I've hit is the RB247G below:

[nobmontana]

If the problem is always on the back 9, may I ask what your mid 9 routine is? Do you stop at the turn for a break, drink, snack, etc?

Just a bio break really.

No lunch no snack. no beer on the course either.....

[nobmontana]

That's what I call a Unicorn! Maybe I should ask a different way, what is the largest sized iron your willing to play based off of what you have seen in the forums here?

Now I assume the Super Egg's are way to big so taking it smaller the smaller Labo RB247G, 2014 VG3, RomaRo Type-R, Honma IS-03, JPX EIII Hot metal and taking it even smaller than that but not as forgiving as Pings are the JPX EIII Forged, RMX Tour Model CB, Believer CB.

I'm sorry there is no ping like forgiveness with a razor thin top line small/mid sized iron. Drop me an email if you need further help narrowing it down. If you can compare the size you want to another iron I can provide info on it's forgiveness.

Lastly, the most forgiving iron for it's size that I've hit is the RB247G below:

Thanks Chris,

I am okay with whatever size head... Just trying to simplify my game and remove the frustration out of my rounds from reducing the occasional mis-hits with irons mainly on my approach shot. most of the time, I hit them fine and get on the green or on the fringe but occasionally ( 2 or 3 times a round ) thin or thick shot. I need to get rid of these to reduce a few shots.

These RB247G sure do look nice! Do you think they are comparable to Ping G series in terms of forgiveness?

Feel at impact would be pretty important for me as well.

[chiromikey]

Just a bio break really.

No lunch no snack. no beer on the course either.....

Hopefully you're hydrating AND snacking throughout the round. When I need to play well I avoid a large snack or meal at the turn and make sure I'm eating a little bite of something every hole. There's a noticeable difference for me mentally and physically when I do this compared to eating nothing, eating a snack all at once, or having a meal at the turn.

I'd never want to talk you out of trying new clubs (that's why we're here!) but this helps me when I'm concerned with scoring well for the entire round.

Edited August 1, 2014 by chiromikey

[Ian-500]

I've gone the other way. I've just bought some Tourstage MR-23 blades. I need something to concentrate the mind and these little things are just what I'm after.

[nobmontana]

Hopefully you're hydrating AND snacking throughout the round. When I need to play well I avoid a large snack or meal at the turn and make sure I'm eating a little bite of something every hole. There's a noticeable difference for me mentally and physically when I do this compared to eating nothing, eating a snack all at once, or having a meal at the turn.

I'd never want to talk you out of trying new clubs (that's why we're here!) but this helps me when I'm concerned with scoring well for the entire round.

I also recently watched a very long advertisement on how to score better by feeding your brain with nutrition!

It was pretty convincing. I will have to try this method. I have a local tournament this weekend so I am packing up with some trail mix or something to munch on during the rounds. Thanks for the tip!

[nobmontana]

I've gone the other way. I've just bought some Tourstage MR-23 blades. I need something to concentrate the mind and these little things are just what I'm after.

I was hoping for that too when I started the season with my Mizzy MP4.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

RB247G feels great just different than the forged feel we all know and to sum it up this is like an iron with a hybrid face.

[Craig]

Ian, you made a good choice with the MR23

One of my favourites, got one set in copper fron the BST and another set well, they are even better.

[gian11]

I also went back to the opposite, blades are more accurate to attack the pin. Although I used CB for longer clubs.

[needmoregolf]

Ian, you made a good choice with the MR23

One of my favourites, got one set in copper fron the BST and another set well, they are even better.

Better than copper?? Gold??? :-/

[Bunches]

Every Shot Must Have Purpose

Have you considered the mental approach? As a former wellness coach, training myself still eludes me in this aspect.

[Duffer19]

The guy is asking about forgiveness in golf clubs or playing with forgiving clubs so why are we talking about diet and mental exercise?

[nobmontana]

Thanks everyone for sharing your views and suggestions!

I do realize that scoring well requires everything in your game and surrounding factors to come together. Equipment, player's physical and mental condition, course condition, weather etc... For now I want to see if GI clubs will actually show notable improvement on the scorecard.

[RIduffer]

I think GI is going to help correct minor swing flaws. Launch the ball a little better, keep your line straighter, etc. If you're expecting it to eliminate the flub, chunk, skull, or other major swing failure then you are looking int the wrong place and Chiro's comments are the better direction.

In either case, enjoy the hunt and happy scoring.

[chiromikey]

The guy is asking about forgiveness in golf clubs or playing with forgiving clubs so why are we talking about diet and mental exercise?

Because of the specific information provided in his original post. The ideas are well intentioned and possibly relevant since the bottom line is that he wants to eliminate problems in the later parts of his round and improve his scores...