Forgiving Irons

[laventus]

I've been playing for three years and I'm trying to select a new set of Irons (I've been playing with Fairway brand irons).
I'd like a set that are easy to hit but more accurate than the "bargain basement" irons I've been using.

I'm a fairly high handicap golfer. A good game is under 100.

From what I've read, Spalding Top Flite XL2000 or Dunlop DDH 461 OS are forgiving.

Have any you golfers out there tried these irons or have a set that you really like that are easy to hit?

Thanks

P.S. I like True Temper steel shafts...

[nice_lag]

I bought a set of Tommy Armour 845 OS a couple years ago... They are a "game-improvement" set of irons and I found them pretty solid and quite forgiving. I haven't heard bad things about them and most people that used them liked them.

They're fairly cheap right now as Tommy Armour is coming out with a new series.

But whichever set you buy, shop around, hit a few. It's a total mistake to just buy clubs without hitting balls with them first...

That's my 2 cents worth.

[Chieflongtee]

Hi Laventus.
Forgiving irons are simply cavity back irons most times oversize. There are many excellent brands out there to select from. The not so forgiving irons are called"blades or muscle backs". In a cavity back most of the weight is distributed around the perimeter and in a blade most of the weight is located at the bottom of the club. The pros tend to favour blades because they can apparently work the ball more(fade or draw etc...) and when they strike the ball dead center they claim it is the sweetest feeling.
One more word of advice: spend more time on the putting green than anywhere else.
Hope this helps.



Interesting article: http://www.swingweight.com/undercut_cavities.htm

[big easy]

I agree with nice_lag. Tommy Armour 845 are really good clubs for beginner/intermediate players. If you search carefully, you will good bargains. I don't know if they are discontinued but the price is fairly low. But again, try them first.

Did you consider also to buy non-OEM clubs. If you want game improvements clubs, take a look at Golfworks website (www.golfworks.com). They have a store in Ottawa. You can build (or they can or another clubmaker) a very interesting set of clubs for the price of a used OEM set. Does anyone know if they have demos? I know for sure that they have some "already built set" for sale. Happy hunting...

[el tigre]

I tried just about every cavity-back iron they had in the demo area at the Ottawa Golf Show. Here are my recommendations:

1) If I could afford them, I would buy the Callaway Big Bertha II. Ugly to look at, but extremely forgiving and very easy to hit. I also liked the Taylor Made RAC and 200 Series irons very much, but they were in the same price category.

2) The new Tommy Armour 845c Silver Backs were also very easy to use. If I was buying new, I would look seriously at these clubs.

3) In the lower-price category, the RAM FX2 and Tour clubs are very nice and also very affordable (RAM is a British company that was recently bought out by Tommy Armour). My brother bought a set and loves them.

These were my own personal preferences, of course. You have to try them to see if you like them. In the end, I bought a used set of Adams GT Performance on Ebay for $66 US (at that price, how could I go wrong?), which I am dying to try out on the course.

Happy hunting!

[Colby]

I agree wil el tigre on this.

I also tried a bunch of irons out at the golf show and like the Callaways.

I also happened to be in Saskatoon a couple of weekends ago, don't ask, and stumbled across a manufaturer's golf show at the golf dome there. Around 100 yards deep, it gave me plenty of opportunity to try clubs out and see how they flew. I was really interested in the Hogan Apex CFTs, which are new cavity backs. I currently play Hogan Apex Plus, which I really like. I hated the CFTs. Good thing I lost that bid on eBay! I still liked the Callaways, I found the Nike progressive set very interesting, and I liked the Titleists that I tried (Don't remember the number)

One thing I found with the Callaways, they played closest to the feeling of my Hogans, which are almost blades. I was able to shape shots, and my buddy who was with me, a member of the Royal Montreal, who plays blades also liked the feel of the Callaways.

They are ugly clubs though...

[couch26]

No one has yet to comment on the XL 2000. I bought these irons last year and I'm loving them.

1-They have one of the highest ratings on http://www.golfreview.com/ and http://www.golfclubreview.com/xl_2000.htm .Worth a look.
2- They are now discontinued so the price is very low. Sales were awful because of the name chosen for the club. Calling a set of clubs by the same name given to what is considered to be cheap balls was not a wise marketing decision.

I'm happy I tried these. I was looking to spend about twice the amount these Irons ended up costing. I just liked the XL2000 better when I tried them next to the others. It's definitely a club to try for mid to high handicappers.

[1972Apex]

I would have to agree with Couch26. The XL2000 are very forgiving irons and are very inexpensive now that they've been discontinued.
As well, older Top-Flite Tour Oversize models are also excellent beginner clubs and are way undervalued on the used club market. I saw a set at Chuck Browns last week going for $90 used. Phenomenal clubs for that price.

[laventus]

Thank you everybody who wrote.

After visting the CB Golf Store today, I'm favouring the Top Flite XL2000 and if those don't work out, I'll try the Tommy Armour 845's.

[challengegolf]

I have the Top Flite XL 2000 in grafite and they are by far the best Irons I ever tried (and I tried a lot of them). They are forgiving and long.
Hope it helps

[The Shtick]

I used to have those.... when they were called Top Flight Tour's. Since then I have hoganized myself and I would not change those baby's for anything! I must agree though... Top Flite makes an excellent club and yes, they are forgiving.

[natgolfer]

Being a bit of a clubmaker I am obviously biased towards assembling my clubs from the good heads of the better component companies. Golfsmith has three lines that are great and a new company, Tom Wishon Golf Technology have a blade and a cavity that are superbly designed. While I could probably afford them, I will never buy a set of off the rack irons. Ever!

With every OEM set that I have disassembled, I have been appalled at the manner in which the shafts were prepared for assembly. Simply put, they seldom match from club to club and I believe that there should be consistency. The normal tipping method of cutting the next numbered club 1/2" shorter than the previous club, does not yeild matching shafts, for shafts with the same name, eg., TT Dynamic Gold S300, are not the same. A frequency analyser or an NF2 shaft matcher will do this accurately.

Some here question the value of spining shafts before assembly and there are some shafts that really do not require it. However, many steel shafts are bent, visibly, and need to be oriented correctly to perform correctly. A recent disassembled set of TA 845's had two shafts that were OK. The other 7 had huge spines. And for that you pay good dollars.

Why would I pay $1500 for a set of Nike blades or $1000 for a set of Hogan's when I can assembly a better playing club for half that price?

When you buy an off the rack set of irons, does anyone have the lie angles dynamically checked and adjusted if necessary? Not likely. This should be part of the purchase price.

Regardless of handicap, a golfer should play with the best assembled clubs possible. Of course, then, you will have no excuses