Need club experts opinions on my old set

[MCDavis]

This is the 5 iron to my old Bob Toski Perfect Match irons. Now that I've learned a little about blades/cavity backs/sole size/etc., I'd like some honest opinions about what these irons are and what type iron you would suggest as the upgrade from these.

[MCDavis]

Another pic at address

[MCDavis]

"wrap around" cavity back?

[ezra76]

Both pics are at adress. Anyway, first thing I see is the hosel forward, offset design. This helps to let the hands lead the head through the swing. Get used to those for a few years and you'd be chunking the crap out of a design like mine or most other irons at first.

[ezra76]

There you go, now how bout the sole? That's a full cavity, disperses mishits over a larger sweetspot. As opposed the the split cavity like mine, which works to add height to longer irons and keep the short irons lower. Also perimeter weighting as all CB's are.

[MCDavis]

Sole shot...Stamps are flat, but there's a grind that falls away from the stamps on each side.

[MCDavis]

Heel shot...note the loft stamped on the hosel...kinda cool IMHO

[MCDavis]

Ok, I finally got all of them to upload. Give me your feedback/upgrade suggestions/ideas per my first post. I'm just doing this out of curiousity, but I really appreciate all input.

Heading to dinner...will check in later.

btw, these irons do play really well...at least for me. 2 iron is $$ every time...19º.

[dave.]

I don't understand the question.Those are perimeter weighted irons with average offset by the looks of them,pretty standard for any handicap between +6 and all the way to 18.An upgrade would be to reduce the offset a bit and maybe get the weight away from the perimeter and more in the middle in the face,but as i say,I don't know what advice your want.You upgrade your clubs based on ball flight and how your current clubs perform,i don't understand what you can say based on pics.

You should be able to play to any handicap with those clubs,unless you are struggling with them for some reason

[warbirdlover]

Ping G5's would be similar only better. If you feel you want to hit less offset and are getting "daring" the Mizzies have some good forged irons. But I suck and like my Pings. They (your irons) look okay.

[MCDavis]

Dave (and others) these were built for me a long time ago (I think late 80's...can't find a record of when I bought them). At that time I had been playing 1978/79 Wilson X31 forged blades and this was the first set of irons I bought for myself. I didn't know anything about clubs, just went with the club builder's reccomendations. Now that I have a little better understanding of clubs, I was curious what I had bought back then.

What I've noticed comparing them to my rac OS2's and the MX 23's I just got is that they have a narrower sole with a much more pronounced grind (correct term?) than either of the other sets. I haven't compared offset, but this looks to be less. The topline thickness is similar to the rac's, but more than the Mizzy's. Of the 3, the Toski's are the narrowest at address.

Also noticed that the set came with a SW, but it has a 52º loft. PW is 47º. 2 iron is 19º...seems like other than the SW this set has more traditional lofts, I'm sure due to age.

I'm curious what the grinds (?) are for, and if it's a good thing why are my other set's soles flatter?

Just FYI, my plan is to play these as my beach set. I'm going to add my R580 XD (if the wife lets me have it...if not then ho ho ho), my 15º V steel, a 56º wedge I'm looking for now (thinking 588), and a putter. That way I've always got a set at the beach without having to carry my clubs along with 4 kids/wife/luggage/etc.

X31's were my 1st set, I briefly played my dad's late 70's Staff Tour blades, bought the Toski's, and now have the Mizzy's (rac's are being sold). I really haven't bought all that many clubs in my life. And, I'm fixing to re-grip the X31's to play with once in a while.

Oh yeah, the Toski's now have Nippon 950's with GP TV's logo down...got them furnished/installed by Hot Stix in a trade for no $$ out of pocket.

Anyway, I've rambled on enough. I'll probably post some comparison pics later with the X31's and the MX 23's.

Anyone who can answer the other questions or want's to give input, please do...I like learning about clubs, and this is a great way to learn!

Thanks!

[Pa Jayhawk]

Just for reference, the topline, offset, sole width look almost identical to my Ping i3+. Although the loft of the 5i is only 27* on the i3+'s. If you want a little less offset and slightly thinner top line, that is the case with the i5's or most of the Mizunos. If you want a little more offset, wider sole and top line that is what you would find with the G2's or G5's.

I am not recommending Ping clubs, but simply stating the difference in relation to the clubs I own. Because Ping is likely responsible for a large part of the idea behind Cavity Backs and perimeter weighting, they may not be a bad place to start if that is what you are looking for in an iron. Personally I prefer less offset and thinner top line than what I own, and would likely go with the MP-60's if I bought again, although the i5's or S59's may be a close second. The S59's are likely too much club for me.

If you like the looks of that club, I could certainly recommend the i3+. Although feel and performance remain the main issue, I would only assume they would stack up well or possibly better. Personally, I think I understand your question, because a big part of my game is looking down at a club that is visually pleasing, and to me helps tackle a big part of the mental aspect of the game by having confidence in the club. Although I have also found I am usually the exception and many think I am nuts when I say this. These did that when I bought them, although I think my preferences have changed.

I think you will find a lot of clubs that meet the criteria you are looking for, somewhat standard. They appear to be a standard not to extreme game improvement iron, midway between a game improvement iron and Player type iron.

[dave.]

I have some experience that can be of use to you





I used to play X31s 1980 and still have them I wore them out as you can see,grooves totally worn down to base metal due to the amount of practice I did.

As for the age of the next set you got and still have,the shafts can deteriorate with age so it may be of benefit to change for that reason.You really need to get fit though.Wrist to floor measurement,swing speed,size of your hands etc etc loads of things to effect what you should play.Fir instance,a 6 man may well need shorter shafts than someone 4 inches shorter if his arms are short.Many modern clubs may be an improvement on your won,but I just don't know enough about them.I now use Ping i3s and apart from the MP60s I hit today I haven't hit a better club

[MCDavis]

Yep, that's the exact set I still have. Mine aren't worn down quite that much, yet though.

Like I said, I'm going to get them gripped so I can play them once in a while. They still have the original grips on them, but they're very slick.

Those were great irons.

[dave.]

As worn and shiney as this?



I think the MX23s represent the best of modern forgiving irons tbh,you may well find there aren't many out there any better