Importance of looks & prestige -vs- functionality

[nututhugame]

SUX and FATCITY got me thinking about this a lot. Situation (if you haven't already spied my irons in the classifieds) is that I hit a few good balls over winter with some blades and suddenly thought I was good enough to game them. So I bought some. They are pretty. Problem is I do not hit them well and now have lost confidence in myself with them. So, realizing I am a game improvement type of player i've been to the shop a couple times now and hit a little bit of everything. So after hitting g5's, slingshots, cg golds, mx 1000's, nike ignite, and a couple others and confirming what I thought, I hit countless balls with the g5's and couldn't hit a bad one if I tried. The heads are big and offset. So my question for all of you is kind of a "what would you do". I'm just curious to see how many of you play or would play" pretty" clubs knowing damn well you'd hit something you don't like to look at way better.

[N.V.M.]

i would hit whatever gets you the best score,plain and simple. loved my i5's, and my TM Burner Plus's aren't that much prettier at address. but do i care what people think of the looks when i hit it 200 yards with my 5 iron?

[SilverUberXeno]

I think if you're making contact correctly, your S59's are not going to kill you. Shovels assist players who scoop the ball with their strong loft and perimeter weighting. I want you to do whatever helps you enjoy the game, but a correctly struck shot flies just as well with any club. I hit TONS of shots thin with my irons, but they usually end up as very playable shots. If I try to scoop the ball, I'm in trouble.

[Wi-Golfer]

I think if you're making contact correctly, your S59's are not going to kill you.

And there's the issue, a lot of us are inconsistent with our shots & need a little help from time to time. I love the looks of my AP1's but for the next couple months until I get in a groove again, I will be utilizing my Cleveland Launchers as they are simply more forgiving.

Bob, except for some of the Big Bertha which have an insanely huge sole & ultra thick topline, I will play whatever helps my score. I don't give a shit what anyone else says either.

[nututhugame]

I think if you're making contact correctly, your S59's are not going to kill you. Shovels assist players who scoop the ball with their strong loft and perimeter weighting. I want you to do whatever helps you enjoy the game, but a correctly struck shot flies just as well with any club. I hit TONS of shots thin with my irons, but they usually end up as very playable shots. If I try to scoop the ball, I'm in trouble.

My problem is not scooping. I do exactly the opposite... I play the ball back in my stance and pound down on it. My problem is even with big heads I hit the ball closer to the hosel and now that I have tiny heads I hosel rocket em. I understand completely that it's a swing flaw. It happens more so on tight to slightly sunken lies. It's something mental with me. Part of me knows that with enough practice and concentration I can hit good shots more consistantly with these blades and ultimately it will make me a better golfer. The other part of me knows that they make clubs for people like me because not everyone is made to hit blades.

[Clugnut]

I think there are other things at play here. Some people want the forgiveness because they simply do not have time to play or practice as much as they would like, and want to play decent when they get to. Others want something that requires them to make the correct swing, because they want they correct result. This requires more than club technology. It requires practice, time, and patience. My friend, who is a similar but higher handicap (sucker!), plays MP-33's. I play X-Tours. Different strokes, different folks. Personally, I want something that tells me I hit it wrong, but does punish me too badly. For most serious golfers, I doubt whether they along others opinions to get in the way of personnal bests. At least I hope not.

[SilverUberXeno]

Nu, I don't even play an iron under 5. I use a ridiculous putter. I am in no way a traditionalist or anything. But I think you'd enjoy the game more, and save a lot of money, if you just figure this out. Line up and try to make contact on the toe. You know, when you stand over the ball, the alignment you THINK you have between the ball and the clubface is usually quite wrong. Set up then lean way over and check it out; you're probably setting yourself up to hit it toward the heel.

I don't care what you play. But your problem seems like a very inexpensive one to fix.

[BigJim13]

I played MAYBE 8 rounds last year. My handicap hovers betweet 18-20, not that I have an official handicap. I shot my best score last year with a set of Hogan Apex blades, 85. I was very happy with that score since I don't practive and play once every other week or so.

I am of the opinion that it's mostly in your head. I would argue that if you gave an average golfer a set of blades he would shoot right around the same score he would with a set of shovels. I am not familiar with the S59's, the sound more demanding than your last set of sticks. What they did was uncover a swing flaw that now you know needs to be fixed. That won't be fixed with a different set of sticks. I say hold on to them, you won't shoot much worse for long and soon you will be better than ever.

[nututhugame]

Let me rephrase the question.... How long would you go and how bad does it have to get before deciding maybe you bought the wrong thing?

[SilverUberXeno]

Hey, this just happened to me with my 3W :-p

I had a club built to try in that slot, and I almost MISS the ball with it. Something to do with the weight, or length, or shaft flex... I can't know for sure. But I haven't topped a ball like I Do with this thing in a looong time. I'm STILL gonna give it a shot to prove that it doesn't belong in a lake, but it definitely isn't on the level of my Geek 3W.

Nu, you're not actually giving yourself a chance to hit them, I think. They're made to be hit on the face, not the hosel! Work on your setup a little and get to where you're actually hitting them on the face so you can make a real judgement about the clubs. If your toe and heel hits are just wretched, or if you don't like the feel at impact, or if the distance/trajectory etc. isn't what you want, or if your last set was just day-and-night better for you, then the decision is clear. But Pings hold their value well; whether you sell them now or sell them in a month, I don't think you're going to lose anything. But do try them for a while, again, and be confident. If you hit one off the hosel, think, "That is undesirable. Hm." and remember that you need to set up to where it looks like you're going to hit it off the toe. Divide the clubface into 3 sections, heel to toe. When you set up, it should LOOK LIKE you're going to hit the ball in the dividing line between the toe-ward section and the middle section. Err on the side of toe.

Some sticks just don't work for people, that's true. But I think you let a few mis-hits get into your head, then convinced yourself that you're not good enough to play those clubs. I think you are. YOU need to think you are. It sounds like you have a nice aggressive strike with your irons; use it!

And if you still don't like them after that, sell 'em. But I don't want you to start swinging better in 3 months and wish you had given these a chance.

[BigJim13]

Hey, this just happened to me with my 3W :-p

I had a club built to try in that slot, and I almost MISS the ball with it. Something to do with the weight, or length, or shaft flex... I can't know for sure. But I haven't topped a ball like I Do with this thing in a looong time. I'm STILL gonna give it a shot to prove that it doesn't belong in a lake, but it definitely isn't on the level of my Geek 3W.

Nu, you're not actually giving yourself a chance to hit them, I think. They're made to be hit on the face, not the hosel! Work on your setup a little and get to where you're actually hitting them on the face so you can make a real judgement about the clubs. If your toe and heel hits are just wretched, or if you don't like the feel at impact, or if the distance/trajectory etc. isn't what you want, or if your last set was just day-and-night better for you, then the decision is clear. But Pings hold their value well; whether you sell them now or sell them in a month, I don't think you're going to lose anything. But do try them for a while, again, and be confident. If you hit one off the hosel, think, "That is undesirable. Hm." and remember that you need to set up to where it looks like you're going to hit it off the toe. Divide the clubface into 3 sections, heel to toe. When you set up, it should LOOK LIKE you're going to hit the ball in the dividing line between the toe-ward section and the middle section. Err on the side of toe.

Some sticks just don't work for people, that's true. But I think you let a few mis-hits get into your head, then convinced yourself that you're not good enough to play those clubs. I think you are. YOU need to think you are. It sounds like you have a nice aggressive strike with your irons; use it!

And if you still don't like them after that, sell 'em. But I don't want you to start swinging better in 3 months and wish you had given these a chance.

yup, what he said.

[nututhugame]

Damn you sux, the more you talk the more I listen. To my credit it has been more than a couple and I've disected this to death. It's not like every single shot is like that, but enough to be genuinely concerned with. I do like the feel when I hit one correctly. It is a pretty huge difference from the di5's I had last year. My bad shots with those were any other kind of bad shot but shanks. I just don't know.

I really don't want to be like this. I want to settle into something and play worry free. I don't want to post about equip. anymore .... really.

[SilverUberXeno]

Now you're beating yourself up about overposting! Sheesh, when do you find time to PLAY golf? Be a detective. You're hitting the ball with the hosel, and if you're lining it up correctly, somehow that clubface is moving an inch away from you during the swing. You're swinging the club, not the other way around. I find comfort in that; knowing that whatever horrible thing you're doing wrong, IT CAN BE FIXED. In fact, all you have to do is feel it. Hit a ball, but instead of the ball, feel the swing. Hit ten like that. Don't be afraid to shank every one. Feel your weight, feel your hands, but only feel one at a time. You'll be able to tell what's going on when you're just feeling the swing. I hit a shot directly into the sun the other day and walked right up to the ball. I KNEW I'd left the clubface open, and it was right where I expected it to be.

What I'm saying is, you don't have to hit the S59's. I want you to have whatever you want to have. But you CAN hit the S59's. You CAN hit them as well as any club out there that has a hosel. By all means, sell them and get something new if you enjoy the variety of it. But I think with some sensible practice, and a lack of self-abuse, you can play just fine with the clubs you have now. And I know you like them; if you didn't, you wouldn't have bought them. Do whatever you want to do, but try to really make sure you know what you want before you do the do. It's your body making every move in the golf swing. You can't buy a new one of those.

[xamilo]

HSome sticks just don't work for people, that's true. But I think you let a few mis-hits get into your head, then convinced yourself that you're not good enough to play those clubs. I think you are. YOU need to think you are. It sounds like you have a nice aggressive strike with your irons; use it! And if you still don't like them after that, sell 'em. But I don't want you to start swinging better in 3 months and wish you had given these a chance.

When I first started playing golf, I got a set of Titleist 1979 Blades in a beautiful condition which belonged to my grandfather who sucked at golf but was another perfect example of a club ho for no more reason than liking things which looked pretty. I played the 8-PW for a long time, and never had any issue with them. I am in no way near to being a "blade player", but I felt confident with those clubs. I bought the whole set of S9s when I "discovered" they where to much club for me. I just couldn't hit the short irons as well as I did the Titleist blades, so I came back to the 8-PW on blades. I would prefer to hit an 8i blade than the 7i SGI, I just felt more confident with them.

And that's the thing behind it. As SUX says, if you loose the confidence with your clubs, nothing is going to let you play them, even if its a set of Draw Biased Big Berthas. TH
hat's the reason why some people still play their Hawk Eye Driver with a Steel Shaft even though its more than obvious a new driver has a thousand new technology he would benefit from, but the confidence behind the club makes him hit more fairways than he would with an R9 SuperDeep with a Matrix Black Tie shaft.

I think now a days you don't need to sacrifice look for playability and forgiveness. Look at Mizunos MX-300s, or Wilson's Di9s for example. Clubs which still look extremely well and perform as the GI irons they are.

You're being too hard on you mate. Try the clubs you like, if you can't hit them, there is always the chance to sell them back. Its a very small price to pay on finding the right clubs for you

[limpalong]

So many who play this game forget the age-old First Rule.... "It ain't how. It's how many!" For years, I had to have the prettiest... the shiniest... the newest. When I showed up on the first tee, I could guarantee my bag would have the best looking clubs on anyone else teeing it up with me. I might play like crap. But, I looked good doing it!

You read forum post after forum post, on the net, telling you how much better blades... or forged... or "players clubs" ... or this brand... or that brand is for you game. And, as the believers we are that anything on the net MUST be pure fact, we run out and spend our cash. And, seldom play better for any length of time. The success of a set of irons is based on two things. First, you have to have confidence that the clubs are suited to your game. And, most important, you have to familiarize yourelf with that set of irons... intimately... until you know each one like an old friend. My irons are circa 1995. Yet, I'll put my iron play up there with most who play our course. Why? Because I know each iron and its capabilities. This will be the fourth season this set has been the only set in the bag. When I pick up my 8 iron, I could care less if I will hit it as far as your 8 iron... or as far as you hit your sand wedge. All I know is exactly how far I hit it!!

Confidence... familiarity.... this game is 90% mental and the other 10% is all in your head. If you hit the game improvement irons well... bag 'em!! Then, don't be tempted to stray back to something different. Build on the confidence and develop a long-term relationship with the irons. I guarantee your scores will improve!!!!