Help with this decision, pretty torn

[quine]

So I’m and oldish , injuredish, lowish single digit. Need some height and who doesn’t want some distance. Going to test indoors i210, 919 tour and 785’s. Head says pings but love the looks of tours and to lesser degree the 785s. Don’t know why I would think I should play the same iron as Koepka but to my eye they look fairly generous in hitting area and don’t scare me off like some blades. To my eye 785s fit between the pings and mizzy. FYI, I’m not worried about long irons playability because I’ve added a Titleist 27 degree 915 hybrid that virtually replaces my 4 and 5 iron. Any thoughts about staying away from players irons based on my needs? Much appreciated. Also, rightly or wrongly thinking that mizzy with more traditional lofts might actually be a benefit to gaining back height compared to stronger lofted players distance irons??? Thoughts???? Thanks!!!!

[cfmgolf]

Loft in certainly a component in adding overall height to your irons, but club design is also a major factor. The stronger lofts that have shown up in the past few years, do hit the ball quite a bit higher due to the CG being low and back. The manufacturer's are not just reducing loft, otherwise none of us with slower swing speeds could ever elevate an iron. I have the G700's which are certainly on the game improvement side vs. what you are looking at, but in trying the 919 forged (not tours) with stronger lofts in the Pings I hit them higher than the 919's. Depending on how much you play and practice, a slightly more game improvement iron might help you. I would recommend at least trying the G410's and the 919 forged against the 210 and the tours - you might be surprised.

[RJ_MJ_JJ]

Haha - I can't think of a better way to describe _myself_...oldish, injuredish, lowish single digit...hilarious.

I just picked up the i210s - LOVE 'EM. I tested them against the i500s. I like the i210s because I play in the wind and it was easier for me to keep the ball down. If you're looking for height, i500s might be something to explore. You can also put some project x rifle shafts in just about anything to help get the ball up too. And to your "stronger loft" question, I think it's kind of hokey. We're not too far off from just calling our irons by their loft as opposed to their number (33 vs 7 iron). Cheers, my oldish, injuredish, lowish hdcp brother!

[I.B. Golfin']

I have the -900 tours, love them. Height is give and take, but they're fairly moderate lofts throughout the set, NOT a distance iron. I'm in the same boat it sounds as you though, have had 4 knee surgeries and 2 wrist surgeries, was a mid-single handicap before tearing my meniscus last summer. Getting old sucks sometimes.

 

The -900 with Nippon Modus 105 give good trajectories, but when getting used to them I noticed they would lose a few yards from my old Callaway X-Forged / Project X shafts. I now use 105x from PW-7i, and 120s from 6i-3i. I'd suggest going with the clubhead you square up the best, and then look at the shaft selection to determine the height. From low to high launch shafts (the XP 95 shafts, or the newer 'Elevate' line), to soft or hard-stepping, shafts are much easier to customize than the clubhead. The -900's are awesome though, you can feel everything you need on the contact and have that perfect 'wump' sound when struck. Only you will know if you missed the ball a few grooves high or low, ball will go to about the same spot regardless. I'd presume the -919's are similar.

 

Unless I'm mistaken, the Mizuno fitting stations in GolfMart/Galaxy,etc generally have irons heads that you can remove to mix and match shafts on. See what works best for ya!

[Mahamilto]

Big thing to consider is how the turf interaction is with each. Have you had a chance to hit them on real grass? The more iron sets I have tried over the years, the more I have found turf interaction to be a huge factor in how well I play them. The way they cut or bounce off the turf, matched with your swing, will play into forgiveness in a big way.

 

The 785s have the v-sole; a lot of people love it, I personally didn't love it on a set of 545s I had, but those are wider soles and I am probably in the minority with not getting along with them.

 

The i210s, to me, are fairly wide sole for a players iron, but fairly narrow for a GI. They sit in between, so I guess that makes sense, but I wouldn't bag them because I prefer a more narrow sole. I also don't like the more progressive offset these have and would be looking for something else from 6/7i on up to the longer irons; this may not apply to you given you are going to bag a 27* hybrid.

 

The 919Tour have a much thinner sole. They set up like a blade, which I really like, but there is a chance you want a bit more forgiveness off-center than these will offer (seems this is your concern per the original post). I hear they are awesome and I can tell you the 919 forged was plenty forgiving the 2 times I hit them, but the tours are going to be less forgiving than the forged. I think in short irons they would not pose and issue, and you could consider getting the 919 forged or Hot Metal Pros for your mid irons with no real loss. The 919 forged/HM pros still have pretty thin soles.

 

To throw a monkey wrench in it, why don't you at least go hit the 718 AP2 before you decide? They are similar to the 785s, but with a tad thinner sole that has a pre-worn leading edge instead of the v-sole (if the v-sole isn't your thing). The 718AP2 is a phenomenal offering.

 

Good luck!

[quine]

Thanks, guys, keep em coming , some great advice and appreciate the expertise . So with regards to hitting outdoors, in Ontario , Canada, the old fashioned demo days are becoming a thing of the past. Definitely my first choice but harder to find and almost impossible to find a situation where you can go head to head with choices under same conditions . Very frustrating

[Mahamilto]

If you cannot hit them outdoors prior to purchase, really think critically about your preferences on turf interaction when you are outdoors. I personally found my best rounds to come with thin soles that cut turf easily, but others prefer a wider sole that will not dig. Consider your typical miss... if it is more frequently fat, a wider sole may really benefit your game, but if you take the ball first and can make divots in front of the ball, then a thin soled iron can really help you maintain your clubhead speed as you compress the ball and the club slides through the turf.

 

It all has to match up to your game, but as my iron game improved and my divots are now in front of the ball, the thinner sole has made my game much tighter.

[mizunoMX25]

I went through the same type of choices. I had it down to between 785's and 919 Tours. The 919 Tours are a lot easier to hit than I thought they would be. I don't hit either one tremendously high but I don't hit high balls anyway. I ended up with the 785's because they are just a little more forgiving. I'm happy with my decision. One caveat to that is the spin on the Srixon's is a little lower than I'd like. Other than that they are tremendous clubs.

[edgerat]

For me, outdoors, I found the iBlade to launch higher than i210. Srixon seems to monkey with their lofts and, for me, they do not spin nearly as much and thus I get more distance out of them. I love how the Srixon feels, I do not love that my "windows and towels" get messed with.

[Tree Levino]

> @quine said:

> Thanks, guys, keep em coming , some great advice and appreciate the expertise . So with regards to hitting outdoors, in Ontario , Canada, the old fashioned demo days are becoming a thing of the past. Definitely my first choice but harder to find and almost impossible to find a situation where you can go head to head with choices under same conditions . Very frustrating

 

Also live in Ontario! If you can go to TXG as I don't think that Golftown employees know what the hell they're talking about. The i210 are easier to get height out of and are pretty much the ultimate "tweener" iron between players and GI. The bounce also helps with the wet conditions we get for half of our season. They are more durable and feel very soft for cast. I LOVE the look of the Tour but the Ping will be more forgiving.

[ian-500]

Feeling wise for me I'd go with the Srixon, second to the Mizuno.

[quine]

I really appreciate the feedback. I am leaning towards practicality and tweener irons like i210. Clubs are a little like cars, although you might need the suv the sports car tempts you . Need to get testing these with some data as so hard to figure out any other way but I truly appreciate the feedback big time .

[cardoustie]

fellow injured and old lower cap Canuck here as well

Don't discount s55's. One of the best and easy to hit for their looks

iblades with the right heavier shaft are good. (Not good with a light shaft as I found out (too much spin)

Look at AP2's and AP3's

I also play around with my t-mb set

Like you I like the looks of the 900 tours and the 919 tours but the square lines of the AP2's appeal the most to me. Maybe strengthen the lofts a little to get them closer to the AP3 lofts ....

[nostatic]

> @balls_deep said:

> > @quine said:

> > Thanks, guys, keep em coming , some great advice and appreciate the expertise . So with regards to hitting outdoors, in Ontario , Canada, the old fashioned demo days are becoming a thing of the past. Definitely my first choice but harder to find and almost impossible to find a situation where you can go head to head with choices under same conditions . Very frustrating

>

> Also live in Ontario! If you can go to TXG as I don't think that Golftown employees know what the **** they're talking about. The i210 are easier to get height out of and are pretty much the ultimate "tweener" iron between players and GI. The bounce also helps with the wet conditions we get for half of our season. They are more durable and feel very soft for cast. I LOVE the look of the Tour but the Ping will be more forgiving.

 

Second on going to TXG. I had the i210s and while I loved the feel I struggled a bit with them wrt turf interaction (I'm in much firmer conditions). Fwiw I've found the Hot Metal Pro much more consistent with my swing, and I have a 919T PW coming to experiment with. The HMP has pretty aggressive trailing edge relief so it doesn't play as wide as you'd think. While a lot of people get good results from the V-sole on Srixons, some don't. It really depends on your swing. Money spent on a good fitting will cost way less than buying then flipping irons in the long run.

[CanadaCal]

You can also look at P760. Aside from the z785 those were my second favourite. Or an Apex?

If you ever want to hit a Z585 off turf, I’m in Halton region.

[quine]

Thanks for the offer !! I’m pretty familiar with srixon as I have a set of the 565s. Thanks though!

[kiwii]

How’s your spin? Too much, too little or just enough. This can help you make a decision. If you need more height AND spin than you’ll want to increase loft of your irons (919 tour or any other iron you choose). If you want high launch low spin than go for a GI iron or i210. Low CG design and strong lofts create this ball flight characteristic.

 

Of the options you have listed i210 would be my pick. They are the most forgiving of the 3 which should serve you well for longer period of time.

[Golf64]

Another vote for 210s, but also look at Apex pros. Very forgiving and get great distance/feel from them. Might be another option?!

[Oknows]

If I lived anywhere near TXG, I would take full advantage of their fittings. I have done multiple fittings at numerous locations and have never experienced anything nearly as in depth as what Ian does on his videos. Watching those videos has ruined all other fittings for me. One day ...

[jt2gt]

> @quine said:

> Thanks for the offer !! I’m pretty familiar with srixon as I have a set of the 565s. Thanks though!

Curious as to what you don't like about the 565...thats a tweener isn't it. Did you hit the 765 at all? I'm older but have been playing a while and just went from Cally CF16 to Z745 but with recoil stiff shafts (instead of the XP95 in the CF16). Took a couple range sessions and few holes, but I have settled into them. Now thinking about Z785, but everything I read says 45s just as good. In all my research, everything comes back to 7 series as being a perfect combo of feel, distance, forgiveness for this type of iron.

[quine]

I am probably in the minority’ with 565 and don’t love them. Perhaps just a bit to chunky and strong lofts. Actually thinking of weakening lifts on these before I bite on new set . I agree 7 series would be a great choice

[gpleonard]

> @CanadaCal said:

> You can also look at P760. Aside from the z785 those were my second favourite. Or an Apex?

> If you ever want to hit a Z585 off turf, I’m in Halton region.

I second the Z585 irons. Feel is great. Also a good choice would be the CF19 Apex irons.

 

[agood3putt]

+1 for i210's. I find that they do launch higher than the other listed irons you mentioned. Turf interaction is going to be different with the HM Pro/919 mainly because of the bounce. PING's have a wider sole but if you are playing on concrete the turf interaction is awesome.