Demo Cart Frustration

[hunterdog]

Why are manufacturer’s demo carts stocked only with 7-irons? Using myself as an example, I hit the shorter irons pretty well but sometimes struggle with the longer irons. Personally, it would be nice to demo 5-irons with different shaft to get a better sense of what a complete iron set is more likely to fit me. I am not even aware of any independent fitters that have the capability of testing different iron. I know, I know, it’s the expense, the effort, etc., etc., but it seems today’s iron fittings are very limited. Is there a work around?

[WristySwing]

1 hour ago, hunterdog said:

Why are manufacturer’s demo carts stocked only with 7-irons? Using myself as an example, I hit the shorter irons pretty well but sometimes struggle with the longer irons. Personally, it would be nice to demo 5-irons with different shaft to get a better sense of what a complete iron set is more likely to fit me. I am not even aware of any independent fitters that have the capability of testing different iron. I know, I know, it’s the expense, the effort, etc., etc., but it seems today’s iron fittings are very limited. Is there a work around?

 

They do it because they give some semblance of hope for the average player to make contact.  The vast majority of players are not skilled enough to play a 5i, let alone a 5i that is at 23/24* of loft.  7 irons are also usually a traditional break where someone might want to transition from an easier to hit club into something a bit more difficult (i.e. a CB into an MB).  Lastly, the 7i is considered the last of the "distance clubs" by a lot of manufacturers and where you see the 8i transition into the scoring clubs.  This is typically seen where offset reduces, the leading edge and toe rounding changes a bit too, so they do it there so there isn't a stark contrast in shape or size from the demo to the delivered club.

 

Are there workarounds?  Yes.  First, if you hit it well in a 7i then you are likely going to hit it fine in a 5i if you are skilled enough to hit one anyways.  If you are not, move to a hybrid or 9w instead.  If you find its the added weight in those long clubs, then look to something like a flighted set like KBS FLT, one of the TT AMT shafts, or a parallel set of graphite shafts with 10g weight classes instead.  Second, say you are fitted for T100 with PX LZ 6.0, order the 5i first.  If you hit it well, order up the rest of the set.  If not, you are out a little bit vs. a lot.  Third, go to a fitting studio instead.  Most of these fit off of a 6i to try and circumvent this issue.  Or at the very least, go to a big box store and hit the 5i with the stock shaft.  I can't imagine any scenario where even the stock steel/graphite shaft is completely unusable just to hit it a few times to get a sensation if the 5i is going to be a good addition to the bag or if you need to look at something with more help.

Edited September 7, 2022 by WristySwing

[ChipNRun]

3 hours ago, hunterdog said:

Why are manufacturer’s demo carts stocked only with 7-irons? Using myself as an example, I hit the shorter irons pretty well but sometimes struggle with the longer irons. Personally, it would be nice to demo 5-irons with different shaft

 

hd, at least one design gurus agrees with you about the 5i. Tried to google the source on this but couldn't find it. Maybe Tom Wishon or Ralph Maltby?

 

Anyway, the guru said that if you're going with one fitting iron, the 5i is the best. If a person can't handle the 5i, maybe that set isn't what he/she needs.

 

This would tend to mesh with Wishon's 24/38 Rule, which suggests that the average golfer cannot reliably hit an iron that has less than 24* loft and shaft length longer than 38 inches.

 

I relish the pre-COVID spring demo days when the club reps sometimes showed up with intact iron sets fresh from the factory. Often these would be split sets parceled out among various traveling reps. Rep A would get 5-7-9-A, Rep B would get 4-6-8-P.  That way, you could see how things other than the 7i flew. (One benefit: you could see if the short irons or wedges ballooned too much).

[vandyfan]

If you order a demo from Sub 70 for irons (at least in my experience) they send you a 6 iron and a 9 iron. Not exactly what you requested but I think it gives you a good feel for the longer iron and shorter iron. 

[Abh159]

Demo carts where made so you could just test out a club to see if you liked it. They aren't necessarily supposed to provide you with a full on iron fitting.