fyton2v
Active member
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2023
- Messages
- 124
- Reaction score
- 183
- Location
- Santa Rosa Valley, CA
- Handicap
- Infinity
I did a thing after I broke my 7 iron. I've been playing Mizuno JPX 921 Hot Metals for a little over a year and there are a couple of things I didn't like about the set. Nothing wrong with the clubs ... they're amazing. I didn't quite realize how amazing they really are. I just wasn't a big fan of the game improvement lofts, and my normal swing speed outgrew the regular stiffness shafts on those clubs. For my game, the low lofts created a crowded carry situation at the top of my bag. Anyway, after flinging the head of the 7 iron into a wall, I figured I'd reshaft the whole set with the correct stiffness. And then I lost my mind, apparently.
Why spend the cash and time on new shafts when I could just get some new clubs? I really liked the idea of standard lofted clubs, so why not solve the shaft and loft problems at the same time? On that whim I picked up a set of 923 Tours. They are beautiful. They are amazing. They are really, really small. It's a lot like trying to hit the ball with a postage stamp glued to the end of a long stick.
Here is what I learned by moving from GI irons to blades.
1. You think your iron game is decent. You've practiced enough. You think you have good shaft lean and ball compression. You haven't, and you don't.
2. You think you're making consistent, reliable contact with the ball. You aren't.
3. After a session with the blades, you pick up a GI iron just to feel the difference ... and they're so easy to hit that it's like cheating.
I don't regret it. I bought them knowing they'd be harder to use; my goal was to get better, not to lower my score. These clubs really tell you when your swing wasn't quite good enough. I read a bunch about that phenomenon in reviews, on forums, etc., and it's no joke. You can't get away with much. But when you do it right, it's something awesome. If you're a mid-handicapper looking to be a high-handicapper, do pick up a set of attractive blades.
I think the swing refinement that must follow will surely make us better players.
Can't wait for Sunday to see if I can hit the Tours on the course.
Why spend the cash and time on new shafts when I could just get some new clubs? I really liked the idea of standard lofted clubs, so why not solve the shaft and loft problems at the same time? On that whim I picked up a set of 923 Tours. They are beautiful. They are amazing. They are really, really small. It's a lot like trying to hit the ball with a postage stamp glued to the end of a long stick.
Here is what I learned by moving from GI irons to blades.
1. You think your iron game is decent. You've practiced enough. You think you have good shaft lean and ball compression. You haven't, and you don't.
2. You think you're making consistent, reliable contact with the ball. You aren't.
3. After a session with the blades, you pick up a GI iron just to feel the difference ... and they're so easy to hit that it's like cheating.
I don't regret it. I bought them knowing they'd be harder to use; my goal was to get better, not to lower my score. These clubs really tell you when your swing wasn't quite good enough. I read a bunch about that phenomenon in reviews, on forums, etc., and it's no joke. You can't get away with much. But when you do it right, it's something awesome. If you're a mid-handicapper looking to be a high-handicapper, do pick up a set of attractive blades.
I think the swing refinement that must follow will surely make us better players. Can't wait for Sunday to see if I can hit the Tours on the course.
