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TaylorMade Burner 2.0 Irons - Forum Testing Review

SuperStroke
yorkem said:
Wow, am I in love with these irons! I played at Lttle River, which is right outside of Pinehurst, and is not considered to be an easy golf course (70.9/132 from the whites). Plenty of holes out there that require you to think, and play to distances on the par 5's as well as some of the tee shots on par 4's. I was playing with 3 other friends. One I had never played with, 1 I had played a couple of rounds with, and 1 (Andy) that I used to play with all of the time, but with kids and responsiblities, we have not played together in 7 years! I had told him that I was having some trouble of of the tee, but that I was really hitting these irons well, and by the end of the round, they all agreed with that, except for the getting off the tee issue. I had doubled the first, but that was do to a miscommunication on where the hole actually went on a blind second shot, and then had back to back bogeys, but it was the way I made those bogeys. He said on both of those holes, whatever you do, don't go long because long is dead, so I played to come up just short, and did both times. After those holes Andy says to me, just to prove you're not getting lucky, start telling me what you are trying to do. So I did, and had bogeys on the next 3, playing to safer spots (lots of water hence Little River) chipping on, and 2 putting. We get to the next fairway, and he says to me, there is no trouble up there, you can go at the pin. I proceed to drill the center of the green, hold, and par. Next hole is a 180 yard par 3, slightly dow hill, with water or sand everywhere. Andy says it plays 10 yards shorter (he has played here a bunch and knows the course well). I pull 6-iron, drill the green, 2-putt, par. Number 9 is a postage stamp of a green, and it is bowled. I land on the back side, and kick into the rough, chip on, 2-putt for bogey, and finish the front with a 44! Get out on the back, and I pull a drive into trees on the right. I punch out to 160, and am told long is dead. I put the 7 back, and grab the 8. Land on the front and drain a 60 footer for par. I lose a ball off the tee on 11, and take double bogey 7. My first double since the first hole I then bogey 12-17. Andy is amazed at my iron play, an tells me so. My misses are almost non-existant, and when I do miss, it is not by much. Instead of being 20 yards right, I am on the fringe. Get to 18, and I know I am playing well (for me guys, it is all relative). I catch the driver off of the toe a little, and wind up in the first cut with 182 to the hole. I am standing behind the cart, and I am thinking crap, I have not been hitting the 5 iron well. It has been a big fade on almost every swing, but, it is what I need to play for this shot. I hit it, and sure enough it starts to fade, ok, slice. That is the first, and only poor shot I hit wth an iron all day, and it was solid contact. I wound up pin high, but up on top of a hill 10 yards left, and 30 feet above the green. I don't get it to stop, and roll across, chip back on, and 2 putt for double bogey on 18. I wind up shooting a 46 on the back for an even 90 on the round! I am ecstatic. This was on a pretty difficult course, that I had never played, with greens that were like lightning compared to what I am used too, and I know the only reason I did was because of these irons. I am so confident standing over them, and they are not disappointing me at all. I can't wait to get out again, and the next round will be played in Aruba! That will be a tough test, because I launch the ball very high, and there is a constant 20-30mph trade wind blowing. Once I get the 4 and 5 straightened out, these irons will be perfect, and I do not think that is going to take a lot of work. Thanks again fore this opportunity TaylorMade, and THP!
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Sounds like you did a great job with these irons. I have to agree with you on the misses too, as mine are always pretty long and accurate. I'm really hoping to get out for a round at a nice course tomorrow or Tuesday, but the money just got real short when the water system decided to break last night, and it's a bad leak.
 
yorkem said:
Wow, am I in love with these irons! I played at Lttle River, which is right outside of Pinehurst, and is not considered to be an easy golf course (70.9/132 from the whites). Plenty of holes out there that require you to think, and play to distances on the par 5's as well as some of the tee shots on par 4's. I was playing with 3 other friends. One I had never played with, 1 I had played a couple of rounds with, and 1 (Andy) that I used to play with all of the time, but with kids and responsiblities, we have not played together in 7 years! I had told him that I was having some trouble of of the tee, but that I was really hitting these irons well, and by the end of the round, they all agreed with that, except for the getting off the tee issue. I had doubled the first, but that was do to a miscommunication on where the hole actually went on a blind second shot, and then had back to back bogeys, but it was the way I made those bogeys. He said on both of those holes, whatever you do, don't go long because long is dead, so I played to come up just short, and did both times. After those holes Andy says to me, just to prove you're not getting lucky, start telling me what you are trying to do. So I did, and had bogeys on the next 3, playing to safer spots (lots of water hence Little River) chipping on, and 2 putting. We get to the next fairway, and he says to me, there is no trouble up there, you can go at the pin. I proceed to drill the center of the green, hold, and par. Next hole is a 180 yard par 3, slightly dow hill, with water or sand everywhere. Andy says it plays 10 yards shorter (he has played here a bunch and knows the course well). I pull 6-iron, drill the green, 2-putt, par. Number 9 is a postage stamp of a green, and it is bowled. I land on the back side, and kick into the rough, chip on, 2-putt for bogey, and finish the front with a 44! Get out on the back, and I pull a drive into trees on the right. I punch out to 160, and am told long is dead. I put the 7 back, and grab the 8. Land on the front and drain a 60 footer for par. I lose a ball off the tee on 11, and take double bogey 7. My first double since the first hole I then bogey 12-17. Andy is amazed at my iron play, an tells me so. My misses are almost non-existant, and when I do miss, it is not by much. Instead of being 20 yards right, I am on the fringe. Get to 18, and I know I am playing well (for me guys, it is all relative). I catch the driver off of the toe a little, and wind up in the first cut with 182 to the hole. I am standing behind the cart, and I am thinking crap, I have not been hitting the 5 iron well. It has been a big fade on almost every swing, but, it is what I need to play for this shot. I hit it, and sure enough it starts to fade, ok, slice. That is the first, and only poor shot I hit wth an iron all day, and it was solid contact. I wound up pin high, but up on top of a hill 10 yards left, and 30 feet above the green. I don't get it to stop, and roll across, chip back on, and 2 putt for double bogey on 18. I wind up shooting a 46 on the back for an even 90 on the round! I am ecstatic. This was on a pretty difficult course, that I had never played, with greens that were like lightning compared to what I am used too, and I know the only reason I did was because of these irons. I am so confident standing over them, and they are not disappointing me at all. I can't wait to get out again, and the next round will be played in Aruba! That will be a tough test, because I launch the ball very high, and there is a constant 20-30mph trade wind blowing. Once I get the 4 and 5 straightened out, these irons will be perfect, and I do not think that is going to take a lot of work. Thanks again fore this opportunity TaylorMade, and THP!
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Great round yorkem! I can't wait to get together with you in a couple weeks and see what these irons have done for you.

I was scheduled to play on saturday morning at 845. Unfortunately, my dad (playing partner) developed a huge case of gout and had to cancel on me. So naturally my girlfriend says, "Don't go play by yourself." So I did nothing all day. :angry:

Oh well, I'll get out soon enough. My clubs are sitting in my apartment, staring at me.....begging to be hit.
 
jefrazie said:
Great round yorkem! I can't wait to get together with you in a couple weeks and see what these irons have done for you.

I was scheduled to play on saturday morning at 845. Unfortunately, my dad (playing partner) developed a huge case of gout and had to cancel on me. So naturally my girlfriend says, "Don't go play by yourself." So I did nothing all day. :angry:

Oh well, I'll get out soon enough. My clubs are sitting in my apartment, staring at me.....begging to be hit.
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I can't wait dude. You will be shocked. The driver is still all over the place, but the irons are money.
 
Nice round Yorkem. Good job. I am also loving these irons right now. Played in a club tourney this weekend and won it. Also got the closest to the pin on a downhill 145 yard Par 3 over water, dead into the wind. Hit 9 iron to 10'2", and the next closest out of the 24 people in the tourney was 26'. My irons were absolutely money, my driver was pretty good, and my putting was bad. Ended up shooting 80, hit 12 GIR and 3 more ended on the fringe on a day the had a decent amount of wind. I was able to keep the ball down some and pierce the wind with all of my irons. I was able to turn the ball over with my 6 iron on the only occasion I needed a draw, hit a couple of fades when needed, and was pretty straight the rest of the day. Overall my ball striking was about as good as I can remember. Hit a couple a little thin, but they were still effective. Hit one fat with my 50* wedge, but none fat with the 2.0's. I am really starting to figure out my distances. I still have a gap in the 190 range that needs to be resolved. One of my missed GIR was from 192. I tried to choke down on a 6 and hit a big fade and missed the green right. Distance was ok, but it is tough for me to square up the clubface, while taking an abbreviated swing. It was a little lazy... I just need to work on it. I have always hit the ball best when I take a more aggressive swing. Outside of that, I am very happy with the 2.0's.
 
sounds like you guys are enjoying the clubs :)
 
These are some great reviews!! As an owner of these irons I am pleased to read that the findings people are getting are very similar to mine. I had posted my thoughts on these irons in the other 2.0 thread a while back and still feel the same. It did take me a little bit of time to hit my wedges properly as I felt it was tough for me to get "under" the ball on thin lies, but just opening the club face has pretty much eliminated that. I purposely want to keep my head out of this tread and not comment too much on my thoughts since I was not a tester in this go around. I just simply wanted to say thanks to the testers as I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all your findings. I cant wait to read more.
 
dubbledxu...

After a 9-hole round in 'sunny' England yesterday, I'd recommend the AW to anyone! It might have something to do with having pulled off my best shot of the round, whilst being watched by a stationary greenkeeper, on an otherwise deserted drenched course.

I paced from the 150yard marker and believe I was left with about 110-115yards. I've almost felt the AW redundant since adding the AW and SW to my set; it's been a very rare occasion when the distance left obviously fell between SW and PW. I played left of pin deliberately, because of a front-right bunker that I couldn't be bothered engaging with if short. But I shouldn't have worried; my shot was high, dead straight and penetrating (despite the wind (Pro V1 Practice balls)), and landed pin high! Very happy!
 
yorkem...

I'm very intrigued about about your comment about not playing well off the tee at the moment. Are you meaning with a driver or are you meaning with the 2.0 irons? I'm intrigued, if it is the irons, whether you feel you have any issues playing a teed-up ball with these clubs?

Since getting back into the game, and buying the 2.0 irons, I've not been using tees, just playing off the ground. This might be a combination of practicing (at a range with grass bays, and another with automatic mats, where the soft mat is vastly preferable to hit off than a ball floating above a hole on a rubber tube), and a shocking start to a round with friends when trying tees (I may have put myself off). Also, I know irons aren't teed high, but the way I have hit these clubs when connecting well, I can't help but feel little advantage in teeing up at present.

But I'm wondering if all the design elements there to assist getting the ball of the ground, especially the overall weight of the club and the length of shafts, lend themselves to better play from ground than tee?
 
Bobby Burner said:
yorkem...

I'm very intrigued about about your comment about not playing well off the tee at the moment. Are you meaning with a driver or are you meaning with the 2.0 irons? I'm intrigued, if it is the irons, whether you feel you have any issues playing a teed-up ball with these clubs?

Since getting back into the game, and buying the 2.0 irons, I've not been using tees, just playing off the ground. This might be a combination of practicing (at a range with grass bays, and another with automatic mats, where the soft mat is vastly preferable to hit off than a ball floating above a hole on a rubber tube), and a shocking start to a round with friends when trying tees (I may have put myself off). Also, I know irons aren't teed high, but the way I have hit these clubs when connecting well, I can't help but feel little advantage in teeing up at present.

But I'm wondering if all the design elements there to assist getting the ball of the ground, especially the overall weight of the club and the length of shafts, lend themselves to better play from ground than tee?
Click to expand...

I am hitting the ball great off the tee with the 2.0's. I tee it very low and the contact I am getting off the tee has been very good. Had a KP with the 9 iron from 145 yards. Had nice spin, took one little hop and backed up right to the ball mark. Long irons off the tee are even better. I hit my 5 and 6 irons off a tee very accurately and loooong. :)
 
Bobby Burner said:
yorkem...

I'm very intrigued about about your comment about not playing well off the tee at the moment. Are you meaning with a driver or are you meaning with the 2.0 irons? I'm intrigued, if it is the irons, whether you feel you have any issues playing a teed-up ball with these clubs?

Since getting back into the game, and buying the 2.0 irons, I've not been using tees, just playing off the ground. This might be a combination of practicing (at a range with grass bays, and another with automatic mats, where the soft mat is vastly preferable to hit off than a ball floating above a hole on a rubber tube), and a shocking start to a round with friends when trying tees (I may have put myself off). Also, I know irons aren't teed high, but the way I have hit these clubs when connecting well, I can't help but feel little advantage in teeing up at present.

But I'm wondering if all the design elements there to assist getting the ball of the ground, especially the overall weight of the club and the length of shafts, lend themselves to better play from ground than tee?
Click to expand...

Pretty sure he is referring to driver specifically, and possibly woods in general.
 
The pro at my club just called me at lunch to say there is a long, rectangular box with Taylormade down the side addressed to me at the club if I wanted to swing by and play 9 this afternoon with him.
 
I am all set for my SW showdown for this Thursday when I get home from a work road trip. Burner 2.0 against Vokey Spin Milled (non confomring grooves). I had my Vokey bent from 52* to 50* so its an apples to apples contest. My ball striking location on the face has been so inconsistent this year I cannot afford the big loss of distance I see with my Vokeys mishits. I will either be retiring the Burner 2.0 sand wedge to the basement (for the next few weeks) or order a custom Burner 2.0 AW to match my set. I love my Vokey 60 as my around the greens club, so I will not consider adding the Burner 2.0 LW at this point.

I plan on using the same type of balls, just marked with a different color sharpie dot for reference and my wife found a great big field by our house for me to work.
 
Although not an 'official tester', I thought this was a good thread to record my own thoughts on the 2.0s. I've had them for a week now and have managed a good range session and two 18 hole rounds. I mentioned before that I have changed from Burner 09s with stock regular shafts to DG SL stiff shafts - this was mainly because of a swing change that has led to improved ball striking.

The most obvious initial difference between the clubs is the sound at impact. Taylormade's claim that a "Sound Management System" has been engineered into these irons certainly seems to be true - well struck shots have a very powerful and clean sound, particularly in the longer irons. My playing partners also commented on how good well struck shots sounded.

In terms of distance, I am a little shorter with the 2.0s, but I put this down to the stiffer shafts (the shaft lengths are the same in both sets). I can't claim to be getting the same sort of distances as some of the other posters, but they are consistent with my expectations. My ball flight is not noticeably lower with the new clubs, which is a little surprising, but I am getting a pleasing trajectory so am not unduly concerned.

Saving the best for last, I am really delighted with the increased accuracy I am achieving with these compared to my 09s. Again, I suspect that a lot of this is down to the shafts. As well as being stiffer, they are also a bit heavier than the old ones and this is definitely benefiting my swing. As a bonus, they feel absolutely fantastic too - very solid, but still smooth.

To give some examples of distances I am getting, I measured a few shots today with different clubs:

4 iron - 210 yards
5 - 185
7 - 160
9 - 140
AW - 110

My two rounds with these irons have produced scores of 73 and 74, the latter in a club comp today, where I hit 13 GIR.
So far, so good, I hope this isn't just a honeymoon period! :)
 
Bobby Burner said:
yorkem...

I'm very intrigued about about your comment about not playing well off the tee at the moment. Are you meaning with a driver or are you meaning with the 2.0 irons? I'm intrigued, if it is the irons, whether you feel you have any issues playing a teed-up ball with these clubs?

Since getting back into the game, and buying the 2.0 irons, I've not been using tees, just playing off the ground. This might be a combination of practicing (at a range with grass bays, and another with automatic mats, where the soft mat is vastly preferable to hit off than a ball floating above a hole on a rubber tube), and a shocking start to a round with friends when trying tees (I may have put myself off). Also, I know irons aren't teed high, but the way I have hit these clubs when connecting well, I can't help but feel little advantage in teeing up at present.

But I'm wondering if all the design elements there to assist getting the ball of the ground, especially the overall weight of the club and the length of shafts, lend themselves to better play from ground than tee?
Click to expand...

He is referring to driver. He is struggling with distance and accuracy off the tee box with the driver. He said his round the other day was his best ball striking round with irons that he has ever had.
 
I got mine today. I was fitted at a demo day by a Taylormade rep. at Golfsmith in Raleigh for KBS Tour stiff flex, 2* upright. Hit balls on the range for an hour or so and played 9 holes with the pro at my club. Distance is as advertised, about a club and a half longer than my old Ping i5's. Just a couple of high points on a 9 hole 35. Par 3 #12, 166 yards downhill so it plays closer to 153-155. I hit 8 iron over the green, pitch mark was about 176. Par 5 #14, 525 yards and plays every bit of it. Crushed a driver off the tee and had 218 in and hit the magical 6 iron to about 12 feet. The 2.0 6 iron is the best single club I have ever hit. Par 4 #18 plays 367 but the last 150 or so is over water to a green that hugs the lake with two large and very deep bunkers on each side. It requires 2 very accurate shots as the fairway is very narrow and lined with pines and plays as one of the toughest holes on the course. I hit 6 iron off the tee to about 10 yards short of the water in the center of the fairway and hit an 8 iron pin high left about 12 feet of the flag. I love these clubs.
 
Anyone on the fence about the Burner 2.0s have any questions for us? Any special shots/shapes you particularly see how they perform vs our old sets?

I've been pleasantly surprised with how well the face / sole finish has held up after several rounds. I will post some updated pics after my rounds this weekend.
 
Those of you who are testing, are you finding that the 2.0's are a little longer distance wise than your previous irons? I have noticed hitting my 6 iron demo next to my RAC LT2 that I am anywhere between 7-10 yards longer with the 2.0. Also, I currently carry a 3,4,5 hybrid. Would getting these eliminate at least one hybrid for a longer iron? Thanks!
 
Toddo said:
Those of you who are testing, are you finding that the 2.0's are a little longer distance wise than your previous irons? I have noticed hitting my 6 iron demo next to my RAC LT2 that I am anywhere between 7-10 yards longer with the 2.0. Also, I currently carry a 3,4,5 hybrid. Would getting these eliminate at least one hybrid for a longer iron? Thanks!
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I used the 2.0 - 4 rion twice off the tee yesterday and for comparison, also played a shot with my Ping G5 19* hybrid from the same tee. The 2.0 - 4 iron was 8 and 12 yards longer with each shot. I also reached the par 5 - 10th in two with the 4 iron, something I have never done before on this course.

Edit - I am not a tester but thought I might chime in. Thanks again to all the testers of these clubs. Your reviews made my decision much easier.
 
Toddo said:
Those of you who are testing, are you finding that the 2.0's are a little longer distance wise than your previous irons? I have noticed hitting my 6 iron demo next to my RAC LT2 that I am anywhere between 7-10 yards longer with the 2.0. Also, I currently carry a 3,4,5 hybrid. Would getting these eliminate at least one hybrid for a longer iron? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Depends on what the lofts are on your hybrids, and how those translate into distance gaps in your set. For reference, I have a 20.5* Mashie M3 that is in the bag instead of the 21* Burner 2 4 iron. I prefer more wedges in my bag over more long clubs, but that is just a personal preference.
 
Toddo said:
Those of you who are testing, are you finding that the 2.0's are a little longer distance wise than your previous irons? I have noticed hitting my 6 iron demo next to my RAC LT2 that I am anywhere between 7-10 yards longer with the 2.0. Also, I currently carry a 3,4,5 hybrid. Would getting these eliminate at least one hybrid for a longer iron? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I used to carry a 22* hybrid as a 4 iron replacement, but have since taken it out of the bag for this testing. I am hitting the 2.0 4 iron around 220-225 yards and pretty straight. The feel of these long irons is exceptional and the sound when hit crisply is awesome. My 22* hybrid was my 210 yard club previously, so I am getting a some distance increases with the 21* 4 iron.
 
Update!

Played 9 holes last night at a local club and played from the tips (70.4/132)

Hole 1
Par 4, 379 yards - Great tee shot to 80 yards. Play 60* wedge and 2 putt. Par

Hole 2
Par 3, 158 yards - Chose an 8I. Hit it flush and just aimed right. Still lands on the green but with 25' to the hole. 2 putt for par

Hole 3
Par 4, 378 yards - Tee off with hybrid to 175. Unfortunately, I had a tree directly in front of me. Only shots I could hit were very low or a VERY hard draw. I'm not confident in my ability to draw the ball so I opted for the low shot. Annnnnnnnnnd I top it straight into the water. :angry: Drop zone + wedge + 2 putt = double bogey

Hole 4
Par 5, 540 yards - Tee off with 3W and just miss the ball (I think hole 3 was in my head). Ball barely rolls to the womens tees. Walk up and smack it with the 3W. Play a 7I to around 120. Top another wedge and put it into the creek. Chip on and 2 putt for a triple. :banghead:

Hole 5
Par 3, 175 yards - Play a 7I. I actually hit the ball pretty thin but it ended up on the green anyway and about 10 feet from the pin. 2 putt for par

Hole 6
Par 4, 336 yards - Dogleg left that I love to cut and try to get to the green. Hit a great drive, 10 yards to the green. 60* wedge and 2 putt for par.

Hole 7
Par 5, 602 yards - Long par 5. Driver about 285. 3W to about 115 but a weird uphill lie. I play a PW and it looks good but ends up about 5 yards short. 60* wedge to a foot and tap in for par.

Hole 8
Par 4, 380 yards - Hit the ball off the heel of the driver but it still finds the fairway with about 160 left. Dogleg right so I can't reach the green in 2. Play an easy PW to the left, about 30 left. Wonderful 60* to about 2" and tap in for par

Hole 9
Par 4, 364 yards - Hit great 3W to about 140. Play an easy 9I and land on the front fringe of the green about 5 yards from the pin. Chip on with the 50* to about a foot and putt for par.

Overall, a pretty darn good (41), 7 pars, a double, and a triple. Only shots lost were because of me either trying to do something stupid or just not focusing. The irons are becoming quite accurate now. I will mention again that I am still not seeing any distance increase but the push has disappeared. The irons are becoming very accurate very fast. It was a bit humid last night and so I brought out my Hirzl glove again. Didn't really have any problem holding onto the grips with that glove.

League play tonight so another update tomorrow!
 
dubbledxu said:
Depends on what the lofts are on your hybrids, and how those translate into distance gaps in your set. For reference, I have a 20.5* Mashie M3 that is in the bag instead of the 21* Burner 2 4 iron. I prefer more wedges in my bag over more long clubs, but that is just a personal preference.
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My hybrids are the 07 Burner models 19,22,25...I keep tinkering with the idea since I have an r9 5 wood at 19, removing the 19 and 22 and just going 22 and keeping the 25 just for punchout shots, etc. then 5-AW when I get the 2.0's.
 
Toddo said:
Those of you who are testing, are you finding that the 2.0's are a little longer distance wise than your previous irons? I have noticed hitting my 6 iron demo next to my RAC LT2 that I am anywhere between 7-10 yards longer with the 2.0. Also, I currently carry a 3,4,5 hybrid. Would getting these eliminate at least one hybrid for a longer iron? Thanks!
Click to expand...

For me, my previous set was the Burner Plus irons. These have the same lofts as the 2.0s, so the distance increase is minimal for me, but it is there. I am about 5 yards longer, and sometimes a little more. For me, I think these longer irons are SO easy to hit. I've spent some valuable range time hitting 4 iron over and over again. Why? For the longest time, I've never been able to hit a 4 iron well. I could smash a 5 iron, but not my 4 iron. Now that I can hit this one, I just love to use it over and over, because it's awesome to me. I had considered going with a couple of hybrids prior to getting this set, and have now decided that I'm only getting an M2 Mashie to fill my gap. So, I think what I'm trying to say is that you may very well eliminate one of your hybrids. Hope this helps you some.

In other news, the day I finally get time to play, the storm clouds roll in. I'll be out there soon guys. And everyone, please keep asking questions for us!
 
Toddo said:
Those of you who are testing, are you finding that the 2.0's are a little longer distance wise than your previous irons? I have noticed hitting my 6 iron demo next to my RAC LT2 that I am anywhere between 7-10 yards longer with the 2.0. Also, I currently carry a 3,4,5 hybrid. Would getting these eliminate at least one hybrid for a longer iron? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I am not hitting farther with these irons but I seem to be in the minority. I use my 4H for 220-230 shots and the 4I when I have to keep it low and around 210.
 
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