Well, My Mind is Officially Blown

[golfaddict77]

I just put a set of Callaway B21 irons in the bag, 4-AW. Ordered them off of eBay with 65 gram regular flex graphite shafts thinking I would just reshaft them with something much stiffer and heavier. I went ahead and put them in the bag today as-is for a quick round. Holy smokes, these irons are freaking amazing! I know it's cliche, but they are so easy to hit it's like cheating. I was absolutely puring them today, and the ball just took off. Obviously, they are much stronger lofted than my Mizuno irons, so we have to take that into account. But, I would simply hit a 7 iron where I would normally hit a 5 or 6 and so on. They also spin less than what I'm used to, but they are very playable in that regard. I didn't have any trouble holding greens, but I certainly didn't get any balls to back up like I normally do either. the 4, 5 and 6 irons are VERY strong-lofted, being about 2 clubs stronger than what I would normally play. The 4 is 19°, which is what I would call a 2 iron, and the distance I got out of it was what I would expect from a club that had a 2 on the bottom instead of a 4. The 7-AW are about a club stronger than what I'm used to, and those distances also correlated. I just need to focus on the lofts instead of the numbers stamped on the soles and I should hopefully get the distances dialed in with these babies. I mean seriously, a 29 degree club is NOT a 7 iron, it's really a 5 1/2 iron, so I just have to take that into consideration.

The thing that REALLY has me flabbergasted is how well I got along with the stock shafts. I have never had any luck with iron shafts lighter than about 120 grams. And REGULAR flex?! I would have laughed in someone's face if they told me that I could play irons with shafts that light. They honestly aren't super whippy like I expected, though. This has me rethinking the rest of my bag. I may just put 65 gram shafts in my fairway woods and give them a go. Might even put some 65 gram Recoil Darts in the wedges and see how that works out. This has opened up a whole new rabbit hole for me to explore. If you guys can't tell, I'm freaking excited! These irons are a game changer. I'm not exactly in the target demographic for a set like this (I mean seriously, who needs to carry their "7" iron over 200 yards?!), but the playability is absolutely insane with these things. I'm looking forward to seeing how much my scores might drop with them in the bag. That is, as long as I'm not flying greens all day with them. At this point, I'm seriously stoked. Hopefully that doesn't change.

 

[robrandalgz]

Glad you found something that you're excited about!!!

 

[golfaddict77]

Glad you found something that you're excited about!!!

Me too, brother! I finally put my ego aside and tried something outside of my comfort zone, and lo and behold, it's a game changer. I'm starting to get to the point where I don't give a damn what the clubs look like, or who makes them, or what shaft is in them, or whatever else I might have been picky about previously. If it works, it works! Put it in the bag and enjoy hitting better shots.

 

[robrandalgz]

Me too, brother! I finally put my ego aside and tried something outside of my comfort zone, and lo and behold, it's a game changer. I'm starting to get to the point where I don't give a damn what the clubs look like, or who makes them, or what shaft is in them, or whatever else I might have been picky about previously. If it works, it works! Put it in the bag and enjoy hitting better shots.

There's my guy.

 

[Will_Mac]

Golf is a series of "ride the wave" moments, as far as I've experienced. Whether it be equipment, a swing epiphany, a set-up find... when it works?

IT WORKS.

Ride the wave.

 

[alistaird]

Interesting and thanks to @golfaddict77 for posting his experience....

This makes me want to get my Callaway Big Bertha Golds back out of the bag and have a go with them....

A

 

[russtopher]

Callaway is one of those OEMs where no matter what club of theirs I put it in the bag, it just *works* for me right out of the gate, just like those B21 irons.

I prefer graphite to steel, although I'll play both. Graphite, even heavier weight shafts, allow me to feel the clubhead a bit better in the swing than steel in most instances.

 

[Browndog]

Once again proving that you just don’t know if something is going to work for you until you try it.

I’m not exactly the poster child for who would play muscle back blades but that is what I have in the bag because they work for me.

 

[Camjr]

I had a similar experience ordering a new set of Tour Edge irons with UST Senior A flex graphite shafts over my normal True Temper regular flex (I'm about to be 57 and wanted to see if it was time, so to speak). Like you, I figured I could reshaft if I didn't like them or found them too whippy. I'm getting about 5-8 yards more carry across the bag with about 80% of my normal swing speed, and it's been a revelation to me.

Glad you have found something you weren't expecting that provides positive results!

 

[stryper]

Had the same thing happen to me with a rental set of Taylormade Stealths on vacation recently. Was seriously tempted to make the switch when I got back home. In fact, I still might do it.

 

[FatChance]

I just got new Cleveland Zipcore XL irons with 65g A flex Recoil Dart shafts and have had the same experience. I buried my ego in the back yard and getting modern technology appropriate for my old guy swing has really paid off.

 

[golfaddict77]

I just got new Cleveland Zipcore XL irons with 65g A flex Recoil Dart shafts and have had the same experience. I buried my ego in the back yard and getting modern technology appropriate for my old guy swing has really paid off.

The thing that really has me baffled is that I'm not an old guy yet (46 years old now), and I still have decent swing speed. By all rights, these shafts shouldn't work for me, but somehow they do. I still hit driver close to 300 yards on good swings, so I figured I'd be launching these 65 gram iron shafts to the moon. But somehow they hold up. I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty fun hitting a "7" iron over 200 yards in the air, even though I know it's really a 5 with a 7 stamped on the bottom.

 

[golfaddict77]

I went all in and bought a B21 4 hybrid, Big Bertha 2023 3 and 5 woods, and a new Callaway Fairway 14 stand bag to put it all in. My mind is even more blown now. These fairway woods are extremely easy to hit. I'm starting to think the 65 gram iron shafts may be a little bit loose for me, so I may end up reshafting with something heavier and stiffer, but I'll wait until I get a few more rounds under my belt to make that decision. I can confidently say that other than maybe a new driver in the next year or two, I won't be buying any new golf clubs for the foreseeable future.