Irons Distances or Direction?

[RASWING]

MJ and All,

What’s most important with irons? Direction or distance the reason I asked is I have 2 sets of clubs.

(1) A set my buddy a club fitter made for me to max out distance there longer and lighter softer flex shaft forged heads flat lie angle avg 5 iron distance is 185 could even hit them longer when I step on them I have when needed just being a brut; but the pattern in relation to the target is no good when now its not 15 yards left or right but it isn’t as tight as I would like. Also this set feels like its always staying behind me. I have a quick tempo .09 I looked only a few guys have that the rest are around 1.1 or 1.0 so I need something heavy and a bit stiffer and the swing weight on the heavy side of the D scale.
When I swing what feels really slow to me the work great but that’s hard for me to do under pressures as we all know when things heated on the course in an event we tend to even speed up as we get pumped up and I am no different I feel like I am quicker but that’s ok...

(2) Now this set is a set with some S400 shafts 1/2 in over standard with a 1 degree upright lie forged head both have the same loft they have been tested on the loft and lie machine. I hit them shorter distance but man do I hit the straight always around my target unless I just put a nasty swing on the shot pattern is much tighter with these clubs. I love the flight and the way I hit these much more online from where I intend to start the ball and where I want the ball to end up. The challenge is I don’t have the distance with these clubs at times I am hitting 2 clubs more than I do with the other set, If I played the same course all the time and you just knew all the clubs for that course wouldn’t make much difference same course distance and all...
So I went out today and did a test, played the back nine to get warmed up. Took ten balls same type and numbered them grabbed the 3, 5, 7, 9 of both sets and did a test. From the tee on a short par 4 into the wind 3 iron the steel shaft set hit the FW ten times the Graphite shaft missed 3 out of 10 and the distance was different....
Then went to the 180 distance into the green on another hole using GPS both 5 irons the graphite shaft went farther came closer to the green into a 10 MPH head wind and ballooned and the pattern was all over the place into that wind but the 10 balls with the steel shafted irons where shorter but laid with in 6 yards of each other inline with the green....
So guys and MJ what’s better for irons?

Sorry so long but a lot running through the coconut..
V/R
RA

[Michael Jacobs]

MJ and All,

What’s most important with irons? Direction or distance the reason I asked is I have 2 sets of clubs.

(1) A set my buddy a club fitter made for me to max out distance there longer and lighter softer flex shaft forged heads flat lie angle avg 5 iron distance is 185 could even hit them longer when I step on them I have when needed just being a brut; but the pattern in relation to the target is no good when now its not 15 yards left or right but it isn’t as tight as I would like. Also this set feels like its always staying behind me. I have a quick tempo .09 I looked only a few guys have that the rest are around 1.1 or 1.0 so I need something heavy and a bit stiffer and the swing weight on the heavy side of the D scale.
When I swing what feels really slow to me the work great but that’s hard for me to do under pressures as we all know when things heated on the course in an event we tend to even speed up as we get pumped up and I am no different I feel like I am quicker but that’s ok...

(2) Now this set is a set with some S400 shafts 1/2 in over standard with a 1 degree upright lie forged head both have the same loft they have been tested on the loft and lie machine. I hit them shorter distance but man do I hit the straight always around my target unless I just put a nasty swing on the shot pattern is much tighter with these clubs. I love the flight and the way I hit these much more online from where I intend to start the ball and where I want the ball to end up. The challenge is I don’t have the distance with these clubs at times I am hitting 2 clubs more than I do with the other set, If I played the same course all the time and you just knew all the clubs for that course wouldn’t make much difference same course distance and all...
So I went out today and did a test, played the back nine to get warmed up. Took ten balls same type and numbered them grabbed the 3, 5, 7, 9 of both sets and did a test. From the tee on a short par 4 into the wind 3 iron the steel shaft set hit the FW ten times the Graphite shaft missed 3 out of 10 and the distance was different....
Then went to the 180 distance into the green on another hole using GPS both 5 irons the graphite shaft went farther came closer to the green into a 10 MPH head wind and ballooned and the pattern was all over the place into that wind but the 10 balls with the steel shafted irons where shorter but laid with in 6 yards of each other inline with the green....
So guys and MJ what’s better for irons?

Sorry so long but a lot running through the coconut..
V/R
RA

RA,

It is ultimately player's choice and a matter of style. I would definitely make sure that whatever you choose that the lie angles of the irons are accurate. As for the question about distance vs direction - for iron play wouldn't accuracy be of utmost importance??

There is so much that goes into shaft study - there are materials, strain etc... so much of shaft choice is ultimately trial and error with measurements. One of the biggest areas in club fitting which is often overlooked is weight. A player will respond to the weight drastically.

So to sum it up, I would get the lie angles checked and then play with whatever makes you shoot lower!

[RASWING]

MJ,
Thanks, Funny you say that when I was trying to ensure I swung le enough to counter act my downward strike I noticed that my face direction was never quit the right amount open to the path. So I have read so much that it made me think of that the LIE angles which where a bit upright so it cause the face to be left or equal to the path. So i took them to my buddy to flatten the lie angle ..."he asks Why would you do that" I have been trying to get him on the correct info about the D plane and zero out the resultant path... He wants to hear nothing about it way to old fashion in his thinking, but he is my buddy so I have to take him as he is you know... Well he did it and i have been hitting some really really straight shots. So I think that did it for the direction portion and I will keep working on the my pivot cause that’s the area of my swing that’s limiting my distance... I will keep working on it with the help of you guys and I get it sooner that later... I am committed to it.. Thanks
V/R
RA

[Matt Bryda]

RASWING,

Curious about lie angle of your clubs after you had them bent.

What are your new lie angles?
Matt

[RASWING]

SY,

The new ones are 2 degress flat from standard for Mizuno clubs.

PW - 63 standard/ new angle 61 ( set 3 iron - Pitching wedge.)

9iron 62.5 standard /new angle 60.5

8iron 62.0 standard /new angle 60.0

Hope that helps.
V/R
RA