Equipment
How old is too old for irons? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing older irons. WRXer ‘R5Two’ kicks off the thread, saying
“I pulled my old Titleist 695 CBs (cr 2006) out of storage to hit a few balls. I have seen many videos about how much faster the ballspeeds are these days, but I don’t know if I care. I’m a blade guy. Isn’t a hunk of metal a hunk of metal?
How old is too old for forged irons? What are we missing? Non-confirming grooves maybe? Maybe a little forgiveness?”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts in our forum.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- PEI_Golfer: “Irons are all about accuracy and distance control, not ball speed… Nothing wrong with the 695’s (my first OEM set of irons); I still bring out my 690.CB’s from time to time and OG Nike blades.”
- Tar_Heel_93: “I’m with you. I prefer a solid forged iron. Not looking for a lot of tech. Here are the irons I am testing for next season. Apex MBs have been in the bag for several seasons. Others are recent additions. Titleist CB and Wilson Staff CB have Tungsten in the mid and long irons. However, so far my favorite CB is the Bridgestone J33 CBs circa 2006.” (Photo above proved by Tar_Heel_93)
- mrfuz: “I recently regripped my old 690MBs and pulled out my Eye2s. They’re not replacing my Sim2 Maxes, but they’re fun to play with.”
- HoosierHacker89: “695 CB irons are great! One of my all-time favorites. I found them to be really forgiving especially the long irons. This was one of the few sets I was confident in the 4/5 irons. I played a set of Srixon 765 irons the last 3 years. Honestly can’t say there was much if anyone difference in the heads Of both sets.”
Entire Thread: “How old is too old for irons?“
More From The Forums
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms
Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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Mike
Jan 14, 2022 at 4:34 pm
I think the main differences are the lofts. But I do think a comparison would show that a 2021 iron will fly a bit higher w/ the same distance) as a 2005 iron.
Hunter
Jan 14, 2022 at 10:56 am
I learned to play with TaylorMade Tour Preferred TD blades from the late 80’s. I then switched to Hogan Apex Plus irons and played them for many years. 5yrs ago I found a set of the old TM blades and started playing them again. I was loving them, but then I snared a set of Ping i210s, and the difference is night and day. I can miss-hit the i210s and still find the green. They go 10-15yds further than the TM blades. While I still like the look of blades better, I’ll never go back to playing them. The benefits of newer technology far outweighs old school looks.
JungleJimbo
Jan 13, 2022 at 9:25 pm
To GolfWRX team/Gianni Magliocco: As you’ve used a contributor’s photo (i.e. @Tar_Heel_93 ‘s), as your thumbnail/ Leading photo…
i think you should attribute a photo credit, in this article?
Link to photo: https://forums.golfwrx.com/topic/1852273-how-old-is-too-old-irons-edition/?do=findComment&comment=23972310
Hugh Givzaphook
Jan 13, 2022 at 9:47 pm
Found the only guy in the world who gives a %$#@
Ping Eye 2
Jan 13, 2022 at 7:28 pm
………Don’t you know I’m still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid
And I’m still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind
I’m still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah
I’m still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah……….
Everardo
Jan 13, 2022 at 7:17 pm
Just did a test myself with two sets of irons that were 15 years old vs a newer set from last year. My older sets (were fitted for me mind you) and performed the same or better than the newer set. So I’m selling the newer set since they have better resale value. I had all 3 sets checked for loft, lie, length, flex, etc to make it a fair comparison and tested them all on the same calibrated launch monitor, same ball and over multiple days just to keep things fair.
Brooksy
Jan 14, 2022 at 1:07 pm
I am curious, what were the clubs?