Looking to upgrade my irons....advice?

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By dan r

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  • 7 Replies
  1. dan r

    dan r

    I'm wanting to get a new set of irons. I've been playing my DCI 981 for a few years now. I'm curious as to what newers Titleist clubs would be comparable to them? I like the look of the CB 710/712s and they look kind of similar to the 981's but I'm not sure if thse would be too much of a "players club" for me.
  2. fred k

    fred k
    falls church, VA

    dan,

    my opinion is the ap1's would be most akin to the 981's you're playing now.  having said that, your choice of the cb's is just that - your choice.  if it fits your eye better than an ap1/2 or mb or whatever, then i would say that's the club to go with.  yes, the cb's are a bit more of a player's club and might not be as forgiving as the 981's.  however, in my experience, my misses with my 762's were no worse than with my mizuno blades, but your mileage may vary.

    i would suggest that if the cb's are what you've settled on, then you should get fitted with them for the correct shafts.  the shaft is the real engine and if you can get set up with the right one, it almost doesn't matter what head you put on the end of it.  good luck!

    -fred

  3. Pete D

    Pete D
    Plaistow, NH / Ft. Myers, FL

    I would suggest you post your golf ability & experience to help get better responses. How old are you? How long have you been playing? How many rounds do you play per season? What is your handicap index? Just a thought...
  4. Nate S

    Nate S
    Saint Johns, FL

    I would say that if your good enough, you can play the CB's. I would recommend trying the AP2's which is still a players club. 

  5. dan r

    dan r

    24, playing since I was about 11. Was a fairly casual golfer throughout my teens, but have been playing the game a lot more in the last 5 years. Usually shoot mid to low 80's. 

  6. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    dan r said:

    24, playing since I was about 11. Was a fairly casual golfer throughout my teens, but have been playing the game a lot more in the last 5 years. Usually shoot mid to low 80's. 

    If you shoot in the 80s, might as well go for the player irons because shot shaping and extracting the capabilities of the golf clubs is what gets you in the 70s along with a killer short game.  Best thing to do is go demo the AP2, the CB and the MB side by side.

    I was alternating between DCI 981s and Eye 2 irons for 9 months last year and dialing both sets in.  The edge went to the DCIs on the 5-7 irons mainly because I got better distance on good hits (10 yards).  For the short irons, the Eye 2s won out despite being 3-5 yards shorter mainly because of consistency and accuracy and because I can play them in a wider variety of conditions (such as long bunker shots); also, I need fewer clubs to do the same job (don't need a PW since the 9 iron is 45*).  The DG Sensicore shafts on the 981s emulate the buzz words "buttery feel" that you see at Golfsmith.  I'm using the Eye 2s now (sold the 981s) mainly because I carry 26 and 34 hybrids in place of the 5-7 irons.

  7. Sam H

    Sam H
    Allendale, NJ

    I disagree. If you're shooting low to mid 80's, your probably a 12-14 handicap. No one really has any business playing blades unless you're shooting low 70's consistently and breaking par occasionally. There's no upside, other than the fact that they look cool in your bag. Look at the pros, the best players in the world, and maybe 35-40% of them play blades, while the majority of them play more forgiving forged irons like the AP2, CB, or MP 59 (Luke Donald, ranked #1 in the world). You get virtually all the playability of a blade in perimeter weighted cavity back iron with added forgiveness. And until you're shooting under par once in a while, the added workability of a blade is not something you need to be concerned with. Focus on making your bad shots less bad, hitting more fairways and greens and your scores will plummet. Try the AP2's, they seem to be best suited to your game currently and will allow you to improve while also helping you along the way.
  8. dan r

    dan r

    Sam H said:

    I disagree. If you're shooting low to mid 80's, your probably a 12-14 handicap. No one really has any business playing blades unless you're shooting low 70's consistently and breaking par occasionally. There's no upside, other than the fact that they look cool in your bag. Look at the pros, the best players in the world, and maybe 35-40% of them play blades, while the majority of them play more forgiving forged irons like the AP2, CB, or MP 59 (Luke Donald, ranked #1 in the world). You get virtually all the playability of a blade in perimeter weighted cavity back iron with added forgiveness. And until you're shooting under par once in a while, the added workability of a blade is not something you need to be concerned with. Focus on making your bad shots less bad, hitting more fairways and greens and your scores will plummet. Try the AP2's, they seem to be best suited to your game currently and will allow you to improve while also helping you along the way.

    Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I definitely didn't have any intention of playing full blades like the mb 712's or something. But I ended up going to a local shop yesterday and got on the simulator with the cb 712's and the ap2's. Didn't mind the cb's but I absolutely loved the ap2's. Think I've finally found my next set of clubs. Now I just need to go back and get properly fitted. Thanks for the help everyone. 

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