If you like the look of it you'll be happier playing it. As for your score, practice and learning what you do best is the way forward. Reduce your errors. If you want more distance, take a 4 instead of a 5. If you want more shots on target, hit the sweet spot more often. Learn your game and stop playing someone else's. I see no one talks about sole grind or bounce angles. Don't get fitted by the pro for clubs without them checking your divots. Also don't forget your home course conditions may be different, firmer or softer, than the ground your being checked on. I play blades in summer and cavities in winter as I find the ground too soft for my Hogan Cameo blades in winter and my Mizuno Pro soles better across the turf when it's really soft ground. Biggest game changers in 30years are Driver materials giving a very large sweet spot and the golf ball. Also, find a ball you like, that suits your game, a stick with it. Don't forget, club pro's make money selling lessons and manufacturers make money selling clubs, but you can't buy a game. Good luck in your quest.
Got a set of 1979 Hogan Apex IIs. Love hitting them, and love the look of them. Prefer using them for practice to let me know if I'm on the right track or not. I use a cavity back when I'm playing.
This is the most honest and down to earth golf video I've ever seen. Golf equipment is ridiculously expensive considering they are just regurgitating the same gimmicks over and over again. And even if they did manage to make some 'unmissable' club what would be the fun in using it? it would be like bowling with gutters up and standing next to the pins...
Bought a set of 1986 Titleist tour blades 2 thru SW, extended them one inch and shot a legit 38 2 over for nine holes right before dark. Next day shot 82. 9 strokes better then my Ping's on the same course. Next I'm shopping for a set of persimmons. No more game improvement crap.
Very nice Q&A. I game Hogan Apex Plus irons (2006), which have a shallow players' cavity, and recently picked up MP 69 short irons. Definitely noticed almost 10 yards of increased distance on the modern 69s on well struck shots, but I have a feeling that has a lot to do with slightly stronger lofts and shafts (x100 vs Apex 4). Either way, I feel like modern blades have a fair amount of hidden tech that increases performance over classic blades from the 70s and 80s.
If you like the club, but it's worn out then I recommend getting them refurbished. That solves the groove issue. Forged irons can be bent to your spec and lofted down if you want a "modern" loft. You can spot a better refurbish place if you ask them a simple question. Will they be able to match head weight to the existing? Good places can weigh the clubs and chrome plate to weight. Others will say that is not an option and your clubs come back lighter than when they were sent in.
great video. mark says that cavity backs (like his jpx ez's) would not lower handicaps for amateurs, which seems very counter intuitive. if the dispersion is smaller with the cavity backs, more greens should be hit and more pars would likely result, since 2 putting is easier than an up and down for most weekend players. going the other way, if that amateur who normally uses cavity backs suddenly plays blades, their handicap would very likely go up, because of course blades are less forgiving and harder to hit. any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Right again Mark! Average h'cap 20 yrs ago - 17. Ave h'cap now - 17! Get a lesson/s not new clubs.........however, if you're using 1975 Hagens get both!
I have a set of 1996 call way big Bertha gold irons it's funny I have new drivers putters but I love the look and feel of those clubs so I never change I get new bags and everything else but just keep the irons I like the look when I look down at address haha
I think a better way to answer this would be a situation where you took an old club head like the Walter hagen and made it in the same process it was originally made brand new today then put a new modern brand new dynamic gold s-300 or xp 95 gram shaft and see what happens then.Anything that's worn out has metal fatiuge and worn out flimsy shafts that wont work as well ans anything new.
Super Game Improvment blade: www.golfworks.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MA0226_A_cn_E_671 If blade is designed correctly than it can be as good as cavity back. Above blades are move game improvment then Mizuno JPX 825.
I think modern clubs are easier to use because they are now designed by highly qualified engineers on computer aided design systems, then made from high quality materials on ultra accurate machinery. All that compared to slide rules, pencil n paper and manual machinery has got to be an advantage, not massive granted but it would be apparent. I use ping s58 irons that for all the world look small and difficult to use but to me are as easy as the g2, i5 I used previously, its the engineering that makes it possible
How about this.......if you say that clubs aren't lowering handicaps, why are you using a "game improvement" iron? If you think that an older iron performs the same as a new iron, you are silly. Anyone who has been fitted proper knows that iron/shaft selection can dramatically affect your handicap. If you hit a particular combo (iron/shaft) an average of 7yrds over your previous combo, you are in a better range with scoring irons. Given that course/conditions, etc plays a roll....but over a season, you WILL see a drop in score. I would enjoy a "throwback" PGA event. Pretty sure Mark would be eating his words.
Drivers/Woods and balls have changed drastically since the 70's/80's even upwards of the 2000's...Irons however haven't. I have 1970's Faultless Lee Trevino blades that I can hit just about as far as I can with brand new clubs when using comparable lofts. The only thing that changes from year to year that makes you hit "further" are the loft's on the clubs. When you take a 34* 7 iron and crank it to 31* and say the 10 yards you gain with it is due to "new technology" you're kidding yourself. You can only tinker with the technology of metal so much, which is why distance wise you're not going to really gain anything. With that said, thickness of the club and the way they are weighted/offset now a days does/can help dramatically with forgiveness, but you're not going to really gain that much with new heads distance wise. Throw the 1970's club head on the same new shaft that you get fit with on the new clubs and I think you'd find they are pretty similar. Plus, just because you can hit something further means nothing to what you can potentially score.
If you like the look of it you'll be happier playing it. As for your score, practice and learning what you do best is the way forward. Reduce your errors. If you want more distance, take a 4 instead of a 5. If you want more shots on target, hit the sweet spot more often. Learn your game and stop playing someone else's. I see no one talks about sole grind or bounce angles. Don't get fitted by the pro for clubs without them checking your divots. Also don't forget your home course conditions may be different, firmer or softer, than the ground your being checked on. I play blades in summer and cavities in winter as I find the ground too soft for my Hogan Cameo blades in winter and my Mizuno Pro soles better across the turf when it's really soft ground. Biggest game changers in 30years are Driver materials giving a very large sweet spot and the golf ball. Also, find a ball you like, that suits your game, a stick with it. Don't forget, club pro's make money selling lessons and manufacturers make money selling clubs, but you can't buy a game. Good luck in your quest.
Chris Banner best comment ever
Got a set of 1979 Hogan Apex IIs. Love hitting them, and love the look of them. Prefer using them for practice to let me know if I'm on the right track or not. I use a cavity back when I'm playing.
This is the most honest and down to earth golf video I've ever seen. Golf equipment is ridiculously expensive considering they are just regurgitating the same gimmicks over and over again. And even if they did manage to make some 'unmissable' club what would be the fun in using it? it would be like bowling with gutters up and standing next to the pins...
Bought a set of 1986 Titleist tour blades 2 thru SW, extended them one inch and shot a legit 38 2 over for nine holes right before dark. Next day shot 82. 9 strokes better then my Ping's on the same course. Next I'm shopping for a set of persimmons. No more game improvement crap.
I really like this Camera angle. Maybe you should consider putting this angle on your review videos too
Very nice Q&A. I game Hogan Apex Plus irons (2006), which have a shallow players' cavity, and recently picked up MP 69 short irons. Definitely noticed almost 10 yards of increased distance on the modern 69s on well struck shots, but I have a feeling that has a lot to do with slightly stronger lofts and shafts (x100 vs Apex 4). Either way, I feel like modern blades have a fair amount of hidden tech that increases performance over classic blades from the 70s and 80s.
If you like the club, but it's worn out then I recommend getting them refurbished. That solves the groove issue. Forged irons can be bent to your spec and lofted down if you want a "modern" loft. You can spot a better refurbish place if you ask them a simple question. Will they be able to match head weight to the existing? Good places can weigh the clubs and chrome plate to weight. Others will say that is not an option and your clubs come back lighter than when they were sent in.
great video. mark says that cavity backs (like his jpx ez's) would not lower handicaps for amateurs, which seems very counter intuitive. if the dispersion is smaller with the cavity backs, more greens should be hit and more pars would likely result, since 2 putting is easier than an up and down for most weekend players. going the other way, if that amateur who normally uses cavity backs suddenly plays blades, their handicap would very likely go up, because of course blades are less forgiving and harder to hit. any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
I'd recommend a set of Tommy Armour 845s irons and a 20* hybrid.
Right again Mark! Average h'cap 20 yrs ago - 17.
Ave h'cap now - 17!
Get a lesson/s not new clubs.........however, if you're using 1975 Hagens get both!
I have a set of 1996 call way big Bertha gold irons it's funny I have new drivers putters but I love the look and feel of those clubs so I never change I get new bags and everything else but just keep the irons I like the look when I look down at address haha
I think a better way to answer this would be a situation where you took an old club head like the Walter hagen and made it in the same process it was originally made brand new today then put a new modern brand new dynamic gold s-300 or xp 95 gram shaft and see what happens then.Anything that's worn out has metal fatiuge and worn out flimsy shafts that wont work as well ans anything new.
I have bladed Arnold Palmer Charger II irons that I practice with. I'm pretty sure they are from 1978.
the back ground looks like a green screen made background hahaha
Mark I like the new camera angle. This was a bit of a dud question
Super Game Improvment blade: www.golfworks.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MA0226_A_cn_E_671
If blade is designed correctly than it can be as good as cavity back. Above blades are move game improvment then Mizuno JPX 825.
Love the new view! Keep it up!
I think modern clubs are easier to use because they are now designed by highly qualified engineers on computer aided design systems, then made from high quality materials on ultra accurate machinery. All that compared to slide rules, pencil n paper and manual machinery has got to be an advantage, not massive granted but it would be apparent. I use ping s58 irons that for all the world look small and difficult to use but to me are as easy as the g2, i5 I used previously, its the engineering that makes it possible
nice new camera views.
love the new(?) camera angles. The undie adjust... not so much :)
Much better angle mark!
It is curious how every one of the questions starts with the same two lines.......
Mark
Who would give you a custom-fit-trial ? Genuinely interested in where on earth that's possible ?
John
Did he eat like 10 Ghost peppers before shooting the video?
How about this.......if you say that clubs aren't lowering handicaps, why are you using a "game improvement" iron? If you think that an older iron performs the same as a new iron, you are silly. Anyone who has been fitted proper knows that iron/shaft selection can dramatically affect your handicap. If you hit a particular combo (iron/shaft) an average of 7yrds over your previous combo, you are in a better range with scoring irons. Given that course/conditions, etc plays a roll....but over a season, you WILL see a drop in score. I would enjoy a "throwback" PGA event. Pretty sure Mark would be eating his words.
Drivers/Woods and balls have changed drastically since the 70's/80's even upwards of the 2000's...Irons however haven't. I have 1970's Faultless Lee Trevino blades that I can hit just about as far as I can with brand new clubs when using comparable lofts. The only thing that changes from year to year that makes you hit "further" are the loft's on the clubs. When you take a 34* 7 iron and crank it to 31* and say the 10 yards you gain with it is due to "new technology" you're kidding yourself. You can only tinker with the technology of metal so much, which is why distance wise you're not going to really gain anything.
With that said, thickness of the club and the way they are weighted/offset now a days does/can help dramatically with forgiveness, but you're not going to really gain that much with new heads distance wise. Throw the 1970's club head on the same new shaft that you get fit with on the new clubs and I think you'd find they are pretty similar.
Plus, just because you can hit something further means nothing to what you can potentially score.
wrong question shown and wedgie at 1.15...