Everyone likes to kid Mark Crossfield on UA-cam lately, however, no one can make a real informative video (like this video) better. I really enjoy your fitting ,gapping and review vids.
I'm on week 3 with Callaway Mavrik Pros, coming from traditionally lofted forged cavity backs. They're almost exactly one club longer, and I gotta say, the mental aspect of hitting 9 from 150 instead of 8 has a bigger affect than I thought it would. It's a major confidence builder before I've even stood over the ball.
So you can now hit a 9 iron 150 yards that's probably same loft/length as your old 8 iron....your major confidence builder is all "in your head". Eg Marks ZX4 irons spec 4 iron 21° - AW 49°, IF was 3iron 21°- PW 49° the results would be the same!!!
@@alexfrench6937 Not necessarily so - the more sophisticated stronger lofted sets still fly the ball at the right height through some clever tech. But you’re right that confidence is all in the head, and we all buy whatever tools help us feel confident 🙂
You have now adopted exactly my bag setup - with our irons being at most 1 degree different on certain clubs - I worked very hard at TXG in Toronto to build this gapped bag. Mizuno T20s Wedges (58, 52), Mizuno Hot Metal Pros (PW,9,8,7 -> 47, 42, 37, 32 degrees), Mizuno HMB20s (6,5 -> 28, 24 Degrees), Hybrids (22, 19, 16), 3W (14.5), Driver. I would never give up that 24-degree 5-iron (for exactly why you're putting it back in the bag) - but I debate the 16 hybrid and a 62-degree wedge and making the 58 back to 57
@@2222skinny I play down to a 5 iron and then go 4 and 3 hybrid but it really is true that once you get used to hybrids you can just chip them around so easily. I feel like I can hit my 4 hybrid comfortably from 140-190. It’s cool to hear there’s a pro out there doing that too
It’s amazing to see your transition from the MP5 blade experiment to this power bat one. I will be interested to see how you like actually playing with this set up once y’all get off lockdown.
I don't think he is on to anything here. Playinga 9 thats and 8, an 8 thats a 7 degree wise etc etc... is there a win here or will he just have two clubs atthe top of his bag that do the same thing! Its either that orwedges that do the same job!!
Yes definitely change your clubs, as you said gives you more options and variety on the shots you play . Best of luck on the new Vlogs hopefully coming up. Waiting in anticipation, they got me through the last lockdown.
Question for everyone. Would being able to have a custom fit like this so going through a whole bag getting clubs to bleed distance wise, would it make amateurs better? As a custom fit for a amateur normally means trying a 7 iron and that's it. Makes it tricker to see of there's any gaps that need plugging. Great video as always 👍
I am really rethinking about what I have in MY bag now. I am pretty sure I am heavy on the low end. I use two wedges for about 90% of my shots inside 120 yds and my average drive is in the neighborhood of around 220/230. I could probably get rid of two or maybe even three clubs. Going to spend some time with a launch monitor and go through this exercise. I really like these sort of practical videos. Very helpful Mark.
Mark, this was fascinating. Funny enough, I've gone the opposite way this year. I've built my bag with more "traditional" lofts. Again, I've gone 2 wedges. Then the more traditional lofts my current PW-6 iron don't go as far as my old ones did. What it does is allowed me to have more "bleeding" as you call it from 130 to 180 yards, which is where I always find myself. I feel I now have more options. I do the 2 "6 irons" thing with a chunky 6 and chunky 5, then two hybrids a 3 wood and a driver.
I have a ZX7/5 Combo set and have never been happier in a set of irons. I went 50, 56,60(bent to 61) in SM8’s. The ZX lune of irons is also the best looking set of iron made. And...being Endo Forged, feel like butter.
Thats why i will never mess around wit a set , pw to 4 iron straight you get your gaps on point , then pick your wedges and crossover or rescue , job done , no need for all this pissing around will i hit that 6 iron or the other 6 iron 😅
IInstead of thinking about if you’re going to hit this 6 or that 6, you think about hitting between 6 or 5 iron for a distance. It’s the same problem, you just have a different number on the bottom. He treats the stronger 6 iron as a “5 semi-hybrid” for his distances, it just says 6 on the bottom
I enjoy that your videos look at how to better play golf, bag make up, gapping and strategy combined with club reviews. I am looking for a better, more effective/efficient way to play with clubs that complement that goal. I try taking my ego out of the decisions, but admit to making club/ball choices where ego got in the way. Thanks for your guidance. It is helpful and saves me money and mental anguish!
I have started to make the same kind of changes to my bag. I go from a RTX 50* wedge to the 765 p-7 565 6 iron Zu65 4 (22*) 19* and 16* hybrids and a 3 wood 13.5*
Hi Mark, Love these gapping videos... Would be great to see you play a course where you played 9 holes with a set of Z-Forged irons and 9 holes with a set of ZX4's and see how it works on the course...
I'm going to have some overlap at top of the bag. Prefer irons but like the difference of a 3hybrid. So going to.play 2ut and 3hy mainly use the 2ut off the tee and where versatility is needed and the hybrid off the deck
I have similar composition with Cleveland Launcher UHX irons. Jump from 6 iron to Srixon h85 4 hybrid, but then go with Ping G410 7wood. I think UHX launcher is quite similar with ZX4 as they are "sisters".
I play a Z785/585 combo set and use two 6 irons. The gap from the 785 6-iron to the 585 5-iron was 20+ yards. Purchased a 585 6-iron and it split the gap perfect for me.
One thing about strong loft clubs is the lengths are still shorter so for me there is more control / confidence. So while the 6 may have a 5 loft it is still a 6 in shaft lengt.
I'm playing three 7 irons now. ZX 5 7 iron bent 1* strong at 30 *. ZX 7 7 iron @ 32*, and a Hogan Icon blade 7 iron bent 1* weak at 35 *. The 2 ZX clubs are .25 inch longer shaft than the Hogan Blade.
Good tips again, superb nerdy type info which is flipping awesome, dead handy when going for a fitting in a week!! Keep up the top stuff and looking forward to your course blogs again. P.s. change the clubs, can't beat shiny things.
I am in the process of combining Mizuno MP20 MB / HMB / G410 hybrids into 7 wood. I powered my bats with the HMB but spent last season regularly flying the back of greens....so throttling back in the shorter clubs and similarly gapping between 185-230 with 5H; 4H and 7wood which give options. Lockdown training has seen some speed gains.
It would be nice if manufacturers stamped the loft on every club. Maybe even eventually changing the numbering system to lofts instead of numberS that have no real meaning anymore. Fun video, thanks for sharing..
"WHAT DID YOU HIT BRUH" Here's my bag. Mizzies bruh... MP-33 FTW: 5-9. Cleveland wedges: 50, 54, 58, Titlelist H1 Hybrid: 19 degrees, Callaway Hot 5W, Taylormade M2 3W, and Ping G30LST: 9.5 degree. Sometimes I'll swap the 4i and 3i back in the set, but overall I'm pretty happy considering how infrequently I play now... Love the insight into your bag and the way you think about it bruh. It's a beautiful thing.
Man, it's fun to watch you hit these distances, Mark. Such a different game when you've got this new speed. Can't wait to see the course vlogs this year. I bet you'll have Coach hitting the range to up his game now that he can't just out-muscle you. It's gonna be fun!!
So in the ZX4 the 8i has the loft of my 7i and the spin rate of 6i - and as Mark has a faster swing than me he should really get more spin than me. That might be a little tricky to play but I guess as long as peak height and descent angle are good enough it should work
My fitter told me to decrease my loft at impact to keep spin down, that’s great but I’m worried about going right. So far no issues but I’m wondering if there is too much dynamic loft causing a right miss, thanks
What did you hit Bruh. I can easily find my clubs are 10yds shorter or longer depending on what kind of day I am having. My standard deviation in swing and quality of contact make all the difference. I think I would stick to the clubs that give you the feel and sound you like best.
Simulator data is great but when do you play golf with no wind and flat everything? There's a par 3 where I play which is about 175 yards long, depending on wind I've hit everything from pw to 3 wood!!
Stick with what you're playing Mark, bet you can't wait to get out! I've now got perfect gapping right through the bag, took me long enough! Alas, in today's comp I was hitting my driver 250 down the middle or 150 duck hook into the gorse, not a gap I wanted. Don't get me started on the putter.......
Ya couldn't agree more. He will fall off when he gets on the course. Its the hitting bay ideas. Have been watching Mark for years and he seems to do this every few years.
Thats so funny, this is exactly the comment i was going to make! The circle is even fuller as i remember him gaming Mizuno EZ irons and talking about the benefits of hitting it longer, then as you say he went back to blades and concluded that the truer numbers produced were the way to go, now we return to power bats!
@@rossw6001 not sure I totally agree. I feel Mark speaks on ideas. Right now its about getting the gaps in the bag and less the number on the club. I do agree however the sponsor are asking him to pump their tires a bit right now and he is grasping for something that might be fun or an experiment on their dime. He has been stuck at 330k for awhile though.
The only concern with the power bats has to be flyers. Could you not just got to the zx4’s in the 6&5 iron positions? To keep the control in the higher lofted clubs? As for the wedges, I went to 2 as I just wasn’t using the 3rd wedge. Added a 19 degree hybrid, problem is I seem to hit my 22, 19 and 3 wood all the same distance (off the ground!) 😂
your misses are 10-12 yds left or right.............mine are 50-70.......sadly i'm still working on strike mostly....but i've only been playing 38 yrs.....so so sad....thanks for the video...i always enjoy your content....especially your course vlog at Ross Bridge in Birmingham Al.
I'd argue there is more to club selection than just carry length. Particularly at the lower end. I use 45, 50, 55 and 60 degree wedges and I am very happy with them. Although I rarely hit 55 and 60 full I don't want to miss the option of having a high and low bounce wedge around the green. It gives me the confidence that I can react to any tight or soft ground conditions wherever my ball ends up when I miss the green. At the long end I have a 16° 4 wood, 19° hybrid and 4 Iron with 22° loft and I don't feel I miss out on anything. I guess everyone needs to build their bag based on their own strengths and weaknesses as well as home course conditions.
Feel like you need a long approach club that will come in high and sit soft on the green Mark. I’m talking 5 wood - I hit one to a green last week that carried 230 yards, and actually spun back 2 feet!! Yes it was a soft green, but even on hard green that isn’t running out far. You don’t have that option, so do you really need a 3 Wood and a 2 Hybrid? I know most would want the 3 wood - I actually play a Mizuno CLK 2 hybrid instead so I can hit lower penetrating flights into the wind. It goes about 240 yards so I only lose 10 yards against a 3W. Then my next club is the 5 wood, going 220-225 yards for the soft landings. Then into 3 hybrid lofted up to basically a 4H replacing my 4 iron. Then irons 5-PW, 48 deg GW, 54 & 60 wedges. Good luck whatever you decide bruh!
"WHAT DID YOU HIT BRUH!" I'm interested in how you get by with just a 52º and a 58º. Maybe it's because I miss more greens than you do, often in awkward places. Having a 50º, 55º, and 60º gives me more options. This video gets me thinking about whether I need those options. A factor is what I would do if I switched to two short wedges. I'm not as long as you are, so the gaps in distance at the top of my bag aren't as great. Maybe I'd carry thirteen clubs and save a pound of weight.
one of the keys, when you do this, is you have a PW that you like a lot and are comfortable hitting 3/4 & 1/2 shots with - and the loft also likely is a weak standard blade loft of 47 degrees - i.e 5/6 degrees away from your 52/53 and then 5/6 degrees away from your 57/58/59 - i also think it is helpful to buy a 54-degree wedge, with a heal&toe grind, and then bend it weaker to 52/53 - that way it is more useful for chipping and bunker play when needed - i play a 56/14 as a 52/10
I love my Cleveland HB Turbo driver and 3 and 5 woods.I wish they made a 7 Wood and the Halo came in 5 iron loft. Looking forward to putting the ZX4 in my bag. Thinking of having the Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedges though instead of the Cleveland CBX 2? Any guidance would be appreciated by this Aussie long term subscriber!!
WHAT DID YOU HUT BRUH What loft have you got your driver set at Mark? I'd be interested to see a video on driver static loft. I know we're trying to get dynamic loft high for the carry etc etc but at the moment you have bryson with a 5 degree and Rory with a 10.5 degree and I'm just curious what thoughts might he going on with each if them. Cheers.
Srixon used to be great-looking, over-looked irons. Now they look like they deserve to be over-looked. Not a fan of their looks, but of course looks aren’t everything. I play driver, 3w, 5w, 7w, 4h, 5i-9i, 48, 54, 60, and putter. I find this works well for me. I like having more options on the long end of the bag because it’s far easier to finesse a wedge than longer clubs.
What is the difference in shaft length? Imo if you can get similar performance out of a stronger lofted club say a 7 instead of a “traditional” lofted 6 BUT it is with a 7 iron length shaft.... thats a win. I know that wont make a difference to higher end players but for mortals like myself.... I’ll take all the help i can get, thank you very much!
When comparing the irons, does your old 6 iron have the same length shaft as the new ZX 4 7 iron? If they are different length, presuming the 7 is shorter, does that help with accuracy/dispersion/control and therefore an added advantage of the 7 over the 6?
What did you hit bruh? Interesting as always - ditching wedges not for me as faffing about at this end of bag I find tricky. Like to have 3 stock distances at 58, 54, 50 and then swing adjustments for in between distance are less drastic. Like you, like to have lots of options at top end and sub. in and out depending on time of year, course or conditions. Getting rid of 3w - has helped give more useful options. Punched recovery with my 4i and full shots is easily 50/50😁
I say change purely on getting a better looking 5/6iron in your bag. But me personally I’d just play a set of ZX7s. I much prefer traditional lofts. I play the Srixon z765s adjusted 2degrees weak.
Agree with the overlapping at the top of the bag but think you would benefit from having 50,54,58 in wedges and then 5-PW. Add putter and driver and that leave you 3 clubs to cover the gaps from driver to 5 iron. Think the reason that no more than 3 clubs are required for that gap is that amateurs haven't got good enough distance control at top end of bag so no point gapping to 10 yards
Out of curiosity Mark how are you going to get lower spinning shots? At 35° a 7 iron should spin around 6500, as the lofts strengthen your 8 iron at 35° spins 6500 etc so yes you have a lower spinning 8 iron in this scenario but it's carrying 7 iron numbers not 8 iron so spin is the same distance the club should be carrying
Great insight again Mark, really thought provoking. Out of interest, why not try the Gap Wedge from the new set? I’ve found that works for me. Although in my set the GW looks a bit chunky compared to my bladed SW, I can control distance well with it. I practice soft, moderate and full swings with the GW, that give me anything from about 75 to 110 yards, so like you I’m covering from 10 to 110 with just 2 wedges.
You should test this “game improvement” setup vs. a “players / tour” setup over a full season and backed by some actual data. I’m curious which one turns out better - or - if it’s about the same...
I've played every style of iron there is over the years and they don't really affect my scores once I'm used to them. The only things that make a difference in scoring is keeping my drive in bounds and execution in the short game.
Great video. I doubt if any clubfitter would help you set up a bag based on lofts and gapping like this. For me the second shot is the important one so having enough options in that area is not a bad thing. Personally, if you are comfortable with your driver I would drop the 3 wood. I have just put a 7 wood back in the bag, I'm not comfortable with hybrids, You forgot to mention the putter and ball you use.
I used to play only 2 specialist wedges as I could manipulate them and hit the yardages like you said Mark, but now I don’t get to practice and just get to play the Saturday medal every week so my distance control is no where near good enough to do that anymore so I’ve switched from 3,4 hybrid & 5 wood to 4 hybrid, 2 hybrid to add an extra wedge. That way I can focus on the same feelings with different wedges to hit the yardages rather than manipulating the different wedges. I’d love to be able to hit a 58 degree 50,60,70 & 80 yards consistently like when I was a junior but it’s just not happening now 😂
I agree with Dave below.. Seems we are back in the Mizuno EZ days which seems a bit counterintuitive considering your club head speed has improved so much and you still strike the ball as well as you always have. I do thank you for showing how important it is to have a proper fitting and gap testing. Most people don't need new clubs... They just need a gap fitting and one or two clubs to ensure that their yardages provide them the best scoring opportunities. Thanks Mark. I hope the boys are doing well.
@@MarkCrossfield I don't think many amateurs realize how much our irons bunch up in the 4, 5, 6 irons. That's why I went to a hybrid to replace my 4 iron because at times it only went as far as my 5 iron. I could have went game improvement iron but I do like the height I get with the hybrid as well as the versatility it provides..
Hi Mark... I've got to admit I'm confused... Did you not have an issue with the jpx ez set you had with distance control that made you go back to blades? Is this not the same cycle or am I missing an obvious difference here?
This video wasn't for himself, it was us the viewer. He knows what's what, he is just demonstrating the process. He is after all a UA-cam content Creater.
I was thinking the same thing, when i “discovered” Mark a few years ago he gamed the EZ irons, then went to mp5 for control. Then got contracted by Titleist and played their blades with two 6i and the “rinkeydink”, later Titleist counterpart. Got fitted for wedges by Bob and convinces us that we should have specialistwedge instead of PW, (better for chipping, pitching and everything). *New sponsordeal= Lighter shaft in the driver #262 (for the shaftoids…), blades again. Speedtraining, (we never got the results with TPI) And now back with chunky irons again 😱 Let’s hope they let you out on the courses soon, I think you’re going schizophrenic
With a lot of hollow body irons now on the market I wonder how many people who switched to them from cavity backs lowered their handicap and how many made their handicap worse.
"WHAT DID YOU HIT BRUH" don't think it will make much difference round to round as necessary lofts are hit. I would assume greater standard deviations from the zx4s over the z forged or zx7 and over a season this may create a very marginal drop in SG at the low end, which would be very hard to prove/disprove. So, as you said, a bit of fun. Plus shows options to others.
Agreed - particularly on the standard deviation. The thing I’ve really taken from mark is that the real trade off is launch v spin deviation as opposed to ‘forgiveness v workability’ as manufacturers would like to tell us. I’m getting a full new bag this year other than driver (been a while - I’m not a serial shiny thing person at all) and I am likely to do something similar to Marks old bag with a blend of up to 3 sets from PW to 5 iron.
Not really most people don't realise that the game improvement (chunky irons) are actually longer. The 8 iron stamped (chunky) will still be the same length as his old 7 iron (zx5/7)
@@jamiepreacher4978 good to know... some manufacturers crank the loft and add an extra half inch or inch to the length to increase CHS/ distance. I play the older Z785s and love them good mix of forgiveness whilst not being too strongly lofted (had mine weakened 1° also)
I envy people who have access to launch monitors whenever they choose. This is the only way to put a bag like this together. Great video.
I purchased a Garmin g80 recently. Best investment I have made for my golf game. Launch Monitor that won't break the bank 🏦.
@@michealnolan or give reliable data
Everyone likes to kid Mark Crossfield on UA-cam lately, however, no one can make a real informative video (like this video) better. I really enjoy your fitting ,gapping and review vids.
TXG can but that’s really about it.
I'm on week 3 with Callaway Mavrik Pros, coming from traditionally lofted forged cavity backs. They're almost exactly one club longer, and I gotta say, the mental aspect of hitting 9 from 150 instead of 8 has a bigger affect than I thought it would. It's a major confidence builder before I've even stood over the ball.
That can also work in reverse. Hit the right club in the first place or take a little more club and be smooth and on the money.
So you can now hit a 9 iron 150 yards that's probably same loft/length as your old 8 iron....your major confidence builder is all "in your head". Eg Marks ZX4 irons spec 4 iron 21° - AW 49°, IF was 3iron 21°- PW 49° the results would be the same!!!
@@alexfrench6937 Not necessarily so - the more sophisticated stronger lofted sets still fly the ball at the right height through some clever tech. But you’re right that confidence is all in the head, and we all buy whatever tools help us feel confident 🙂
You have got to be the only golfer of your ability that has these kind of ideas and I just think that this is awesome. Keep it up bruh
You have now adopted exactly my bag setup - with our irons being at most 1 degree different on certain clubs - I worked very hard at TXG in Toronto to build this gapped bag. Mizuno T20s Wedges (58, 52), Mizuno Hot Metal Pros (PW,9,8,7 -> 47, 42, 37, 32 degrees), Mizuno HMB20s (6,5 -> 28, 24 Degrees), Hybrids (22, 19, 16), 3W (14.5), Driver. I would never give up that 24-degree 5-iron (for exactly why you're putting it back in the bag) - but I debate the 16 hybrid and a 62-degree wedge and making the 58 back to 57
I told my mom I was thinking about using a 6 iron hybrid this year. She said “all your friends will make fun of you” without skipping a beat.
I play with a pro in nj that has played in the us open more than once and his longest iron is a 7 and hits the hybrids like wedges
@@2222skinny that’s exactly what my plan was but maybe next season.
@@2222skinny I play down to a 5 iron and then go 4 and 3 hybrid but it really is true that once you get used to hybrids you can just chip them around so easily. I feel like I can hit my 4 hybrid comfortably from 140-190. It’s cool to hear there’s a pro out there doing that too
@@2222skinny as a great player once said ..."golf is not about how, it's about how much"! 😀
@@2222skinny This wouldn't happen to be Baker Maddera, would it be?
So interesting seeing you go from a hardcore blade only mentality like 6 years ago to now legit considering zx4s
Love this
Ignore the numbers on the clubs and get hitting yardages can’t preach proper gapping enough this is proper fitting!!
Just write the yardage on the back of the irons like Westwood. That's the most important info.
It’s amazing to see your transition from the MP5 blade experiment to this power bat one. I will be interested to see how you like actually playing with this set up once y’all get off lockdown.
I don't think he is on to anything here. Playinga 9 thats and 8, an 8 thats a 7 degree wise etc etc... is there a win here or will he just have two clubs atthe top of his bag that do the same thing! Its either that orwedges that do the same job!!
I agree, he’s just trying to sell golf clubs.
Yes definitely change your clubs, as you said gives you more options and variety on the shots you play . Best of luck on the new Vlogs hopefully coming up.
Waiting in anticipation, they got me through the last lockdown.
Question for everyone. Would being able to have a custom fit like this so going through a whole bag getting clubs to bleed distance wise, would it make amateurs better?
As a custom fit for a amateur normally means trying a 7 iron and that's it. Makes it tricker to see of there's any gaps that need plugging.
Great video as always 👍
I am really rethinking about what I have in MY bag now. I am pretty sure I am heavy on the low end. I use two wedges for about 90% of my shots inside 120 yds and my average drive is in the neighborhood of around 220/230. I could probably get rid of two or maybe even three clubs. Going to spend some time with a launch monitor and go through this exercise. I really like these sort of practical videos. Very helpful Mark.
Mark, this was fascinating. Funny enough, I've gone the opposite way this year. I've built my bag with more "traditional" lofts. Again, I've gone 2 wedges. Then the more traditional lofts my current PW-6 iron don't go as far as my old ones did. What it does is allowed me to have more "bleeding" as you call it from 130 to 180 yards, which is where I always find myself. I feel I now have more options. I do the 2 "6 irons" thing with a chunky 6 and chunky 5, then two hybrids a 3 wood and a driver.
I have a ZX7/5 Combo set and have never been happier in a set of irons. I went 50, 56,60(bent to 61) in SM8’s. The ZX lune of irons is also the best looking set of iron made. And...being Endo Forged, feel like butter.
Thats why i will never mess around wit a set , pw to 4 iron straight you get your gaps on point , then pick your wedges and crossover or rescue , job done , no need for all this pissing around will i hit that 6 iron or the other 6 iron 😅
IInstead of thinking about if you’re going to hit this 6 or that 6, you think about hitting between 6 or 5 iron for a distance. It’s the same problem, you just have a different number on the bottom. He treats the stronger 6 iron as a “5 semi-hybrid” for his distances, it just says 6 on the bottom
Don’t tell Bernhard Langer that...
I enjoy that your videos look at how to better play golf, bag make up, gapping and strategy combined with club reviews. I am looking for a better, more effective/efficient way to play with clubs that complement that goal. I try taking my ego out of the decisions, but admit to making club/ball choices where ego got in the way. Thanks for your guidance. It is helpful and saves me money and mental anguish!
I have started to make the same kind of changes to my bag. I go from a RTX 50* wedge to the 765 p-7 565 6 iron Zu65 4 (22*) 19* and 16* hybrids and a 3 wood 13.5*
Hi Mark,
Love these gapping videos... Would be great to see you play a course where you played 9 holes with a set of Z-Forged irons and 9 holes with a set of ZX4's and see how it works on the course...
Watched this with the subtitles as my wife watched something on Netflix. Surely you have got to love that you are Mark CrossFit on autosubtitles...
I always have them on, some of the older videos are hilarious
I'm going to have some overlap at top of the bag. Prefer irons but like the difference of a 3hybrid. So going to.play 2ut and 3hy mainly use the 2ut off the tee and where versatility is needed and the hybrid off the deck
I have similar composition with Cleveland Launcher UHX irons. Jump from 6 iron to Srixon h85 4 hybrid, but then go with Ping G410 7wood. I think UHX launcher is quite similar with ZX4 as they are "sisters".
I play a Z785/585 combo set and use two 6 irons. The gap from the 785 6-iron to the 585 5-iron was 20+ yards. Purchased a 585 6-iron and it split the gap perfect for me.
One thing about strong loft clubs is the lengths are still shorter so for me there is more control / confidence. So while the 6 may have a 5 loft it is still a 6 in shaft lengt.
I'm playing three 7 irons now. ZX 5 7 iron bent 1* strong at 30 *. ZX 7 7 iron @ 32*, and a Hogan Icon blade 7 iron bent 1* weak at 35 *. The 2 ZX clubs are .25 inch longer shaft than the Hogan Blade.
Good tips again, superb nerdy type info which is flipping awesome, dead handy when going for a fitting in a week!! Keep up the top stuff and looking forward to your course blogs again. P.s. change the clubs, can't beat shiny things.
The Srixon irons all look great including the ZX4. Do you have to use a higher spinning ball to counter the lower spin from the ZX4s?
Agree. That’s why he can play them. They must look great from address.
the year is 2041 and I have 13 seven irons and a putter in my hover bag😲
I already have 4 seven irons. My set consists of driver, 3 5 7 9 one length, gap edge and putter.
It’ll be interesting to see Mark try to stop these on a cement hard green this summer.
Awesome well done on the first course vlog of 2021!!!
I am in the process of combining Mizuno MP20 MB / HMB / G410 hybrids into 7 wood. I powered my bats with the HMB but spent last season regularly flying the back of greens....so throttling back in the shorter clubs and similarly gapping between 185-230 with 5H; 4H and 7wood which give options. Lockdown training has seen some speed gains.
I get plenty of loft out of my ZX4 5 iron, I tried the 4 iron against my 7 wood and the numbers were almost identical. The zx4's are unreal.
Give it a go! This is why I love what you do. You are always willing to play around and have fun!
So when you do this do you lengthen the shafts to make them match the club of their loft?
New combination looks better for control of distances without too many options to confuse.
It would be nice if manufacturers stamped the loft on every club. Maybe even eventually changing the numbering system to lofts instead of numberS that have no real meaning anymore. Fun video, thanks for sharing..
"WHAT DID YOU HIT BRUH" Here's my bag. Mizzies bruh... MP-33 FTW: 5-9. Cleveland wedges: 50, 54, 58, Titlelist H1 Hybrid: 19 degrees, Callaway Hot 5W, Taylormade M2 3W, and Ping G30LST: 9.5 degree. Sometimes I'll swap the 4i and 3i back in the set, but overall I'm pretty happy considering how infrequently I play now...
Love the insight into your bag and the way you think about it bruh. It's a beautiful thing.
Man, it's fun to watch you hit these distances, Mark. Such a different game when you've got this new speed. Can't wait to see the course vlogs this year. I bet you'll have Coach hitting the range to up his game now that he can't just out-muscle you. It's gonna be fun!!
So in the ZX4 the 8i has the loft of my 7i and the spin rate of 6i - and as Mark has a faster swing than me he should really get more spin than me. That might be a little tricky to play but I guess as long as peak height and descent angle are good enough it should work
Mark, Fairwaywood or Hybrid? Should I skip my loved 5W and get a Hybrid? What’s your argument for Hybrids? Cheers
Just ordered a set of Z4’s 6-AW in senior graphite. Can’t wait to get them on the course and see how they perform.
My fitter told me to decrease my loft at impact to keep spin down, that’s great but I’m worried about going right. So far no issues but I’m wondering if there is too much dynamic loft causing a right miss, thanks
What did you hit Bruh. I can easily find my clubs are 10yds shorter or longer depending on what kind of day I am having. My standard deviation in swing and quality of contact make all the difference. I think I would stick to the clubs that give you the feel and sound you like best.
Simulator data is great but when do you play golf with no wind and flat everything? There's a par 3 where I play which is about 175 yards long, depending on wind I've hit everything from pw to 3 wood!!
Are the club lofts the same?
How does the ZX4 compare to the Cleveland UHX?
Psychology if you stood over a 160 yard shot would you feel it's an easier shot holding a '9' rather than holding an '8' in your hand?
Question..
Would the zx4 new be shorter with stronger loft making them a little easier to hit..
Stick with what you're playing Mark, bet you can't wait to get out! I've now got perfect gapping right through the bag, took me long enough! Alas, in today's comp I was hitting my driver 250 down the middle or 150 duck hook into the gorse, not a gap I wanted. Don't get me started on the putter.......
Good video. Always introducing different ways of looking at golf
You’ve gone full circle. Mark crossfield a few years ago swore by blades and would hate the spin drop off from rough.
Ya couldn't agree more. He will fall off when he gets on the course. Its the hitting bay ideas. Have been watching Mark for years and he seems to do this every few years.
Thats so funny, this is exactly the comment i was going to make! The circle is even fuller as i remember him gaming Mizuno EZ irons and talking about the benefits of hitting it longer, then as you say he went back to blades and concluded that the truer numbers produced were the way to go, now we return to power bats!
Its all for the sponsor - what a waste of time and useless for viewers. No suprise he's stopped growing in recent years.
@@rossw6001 not sure I totally agree. I feel Mark speaks on ideas. Right now its about getting the gaps in the bag and less the number on the club. I do agree however the sponsor are asking him to pump their tires a bit right now and he is grasping for something that might be fun or an experiment on their dime. He has been stuck at 330k for awhile though.
@@rossw6001 keyboard warrior - if you don’t like him don’t watch it
The only concern with the power bats has to be flyers. Could you not just got to the zx4’s in the 6&5 iron positions? To keep the control in the higher lofted clubs? As for the wedges, I went to 2 as I just wasn’t using the 3rd wedge. Added a 19 degree hybrid, problem is I seem to hit my 22, 19 and 3 wood all the same distance (off the ground!) 😂
your misses are 10-12 yds left or right.............mine are 50-70.......sadly i'm still working on strike mostly....but i've only been playing 38 yrs.....so so sad....thanks for the video...i always enjoy your content....especially your course vlog at Ross Bridge in Birmingham Al.
Yeah im dizzy to, why so Much help with medium irons taking your solid ball striking considerd..
I'd argue there is more to club selection than just carry length. Particularly at the lower end. I use 45, 50, 55 and 60 degree wedges and I am very happy with them. Although I rarely hit 55 and 60 full I don't want to miss the option of having a high and low bounce wedge around the green. It gives me the confidence that I can react to any tight or soft ground conditions wherever my ball ends up when I miss the green. At the long end I have a 16° 4 wood, 19° hybrid and 4 Iron with 22° loft and I don't feel I miss out on anything. I guess everyone needs to build their bag based on their own strengths and weaknesses as well as home course conditions.
Feel like you need a long approach club that will come in high and sit soft on the green Mark. I’m talking 5 wood - I hit one to a green last week that carried 230 yards, and actually spun back 2 feet!! Yes it was a soft green, but even on hard green that isn’t running out far. You don’t have that option, so do you really need a 3 Wood and a 2 Hybrid? I know most would want the 3 wood - I actually play a Mizuno CLK 2 hybrid instead so I can hit lower penetrating flights into the wind. It goes about 240 yards so I only lose 10 yards against a 3W. Then my next club is the 5 wood, going 220-225 yards for the soft landings. Then into 3 hybrid lofted up to basically a 4H replacing my 4 iron. Then irons 5-PW, 48 deg GW, 54 & 60 wedges. Good luck whatever you decide bruh!
Mark, I was thinking about doing a combo set zx7 A-9, zx5 8-7, zx4 6-5 what's your thoughts?
"WHAT DID YOU HIT BRUH!" I'm interested in how you get by with just a 52º and a 58º. Maybe it's because I miss more greens than you do, often in awkward places. Having a 50º, 55º, and 60º gives me more options. This video gets me thinking about whether I need those options. A factor is what I would do if I switched to two short wedges. I'm not as long as you are, so the gaps in distance at the top of my bag aren't as great. Maybe I'd carry thirteen clubs and save a pound of weight.
one of the keys, when you do this, is you have a PW that you like a lot and are comfortable hitting 3/4 & 1/2 shots with - and the loft also likely is a weak standard blade loft of 47 degrees - i.e 5/6 degrees away from your 52/53 and then 5/6 degrees away from your 57/58/59 - i also think it is helpful to buy a 54-degree wedge, with a heal&toe grind, and then bend it weaker to 52/53 - that way it is more useful for chipping and bunker play when needed - i play a 56/14 as a 52/10
Sounds like a good mix in this bag... looking forward to seeing you play these...
I love my Cleveland HB Turbo driver and 3 and 5 woods.I wish they made a 7 Wood and the Halo came in 5 iron loft. Looking forward to putting the ZX4 in my bag. Thinking of having the Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedges though instead of the Cleveland CBX 2? Any guidance would be appreciated by this Aussie long term subscriber!!
WHAT DID YOU HUT BRUH What loft have you got your driver set at Mark? I'd be interested to see a video on driver static loft. I know we're trying to get dynamic loft high for the carry etc etc but at the moment you have bryson with a 5 degree and Rory with a 10.5 degree and I'm just curious what thoughts might he going on with each if them. Cheers.
Srixon used to be great-looking, over-looked irons. Now they look like they deserve to be over-looked. Not a fan of their looks, but of course looks aren’t everything.
I play driver, 3w, 5w, 7w, 4h, 5i-9i, 48, 54, 60, and putter. I find this works well for me. I like having more options on the long end of the bag because it’s far easier to finesse a wedge than longer clubs.
Cleveland are crushing it at the moment.
I'm using cleveland launcher hb turbos and CBX2 wedges.
Mark, I'd love to see a video on how you play two wedges for 5-120 yards. Do you have a system or is it all by feel? Enjoyed the video, thanks.
Mr. C... have you ever considered using the Cleveland version of Odyssey 9/Del Mar? You were the putting god with your Versa...
Since Srixon makes a 49* gap wedge in the ZX4 set I don't know why you just wouldn't replaced the ZX7 pitching wedge with that.
Fantastic video, and I'm only on the PW. Folks just don't understand gapping, soft Power PW from 120 with only 6k and flatter, doesn't work often
Really like the 5/6 iron idea. A 'go' to 5 iron for 200 yards happy days!
wdyhb. i considered removing the sand iron 56 for a long iron but would need 2 new wedges to cover gapping.
good video again thanks
What is the difference in shaft length? Imo if you can get similar performance out of a stronger lofted club say a 7 instead of a “traditional” lofted 6 BUT it is with a 7 iron length shaft.... thats a win. I know that wont make a difference to higher end players but for mortals like myself.... I’ll take all the help i can get, thank you very much!
If you turn that mat your standing on 180 degrees, I’ll be able to read what it says on it. Swing Catalyst?
Mark any thoughts of using Cleveland zip core or cbx2 in place of your z forged pw?
Gives you little more versatility
When comparing the irons, does your old 6 iron have the same length shaft as the new ZX 4 7 iron? If they are different length, presuming the 7 is shorter, does that help with accuracy/dispersion/control and therefore an added advantage of the 7 over the 6?
What did you hit bruh?
Interesting as always - ditching wedges not for me as faffing about at this end of bag I find tricky. Like to have 3 stock distances at 58, 54, 50 and then swing adjustments for in between distance are less drastic. Like you, like to have lots of options at top end and sub. in and out depending on time of year, course or conditions. Getting rid of 3w - has helped give more useful options. Punched recovery with my 4i and full shots is easily 50/50😁
I say change purely on getting a better looking 5/6iron in your bag. But me personally I’d just play a set of ZX7s. I much prefer traditional lofts. I play the Srixon z765s adjusted 2degrees weak.
I’ve powered my bats. From Srixon Z965 to Ping G425, they will arrive fitted next week.
They are fun to play with and I love the way they look.
@@hansidelk6604 low single figure but I’ve always fancied a set of Pings and was in the position to buy. Should be fun
Agree with the overlapping at the top of the bag but think you would benefit from having 50,54,58 in wedges and then 5-PW. Add putter and driver and that leave you 3 clubs to cover the gaps from driver to 5 iron. Think the reason that no more than 3 clubs are required for that gap is that amateurs haven't got good enough distance control at top end of bag so no point gapping to 10 yards
Such great stuff...excellent test was fun to watch...!
Out of curiosity Mark how are you going to get lower spinning shots? At 35° a 7 iron should spin around 6500, as the lofts strengthen your 8 iron at 35° spins 6500 etc so yes you have a lower spinning 8 iron in this scenario but it's carrying 7 iron numbers not 8 iron so spin is the same distance the club should be carrying
Would you not go with a 48° zip core?
Go for it , loads of people with lesser skill levels play strong lofted irons . You can then tell us how to manage them
Great insight again Mark, really thought provoking. Out of interest, why not try the Gap Wedge from the new set? I’ve found that works for me. Although in my set the GW looks a bit chunky compared to my bladed SW, I can control distance well with it. I practice soft, moderate and full swings with the GW, that give me anything from about 75 to 110 yards, so like you I’m covering from 10 to 110 with just 2 wedges.
You should test this “game improvement” setup vs. a “players / tour” setup over a full season and backed by some actual data. I’m curious which one turns out better - or - if it’s about the same...
I've played every style of iron there is over the years and they don't really affect my scores once I'm used to them. The only things that make a difference in scoring is keeping my drive in bounds and execution in the short game.
What did you hit bruh, using my utility 19.5deg can't seem to hit my hybrid or wood but that utility is my weapon
What about 48, 54, 60 and then the ZX4 PW?
Mark are the iron shafts the same or different? What are they?
This is a thought-proviking video and those irons look great
Great video. I doubt if any clubfitter would help you set up a bag based on lofts and gapping like this. For me the second shot is the important one so having enough options in that area is not a bad thing. Personally, if you are comfortable with your driver I would drop the 3 wood. I have just put a 7 wood back in the bag, I'm not comfortable with hybrids, You forgot to mention the putter and ball you use.
What putter are you gaming?
What’s so enticing in zx4 over zx5?
I used to play only 2 specialist wedges as I could manipulate them and hit the yardages like you said Mark, but now I don’t get to practice and just get to play the Saturday medal every week so my distance control is no where near good enough to do that anymore so I’ve switched from 3,4 hybrid & 5 wood to 4 hybrid, 2 hybrid to add an extra wedge. That way I can focus on the same feelings with different wedges to hit the yardages rather than manipulating the different wedges. I’d love to be able to hit a 58 degree 50,60,70 & 80 yards consistently like when I was a junior but it’s just not happening now 😂
I agree with Dave below.. Seems we are back in the Mizuno EZ days which seems a bit counterintuitive considering your club head speed has improved so much and you still strike the ball as well as you always have. I do thank you for showing how important it is to have a proper fitting and gap testing. Most people don't need new clubs... They just need a gap fitting and one or two clubs to ensure that their yardages provide them the best scoring opportunities. Thanks Mark. I hope the boys are doing well.
Gap testing defo would be worth so much to so many.
@@MarkCrossfield I don't think many amateurs realize how much our irons bunch up in the 4, 5, 6 irons. That's why I went to a hybrid to replace my 4 iron because at times it only went as far as my 5 iron. I could have went game improvement iron but I do like the height I get with the hybrid as well as the versatility it provides..
@@caseymccormack2000 totally.
Hi Mark... I've got to admit I'm confused... Did you not have an issue with the jpx ez set you had with distance control that made you go back to blades? Is this not the same cycle or am I missing an obvious difference here?
This video wasn't for himself, it was us the viewer.
He knows what's what, he is just demonstrating the process.
He is after all a UA-cam content Creater.
I was thinking the same thing, when i “discovered” Mark a few years ago he gamed the EZ irons, then went to mp5 for control.
Then got contracted by Titleist and played their blades with two 6i and the “rinkeydink”, later Titleist counterpart.
Got fitted for wedges by Bob and convinces us that we should have specialistwedge instead of PW, (better for chipping, pitching and everything).
*New sponsordeal= Lighter shaft in the driver #262 (for the shaftoids…), blades again.
Speedtraining, (we never got the results with TPI) And now back with chunky irons again 😱
Let’s hope they let you out on the courses soon, I think you’re going schizophrenic
I just bought the Srixon 4 hybrid and it flies nice and straight so far.
I went with the ZX5s and stopped at the 5 iron and I'm carrying an extra wedge
What did you hit bruh? Approach play is my biggest challenge, but is that because of problems off the tee?
Yes please ZX4 's look amazing thinking of switching from my Epic forged these 73 old bones love the new jacked up clubs.
Cheers from Norcal
With a lot of hollow body irons now on the market I wonder how many people who switched to them from cavity backs lowered their handicap and how many made their handicap worse.
Why not get 46* zip core bruh?
"WHAT DID YOU HIT BRUH" don't think it will make much difference round to round as necessary lofts are hit. I would assume greater standard deviations from the zx4s over the z forged or zx7 and over a season this may create a very marginal drop in SG at the low end, which would be very hard to prove/disprove. So, as you said, a bit of fun. Plus shows options to others.
Agreed - particularly on the standard deviation. The thing I’ve really taken from mark is that the real trade off is launch v spin deviation as opposed to ‘forgiveness v workability’ as manufacturers would like to tell us.
I’m getting a full new bag this year other than driver (been a while - I’m not a serial shiny thing person at all) and I am likely to do something similar to Marks old bag with a blend of up to 3 sets from PW to 5 iron.
Is the strong lofted irons easier to hit as the clubs are shorter? 7 iron being a strong 6 iron but 7 iron length.
Not really most people don't realise that the game improvement (chunky irons) are actually longer. The 8 iron stamped (chunky) will still be the same length as his old 7 iron (zx5/7)
@@2009Stefon yup that was what I was wanting mark to reply to. Is it the same across all brands?
@@jamiepreacher4978 as far as I know yes but should be able to check manufacturers websites (and look at specs to see)
@@2009Stefon the zx7 and zx4 are the same length so they are not longer but have stronger lofts.
@@jamiepreacher4978 good to know... some manufacturers crank the loft and add an extra half inch or inch to the length to increase CHS/ distance. I play the older Z785s and love them good mix of forgiveness whilst not being too strongly lofted (had mine weakened 1° also)
Still waiting for you to put two drivers a low spin draw bomber and a high lofted spinny driver it works great for me