We can’t expect to switch over to another set of golf clubs and fit right into the new ones.
It’ll take a little time to fit into the new from the old.
It’ll take me some time to switch between the sets of irons I have collected over the years. All of them are with similar spec, except for the maker of the shafts.
You had just game the new set of irons cold turkey without range session. so give it a little practice and time to say hi.
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When I bough my set of blades I had only broken 90 once. Then 3 of my next 4 rounds were in the 80s… I went straight to shooting my best ever rounds. Plus the 50 shots I hit on the range learning how to get them in the air before working out I need a one piece takeaway.
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You’re a much better golfer than I was.
My first set of Ben Hogan Apex, took me a whole season to start to getting aquinted with it. Not until several seasons later when it became my gamer.
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Those first 40 shots that never got in the air made me wonder but then a wide one piece takeaway worked and made me realise that with my old set I was picking the club up instead of turning the shoulders etc. So buying a set of blades improved my swing. My handicap was 34 back then so easier to play under your handicap as you improve. Played well last Monday hitting 9 gir for the first time. 7 pars and a pitch in birdie and only 2 doubles for 11 over. Two butchered pars with 3 putts.
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You were brave to tackle to blade design when you were an index 34, because you had other options offering easier way out.
I was a 15 index when I bought my first set of Apex, simply because my instructor was getting a new set every season ( a true Hogan fan), and the Apex looked so beautiful, still does.
You are correct on practicing with the blades will force you to find the sweet spot more often. The size for the sweet spot between a blade and a cavity back design is like comparing a dime to a quarter.
The game improvement comes in the forgiveness from mishits.
Blade will lose more distance and directional control from mishits, not to mention the shocking reminder of the unpleasant vibration traveling up the shaft to the hands.
Yes, you were probably not using your core before, as most the beginners would be afraid of not catching the golf ball if they turn their hips and shoulders.
It is okay to start with the hands dominating golf swing, to catch the golf ball more often. Just need to progress the golf swing to the correct way of using the core to motor the swing within a short period of time.
Don’t let the handsy swing grooved in.
For myself, I found regressing the skill of swinging a golf club after using the game improving irons for awhile. Sometimes I’d go back to my first few sets of irons which are G.I. design because the weather, the condition of the golf course or after a short layoff from the game thinking it would be easier.
Not always the case. The forgiving G.I. design usually made my golf swing sloppy.
I learned to play with blades as a kid. They got stolen. I got cavity backs as a replacements. But then as soon as I was making good ground contact I went back to blades. So shiny, such a thin top. Other people look at them and wonder how I can hit them. The smaller head doesn’t bother me.
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I went to the range the last 2 days & concentrated on using a one piece takeaway for every shot for the first time ever, & almost every shot went straight & to distance !
Thanks for the tip. Playing tomorrow morning, so let’s see how I get on !
Glad to help. It makes a huge difference.
Back when my father took us to the driving range, there was no other option but muscle back irons. Later on when I started working and my boss encourages us to golf, I started by a few clubs from the bargain bin. I remember it was some cast cavity back loosely stashed in a large 75 gallon bin. I picked out a OW, 8i,6i and a putter. First set of irons I bought brand new was Mizuno cast Cimarron. Many sets following that.
I an gaming my third set and and not planning on a new set anytime soon. Nailing a 3i blade feels so good knowing most others couldn’t do it. I know others hit much less club then me but at least my blades are consistent in distance. I am sure those other sets have stronger lofts.
I have too many sets of irons from the last 4 decades .
I don’t feel odd when a youngster carry his 5 irons over 200 yards. I used to do that with my 3 iron which is about the same spec.
Were the shafts the same? The feel difference there might be the issue.
Haven’t tried the G430 irons, but the G430 hybrid is a controllable rocket-ship. +1, highly recommended. Would hit again.
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Yes shafts were steel regular flex, with same midsize grips. Only difference was the new lie angle which is white dot, which is next up from green which I had for 25+ years previously - and of course the look of the clubheads themselves, which are very different & likely just need some getting used to.
As I note above, probably not the smartest to just go straight on the couse with them unpracticed ! 
All of that can be true, and they can still have different feel. E.g., KBS C-Taper 130X is going to feel different than DG X100 vs Rifle 6.5. Even though all are steel, and all weigh ‘about’ the same.
Ping, especially early Ping, is known for having their proprietary shafts in things, and while the JZ shafts weren’t “bad” per se, they were certainly different in feel.
Checked shafts, at your prompt.
My Ping Zing 2 shafts were JZ, black with red sticker.
Here it explains that my old shafts, unbeknownst to me all this time, have for 27 years been….stiff !
My new shafts are Ping AWT 2.0 steel, regular shafts.
Interesting!
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It is, isn’t it? I had no idea either, with my elderly set of Ping i3+'s. No shaft stickers. Could’ve sworn they were R’s, with how easy they were to turn over. Nope! Evidently Karsten was not a fan of R-flex for most. Shrug.
But those JZ whatever-they-are in my i3’s felt very different than either the S400 or X100 I tried at a Callaway demo day I wrote about here, a bit over a year ago. I regret not buying more from the guy besides the wedges. Turned out OK though.
It does take some time to adjust!
I will say, and I will promptly post my experience with the Mizuno shaft thingy, when I finally find the time and $ to try the damned thing. (Not having a Woody’s Golf to try, down the street like Jon here, where you’re paying Woody to make that judgment for you. See, Artisan.)
I’m very curious to see what it thinks I should in for irons and woods.
Because let’s face it: fitting can be expensive, and not thorough. And if you find a thorough fitter, then it’s really expensive. Accordingly, we’re all trying to find shortcuts to trying everything from six different shaft mfgrs, and now comes the heads! (Hope you packed a lunch…) I would hope that tool could provide a, “Huh, I would never have thought of that. Let’s try it!” or two.
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Those that read my posts know I’ve been playing the same iron heads for almost 40 years now. Time seems to move faster now, but I am on my 4th iteration of shaft. I changed all my irons (except the wedges) to DG X100’s. All my clubs except Driver are at D4 swing weight… last year I let one of my buddies use my clubs and he was like these really feel amazing… Now none of us are beginners, we all had lessons and all my guys are somewhere around 12-14 cappers. The X100’s I put in are NOT tour issue and that alone is a fairly significant difference. I had the original shafts, then S400’s, then R300 and now X100. Here’s what I will tell you and this is for me…maybe not for everyone else. My iron heads are a Cavity Back and 1* bent flatter lie (that’s all you can do with a CB or it will snap and you can only do the adjustment once) so pretty good weight distribution throughout, I still use a teeny bit of lead tape towards the toe in the 4 and 5 irons. According to Trackman, I now hit my irons off of clean lies with a lower trajectory and a bit less spin I have lost about 5 yards of distance on average, but is that age…who knows? When I got my swing speed back up a couple years ago… the R300 shaft was snapping shots left a bit or ballooning. It’s not worth adjusting swing…oft times it’s having the right equipment.
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Obviously, you enjoy an overall heavier weighted iron. The extra weight and stiffness should provide more stability at a cost of losing some distance.
It is amazing that you’ve only lost 5 yards or so on the average comparing using the X100 Vs. S400 shaft. A more upright swing path would minimize the difference but your set’s lie angle is 1 degree flat, which usually indicating a flatter swing plane.
I had several sets of irons adjusted to flatter lie when I was younger and imitating Ben Hogan’s golf swing, to some degree of success. Could not advance further because lack of dedicated practice time after forming a family.
I like a heavier feel for my iron sets, but having issue swinging the long irons after passing 59. Usually the shorter sticks will have no issue being heavier in static weight but the longer length in the long irons will have timing issue to catch up with the larger swing arc.
This is the same reason why the driver, being the longest in the bag, kept on going lighter.
While changing the static weight to heavier or lighter, be mindful of the balance of the golf club.
You’ve switched from R300 to S400 to X100 over the years, must have been a gradual process. And using the same set of iron heads for different weight would need small adjustment, as you’ve indicated using lead tape on the heads to compensate for the heavier shaft weight for fell and balance.
I’m just amazed that you have the transformation at an older age which is much tougher on your body and you must be in very good physical condition.
Many years ago, the TTDG X100 was not in demand at all. But very much so these days and getting expensive.
X100 is lighter than the 400 or 300 by 4-5grams. 130ish grams. I use pennies and lead tape in the butt end of the club to get me to my desired swingweight on the scale when I regrip em. My Driver swing speeds are finally making me happy, 96-100mph. I am getting them out there very consistently 255-260. Better strikes will yield more distance (duh) My Driver is D-0. I gotta get the ball speed up though. That’s just more consistency with the strike. I’d like to see that 142-146. I’m in the high 130s. Yesterday, humid, 80’s I had 202 middle perfect lie and hit a 6iron over the green…. It was a great strike, probably perfect. But for a 64yo not bad.
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What length do you play your current driver?
Most golfers will actually lose some club head speed swinging the modern driver length.
I believe the peak of this craze for length was 46" from the OEM, now back tracked to 45 1/2" to 45" now.
There be a happy medium for the golfer and his driver length. Experimenting is still the best way to determine the most beneficial driver length for your game.
L/M Testing does not include on course real time. Your portable L/M gizmo will aid you to collect data of your entire round when you get tired in the back coming in.
I can still game 45 1/2" driver, but probably will lose some zip going into the back nine. More leaning to 44"-45" right now.
Light weight or reduced weight from the TTDG 120-130 gram shaft days are over for me. Light weight steel in the 108-110 gram is my gamer now. Still resisting to go graphite at this point.
Any ways, try a slightly shorter length in the driver. It is easy and reversible these days with the hosel adaptors.
I have 5 shafts made up for this one type of driver ( two heads ). Seriously only use a couple of the shafts through the season.