forged or not forged

ianoleader

hey ppl i am a 21hcp i have a question i hit my irons well and tried out the new mizuno mp53 irons(at night so cudnt really c how far they were going) nd i was hitting them fairly well i am just curious are forged irons worth it for distance accuracy please a little help

death1234567

No. There is no difference between cast irons and forged

stockdam

The difference is in the shape of the heads and the "game improvement" features.

Forged clubs are usually blades or muscle-backs and these are harder to hit for higher handicap players. Cast heads tend to be bigger and with large cavities; they may have offsets to help keep the hands ahead of the clubs. For those reasons I would always use cast; I used forged in the past but I would struggle with them now as I don't play often enough to be good enough.

blackwaterfish

forged give you the advantage of adjustability of the lie and loft... adjusted to fit your swing perfectly.

but you do need a solid, consistant swing.

saying that, getting a set of forged irons will through time ( and if you invest time into the game ) make you a better ball striker.

pinseeker

the difference is in the way the heads r produced.as the name suggests forged irons r forged from single block of soft metal where as cast is melted down and poured into moulds.most believe the forged head leads to softer feel at impact and that the most important factor for better player is that distance control is better due to fact when cast irons r made bubbles can form in pouring process and maybe lead to inconsistency.who knows really but main thing is to play something that suits your eye and u hit well,thats the bloody main thing as far as i care:).few years ago forged would have meant hitting blades but there is option of cast and forged now for all levels so best to try few models and get what u hit best.

ianoleader

thanks for the comments but i would like to hear more from people who have switched to forged after so many years of cast irons (as of in the last few months i.e the mizunos mp53's i think i have fallen in love with these) and hear the reviews to help make up my mind i have a good swing on me but i also tend to sort dat out in the next year or so nd try to get down to single digits within 2 and a half to 3 years

f22

Sorry to burst your bubble here but no forged club is going to improve your golf, proper instruction and practice will. The mp53 is a low to mid handicapper club, you play off 21. You say you hit the ball well, if that's true something else is drastically wrong to play off that high a handicap.

There are several good "game improvement" irons out there, take all the help you can get. When you half your handicap and have some sort of a consistent swing I would consider players clubs.

pinseeker

have to agree with f22 with regards maybe getting handicap down before moving to a players iron.i have both the mizuno mp62 and 52,the 52 being similar to the 53s your looking at.i have only been member of club for just under a year and for year before that when playing golf i used cast cobra fp irons which i thought were lovely.so i feel i can give the sort of info your after.main thing is that you wont be picking up any distance with the 53s.the lofts will be weaker than any game improvement set you play,you may feel your good iron player but you have to realise the sweet spot and margin for error is far less with player irons.why make things more difficult at your handicap.if you really want forged then callaway and mizuno have game improvement sets that r all good options.personally i love the feel of forged irons and will never go back but that is only my opinion and as i mentioned in last reply dont listen to all the reviews you reading on the 53s just play irons you hit well rather than a set that look good in the bag and struggle with.

Sam Fisher

Can't really tell you about forged against cast, but if you are interested in a new set of Mizuno, read on...

Yes, them Mizuno people do make lovely clubs. I myself made a switch there recently. I had a set of Taylormade OS2 from back in 2006/7. I am playing off in the low 20s (bad off the tee) and was looking at the a new set of irons. Had my eyes on the MP52, which are just lovely set of clubs. None of the fancy logos and labels on the back of the club like more of the game improving irons out there. So went out and tried them in the pro shop. I was then told by the pro NOT to get them because I am not at that that level yet and I will get frustrated using them. He explained that once you purchased a new set of clubs, the expectation is that you should be better. Clubs are supposed to work for you, not the other way around.

Long story short, ended up paying for the MX200. They are going to be replaced by the JPX800. The MX200 are forged (unlike the MX100) and has a slightly larger face than the MX300. From PW to 8i, the clubs are very blade like with no cavity at the back, and from 7i to 3i you can see the cavity. They also feel shorter than the OS2 (clubs length not distance).

Played one round with the MX200 and went through 200 balls out in the range. The initial round was tough. Getting used to a new set of club was difficult. But when I did connected with the ball, the distance was longer (7i 160yds). At the range, I found the MX200 does give you that bit more distance than the OS2 and the ball flight was more "proper golf" like. Also the forgiveness is very similar to the OS2, and the impact was less chalky. I know it's still early days yet, but I am getting a good vibe from these clubs and I can see myself using them for the next 4/5 years. Oh, one thing I didn't like was the blue labelling on the back of the clubs. Then again, how often do you look at the back of your irons..

blackwaterfish

f22 wrote: »

Sorry to burst your bubble here but no forged club is going to improve your golf

why does anyone ever bother changing clubs then??


imho.. consistant practice with a forged club will improve ball striking.

f22

blackwaterfish wrote: »

why does anyone ever bother changing clubs then??


imho.. consistant practice with a forged club will improve ball striking.

Consistant practice with any club will improve ball striking. Forged or non forged, the mp53 is not a high handicappers club, that's the point.

blackwaterfish

what can i say?.. you burst my bubble... i was pissed off.

ianoleader

f22 wrote: »

Sorry to burst your bubble here but no forged club is going to improve your golf, proper instruction and practice will. The mp53 is a low to mid handicapper club, you play off 21. You say you hit the ball well, if that's true something else is drastically wrong to play off that high a handicap.

There are several good "game improvement" irons out there, take all the help you can get. When you half your handicap and have some sort of a consistent swing I would consider players clubs.

i understand what you are saying. the reason why i have such a high handicap as said prior to this is because i don't play in competitions i am going to do my best to get out in as many comps this year to bring my handicap down, to what i should be playing off which is around a 15 to 16 handicap. my 2 biggest problems i have 1 to judge my distance and 2 my putting. i hit most fairways and as said i hit the ball well and i like the look and feel of them in my swing. what this discussion was wot i was hoping for was did anyone see any improvement in their game when they switched to forged irons in comparison to cast irons, because i had tried the mizunos irons mp53s and hit them well my swing is consistant so knowing this what would you think?

but i would also like to thank you as well because you actually considered the part of a 21 hcp with my game and you are trying to put me in the right direction so thanks f22.

f22

Lose the txt spk, stick in a few full stops etc. and you might get a bit more feedback!

PhilipMarlowe

Exactly.... not going to bother reading your post if you're not going to bother writing it (properly).
The charter puts it better...

Posting in "rtrd"
- Using txtspk n ur psts is cnsdrd been rlly stpd cuz u hv qwert kbd n ur pc so xpct 2 b wrnd. Please don't do this, this is not a bannable offence but repeat offenders might be "asked" to take a break from posting.

ianoleader

sorry people just so used to doing text writing i am sorry will do my best to not do it again. i will also go back and edit my previous posts

Fore Iron

Just my two cents worth.....

I have been playing the MP52 for a year now. Prior to that I had another set of forged clubs and before that a set of off the shelf game improver Wilson irons. I got fitted for my first forged set when I was off 20. I am now off 5.

My opinion about the idea that forged clubs make you a better player: I can only assume that many of those you say forged clubs won't improve your game have only played GI clubs and have no long term experience (as in more than just a few shots on a range or a round or two) of forged clubs compared to game improvers. For me, forged clubs have an immense amount of feedback and feel which you just can never get with cast clubs. I can tell exactly where the ball has impacted the clubface on every shot and I know as soon as I've hit the ball whether it'll fly well or not without even looking at it. The sweetspot, particularly on Mizuno irons will give you a very definite buttery soft feel when you find it. Any GI clubs I've used just don't do that. By design you get away with hitting shots out of the toe or the heel and as such you don't generally know whether you found the middle of the clubface or not.

Over time, forged clubs will definitely help your game I think. But only over time. They will never make you better overnight. But with time you will learn if you have a tendency to find the toe or heel, or high or low on the face and this information will give you extra information to help you work on your swing. If you want to play as well as you can right now - get game improvement irons. If you want to improve and tune your swing to a higher level than you currently find it - then go for the MP53's I say!

There seems to be a very strong belief that forged clubs are only for better players. I would say that is certainly true for blades, but the MP52/53 are not blades at all. The mid and long irons are really progressive cavity backs. I personally find the 52's to be the easiest long irons I've ever hit - even easier to hit than my GI irons. My old forged clubs would punish me if I missed the sweetspot with a 3 iron. I could lose 40 or 50 yards easily which is quite typical for "better players clubs" but the 52's are fantastic. Out of the toe, I can feel it instantly, my shot will go a little off line but it will only come up 10 or 15 yards short. The forgiveness of the 52's can only be understood if you actually play them regularly. They really do not fit into the unforgiving, players forged clubs category at all.

Finally, and the caveat to the whole thing - being off 22 you firstly have to ask yourself, honestly, why you play off that handicap. If it is because you generally hit the ball reasonably well but can never hit it straight - as was the case for me off 20 - then fine. My short game and putting was a major problem for me too. Then I think forged is a great idea. But, If it's because you blade one shot then hit the next one fat, then shank the next, etc, etc, then forged is probably a bad idea. For now anyway. And, if you do go forged, realise you will need to be patient. It might be frustrating at times since those really bad days when you can't hit a thing, will be made a little worse, but on the long run I certainly think benefit can be had...

Fore Iron

By the way, don't discount looks either! I absolutely love the look of my clubs. That is a big thing for me and helps me feel a little more confident over the ball.

I simple could never stand over a ball with a Ping iron in my hand even if I knew it would give me a much better chance of hitting a straight long ball. They are just too ugly for my eye. So don't be afraid of the more subjective elements of club selection either!!

mr.mickels

I would go along with what fore iron says. A cynic might say it makes no difference to someone playing off 21, but assuming your ambition is to learn to play alot better then the clubs do matter.
I think it would be for the benefit of golfers if cast iron cavity backs were removed from the game altogether and everyone used blades, but of the cavity backs the forged are better than others for feel, the Mizuno are excellent, as are some of their competitors. Is a long number of years since I played, was surprised at the look of the selection of irons in the golf shops, they do look ugly and bladed clubs seem to be rare. The difference in feel of a shot between the forged and non-forget is a bit similar to how the plastic hurleys felt compared to the wooden ones. You will learn what it really means to consistently hit the ball right-on with the sweet spot with forged clubs, and it is also very likely that you will learn to both draw and fade the ball at will to a reasonable degree much better with blades than with cavities. A bad shot gets punished with the blades, so you learn pretty quick that you better stop making bad shots, thats not the case with the overly forgiving cavities where off-centre shots still go reasonable distance.

ianoleader

Fore Iron wrote: »

Just my two cents worth.....

I have been playing the MP52 for a year now. Prior to that I had another set of forged clubs and before that a set of off the shelf game improver Wilson irons. I got fitted for my first forged set when I was off 20. I am now off 5.

My opinion about the idea that forged clubs make you a better player: I can only assume that many of those you say forged clubs won't improve your game have only played GI clubs and have no long term experience (as in more than just a few shots on a range or a round or two) of forged clubs compared to game improvers. For me, forged clubs have an immense amount of feedback and feel which you just can never get with cast clubs. I can tell exactly where the ball has impacted the clubface on every shot and I know as soon as I've hit the ball whether it'll fly well or not without even looking at it. The sweetspot, particularly on Mizuno irons will give you a very definite buttery soft feel when you find it. Any GI clubs I've used just don't do that. By design you get away with hitting shots out of the toe or the heel and as such you don't generally know whether you found the middle of the clubface or not.

Over time, forged clubs will definitely help your game I think. But only over time. They will never make you better overnight. But with time you will learn if you have a tendency to find the toe or heel, or high or low on the face and this information will give you extra information to help you work on your swing. If you want to play as well as you can right now - get game improvement irons. If you want to improve and tune your swing to a higher level than you currently find it - then go for the MP53's I say!

There seems to be a very strong belief that forged clubs are only for better players. I would say that is certainly true for blades, but the MP52/53 are not blades at all. The mid and long irons are really progressive cavity backs. I personally find the 52's to be the easiest long irons I've ever hit - even easier to hit than my GI irons. My old forged clubs would punish me if I missed the sweetspot with a 3 iron. I could lose 40 or 50 yards easily which is quite typical for "better players clubs" but the 52's are fantastic. Out of the toe, I can feel it instantly, my shot will go a little off line but it will only come up 10 or 15 yards short. The forgiveness of the 52's can only be understood if you actually play them regularly. They really do not fit into the unforgiving, players forged clubs category at all.

Finally, and the caveat to the whole thing - being off 22 you firstly have to ask yourself, honestly, why you play off that handicap. If it is because you generally hit the ball reasonably well but can never hit it straight - as was the case for me off 20 - then fine. My short game and putting was a major problem for me too. Then I think forged is a great idea. But, If it's because you blade one shot then hit the next one fat, then shank the next, etc, etc, then forged is probably a bad idea. For now anyway. And, if you do go forged, realise you will need to be patient. It might be frustrating at times since those really bad days when you can't hit a thing, will be made a little worse, but on the long run I certainly think benefit can be had...

thanks fore iron i am a 21 hcp but should be playing off about 15-16 hcp and i will agree the feel is alot better

ianoleader

hey people just wanna let all of you know i ended up buying the mizunos mp53s and i couldn't be happier i am hitting more accurate ( i know the clubs didn't do that but they me see where i was going wrong ) and slightly longer ( like an extra 10-15 yards ) shots as i said i could hit my irons well, well that has improved i have played with my irons 4 times in the last week and have come close to getting a hole in one on 3 occasions just leaving it inches from hole, where as before i would get it on green and it is all thanks to the feel of club i have also set an all time low score today at a 11 over before my hcp. now i am not saying that the irons is magical or anything stupid like that but the definitely helped my game by about 4 shots at least so i would also like to thank fore iron cheers buddy your info helped me decide and i am happy and more confident standing over the ball now mainly for my accuracy so to fore iron cheers

micky radigan

ianoleader wrote: »

hey people just wanna let all of you know i ended up buying the mizunos mp53s and i couldn't be happier i am hitting more accurate ( i know the clubs didn't do that but they me see where i was going wrong ) and slightly longer ( like an extra 10-15 yards ) shots as i said i could hit my irons well, well that has improved i have played with my irons 4 times in the last week and have come close to getting a hole in one on 3 occasions just leaving it inches from hole, where as before i would get it on green and it is all thanks to the feel of club i have also set an all time low score today at a 11 over before my hcp. now i am not saying that the irons is magical or anything stupid like that but the definitely helped my game by about 4 shots at least so i would also like to thank fore iron cheers buddy your info helped me decide and i am happy and more confident standing over the ball now mainly for my accuracy so to fore iron cheers

10-15 yards isnt slightly longer its massively longer,club to club an a half longer.

ianoleader

micky radigan wrote: »

10-15 yards isnt slightly longer its massively longer,club to club an a half longer.

well for me that is slightly longer because when i went from mizuno to taylormade i gained like an extra 30 yards to me that is massive

mr.mickels

ianoleader wrote: »

hey people just wanna let all of you know i ended up buying the mizunos mp53s and i couldn't be happier i am hitting more accurate ( i know the clubs didn't do that but they me see where i was going wrong ) and slightly longer ( like an extra 10-15 yards ) shots as i said i could hit my irons well, well that has improved i have played with my irons 4 times in the last week and have come close to getting a hole in one on 3 occasions just leaving it inches from hole, where as before i would get it on green and it is all thanks to the feel of club i have also set an all time low score today at a 11 over before my hcp. now i am not saying that the irons is magical or anything stupid like that but the definitely helped my game by about 4 shots at least so i would also like to thank fore iron cheers buddy your info helped me decide and i am happy and more confident standing over the ball now mainly for my accuracy so to fore iron cheers

well done, the scratch players in your club better start watching out!!! what shafts did you go for?

pduigee

pinseeker wrote: »

have to agree with f22 with regards maybe getting handicap down before moving to a players iron.i have both the mizuno mp62 and 52,the 52 being similar to the 53s your looking at.i have only been member of club for just under a year and for year before that when playing golf i used cast cobra fp irons which i thought were lovely.so i feel i can give the sort of info your after.main thing is that you wont be picking up any distance with the 53s.the lofts will be weaker than any game improvement set you play,you may feel your good iron player but you have to realise the sweet spot and margin for error is far less with player irons.why make things more difficult at your handicap.if you really want forged then callaway and mizuno have game improvement sets that r all good options.personally i love the feel of forged irons and will never go back but that is only my opinion and as i mentioned in last reply dont listen to all the reviews you reading on the 53s just play irons you hit well rather than a set that look good in the bag and struggle with.

hey just wondering what you make of the mp 62's??? i have them on order at the minute. cant wait to get them. just wondering what your feelings on them are?

pinseeker

hey pduigee.the mp62s are super clubs.as long as your good ball striker then you will love them.need to be on song with the 3-5 as fairly punishing if not flushed.scoring irons 8-pw are lovely and distance is constant each time.no bad thing that there a sweet loooking club either eh.really hope they go well for you.

pduigee

pinseeker wrote: »

hey pduigee.the mp62s are super clubs.as long as your good ball striker then you will love them.need to be on song with the 3-5 as fairly punishing if not flushed.scoring irons 8-pw are lovely and distance is constant each time.no bad thing that there a sweet loooking club either eh.really hope they go well for you.

thanks a million. i not a bad striker of the ball. hope they will go well. Im getting the black nickel version so interesting to see how they look. cheers for the reply

Fore Iron

ianoleader wrote: »

hey people just wanna let all of you know i ended up buying the mizunos mp53s and i couldn't be happier i am hitting more accurate ( i know the clubs didn't do that but they me see where i was going wrong ) and slightly longer ( like an extra 10-15 yards ) shots as i said i could hit my irons well, well that has improved i have played with my irons 4 times in the last week and have come close to getting a hole in one on 3 occasions just leaving it inches from hole, where as before i would get it on green and it is all thanks to the feel of club i have also set an all time low score today at a 11 over before my hcp. now i am not saying that the irons is magical or anything stupid like that but the definitely helped my game by about 4 shots at least so i would also like to thank fore iron cheers buddy your info helped me decide and i am happy and more confident standing over the ball now mainly for my accuracy so to fore iron cheers

That's great! Enjoy them!!

The 10-15 yards is most likely due to a different shaft than simply the clubhead and I would guess that you are playing better quite possibly because of increased confidence with your new sticks more than anything else. But either way I think you now have a set of clubs that can take you as far as you are willing to go.

Best of luck and play well!!

micky radigan

ianoleader wrote: »

well for me that is slightly longer because when i went from mizuno to taylormade i gained like an extra 30 yards to me that is massive

could u elaborate on the distances,were u hitting your 7 iron 150 then and with these tm clubs 180?

Uncle Ben

Fore Iron wrote: »

By the way, don't discount looks either! I absolutely love the look of my clubs. That is a big thing for me and helps me feel a little more confident over the ball.

I simple could never stand over a ball with a Ping iron in my hand even if I knew it would give me a much better chance of hitting a straight long ball. They are just too ugly for my eye. So don't be afraid of the more subjective elements of club selection either!!

I'd stand over a ball with a pitchfork if I knew it would give me a much better chance of hitting a straight long ball. As the song goes......'it don't mean a thing, if you ain't got tha swing....':D