Do any of you game forged MB irons?
My experience below. (This may not be the case for players with very low swing speeds or the elderly).
I started playing golf 3 years ago, went through several game improvement irons and I could never get a feel for them. (mizuno jpx 921 hot metals, then got fitted for mizuno jpx 923 High launch just to name a few). I got decent (high 80’s-low90’s on average- but the better my swing got, the more I experience I had, I developed an increase in inconsistent carries and dispersion. The trampoline effect of game improvement irons was abysmal for performance in my experience.
Every club manufacturer is pushing for loft jacked irons instead of traditional lofts like my MB (titleist 712 MB 8 iron loft 39 degrees. Mizuno jpx 923 hot metal High Launch 8 iron 35 degrees), where the ball bounces off the face hotter and faster propogating the marketing allure of longer carries being advantageous, all while masking improper swing mechanics because of reduced feedback and ball flight apex to stick greens.
Golf is a game of target precision.
I decided to purchase an old 2011 Titleist 712 MB 8 iron to practice on my home net because of the much needed feedback. (I have a rapsodo mlm2pro for swing data).
I had never experienced such incredible strikes after a little practice and tweaks. The feedback was remarkable. My spin rates and apex were up. I was hitting it so well, I threw it in the bag to test it on the course.
Every single round it was hands down the best club in my bag.
Toward the end of the season l had a 145 yard approach shot on a difficult par 4 and pulled out the trust forged MB iron and absolutely aced the strike, with enough backspin to roll 10 feet back down the green burm and sit 2 feet from the hole. It was that moment I said I'm done with the inconsistent carries of modern game improvement irons that have the trampoline effect, and zero strike location feedback, and purchased a full set of the 2011 Titleist 712 MB's on ebay. I got them on the course and on day 1 it was hands down the best iron play of my life. Smooth. Pure butter strikes.
Like driving a manual transmision car, I was connected to the clubs. My carries were predictable. My strikes were exactly what I expect regarding carry consistency.
For the first time in my life I felt like I was playing golf exactly as it was intended to be played.
Keep in mind I play jumbomax ultralite (S) grips, so even the harsh strikes aren’t very punishing- but I know EXACTLY where I hit the ball and how to correct.
I added a couple hybrids and 5 wood to my bag, and game the MB’s 5-PW – and on my second round with the clubs broke 40 on 9 holes for the first time in my life (39) . I did not go OB once.
Baby draws. Mishits SHORT and in play, not rockets OB.
I will never go back.
I highly recommend buying an old MB to practice with, and see how it performs on the course for you. You might be amazed.
by MaLTC
20 Comments
Meh – I cant drive stick shift either, so there is that.
What is your handicap and how far do you hit your 7 iron?
I played GI’s for my entire golfing life and was a lucky-to-break-100 golfer. Said fuck it, got a set of MP221s and realized just how awful my swing actually was and how I was leaning on the forgiveness as an excuse to be shit at ballstriking.
Since then, about 2 years ago, I’ve dropped from a 22 to an 8, with a low of 6.3. I now game the S1/S3 icebergs because they look cool as shit.
Players in the 7-15 handicap range playing players distance irons are always funny.
“I’m going to take a little off my 6 iron here at 185”
They chunk it 40 yards.
Why not just play an iron you have to swing full every time and not be scared?
lol. If you just broke 40 for the first time there is 100% no chance that MBs are going to better overall for you than a distance / game improvement irons.period.
I play a combo set of t100 and 620 mbs and I love them.
I agree, feel like the need to make my misshits go the same distance as my purestrikes is a mistake. I went through 2 sets of “game improvement” irons (G425s, and T150s) before just putting takomo 301 combos (with a 7i mb now) in the bag. game has only improved since. Much more confident as those hot face fliers I don’t get anymore… “maybe” i play a bit better going back to the t150s (i still have them), but… at this moment i don’t really care to try.
edit: so many snow flakes… like i insulted your mother. I had quotes around “game improvement” knowing it was a stretch for the T150s, but also knowing they have a lot of the same qualities of GI irons.
You can’t fake it with a set of musclebacks. I have a set of 712mbs I used to game about 10 years ago. The feedback is real and IMO they make you a better ball striker.
Did your scores or handicap drop though? That’s what matters. You anecdotally saying you are playing better is frankly meaningless.
This is all mental. Glad it’s working for you until it doesn’t but acting like different clubs are just making you swing better and hit the center out of pure will is kind of nuts.
Yeah, the “game improvement” notion is a misnomer. If you want to get better, a good set of players clubs (blade/mb/forged cavity) is the way to go. The best thing I ever did for my game…
lol, sure.
Thanks for the entertainment; I always find it amusing when people who struggle to break 90, play blades. As I’ve gotten better, I’ve moved from blades to GI clubs, and it makes the game super easy and enjoyable. 3/4 shots are your friend. While less responsive, can still easily tell where I hit the club face. I get 1 or 2 fliers a round, but my overall dispersion still better. Maybe the courses you play don’t have a lot of water or punish short shots as harshly either.
lol. a little more tech still in these compared to old MBs. but I get your point.
I have an MB 2-iron.
I have “Muscle cavity” (recently learned these are called players cavity) for the rest of my set. Everything up to a 6iron has more cavity (but not game improvement) and 7i to Pw is basically an MB.
The perfect set is more forgiving for faster swing speeds (low irons) and should be less forgiving and more precise when needed (high irons).
That being said, the way the ball comes off my 2-iron when hit well is just perfect and special. The misses feel like someone took a hammer to my hands.
100% agree. I’m a 13 and play with P750’s. I love them. There is nothing more satisfying that hitting a pure iron.
I switched back and forth from GI irons and my score stayed about the same. But I get more enjoyment from the P750’s.
I also love driving a manual.
Why do most pga pros use some type of cavity back iron if mb’s are better?
Isn’t this the whole point of GI irons though? They are meant for high handicaps that struggle with consistent swings. Therefore as you continue to improve you find a more consistent swing and now the forgiveness is actually hurting you in terms of consistency. The forgiveness yields inconsistent distance and spin control, both of those things are exacerbated by longer holes as well as course conditions.
It is obviously down to each persons game but there is likely a point where a player is limited by their clubs but it’s not universal, so each person would need to hit x,y,z skills and then they als would be limited by the consistency and spin control.
i used CB 710s and i agree with this post, they’re all i’ve ever known too
Just play what you enjoy, that’s all there is to it.
I think there’s definitely some drawbacks to the super hot distance irons that have super low spin. However, there’s also a ton of options between MBs and super hot GI irons. Irons like the PING i230/i240, Titleist T100/T150, etc where you get some help and don’t have to go all the way to a MB