GI or slightly better player Irons

Well have finally decided to buy my first new set of Irons after getting down to 15 HCap over the summer. Currently on a set of graphite Ping G2s (Green dot) which have served me well for a 3 years, but want to move forward and force myself to strike the ball better. Tried my mate's Mizuno Mp60s for a round and loved them.

After working out in Afghanistan all autumn and winter, I can now afford a new set and need a treat to look forward to when I come home to the UK next month. Christmas out here is cheap, but not so great!

Apart from lessons, which I am taking in January, I was looking at a new set of custom fit Irons. Shortlisted Irons which I have tried are Mizzi JPX 825 Pros, Mizzi MP54s which look stunniing, Ping I20s and the ubiquitious G25s. I want to be brave, but not stupid, what would you recommend?

Also, anyone know of any good outdoor (I swing badly indoors) custom fit places that do Ping and Mizuno near Swindon or in Wiltshire?

As a 15 i'd say look at better players irons, rather than game improvement irons. GI's are generally designed to help you get the ball in the air...playing at around 15, i'd say you'd be good enough to look at a lot of forged irons...i'm around a 15 at the moment and i play semi blades, so i'm sure you could too! don't be dragged down into branding...ping do make lovely irons, as do mizuno, but you'd be shocked how well 90% of other forged clubs compare.....try as many as you can before you decide.

Thanks Andrew, a good point well made. I guess I am little worried as my previous clubs to the G2s were a set of Cleveland CGs, and I was horrendously inconsistent with these. When playing off 20 (genuine) I would sometimes score embarrassingly well, with the accusations of banditry and the next week score 20 points.

My only practical difficulty in trying clubs is using whatever the club fitters seem to have in, happy to travel to a good outdoor custom fitter and go with your advice. Any ideas where?

No problem! I'd say go to american golf, try all the sets they have and then do a little google search for your nearest fitter that stock the irons you feel suit you the best. That's what i'd do if i was looking for clubs again!

Good luck in the search mate!

My experience. When I decided to ditch my old set of cheapo Rams I went to all the retail barns but somehow never really trusted them (bit like buying wood from B & Q....). So after a bit of research I found a man who builds clubs fairly locally and ended up buying a set of Maraging XKR200's with top spec. NS Pro950GH shafts. They were built and tweaked for me alone and actually worked out cheaper than going to somewhere like American Golf. I'm certainly going back to him for my next set, but this time they'll be Wishons.

What really convinced me is that a lot of the work he does is actually rebuilding clubs to the correct spec after people have bought them 'custom fitted' from golf barns.

Ben, Seriously look at the Ping s55's, Better player irons with ping heritage, the best custom fitting out there and feel as soft and crisp as any forged iron. bit pricey but the s56's were 3 years old before ping decided they could improve them and released the 55's, this also means that you can trust your set will be the newest thing out for a few years unlike some manufacturers cough Taylormade cough where you buy them and theres a new model out before you get home and remove them from the boot of the car. Take a look I think they are gorgeous!

Test as many as you can. Narrow it down by the looks you like, by the feeling you get when you hit good and bad shots. Finally try all of the final three as many times as your happy with before buying. Personally I don't care what the brand is, or whether they are blades or Gi, whether they are cast or forged. If those things somehow matter to your then fine, but I play the game and use clubs that make it easy, and help me shoot lower scores. There is no need for bragging rights to show everyone how your forged blades are super soft and beautiful looking when you still haven't improved your scores.

Btw. The discussion on TM releases is for a different thread, but your buying something that should last for many years and even if they bring out six versions in the next year the ones you have still work exactly the same. Your bragging rights have gone down a little but nothing else. If that's important then great but clubs wise they shouldn't be discounted from your tests, or you could be missing out on some great kit.

Thanks everyone. I know my fit for Ping - Green dot, stiff, standard everything else and had it checked recently at Tony Valentines indoor in Swindon, I am about the same with Mizuno, this is 2* up, standard, and higher flight profile shaft options.

I know I am happy with JPX Pro 825, I20s worked really well but S55s were not on the rack, and I struggled a bit with consistentency with the MP54s.

After reading your comments, I ended up flipping a coin. Heads Ping I20 or Tails Mizuno JPX pro? I only have 22 days back in the UK over the winter so want to make it count.

The coin came down Mizuno! so have ordered from Snainton (with discount code) the JPX 825 Pro 4-PW with a 50* MPR12 gap wedge. Shaft choice was cost free KBS tour or Nippon, so went with NS Pro (Nippon) 950 GH stiff on all of them. Hopefully if it works for Tim, it might work for me too.

Roll on the 20th January when I get back.....

Gentlemen, thanks for your comments and advice, look forward to giving any updates and being an active member.

NIIICEEE!!!! good choice, i dont think youll be disappointed, good luck, let us know how you get on with them

Arriving tomorrow, at last!

After a ping pong issue over the wedge which was out of stock in Cumbernbauld, bearing in mind I ordered these on Dec 20th, the wait had better be worth it! Update to follow when I get a chance to swing them.

With the new technology out there flight scope to name one if I was looking to get fitted again I would go the whole hog including a ball fitting session. I'm +1" long 2 deg up midsize +1/16" grip and stiff steel in the irons so that would be my starting point take my irons with me so that the changes, features and benefits can be measured against my current set.

My 2009 TM Burner is not adjustable so that might be a good move for me, however I have been very straight with it so I would be reluctant to change that particular club.