Do the type of irons really make a difference?

Do the type of irons really make a difference?

I have played with the same set of Lynx irons for 13 years since I bought them when I was 16 and I have never thought of changing them. Is this right?

I have played tennis all my life and I got to a stage where my racket isn't the problem and I started believing that we shouldn't blame our tools?

Should I think the same with my irons? They are still the correct height for me and I they are in good condition. But maybe the irons have developed a long way in the past decade and I could be missing out on new technology that could really help my game?

Has anyone else thought the same, if so, what did you do?

James,

The newer irons are much more forgiving, meaning that your bad ones will not be as bad and on some you won't even be able to tell the difference.  I definitely think it's worth giving some new ones a go. 

With regards to the woods, ask yourself this question:  Is lack of distance preventing me from reaching greens in regulation? 

If you are hitting 3 irons 200 (and I expect your 5 iron about 170), then the only place you are suffering is long par 4's.  Apart from distance, what do you think you would gain from using woods?

 James, without doubt the newer clubs are better, whether you're talking about blades, cavity or a mixture of the two. The difficult issue I had to get me head round was the size of the heads and the loft of the newer clubs as they can look a bit misleading.

I believe just below the waist but not too sure...

It may also depend on how your initial stance is and your swing otherwise there would be little need to have custom fitting....