Why I Regret Using A Combo Iron Set
Even as someone with access to the latest equipment, I often make mistakes with the clubs in my own bag. They’re admittedly easily rectified, but there’s a big one I’ve been persisting with that I believe is costing me shots. That’s having a combo set of irons.
The idea of a combo or combination set is the have different types of iron within a set to deliver certain performance attributes where they are needed. Typically you would see this in the form of slightly larger, more forgiving long irons – like on the new PXG 0317 ST Blade irons, for example. But in my case, I mixed up the other end of the set – opting for more feel-orientated short irons. Specifically, I replaced my hollow headed TaylorMade P770 short irons with one-piece TaylorMade P7MC muscle cavities.
The thinking at the time was that my ball striking was at a level where I could get away with less forgiving short irons and that the reward would be more consistent distances and a softer feel. Maybe it was back then, although I’m not so sure, and in reality it hasn’t worked out. Having had these irons in the bag for over a year now, I am whole heartedly regretting not opting for a full set of P770s.
Why? It turns out, my ball striking with my short irons isn’t as accomplished as it should be. As a result, I often come up frustratingly short with my PW, 9-iron and 8-iron. There is a significant difference in the amount of forgiveness in the two models too, which becomes even more apparent when I’m not swinging at my best. Essentially, the P7MCs feel like hard work, and I consciously feel I have to hit them harder to get them to travel the distance I want them to, which in turn leads to more inconsistent strikes – it’s a viscous cycle.
One look at my Arccos data confirms to sizeable drop off in distance where I transition from the P770s in the 7-iron to the P7MCs in the 8-iron. A 20 yard gap is way too much in the 130-150 yard distance bracket where the bulk of my approach shots are hit from. I also hit more greens with my…
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