golfrewind.com

Okay, i'm pretty new to golf, my biggest question is this; what makes a good iron set? right now the only gauge i have is price and name brand, but i've heard that building a clone set is the most affordable way to get a decent set of irons. So what makes a good iron set good?

Yes, go ahead and get a clone set. Most clone sets are 'game-improvement' designs which help make the ball do what the pros can do with blades. There's no harm in that. The draw-back comes when you decide after this year to to be serious and have no market or family member to give these 1st clubs.

that actually arises another question, what are blade irons? and do i want to stay away from them until get down to a single digit handicap?

what should i be looking for when picking a clone set?

Blades are most commonly seen in what is called the muscleback, they are a smaller head, more traditional, with a thin top line. You can get blades in a cavityback design also. Blades are a little bit harder to hit, then the oversize game improvement clubs, but if you learn with blades you will become a better golfer sooner. Just depends on how much dedication you have to practice. If you are only going to be an occasional weekend golfer go with the oversize cavitybacks.

i've been doing some research on golfclubreview.com and i think that i'm going to go for some "compromise irons", which i beleive are the blades with a cavityback. Having done the research, it's making me a little reluctant to buy clubs from ebay.
Do any of you guys know how much a store would charge to fit a set of clubs for you?

Usually $20-40 if you get fitted and don't buy the clubs from them. If you purchase the clubs from them the fitting is usually free.

STEVEO,

First I must tell you one thing: DO NOT BUY CLONES....they are cheap knockoffs that are made ****** and wont help your game any at all. My recomendation is to go with a good set of component irons: Dynacraft/snake eyes/maltby/hireko (acer is the more common name) The difference is that components can simulate OEM iron heads but they are made with more quality than Knockoffs which are just casted and let loose with no quality assurance.

Heres my suggestion: Find a club maker in your area who deals with components (will cost much less for components than OEM..got my set of dynacraft Q4's for $100 slightly used!!) have them fit you for your current swing and let the clubmaker point you in the right way.

Starting out with a blade-type club will ruin your enjoyment of the game...start with game improvement irons first...easier to hit..and you will get more out of it. Then in a couple years move to a smaller topline and less of an improvement iron and more into a players iron...then you can gague how you like it.


Email me if you would like a little more help..I can check on clubmakers in your area or there may even be a couple people on another board I am a member of who will meet up with you and let you try their component choices..my email is bowlingnut17@hotmail.com just titile it STEVEO from golf rewind

james

As a starting golfer, you should probably go with a set of cavity back irons until you are able to hit the ball consistently. You may like the cavity back or decide to switch to a forged muscle back. In the true sense of the word and how it originated, a blade was what the first irons looked like. Some companies made blades - flat backed irons - up to the early eighties. Today, blades cannot be found new, but forged muscle backs can. Even some "hybrid" muscle/cavity irons are made. The Titleist pictured below is a muscle back and the irons I play. The PowerBilt is a blade since the back is flat, much like the first irons and how the name came to be.

drStroud,

When do you get to post pictures? When you get to a certain level? Or do you have special privleges from Victory?

Those pictures are linked from another site. You can link to pictures externally but you can't upload pictures to this site yet. I am looking to adding that capability soon.

These are what I play with, from 1971. This is when the manufactures were first playing around with musclebacks, although they were still refered to as blades. My first set and I still play with them. This picture is from Ironfinders since I don't have any pics of my own clubs.

By the way, thanks for the help Victory.

Prior to Karsten Solheim and his PING clubs, I don't think there was much in the way of cavity back/cast clubs. Most forged clubs from years and years ago can still be played today. The gain in technology is in the shaft. ForgedRbest must have this idea in mind because he plays a set of Wilson Staffs for 1971. It still play my set of 1987 Titleist muscle backs that I bought in 1987 when I worked at a golf course. I love the irons. You can buy an older set off ebay and have them refinished at a place like www.theironfactory.com for a reasonable amount. Upgrade to a new shaft and grip and you have a great set of irons. Take a look at www.ironfinder.com and you can view many older irons. Kind of a fun and intersting site. I'd like to pick up a set of Staffs for Hogans and have refinished.

Your right, and with the refinishing cost it is way less then a brand new set of musclebacks. For example, when I restored my old set of Staffs, I had less then $500.00 in the project. When I was finished they were so beautiful my wife said "No WAY!!! are you ever going to play those again!!!" Gave me a good excuse to buy a new set of Titleist 690 MB's, hehe. After a few months I was really missing the Wilson's and didn't really like the 690's. Nothing wrong with the 690's, I'm just a Wilson fan, started with them in '67, Sam Snead Blue Ridge, and I'm hard headed. Acouple of years later, thanks to Ebay, I am the proud owner of multiple sets of the '71 models and every set of blades Wilson made from 1958 to 1993, all restored and old Wilson Tour bags to go with each. The total for all of this did get out of hand, but a guy has to have his toys, still cheaper then cars or boats.

I forgot to mention, every restored set has real leather wrap grips. That helped drive the cost up a little, but still way less then any brand new set.