I’m currently gaming Titleist 755 irons. They are as far away from ABS spec as they can be. I have started tinkering with my original set of 1975 Hogan Apex’s moving towards an ABS worthy set. I flattened the lie 4 degrees and now looking to add weight as I get more comfortable.
However, I have to have conforming irons for my next competitive season as the 755’s do not conform. There’s no alternative for me.
So, what should I do? I have looked at a few of the new offerings out there. The new Titleist MB’s, Scratch SB-1’s, Mizuno MP69, all look nice. But none of them could be considered ABS spec gear would they? Plus, I’m sure they are all going to be much lighter than ABS spec gear. I’ve looked on the USGA conforming iron page and there just isn’t any older gear that’s listed as conforming.
A good modern MB can be converted to “ABS-spec” rather easily. I play Mizuno MP68’s as my main set, along with an assortment of vintage irons. You’ll need to flatten them and add weight in the form of lead tape or weight inside the shaft at the hosel end.
The new Titleists comig out look nice, as do the Mizunos. You can’t go wrong with Scratch either, but I would probably get an older set of Mizunos or Titleists because they are cheaper. You could start by looking for Titleist 690MB’s, Mizuno MP 33’s, MP 14’s, MP 29’s, etc.
I’m interested to know why you would necessarily choose a modern mb over an older model ? I bought a set of John’s '71 Dynapowers & the clubs look awesome to my eye. What advantage do others see in the modern heads ?
Thanks for the reply. I hadn’t considered blades that are just a few years old. I was looking further back for some reason. All the Mizunos you listed as well as the 690MB are listed as conforming on the USGA page.
Now I just have to find a good set and get to work.
I don’t think they’re necessarily better or worse, just different. My Mizunos are a little better looking at address than most, but not all, of my old sets. They are also much softer feeling. Not better or worse, just different. The grooves are also newer. They are my competition set, but i primarily play other sets when I’m practicing. Since my competitive season ended a month ago, I doubt I’ve hit them twice. Instead, I rotate several others.
you must prefer the Mizunos though right, or you would be gaming another set ? Just wondering why; longer ? easier to stop the ball ? more forgiving ? or simply the set you are most accustomed to perhaps ?
Presentation night last night at the club. Dan got it to 14hcp from 24hcp this summer & won a few comps.
Nothing for Dad this year, no surprise there. Quite a bit of chat about the gear I’m using & the state of my game, having dropped out of the first team & posted some big numbers.
I came away determined to & prove a point win the scratch championship, two rounds around par usually good enough to get the job done, maybe 2014 & maybe with persimmon just to rub it in a bit
I do prefer the Mizuno’s, in both look and feel. The sole grinds are also a little nicer than most of my vintage sets. I think that a good set of modern blades plays a little nicer than most of the old stuff once they are converted to ABS spec (my mizunos are now 5 degrees flat, very heavy, and x200 shafts). I will say though, I just got a set of Colokrom’s after months of searching, and I like them just as much as the Mizunos but for different reasons.
The Mizuno’s are very nice, and I do think that modern forgings are a little softer. I wish they had longer hosels though for lie and offset adjustments. I will say though that they are definitely NOT worth the price difference. I got my Mizuno’s used around the time I started ABS for $575, which was a little more than half of what they would have cost new. Since then, I have picked up a few vintage sets for never more than $50. The vintage sets need a lot more tweaking to be right, but can play very nicely with a little investment. I do think that buying some older Titleists or Mizunos would be worth the price difference, as they can be picked up for more like $200.
Tell Dan congrats for me. That is a big improvement, and something to be proud of.
Biggest reason I bought a set of new blades was for grooves. My old sets just dont hold greens as good as the new ones. New wedges are especially noticeble in there ability to stick compared to my old ones. Old ones are just to slippery. Re-grooving is just to expensive.
Also the newer blades are easier to hit. So I practice with my old stuff but game with the new.
Very good, RR - you may have just missed the boat, unfortunately. I took these out to the range this morning and was hitting it better than I ever have. They are so heavy but once you get used to it, they are so good!!
Much easier to feel the clubhead flattening and falling behind me at transition with the heavier swingweights. I find that once I open the clubface as far as possible and feel it flattening, the ball just doesn’t want to go left at all.
