Titleist AP1 irons forgiveness

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By PHILLIP A

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  • 16 Replies
  1. PHILLIP A

    PHILLIP A
    Summerville, SC

    I am currently a 22 handicap and was wondering if the AP1's would be too much for my skill level.
  2. Potomac Golfer

    Potomac Golfer
    washington, DC

    Sort of depends on the reasons for your hdcp -- I'm the same but a Titleist Advanced Fitter said I could handle the new AP1s and I like them a lot (my issues are distance plus short game, not face contact).
  3. PHILLIP A

    PHILLIP A
    Summerville, SC

    I have the same problems with my distance. I feel like all my irons are going about the same distances.
  4. phillip H

    phillip H
    Haslet, TX

    I got fitted for AP1's in October, They are the Best Irons I've ever had. Very concistant, forgiving and good feel. I would highly recomend getting fitted - BUT first of all take some lessons to get your swing in shape. New irons with bad habits will still lead to the same old results (I know, I've been there). Get fitted for the whole bag while you're at it. Good Luck!
  5. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    I was in your shoes before because I had been pretty close to that handicap before (average golf score was between 95-100 for 18 considering 22 hcp is 99.5). Part of it was not playing a lot of golf between 1977-2003 with a couple 3 year absences. Another part was long club play on the grass (I could hit any club off the tee but often used a 4 iron as a "fairway wood"). The last part was short game because my putting and sand play was a disaster (when I took up golf again in 2006, I developed a good short game). In regards to the apparent lack of distance difference between clubs, etc.... 1. You may have a club you can swing away with (my 3 best clubs in the bag are 7 wood, 5H, 8 iron). 2. You may be hitting the less lofted club with a higher trajectory (I hit a 13* draw driver lower than a 10.5* neutral driver and I hit a 7 wood lower than a 3 or 5 wood). 3. Not everyone has pinpoint accuracy with irons (except maybe the late Moe Norman, who could hit a 3 iron the same distance +/- 3 yards).
  6. PHILLIP A

    PHILLIP A
    Summerville, SC

    I appreciate all the replies. For some reason I play better with the Titleist 690.CB irons. I found a mint condition set online and gave them a try. I find them to be more forgiving than the max game improvement irons for some reasons. Any suggestions on why that may be?
  7. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    PHILLIP A said:

    I appreciate all the replies. For some reason I play better with the Titleist 690.CB irons. I found a mint condition set online and gave them a try. I find them to be more forgiving than the max game improvement irons for some reasons. Any suggestions on why that may be?

    Sometimes you get under the ball better with player irons vs game improvement. I bought a set of GT3 irons in 2006 - couldn't hit them off a tight lie worth a hill of beans. Went back to my good ole X31 blades and hit the ball better.

  8. Rodney S

    Rodney S
    Oakville, ON

    I am an 11 handicap. Just put the AP1's in the bag with GD shafts. Best irons ever compared with my steel shafted g15 and rapture. Get properly fitted and you will not be disappointed.
  9. Matt P

    Matt P
    Rogersville, TN

    PHILLIP A said:

    I am currently a 22 handicap and was wondering if the AP1's would be too much for my skill level.
  10. Mark N

    Mark N
    Franklin, MA

    AP1's fit a vast majority of players. Often times you will see this clubs in the bags of mid to high handicapers because they are very easy to hit and forgiving on off center hits. Also, don't be surprised to see these in a few bags of the top Tour players in the world.  My best suggestion is to find a local club fitter and get a proper fit.

  11. Joe D

    Joe D
    Boulder, CO

    you really cant tell, it really depends on what parts of your game you have a problem with

  12. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    Joe D said:

    you really cant tell, it really depends on what parts of your game you have a problem with

    I've been reading some posts from golfers who have pro distance but play bogey golf and some from those that have "average" distance (140 yards for a 7 iron or 220 for a driver) but play to a 5 handicap.
  13. PHILLIP A

    PHILLIP A
    Summerville, SC

    @Joe: I hit my 7 iron around 155-160 but every now and then I have teh typical mis hit. My driver I can hit about 250 but more too often I slice to the right. I am currently a 20 handicap and improving everytime I play. Good info on this forum.
  14. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    PHILLIP A said:

    @Joe: I hit my 7 iron around 155-160 but every now and then I have teh typical mis hit. My driver I can hit about 250 but more too often I slice to the right. I am currently a 20 handicap and improving everytime I play. Good info on this forum.
    A tip from Paul Wilson was the reason people slice is they try to hit it too hard (over the top motion caused by the arms taking over). Try playing a little more conservative on the irons (ie, hit a 7 iron 145 instead of trying to muscle it - fewer misses). I'm CAPABLE of 150 with an 8 iron but play it 135 most of the time and hit more greens that way. Before my totally dead straight drives with a neutral driver would go high and I would lose considerable distance. I found my best distance was a "power fade" (lower trajectory, going left and then right). I take a slightly closed stance with all my woods (the fairway wood I use a square clubface) - helps for distance also. Maybe your driver swing has an outside to in path by nature (this is when the ball starts left and goes right). Try standing with a slightly closed stance (promotes an inside-out swing and straightens it out). If your ball goes straight to start, your swing path is fine but the clubface is open at impact. If the handle of the club is too far ahead of the face at impact, it is open (not releasing properly). How's your short game? Be one of the 3 percent that practices bunker shots and 25 percent that practices 50 yard pitch shots. I'm more attentive to not trying to swing too hard, so I have fewer slice mis-hits. My mis-hit is usually a pull with about 10-15 yards more distance - caused by turning too soon at impact (over-releasing).
  15. PHILLIP A

    PHILLIP A
    Summerville, SC

    Thanks for the good info Lou. I will try this. It makes a sense. I learn so much from this forum!
  16. Jacob L

    Jacob L
    Franklin, IN

    Phillip your misses might be the result of your sequencing or just something as simple as your clubface. If your misses start right with little curve it is a push and that is usually the result of rotating your body too much so the club gets stuck behing you. If it is starting straight but going right you are coming over the top with a square clubface. If it starts left and goes right you are coming over the top with a closed clubface. If it is a slice it is just a sequencing problem. Instead of starting the downswing with your shoulders shift your weight left then drop your arms then rotate. You can rotate as fast as you want once your arms are in front of you without worrying about a fade. If it is a slice don't try and close your stance to fix it. This will just make matters worse because you will probably double cross yourself. Double crossing is coming over the top with a extremely shut clubface. This will cause really bad hooks. A trajectory that you want to aim for is the high draw it will give you the most distance and control. Fading the ball has its uses if you want to work it but most of the time a draw will be the better shot. Fades just get caught up in the wind too easy and just plain don't have the distance a draw does because fades have more backspin. Once you have your sequencing down you can swing as hard as you want as long as you have control too. Your goal in your swing is to generate as much speed AND control as possible. One without the other just isn't helping you. Control without speed will hurt you because if you are trying to baby your swing it can actually throw your sequencing off. But speed without control is just as bad because your contact and direction will be terrible. If you find yourself slicing don't try to fix it if you are on the course. At the range do drills but on the course don't try to close your stance or close your clubface it will hurt you even more.
  17. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    Jacob L said:

    Phillip your misses might be the result of your sequencing or just something as simple as your clubface. If your misses start right with little curve it is a push and that is usually the result of rotating your body too much so the club gets stuck behing you. If it is starting straight but going right you are coming over the top with a square clubface. If it starts left and goes right you are coming over the top with a closed clubface. If it is a slice it is just a sequencing problem. Instead of starting the downswing with your shoulders shift your weight left then drop your arms then rotate. You can rotate as fast as you want once your arms are in front of you without worrying about a fade. If it is a slice don't try and close your stance to fix it. This will just make matters worse because you will probably double cross yourself. Double crossing is coming over the top with a extremely shut clubface. This will cause really bad hooks. A trajectory that you want to aim for is the high draw it will give you the most distance and control. Fading the ball has its uses if you want to work it but most of the time a draw will be the better shot. Fades just get caught up in the wind too easy and just plain don't have the distance a draw does because fades have more backspin. Once you have your sequencing down you can swing as hard as you want as long as you have control too. Your goal in your swing is to generate as much speed AND control as possible. One without the other just isn't helping you. Control without speed will hurt you because if you are trying to baby your swing it can actually throw your sequencing off. But speed without control is just as bad because your contact and direction will be terrible. If you find yourself slicing don't try to fix it if you are on the course. At the range do drills but on the course don't try to close your stance or close your clubface it will hurt you even more.
    Agree in the weight shift on the downswing. The bumping of the hips that comes with lifting the back foot off the ground is what starts the downswing, then uncoiling the shoulders and releasing of the wrists. As far as swinging TOO HARD, if you do that, the arms take over and you get out of sequence (the end result is the "over the top" move). This was pointed out in one of Revolution Golf videos. "Over the top" results in a swing path that goes leftward (for righties). A closed clubface gives a severe hook. If it is square to the target but the path goes left, it is open as far as the swing path is concerned and the result is a slice that starts left and goes right. The push is caused exactly as Jacob describes - the swing path is inside-out and the clubface is open at impact. The slice that starts straight is because the clubhead is too far behind the hands at impact (open face) but the path is straight. Another thing that causes this kind of shot is a flat front foot at finish - one's weight should be on the forward part of the foot and heel (this was told to me by a pretty reliable teaching pro). The other reason you hit a severe hook (snap hook) is the hips don't clear because you hang on your back foot and swing around too much. This was even pointed out in Jim McClean's book "The Three Scoring Clubs". Most swing faults in Golf can be attributed to the back foot getting stuck on the downswing. I personally generate more clubhead speed with a compact backswing and minimal weight shift on the backswing (stack n tilt). The big 90 degree "parallel at the top" rotational golf swing is probably one of the biggest fallacies in Golf. If you shift too much weight to the back foot it makes it difficult to shift to the front foot. It doesn't work for everybody, either. A tall person is more suited to a two plane swing and a short person to what amounts to a baseball swing (there is even a test in this month's Golf Magazine that determines what type of swing plane to use). In regards to the slightly closed stance.... there was even a recommendation in Golf Digest. that people with limited mobility should do this to encourage a bigger shoulder turn. Even in baseball, a closed stance is a power move. Chi-Chi Rodriguez hits his longer clubs with a closed stance. What I described works for me. I have a slightly closed stance and swing along the target line for a straight shot. If I swing along my foot path I get a draw. If I open my stance a little I get a power fade.

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