Question:
Hello, My wife purchased a set of Callaway X-12s for me as a Christmas gift last December. (Yes, very fortunate!) It took several rounds for me to get used to them, but I eventually did, and I loved them. The only problem was that I had always wanted to play forged blades. In June, I traded my X-12s for a new set of Mizuno MP-14s. I have played approximately 20 rounds with them (I am about an 8 hc), and I have noticed a marked decrease in my distance. The decrease is more noticeable with my long irons (about 15 yards), and is less noticeable with my short irons (about 7 yards on my PW). My question is this: I don’t know the standard loft of either set of clubs, but the pro who fit me said that I use a standard loft/lie on both. Should I consider having my clubs bent to increase the loft a couple of degrees and/or lengthening the shafts about 1/2 inch each? (The reason I’m considering lengthening the shaft is that the Mizunos seem to be a bit shorter– whether they are or not. Any advise would be appreciated. Milt
Response:
Milt, I would have the lofts checked on the off-chance there was a misunderstanding between you and the guy who fit you. By standard — he may have meant the manufacturer’s standard. My guess would be that the x-12s are delofted compared to the Mizuno’s. As a generality, most cast cavity backs have less loft compared to the blades. The reason is the cavity back design causes a higher initial trajectory. So to prevent ballooning the ball, manufacturers began jacking the lofts. I think they then soon realized that they could also claim their clubs "went further" than yours/the competition. So even the blade designs followed suit to keep pace. The old standard was a 48 or 49 degree 9-iron with 4 degree gaps going downward; now even a blade design is around 45 or 46 degrees and some cavity backs are even club stronger than that. Hey, nothing wrong with hitting 160 yard 9-iron, but what do you for those in between shots — anything from 160 to 110 wedge — hence the proliferation of gap wedges. Other than that, you could think about tweaking the lofts if you find distance a problem, but as I mentioned above, you might find yourself in some awkward gaps. I think if you are going to have a gap in your set, better to have it in the long irons than in your scoring ones. — JoePete – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, My wife purchased a set of Callaway X-12s for me as a Christmas gift last December. (Yes, very fortunate!) It took several rounds for me to get used to them, but I eventually did, and I loved them. The only problem was that I had always wanted to play forged blades. In June, I traded my X-12s for a new set of Mizuno MP-14s. I have played approximately 20 rounds with them (I am about an 8 hc), and I have noticed a marked decrease in my distance. The decrease is more noticeable with my long irons (about 15 yards), and is less noticeable with my short irons (about 7 yards on my PW). My question is this: I don’t know the standard loft of either set of clubs, but the pro who fit me said that I use a standard loft/lie on both. Should I consider having my clubs bent to increase the loft a couple of degrees and/or lengthening the shafts about 1/2 inch each? (The reason I’m considering lengthening the shaft is that the Mizunos seem to be a bit shorter– whether they are or not. Any advise would be appreciated
Response:
Milt, You can get the lofts of your MP-14s from http://www.mizunousa.com/golf/forged_irons1.html but I don’t think Calloway publishes this information about their clubs. I did notice that the MP-14s were 2 degrees weaker than the MP-29s, i.e. MP-14 PW has 50 deg loft while the MP-29 has 48. It would stand to reason that 2 deg more loft in a 3 iron which you hit 200 yards would produce a distance loss about twice as much as a PW which you hit much shorter. Forged clubs are usually receptive to loft/lie adjustments. Be sure to take to a reputable clubsmith. Also you want to decrease the loft in the MP-14s, not increase it. Play well. Scott – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, My wife purchased a set of Callaway X-12s for me as a Christmas gift last December. (Yes, very fortunate!) It took several rounds for me to get used to them, but I eventually did, and I loved them. The only problem was that I had always wanted to play forged blades. In June, I traded my X-12s for a new set of Mizuno MP-14s. I have played approximately 20 rounds with them (I am about an 8 hc), and I have noticed a marked decrease in my distance. The decrease is more noticeable with my long irons (about 15 yards), and is less noticeable with my short irons (about 7 yards on my PW). My question is this: I don’t know the standard loft of either set of clubs, but the pro who fit me said that I use a standard loft/lie on both. Should I consider having my clubs bent to increase the loft a couple of degrees and/or lengthening the shafts about 1/2 inch each? (The reason I’m considering lengthening the shaft is that the Mizunos seem to be a bit shorter– whether they are or not. Any advise would be appreciated. Milt