Second Guesses: Did You Make The Right Decision On Those New Irons?

Have You Ever Wondered . . .

(Written by Golfspy_Dave) Have you ever had that moment when you thought back on your life and wondered about the impact of your choices?  Did you take the right person to homecoming?  Did you go to the right college?  What would have happened if you had decided to open your own business?  We have all pondered questions like these, not so much to dwell in the past, but more just wondering how things would have turned out had we walked the other path that day.  I know that right now you are thinking, “What is all this existential BS?  I came here to see the latest golf gear!”  I’ll admit, those previous ponderings are a bit heavy for a site about golf, but they do relate to today’s topic.

Last January, I went down to the Eli Callaway Performance Center and was fit for a new set of irons.  You can read the details HERE.  To summarize, my iron selection came down to a choice between two sets, the RAZR X Tours and the RAZR X Blacks.  While I went with the RAZR X Tours, I couldn’t avoid the nagging voice in the back of my mind that wondered if I went down the wrong path.   The curiosity about how my game would be different had I chosen the RAZR X Blacks instead of the Tours kept creeping into my thoughts.  I faced a similar dilemma the first time I went and got fit at Callaway.  The fitter said that I could play the RAZR X or Diablo Forged irons, with the Diablo Forged being the more difficult of the two to play.  I went toward the iron of least resistance, the RAZR X, and I have definitely enjoyed playing with those irons.  When I went to Callaway this year, we decided on the RAZR X Tours as my game was progressing with my winter lesson project and the RAZR X Blacks seemed too similar to the RAZR X irons I was already playing.

Jump forward to this past summer, and you would have found the RAZR X irons from the year before in my bag.  I had taken the RAZR X tours out on numerous occasions, but they just didn’t give me the performance/forgiveness that the RAZR X did.  This is really what got me thinking about the RAZR X Blacks, as I viewed them as a GI iron that falls in between the X and the Tour in the Callaway line.  Should I have gone with the other set?  I decided to find out.  What set of irons should I be playing?  Unlike wondering what would have happened had you worked up the nerve to talk to that girl in high school, this question can, thankfully, be answered.  Today we will see if that iron choice back in January was a good one.

The Clubs: RAZR X, RAZR X Tour, RAZR X Black Irons

:: All Standard length, loft, and lie

:: All shafted with True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

:: All +2 wraps under the grips, though the grips did vary

The Tests

Driving Range Trials: I recorded the results for 5i/7i/PW for each set while aiming at appropriate targets on the range.  For the 7 iron and PW, I recorded ten shots with each iron.  I reduced the number to eight with the 5 irons because I was running out of balls, and starting to see the effects of fatigue.  (A quick thanks to Peter Brown for his ridicule-free recording of the shot data.).  There was no launch monitor, no talk of D-Plane (though Pete tried) or other swing theories.  This was just about which irons allowed me to hit the targets.

Informal Course Play: Over the course of a few months, I played rounds with the various sets, recording impressions, strengths, and weaknesses.  This data set is far more subjective, and may just really boil down to confidence level with the individual sets.  Out of compassion to the readers, I will not include scorecards or swing videos…

The Results

Range Trials

Here are some graphics that I put together to show the shot dispersion for the trials at the driving range.  Under each, I have included some photos comparing the clubs being tested. For reference:

:: B= RAZR X Black
:: X= RAZR X
:: T= RAZR X Tour.

Pitching Wedges

7 Irons

5 Irons

Based upon these three data sets, I reached the following conclusions:

:: The RAZR X Black irons are definitely the most “heading-left” of the sets. This is a big deal for me as although Kevin Estrella and I worked on my flip last winter, it still creeps into the game now and again.  This was especially true with the 7i.  I had to fight to keep the balls as close to the target as I did.

:: The RAZR X Tour irons were definitely the most “heading-right” irons. I was not too surprised by this.  These irons have less offset, and unlike the RAZR X and RAZR X Black, the Tours are not designed not to help a higher handicapper turn over the club.

:: I can’t discount the fact that I have been playing with the RAZR X irons longer than the others. Significantly more rounds and range sessions.  I believe that this accounts for the greater number of on-target with the RAZR X irons.  Although, I was able to bust out a few wild ones with these as well.

:: I was surprised at the similarity in distances. Based upon the loft numbers, I thought that the RAZR X Tours would be a lot shorter than the other two.  The 5 iron distance for the Tours was very surprising, especially as this was the last set of balls that I hit.  Maybe I was tired enough to swing easy.  I do remember that hitting the Tour 5 iron just felt good.

:: Ball flight for the RAZR X and RAZR X Tour irons was straighter overall. The RAZR X tended to deliver more of a draw, with the Tours oscillating between draw and fade.  The Razr X Blacks delivered sweeping right to left nearly every time, moving far more than the other two.

On the Course

As expected, the best on course performance has come from the RAZR X irons.  Once again, I point to the simple fact that I have played more rounds with them being likely responsible for the difference.  That being said, there were some definite play trends with the various sets.

:: The RAZR X Blacks heading lefts on the range also occurred on the course. However, most of the time the ball flight was more controllable than on the range. Perhaps this is a mats vs. grass thing, or maybe I just have a different swing on the course than on the range.  Whatever the case, ball flight definitely meandered away from hook towards draw on the course.

:: Turf interaction seems to be the best with the RAZR X irons. With the Tours, I seemed to be more prone to the occasional toe-to-toe divot.  I know that the club is not responsible for the digging, especially when I compare the bounce numbers with the other irons.  Maybe it is a psychological thing.  Which brings us to…

:: My on course confidence definitely resides with the RAZR X irons. They are the well worn in shoe, of course.  The Blacks definitely came in second.  I played the worst rounds with the Tours, and I think that it is likely due to the “Tour” label inspiring fear rather than confidence.  I think that it is in my head that they are too “hard” for me to hit, and so I hit them poorly.  The funny thing is that I have had great range sessions with these irons, even the data in this article makes me think I could play them.  I’ll take them out again, I know.  Maybe this time they won’t break my heart…

:: I fell in love with the RAZR X Black lob wedge. What a huge beast of a club!  Sure, it is darker and more massive than many black holes, but based upon where the ball ends up, it is my favorite club in the set.  The lob is amazing for those short chips around the green and little pitch shots.  Full shots got a bit lefty again, but man do I like this club.  It actually inspired me to order the RAZR X lob.

:: The Tours probably are the set with the best instructional feedback, i.e. they let you know when you have missed the sweet spot. The other two sets are not as strong in this area, but definitely perform better with off center hits.  If you only care where the ball ends up, this feedback may not be important.  As I try to improve my game, I appreciate the feedback as I then know more about why I missed.  However, the loss of forgiveness leads to some frustrating golf shots.

:: Play characteristics aside, the black finish on the RAZR X Black irons is surprisingly durable. I beat on these irons and the finish is still going strong.  The finish has even survived the occasional ball off the toe, something I could not say about my old black Burner 2.0 iron’s finish.

And the Winner Is:  Callaway RAZR X Irons

I know that you are stunned.  I really thought that the RAZR X Black irons would be the set for me as they were marketed to fall in between the RAZR X and the RAZR X Tour in the handicap range.  I found that they may actually be a bit more forgiving/assisting than the RAZR X, especially if one is fighting the rights rather than the lefts.  I really want to play the Tours, but I want the scores that I get when I play the non-tour RAZR X.  Why do I even consider this Tour torture?  Perhaps I have bought into the anti-potato masher/cool kids play blades mentality.  Why else would I want an iron that makes the game more difficult for me?  Maybe playing the Tours would mean that my game has progressed to the next level.  When I was fit for the Tours back in January, we did see them as the iron that my game would play into eventually.  I guess that I am just not quite there yet.  Hopefully soon.

And then there’s the driver…

By The Way

While I realize that some of you may be shutting down your golf seasons, now is actually a great time to pick up gear as shops clear the stock for the 2013 season.  Case in point, you can now find these three iron sets at your local shop or Callaway’s Online Shop for hundreds off of their original retail prices.