 HCap has little to do with it, it's about how well *you* strike the ball.
Never ceases to amaze me how folk assume one from the other (usually golf retail store idiots who'd rather ask *that* question than actually look at how you hit the ball).
|
 |
 Frogmella. I'm playing off 16 at the moment but much of the time only playing irons round the course so my iron game is pretty resonable. I took up playing last year for the first time and am still having lessons several times a month. Having played around with a few different iron sets and got the advice of my local pro the X-20 Tours were recommended as the best option not just for now but also for my long term development plan. We looked at a few other options but we felt that they could end up being an intermediate club with a limited life. I intend to keep taking lessons and improving until I can play off a fairly good standard.
At the end of the day its also what you are comfortable playing with. I'm looking for a thinner soled & profile club giving me more workability and the ability to pick up very crisp shots of all kinds of lies.
|
|
I've recently bought the Callaway X-20's and went through the full process of demo'ing, negotiating prices, going to Callaway for a fitting and then waiting patiently for them to arrive etc. etc. Took probably best part of 3 months all said and told, but I'm very happy with the clubs, here is what I learnt!
X-20's vs X-20 Tours
They are different clubs! I know past X series clubs have seen little differences but these are totally different. The Tours have a much smaller and more compact head with less offset as has already been mentioned. I would also think they might have slightly stronger loft for each respective iron as well. Shaft wise they come with a stiff Rifle shaft as standard as well again moving them towards the better player.
To hit they are as you would expect, much more solid when hit clean. You get a real thwack. The ball flight is quite low and penetrating, and you can definitely shape the shot. They are quite a bit harder to hit than the normal X-20's but still offer some forgiveness, better than blades in that department any day of the week.
In comparison the X-20 is a bigger head with more perimeter weighting. I wouldn't call it a shovel (that's the Big Bertha) but they are soooooooo forgiving it's great. I mixed it up with mine as I had them fitted with Dynamic Gold S300 shafts which give me a balance of forgiving club head with a strong shaft. The build quality of both seemed superb and I would be surprised if many players could really tell much of difference owing to them being cast as opposed to forged.
Fitting
Whilst I went to Callaway themselves I would suggest trying to find an approved retailer with an outdoor range as at Callaway it is entirely indoor on a simulator which I didn't take to really. Still feel happy with the spec though in terms of loft/lie, but I already had a good idea of the shaft I wanted from speaking with my local pro.
Cost
Can't remember exactly but think I was at about £65 an iron for the customized X-20's. The X-20 Tours are no more expensive generally so it shouldn't be much more than this, maybe even cheaper if they are standard spec. £80 sounds too high.
Hope that helps!
PJBEEZER - How did you get out on Bearwood Lakes, are you a member? Would love to play that course...
|
|
 Cheers for the info. Did order some MX25's to try, but changed my mind and cancelled the order and sticking with the MP60's for rest of this season. Think I will go to the Belfry custom fit centre in the winter and try all the different sets up there before deciding. Probably end up keeping the MP60's though!!!
Wish I was a member at Bearwood Lakes! Played their twice this year and it is superb. One of our suppliers at work has membership there and played with them a couple of times.
He did say the club was thinking of introducing a "day membership" scheme which would make the course more accessible.
|
|
Ahhhh day membership... if ever there was a way to justify what will no doubt be an astronomical green fee that'll be it. Oh well...
|
|
Cheers for the tips, thats really good info.
I was quoted yesterday at £75 a club for the x-20 tours. I'm going to ring around and see if I can get a better price and go for price-matching.
|
|
A friend of mine uses MX 25's and he loves them, but "shovels" that's not the word.
|
|
PJ, I've been using the X-20 tour irons for the last 3 months now and I must say they are fantastic. Was using the Taylor Made 200 series iron with the s300 shaft and decided to get something with a little more forgiveness. Having said that, I have never hit irons as consistently well. The PX 5.0 shaft is a revelation, off centre hits still go a mile and, although I have lost about 5 yards a club, the fact that they are so easy to hit means I don't mind taking 1 extra club sometimes. Never having played with a forged iron before, I cannot comment on how they compare for feel, but there is a lovely butter softness when struck out of the middle with these, something often talked about with forged clubs. Since getting them my handicap has come down from 16 to 9, partly due to these, so I highly recommend you give them a go.
|
|
Been playing the X20 tour for about 6 months, before that blades. I really like them, nice shaft, look good, and easy to hit. What made me reliase is when you see whats in the pros bags, they play the full range from full on game improvement to knife blades. If pros can play a big cavity back then sure i can. After all my need for assistance is greater than theres. Picked mine up used for £270 from pro shop, some good deals on X range.
|
|
