I did it! I bought a new set of irons last week and I am very happy with my purchase. It all happened quickly because I walked in to Golf Town expecting to test drive a few sticks, which lead to me purchasing my new irons. As time moved on everything felt right, so I thought why wait and went ahead with the purchase. I will make the big reveal as to which clubs I bought at the end of the article, but I think it is important to discuss the fitting because it was the center of why I made my purchase.

Prior to heading into Golf Town, I had made some guidelines about what I wanted to see in my new irons and that helped shape my experience and decision making. It was important to have set these parameters because it makes the buying process easier. Here were the three main thoughts I used:

1. I currently hit the ball fall enough, so distance was not a critical factor. I figure I will not be improving my distance without lessons. So, buying distance clubs would not benefit my current game.
2. I want to improve my approach shots. My current irons release too far on the green and as such make it difficult to attack the pin. This again could be my swing, but I do not think so.
3. I was not tied to any manufacturer. However, I did favour one brand, but as it turned out it was not the one I selected because my fitting numbers did not meet the above two guidelines.

Before moving forward, it was important to note that I had a price point that I did not want to exceed and that eliminated some of the top end irons. This was okay because this is a factor that all potential purchases are shaped. Fortunately, I was able to afford the irons I bought.

When I first walked in to Golf Town, I quickly talked to one of the sales associates and he suggested I grab some seven irons off the rack to see which felt the best. This associate suggested that I could not be fitted because they were busy, but that was okay because I was just window shopping at that point.

Next, I hit five balls with the seven clubs. I quickly eliminated five of the irons because they felt poor on contact. After this process I was left with a Callaway and Mizuno iron. Then Dan Almond, Store General Manager and main fitter, walked into my hitting area. We struck up a conversation and to my surprise the process of fitting began. Dan was a very knowledgeable fitter and our discussions quickly lead in the direction that put me right at ease.

After telling him about my guidelines, he explained that there were two primary stats that were important to meet my guidelines. He explained that getting these two stats right will go a long way to lowering my golf scores. These two stats were ball flight at its apex and attack angle when the ball was falling from the apex. He explained that the professional golfers work to attain the optimum stats of a 30 meter apex and a 45 degree attach angle. He explained that these two stats would allow my ball to drop on the green and release about three feet. This fit perfectly to my second guideline.

Next we started hitting clubs. We quickly eliminated several manufacturers because they were distance clubs and I could not achieve the optimum stats I was looking for. As I continue to hit clubs I narrowed it down to two, one of which I settled on. The next step was to adjust the shaft to optimize all the numbers of apex and angle of attack.

This took about 15 minutes; afterwards, we changed out the shaft to try increase my ball speed. I did increase ball speed slightly, but lost apex and angle of attack numbers. It was great that he showed my this because it help improve my knowledge and understanding on how all the stats fit together.

So, I chose the irons I wanted and then I had to figure out which hybrids I needed to purchase. After a bit of discussion with Dan, I decided on buying a 3 and 4 hybrid of the same make of my new irons. I am confident that staying in the same manufacturer would allow the feel of the hybrids to be the same as the irons. After hitting them both I was proven right because I loved the feel and results.

After the entire 2 hour process, I decided on:

Mizuno MP 20 HMB irons – 5 to PW, KBS Tour 90 stiff shaft, and Golf Pride CP2 Wrap midsize grips; and

3 and 4 hybrids with Fujikura Speeder EVO HB 75 shiff shafts and Golf Pride CP2 Wrap midsize grips.

I am very happy with my purchase and I look forward to improving my game this spring. I pick them up in three weeks and when I do, pictures will be forth coming.

Before I end this article, I thought some additional information would add to this article. On a side note, many of the responses were from golfers who bought clubs recently purchased Mizuno:

As golfers, we change individual clubs more often, so today I ask when was the last time you bought a 'set of irons'? What make? #golfchat

— The Grateful Golfer (@TheGratefulGolf) March 7, 2020

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!