1. Talart | Rated | 15 May 2010 | Add A Review

Bought this set of clubs new in 2009. Shark XLT Driver 10.5 Degree, 3 Metal 15 Degree and 5 Metal 21 Degree. Cavity Back Irons from #3 to SW. Extended shafts 3 cm + Standard length. Returning to playing seriously again after 20 years of casual hitting. Comfortable grips and stiff shafts on the irons together with the forgiving nature of the club design that cavity backs give the user assisted me in going from 32 to 21 Hcp. For a mid range golfer or a player looking to go the next step in their game these clubs are a great set to begin with. In my example I have now purchased a new set after 12 months using the XLT that is more suited to the player having more direct control on the ball, either good or bad. The very nature of the cavity back club design causes them to have a direct influence on the ball when hitting it.

I replaced the #1 Driver with a King Cobra 9.5 S1, and took the No 3 and 5 metals out ofthe bag and replaced them with a 16 degree Hybrid and an 18 degree Hybrid. This was a personal choice as I find the distance using these two hybrids is comparable to the 3 and 5 metals, plus better accuracy and versitility in my game.

The following is taken from this site:
http://www.bladegolfirons.com/Guide/Blade-Irons-Vs-Cavity-Back-Irons

"It’s worth remembering, however, that until Ping made a huge impact on the golf equipment scene ALL irons were "blades". The greats of yester-year all improved and perfected their game on thin, small sweet spot irons that offered feel yet little forgiveness.

It’s only in relatively recent years that the industry as a whole has poured money into research and marketing to establish cavity back or improvement irons as "the" clubs for anyone who isn’t approaching a scratch score sheet.

The crux of the debate lies in the following:

Cavity backs offer a large sweet spot which makes contact will the ball easier and as a consequence will "correct" slightly mis-aligned shots. This is called "forgiveness" and it is what these clubs are famous for and have been marketed as providing. The bottom line is that they make it easier for you to hit the ball straighter and with distance more consistently – they are assistive.

In contrast, blade irons provide a much truer reflection of your actual swing on any one shot. For example, if the club face is slightly mis-aligned on impact then this mis-alignment will be apparent in the trajectory, distance and direction of the golf ball after contact.

So – cavity backs are the obvious winner you might say as they will enable me to hit the ball straighter and further more consistently?"

This is both true and not true.

While cavity backs are easier to hit and will result in a quicker level of consistency they do encompass two flaws which depending on your own aims for your golf game and your playing habits you may or may not want to have to accomodate.

The first of these is that because they are corrective in nature faults in your swing can be masked (ie hidden from you). Therefore, while you may make faster progress in the short term you are also likely to plateau more quickly as unlike blades they don’t force you to make a rigourous inspection and analysis of your swing. Many players consequently find that when they then decide to switch to blades after using improvement clubs for a lengthy period that there game falls to pieces as swing faults that were once hidden become instantly magnified. The consequence – a loss of confidence and an increase in scores. This experience by golfers is often the source of most negative comments about blades. "It’s the clubs they say", when in fact it is very much their own swing.

The second and critical flaw if your making real in-roads into the game is that the short cavity back irons which are critical in your approach to the green are lacking in feel and shot-making capabilities. It’s your short game where the nuances of golf really come to life. A little more here, a little less there – that’s what your looking to perfect on your way into the green and the clunky nature of the over-sized improvement iron club heads make such control difficult."

In Summary good clubs you will get great value for money and establish the direction you want your gae to go.