Change Of Weapon - Change Of Fortune?

After many weeks of trialling, even longer gazing longingly in magazines and online I've finally succumbed to a new set of irons. I've been banging the Taylormade R11 drum for a long time now as one of the best irons I've hit all year and tanks to a small windfall finally had sufficient funds to purchase the irons.

They are arguably a step back in terms of being more of a game improver type of club built around forgiveness and a progressive offset in the longer iron. However with the swing changes I'm desperately trying to get to grips with and the overall state of affairs with my game I see it as a positive step and arming myself with the tools to get the job done more often.

I have to say I was like a child at Christmas this morning impatiently waiting for the pro shop at Royal Ascot to open so I get my hands on the set on display and take them out with me in the usual Saturday morning roll up. It should also be pointed out that in these tough times and massive under-cutting by online retailers and golfing superstores it was refreshing that my club pro was able to offer the set for £499 which was at least £20 cheaper than I was able to find it online.

Not a magic wand but hopefully a tool to make it easier for me to play consistently

I have to say it was difficult to give a subjective first impression as there was a fearsome and biting wind blowing across the course today which made ball striking and scoring pretty tough. The offset was a little trickier to get use to and seemed more pronounced on the course than I remember it from the sanctuary of a driving range mat. As a result I did seem to tug a few left. That said I've been known to pull a lot my Taylormade Tour Preferred irons in their time so maybe I'm being over critical and maybe the wind had some influence.

With the conditions being as they were it's going to take time and probably a couple of getting to know you sessions at the range to find the correct ball position and get use to the change in weight. Armed with the stock KBS 90 regular flex shaft they are noticeably heavier than the Tour Preferred but not prohibitively so. In my travels to trial the club I visited American Golf at Bird Hills near Maidenhead and they gave me a number of shafts including the Dynamic Gold. This weighs in at 127 grammes for the standard R300 and felt very heavy when put on the club and I couldn't control it. They swapped to the Dynamic Gold XP which promotes a higher flight and I did like the shape these produced. Again these were heavier than the KBS 90 which come in at 95g compared to 116g in the XP but I felt much more happy about getting the club to the ball. In the end the flight of the KBS and the XP was marginal and so I opted for the stock shaft.

I  feel I've done my homework and gone for a club I can use over a vanity purchase and that looks impressive but which I'll struggle to make work for me. I know these shiny new sticks won't be a magic wand and that there is still a lot of hard yards to be put in over the winter to sort posture and impact position but I feel these are the tools that will make the job easier on those all too familiar days when everything feels that little bit out. It's a done deal now so the proof of the pudding will be in the scores. If nothing else they look pretty in my bag all new and shiny.