What do you do when every iron in your golf bag is broken and you're waiting on a net set to arrive? You challenge yourself and your golf game by playing a set of Sub 70 - 639CB Black Irons you borrowed from a friend.
You may have noticed there have not been many on-course videos recently due to all my irons being unplayable. During last year's U.S. Open Qualifier, the epoxy came loose on one club. Then another a few months later, then another. I tried to re-epoxy them but it did not hold. Fast forward to two weeks ago every head on every iron finally came loose. The only way to re-epoxy the clubs properly would have been to sand down the tip of the shaft some and that can compromise the shaft. Reshafting cost is almost the same as buying a new set and since my TayloMade R9 irons are 14 years old I figured it was time for a new set.
Not having a playable set while waiting on my new set to be built and shipped, it is either don't play golf, rent a set, or borrow a set from a friend to play. Since I was invited to play and borrow a set it was a good time for a challenge. This was particularly a fun challenge too. Not only to test my game but also to see what it is like to play with golf clubs that are not custom fit for my swing. I have to thank my good friend Jay for lending me a set and giving me a chance to play while not having a fully playable set of clubs.
The challenge of playing a borrowed set is almost the same as playing a rental set. The golf clubs are not custom fit so the length, loft, shaft flex, and lie angle are probably not what you are custom to playing. The image below shows a graph of what I had, what I ordered, and what I borrowed. What is not shown is shaft flex. For reference, the shafts in the Sub 70 irons I borrowed are not just shorter but more for 5-iron swing speeds of 80mph and my 5-iron swing speed is 97mph.
The real challenge of using a set that is not your own is learning the distances as fast as possible. Since we played Lakewood Golf Club, a course I know well from working there for a few years, I actually did not hit one of the Sub 70 Irons until the 6th hole. I did hit a few shots on the driving range but it was hard to determine the carry distance. However, knowing my current iron set lofts and the lofts of the Sub 70 irons I was able to gauge the distance pretty well with that knowledge. As a result, I was able to beat my target score of 78 (mentioned in the video below) by 5 shots and shoot a 1 over par 73, even with bogies on 3 of my last 4 holes. The screenshot below from golf app - The Grint
This challenge showed me 3 different things. 1- playing with clubs where the head doesn't spin at impact allows me to hit more online quality golf shots. 2-The benefits of knowing my game and being able to adjust quickly to clubs not fit for me, 3- With clubs fit for my swing I should be able to play more consistently and score better. As an added benefit I was able to play with a great tempo knowing if I swung too hard I could hit shots offline due to a slightly weaker shaft.
Note: If you ever have to rent a set or borrow a set ask what the lofts are so you can compare them to yours and get a baseline for better distance control before playing.
As for the Sub 70 - 639 CB Black irons themselves I was pleasantly surprised. Firstly I did not know Sub 70 Golf made golf clubs. I honestly thought they were an apparel brand. These irons felt really good. Even mishits felt good. A solid strike felt so pure, almost as if the ball wasn't even struck. The ball jumped off the face with a penetrating ball flight and a few times I hit them longer than I expected. The only thing I did not like and it is nothing against Sub 70, more at the industry as a whole, is the strengthened lofts. Even though I played with irons 5-PW to me it was like playing with a 4-9 iron. The ball flight comes out so much lower and that results in the golf ball not stopping as fast on the greens. That's a conversation for another time., however. I will say this about the Sub 70 Irons, I really liked them. They didn't feel as good as the ones I ordered, however, had I known Sub 70 makes golf clubs I may have considered a custom set from them. If you are in the market for a new set of golf clubs give Sub 70 a try and see what you think.
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