The new equipment helps with the longer yardage off the tee. But, you also have the much faster meter to go with it. The irons you might play with to get started would be the tour model irons. They are not a bad start until you learn the finer points to the game. They are not that expensive either i might add.
Depending on the tee's you play from, you have to know each fairway and especially the greens. I assume you are on the shorter tee's for the time being. I would say the upmost thing you can do right now is hitting the fairways, and learn the contour of the greens. Learn the wedges yardage inside and out, along with the greens , and you will start to see a drop in score consistantly.
Putting is of course the hardest and most important part of the game. Two of the shots each hole will be using that club, unless of course you are making birdies. Reading the greens, and how the putter works in this game is time consuming, but well worth it when you figure it out. With that, I would recommend you buy the Anser or the Spider putter. They are much better than the standard one, and well worth the expense.
Hang in there, you have a long way to go, keep playing the game, and each week you will improve on the scores. There are multiple threads you can research for advice on irons, putter's, and also driver in the forums. Type in what you would like to gain knowledge of, and it is all there for the taking. The search box is on the top right of this page!