Forums

To buy or not to buy...

• Bonez2k6 35 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 10:38 AM

  Currently have the LVL79 burners. I'm almost to LVL83 to get the G20's... any suggestions? Or wait to get the R11's at 90?

   

  Bonez

• AiricR 135 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 11:14 AM

  Right now all my clubs have the same meter speed .I am staying with my g-10's But im going to be getting the Big R-ll driver. I thought about the G-20's but that slow of a meter will mess me up.

• Hewsey 1,957 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 12:36 PM

  R11 driver & 3 wood are a must  IMO.  R11 iron meter speed  will really set you back if your not ready. For me  the G 20 irons ( if $ is not a problem) is a very good substitute for the R 11 's, they don't stick as well and the 3 iron is wanting in distance, but if you feel you can handle R11 meter speed wait.

• Bonez2k6 35 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 12:42 PM

  Hewsey:

  R11 driver & 3 wood are a must  IMO.  R11 iron meter speed  will really set you back if your not ready. For me  the G 20 irons ( if $ is not a problem) is a very good substitute for the R 11 's, they don't stick as well and the 3 iron is wanting in distance, but if you feel you can handle R11 meter speed wait.

   

  I plan on getting the R11's when I GET to LVL90, i'm about to hit LVL83 was wondering should I wait to get the R11's or are the G20's an upgrade to the burners....

   

  Bonez

   

• skccvb 799 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 12:50 PM

  Bonez2k6:

  Currently have the LVL79 burners. I'm almost to LVL83 to get the G20's... any suggestions? Or wait to get the R11's at 90?

  I got the Level 79 Burners as soon as I was eligible - replacing the G 10's. Over time I found myself struggling with feeling the need to have a fourth wedge (Cleve 52) to cover the gap between the 56 and the Burners  PW - which on a full shot is a 30 yard 'hole' that requires one to 'finesse' a lot of shorter approaches that  are a so easy with the right club. As a result, I had to forgo a 3 wood - which is a trade off that 'matters when it matters'. 

  I also found that when you can ding the Burners consistently, they are no doubt excellent clubs and can turn long approach shots into birdie opportunities. Having said that, when the G20's came out, lower level, I tried them. A nice 'tune up' on the G10's - but at this level, just not good enough. Now that I have been playing the level 83 G20's here is what I have found:

  • These irons are very forgiving and easy to ding (unlike the Burners) so I have fewer shots that suck and as many or more that are within 10 feet. Caveat: I am playing from TM tees.
  • The full shot gap between the G20 PW and the Cleveland 56 is only 10 yards, eliminating the need for a fourth wedge (or at least the desire for it) - and is close enough for a Legend to consider dropping the 56 degree for the excellent G20 hybrid. The G20 PW full shots (with premium balls) to 115 (rated 110) and punches to 95 (spin)-100. The 60 degree topspins to 90 yards, so the gap is manageable. 
  • Long irons - The 3 iron is just as long as the Burners - with the proviso you need room on the green for it to run out some - i can get 235 yards from it with no spin applied; full backspin is 215 yards and it hits and stops with minimal roll. The 4 iron goes 220, backspin 200 (same as Burners)- 5 iron is also comparable. 
  • Biggest differences - 6 iron thru PW - you start losing distance to the Burners here; 6 iron goes 180 (vs. 185); 7 iron 160 (vs. 175); 8 iron 150 (vs. 155); 9 iron 130 (vs. 145) and PW 115 (vs. 135). So far as 'gaps' the Burners have it between the 7 and 8 iron and the G20's between the 6 and 7 iron. 
  • Finally - there is no doubt that the Burner's spin rating makes a real world difference and that may be a factor on your longer, challenging approaches. On the shorter game side, however, I give the G20's the advantage. I hit more short shots closer and with backspin, they stop dead. 
  • I too am waiting on the R11's - but your wait is going to be a while. When I can get them, I will. Meanwhile I am set...

  Hope this helps your decision. 

• skccvb 799 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 1:11 PM

  Hewsey:

  R11 driver & 3 wood are a must  IMO

  I would disagree with you here unless you put that statement into context. The G20 Driver/3 wood/hybrid are exceptional sticks and every bit as long (give or take a couple yards) as their R11 counterparts. They are also more balanced - more forgiving and accuracy is high (however precision rating matters a lot less on woods than with wedges). Then there is the meter speed - much easier to ding! The R11s' have more of a tendency to 'speed up' moving through the hitting area and hey a fast meter is harder to ding!

  Having said that, matching your clubs to the same or not too dissimilar meter speed is important. One of the reasons I am enamored of the G20's is the set if perfectly matched. I am 1.5 levels from getting the r11 irons and when I do (about the time I cross the Legend threshold), I will pull the R11 3 wood out of the garage and buy the driver. Only reason - so the meter speed is more comparable to the irons (which are faster). Otherwise, the G20 woods would always be in my bag. 

• Spammage 694 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 1:46 PM

  My .02 on this:  I put off getting the Burners at 79 because I was anticipating the release of the G20s.  I bought the G20s the day they came out and had a love/hate relationship with them since.  The woods are fantastic - easy to ding and very forgiving with the length of the R11s per most people.  The irons are another matter though as I never could dial them in for distance control.  Way too many WTF moments and I actually don't believe they are as forgiving as the Burners.  I rented the Burners (twice) and then made the jump and bought them and will never look back.  The irons are so easy to dial in for distance with wind, against wind, with spin, without spin, etc and I am usually never more than a yard in either direction from the distance I intended to hit it (this is with only having them two days mind you).  The meter is more difficult to ding but the forgiveness is better and the distance control and spin are worth it to me.

  I agree with skccvb that the gap between the PW and the 100 yard Cleveland is a little large but when I can get the R11s then that gap narrows to a manageable 20 yard gap.  I do disagree with skccvb on the distance of the G20s.  The distances are for the most part (with roll) and the shorter clubs seemed to always come up short for me (ie 110 yard pitching wedge with Srixon ball would go about 108, the 125 9-iron would fall at about 122-123, etc).

  I did have to make the jump to the Calloway ball to help with the meter speed but if you are already used to the Burners then you know all about that.

• Bonez2k6 35 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 2:07 PM

  From what I see is that the only actual gain in the G20's over the burners is a half dot more forgiveness, and a slower meter. You lose a half dot in precision and spin. Plus loss in yardage. My question is, for a slower meter they're going to penalize you ??? I'll wait until the R11's....

   

  Bonez

• skccvb 799 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 3:35 PM

  Spammage:

  The distances are for the most part (with roll) and the shorter clubs seemed to always come up short for me (ie 110 yard pitching wedge with Srixon ball would go about 108, the 125 9-iron would fall at about 122-123, etc).

  Well I have them dialed in and have dropped my average with these clubs - PW hits consistent 115; 9 iron 130; for instance - having said that with backspin the PW hits 105 and the 9 iron goes (and stops) at 120. I learned right away these clubs unlike G10's and lower G20's, do NOT go the rated distance with full backspin - except for the 3, 4 and 5 irons. 

• Hewsey 1,957 Posts

  Tue, Mar 27 2012 5:22 PM

  Bonez   My fault what I meant to say if you can handle the burner speed  wait for the R 11's