Foreward Golf Irons

[TonyRo]

50 minutes ago, Yankees18 said:

Any thoughts or questions you would have liked to ask or thought of afterwards?

 

I would go in knowing what your problems are on the course with your current set and what you want to get out of the fitting, and I'd be ready to at least explain some concerns you have if the fitting doesn't line up with what you'd expect given your issues. As an example, if you overdraw the ball and they want you to move into an upright lie because of strike, etc. If you have some shafts you like I'd inquire about how different they really are from what they recommend.

I would generally not fit myself into a flat lie angle or a low bounce iron, but I'll trust the fitting process for now, see what I can find to test, and report back with my findings later. 

Edited May 2, 2024 by TonyRo

[jrdubbb]

On 4/30/2024 at 9:50 PM, TonyRo said:

It's a disease. I'm currently calculating all means and standard deviations for my data sets and color-coordinating everything. It's a total waste of time. I'm a 12 hcp, a terrible ball striker and my swing is crap. I could be at the range.

But nice data and pretty colors makes the mind happy. I can relate😂

[TonyRo]

5 minutes ago, jrdubbb said:

But nice data and pretty colors makes the mind happy. I can relate😂

 

Dan was complimentary about my data being organized and summarized. GSPro exports data pretty hideously with no regards to significant figures or anything like that. If I was a fitter and I had to look at the raw files I'd need to be on medication. This looks much better:

[jrdubbb]

@TonyRo my wife makes fun of me for the satisfaction that an organized excel spreadsheet gives me, and sir, that table is actually understandable. I wish I had a launch monitor to keep track of my shots like this...

[MattM97]

It's good to see more fitting kits and fitters being out there, definitely a different process and something I'm curious about myself just because of how different it is. I'm wondering if I should see if I can get a kit up in Canada and give it a go or see about going to a fitter at some point. 

[TonyRo]

1 hour ago, jrdubbb said:

@TonyRo my wife makes fun of me for the satisfaction that an organized excel spreadsheet gives me, and sir, that table is actually understandable. I wish I had a launch monitor to keep track of my shots like this...

MLM2 is not bad, I hear, and pretty affordable! 

[Yankees18]

Did my fitting earlier today and man it was an experience.  I would say it is nothing like a fitting you are going to get at any of the big box retailers or club fitters. 

 

In the last couple of years I've played px6.0, modus 120X, $ taper 130, modus 125S and tried countless other shafts in fittings and on my own.  I had been moving towards LA golf L series based on the" best" launch monitor numbers for total carry, but probably didn't care that much about face consistency and dispersion vs target.

 

I haven't played a ton recently so my ball speed was for sure down from what I am used to playing or doing fittings, although this in and of itself was illuminating to me in terms of how you are supposed to play golf (consistency to target, not juicing another 5 yards of carry or 3mpg more of ballspeed)  During the fitting, my ball speed on "Tiger strikes" was around 120, and stuff missing or in suboptimal set ups was 115-118. 

 

The two best shafts for me turned out to be DG 105 R and Axiom 105S.  Obviously very very different than what I had been playing and trying to work through.   The last fitting I did off grass, I was cruising around 92mph CHS and 127 ball speed with a 7 iron.  When I step on it, I can get into high 90s CHS and 130+.  The interesting thing was at the end because he had these two shafts to compare head to head, I wanted to see how it would stand up to really going at it.  I figured there was no chance the DG 105 R would stay consistent with a more aggressive swing.  Much to my surprise not only did it continue to perform the best, it easily outperformed the Axiom 105.  I also found it interesting that I had previously tried the Axiom 125X at a fitting a year ago and hated it.  The best performing shafts in that fitting (smash, ball speed, carry) was LA golf L series.

 

My miss has always heel side and after "upgrading" to my last set of irons struggled with an over draw.  Without getting too much into the different variables, it was truly eye opening to see the heel strike disappear and even wind up with consistent strikes toe side of center during one of the tests.

 

I really enjoyed that fact that you can't see the ball flight the way they do the fitting, because you just think about making your swing, instead of trying to tweak your swing based on what you saw just happen. Probably useful for playing real rounds 

 

Finally, it required a bit of getting used to what a Tiger Strike feels like.  I used to crave the soft buttery feel of what I thought was a nutted iron.  Turns out that was a bit too high on the face so awesome to have Chad letting you know what you want for optimal strikes. 

 

I wound up going full send with one of their sets of irons and excited to see how they perform.

 

Both Dan and Chad are awesome and have said that the difference between the remote fitting vs in studio is pretty negligible.  I think if you are close by or want to make the pilgrimage then 100% go do it.  If you think your swing is pretty consistent, and now want something that can compliment your swing instead of trying to make continued improvements I would highly recommend the remote option.

 

Will hopefully report back once the clubs arrive and have some time to get them out on the course. 

 

Feel free to ask any questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2024 by Yankees18
clean up small edits

[zstokes]

17 hours ago, Yankees18 said:

Did my fitting earlier today and man it was an experience.  I would say it is nothing like a fitting you are going to get at nay of the big box retailers or club fitters. 

 

In the last couple of years I've played px6.0, modus 120, $ taper 130, modus 125 and tried countless other shafts in fittings and on my own.  I had been moving towards LA golf L series based on the" best" launch monitor numbers for total carry, but probably didn't care that much about face consistency and dispersion vs target.

 

I haven't played a ton recently so my ball speed was for sure down from what I am used to playing or doing fittings, although this in and of itself was illuminating to me in terms of how you are supposed to play golf (consistency to target, not juicing another 5 yards of carry or 3mpg more of ballspeed)  During the fitting, my ball speed on "Tiger strikes" was around 120, and stuff missing or in suboptimal set ups was 115-118.  the two best shafts for me turned out to be DG 105 R and Axiom 105S.  Obviously very very different than what I had been playing and trying to work through.   The last fitting i did off grass, i was cruising around 92mph CHS and 127 ball speed with a 7 irons.  When i step on it, i can get into high 90s CHS and 130+.  The interesting thing was at the end because he had these two shafts to compare contrast, i wanted to see how it would stand up to really going at it.  I figured there was no chance the DG 105 R would stay consistent.  Much to my surprise not only did it continue to perform the best, it outperformed the Axiom 105.  I also found it interesting that I had previously tried the Axiom 125X at a fitting a year ago, and hated it.  the best performing shafts in that fitting (smash, ball speed, carry) was LA golf L series.

 

My miss is always heel side and after "upgrading to my last set of irons" struggled with an over draw.  Without getting too much into the different variables, it was truly eye opening to see the heel strike disappear and even wind up with consistent strikes toe side of center.

 

I really enjoyed that fact that you can't see the ball flight the way they do the fitting, because you just think about making your swing, instead of trying to tweak your swing based on what you saw just happen. Probably useful for playing real rounds 

 

Finally, it required a bit of getting used to what a tiger strike feels like.  I used to crave the soft buttery feel of what I thought was a nutted iron.  Turns out that was a bit too high on the face so awesome to have Chad letting you know what you optimally want strike wise 

 

I wound up going full send with one of their set of irons and excited to see how they perform.

 

Both Dan and Chad are awesome and have said that the difference between the remote fitting vs in studio is pretty negligible.  I think if you are close by or want to make the pilgrimage then 100% go do it.  If you think your swing is pretty consistent, and now want something that can compliment your swing instead of trying to make continued improvements I would highly recommend the remote option.

 

Will hopefully report back once the clubs arrive and have some time to get them out on the course. 

 

Feel free to ask any questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m literally a mile from “The Cave” in Ventura, and although I just upgraded my irons recently, I’m very curious about their fittings and methodology.  I may have to go through it just to scratch that itch.  Thanks for sharing.

[Yankees18]

On 5/2/2024 at 9:56 AM, TonyRo said:

  Had a solid call with Dan, got my prescription: Low bounce, heavy shaft, stiff flex, soft tip/firm butt (giggity), D4 SW, standard length, flat lie, midsize grip. 🔥🐯

 

Trying to get a Foreward 7-iron made in my prescription to run a longer test versus my gamer 7-iron. Unfortunately for me, my favorite OEM brands are NOT low bounce. 😄 

 

Tony - interesting to come back and see this - complete opposite of me across the board

- mid + high bounce better
- regular flex

- stiff tip
- C4 SW

 

I think this highlights value of unique fitting - espe for me since i though i needed the opposite of all of these

 

haven't gotten update yet on timing for my clubs but will report back after some time with them

[TonyRo]

Haha pretty serious Ying and Yang situation here. My test 7-iron is on the way! 

[Yankees18]

 

On 5/8/2024 at 5:43 PM, TonyRo said:

Haha pretty serious Ying and Yang situation here. My test 7-iron is on the way! 

 

 

any update so far?  I don't think i'll get my set for another 2+ weeks.  I've done some testing with shaft + diff head combo and have been experimenting with diff shafts in wedges to try and match the iron set

 

Im curious and waiting to hear back from Chad and Dan if they have done any work on differences amongst wedge sole design to see if there are heads that match up with their low, mid, high bounce irons

 

 

[NDSwim]

Received my set last week and have a range session and two rounds with the new sticks.  All in all, I am happy with the change and have seen some positive differences while also still getting used to some items.

 

My prior set was 2019 P790 with Nippon NS PRO 950 T with lie 1 degree up.  I went with the exact prescription from Chad which included the Aerotech 80 Gram X-Stiff. 

 

At the beginning of the range session, I tried comparing the two sets, but after going back and forth, I decided to just stick with the Foreward.  The feeling between the two sets was definitely different from the weighting to even the grip size. 

 

My normal shot shape is a fade with the miss being left.  My first few shots were a fade, but definitely were missing a bit more right than I was accustomed.  Not a slice, but definitely a few more yards than usual.  As the practice session went on, I did notice I started to go after the ball a bit faster and harder which did straighten out the ball flight.  Also, the ball seemed to be flying higher, but I was waiting to the course to see distance. 

 

Not being a big range guy, I proceeded to the course.  My first swing was a lay up six iron which again tailed off, but when I got up to the ball I was surprised with how far it flew.  Normally when I saw a miss like this, I lose distance, but I did not see much of any distance lost.  It just so happened my next shot was a gap wedge from the prior set so I  really felt the difference between the two sets.  I will probably have to figure a replacement for this club in the future.

 

I'm not going to got through each shot, but the ball was flying probably 1/2 to 3/4 of a club further.  The feeling was super soft off the face and I really knew when I hit one pure.  Even my mishits were flying further and more consistent.  Ball flight was higher.  A thin shot obviously flew further, but seemed to not be as hot as my prior set.  I scored well both rounds.  I did not have a single miss left in either round.  I would set up left of target and had full belief that the ball would end up at or slightly right of target.

 

The biggest question still evolves around the ball flight.  I am going to give it another round and then reach out to Chad and Dan if the ball continues to go a bit more right than I want.  I'm not a club builder so maybe this could be slight change with the lie angle for all I know. 

 

All in all, I am happy with the clubs and will continue to use.  If you have any questions let me know.

 

[AmateurAmateur]

5 hours ago, NDSwim said:

Received my set last week and have a range session and two rounds with the new sticks.  All in all, I am happy with the change and have seen some positive differences while also still getting used to some items.

 

My prior set was 2019 P790 with Nippon NS PRO 950 T with lie 1 degree up.  I went with the exact prescription from Chad which included the Aerotech 80 Gram X-Stiff. 

 

At the beginning of the range session, I tried comparing the two sets, but after going back and forth, I decided to just stick with the Foreward.  The feeling between the two sets was definitely different from the weighting to even the grip size. 

 

My normal shot shape is a fade with the miss being left.  My first few shots were a fade, but definitely were missing a bit more right than I was accustomed.  Not a slice, but definitely a few more yards than usual.  As the practice session went on, I did notice I started to go after the ball a bit faster and harder which did straighten out the ball flight.  Also, the ball seemed to be flying higher, but I was waiting to the course to see distance. 

 

Not being a big range guy, I proceeded to the course.  My first swing was a lay up six iron which again tailed off, but when I got up to the ball I was surprised with how far it flew.  Normally when I saw a miss like this, I lose distance, but I did not see much of any distance lost.  It just so happened my next shot was a gap wedge from the prior set so I  really felt the difference between the two sets.  I will probably have to figure a replacement for this club in the future.

 

I'm not going to got through each shot, but the ball was flying probably 1/2 to 3/4 of a club further.  The feeling was super soft off the face and I really knew when I hit one pure.  Even my mishits were flying further and more consistent.  Ball flight was higher.  A thin shot obviously flew further, but seemed to not be as hot as my prior set.  I scored well both rounds.  I did not have a single miss left in either round.  I would set up left of target and had full belief that the ball would end up at or slightly right of target.

 

The biggest question still evolves around the ball flight.  I am going to give it another round and then reach out to Chad and Dan if the ball continues to go a bit more right than I want.  I'm not a club builder so maybe this could be slight change with the lie angle for all I know. 

 

All in all, I am happy with the clubs and will continue to use.  If you have any questions let me know.

 

Sounds to me like you’ve eliminated half of the golf course. I’d play with the weights before the lie angles. 

[ARL67]

Anyone know what weights are available and does Forward sell the weights separately ?  I love my Edel SMS and SMS Pro and bought 8-packs of 4,6,8,10g weights to dial in my swing-weight in an MOI build with shorter length increments.  Great to see others offering similar designs, and the Forwards look really good too.  👍

[EnglishGuy]

On 4/12/2024 at 2:08 PM, MattM97 said:

 

Same especially if they lead to consistent strikes, really curios about trying his fitting system. He does have a fitter in Denver if you want to scratch the itch, or order the fitting case. 

Do you have the contact info for the fitter in Denver?

[DocBrown3887]

On 5/8/2024 at 8:43 PM, TonyRo said:

Haha pretty serious Ying and Yang situation here. My test 7-iron is on the way! 

 

Did you ever get it?

[MattM97]

1 hour ago, EnglishGuy said:

Do you have the contact info for the fitter in Denver?

 

Should be Briana at Optimum Golf Denver that's Foreward Certified. If not the whole studio. 

[Wardonation]

I have sent them a couple emails from website and noe response yet? I am going to fly down there and do a fitting. Interested in the low bounce heads...

Edited July 8, 2024 by Wardonation

[ForewardGolf]

On 6/25/2024 at 11:10 AM, Wardonation said:

I have snet them a couple emails from website and noe response yet? I am going to fly down there and do a fitting. Interested in the low bounce heads...

Hey Wardonation, without your email or name it would be hard to say we've missed your emails. But please send an email to info@foreward.golf directly and we'll get back with you asap. 

[ChristopherMcDonald]

5 minutes ago, ForewardGolf said:

Hey Wardonation, without your email or name it would be hard to say we've missed your emails. But please send an email to info@foreward.golf directly and we'll get back with you asap. 

Welcome to the Thunderdome

[jordan_mccomb]

On 5/2/2024 at 2:56 PM, MattM97 said:

It's good to see more fitting kits and fitters being out there, definitely a different process and something I'm curious about myself just because of how different it is. I'm wondering if I should see if I can get a kit up in Canada and give it a go or see about going to a fitter at some point. 

I'm a PGA of Canada professional in Calgary who does a ton of fitting and am highly interested in carrying the Foreward product to help fit my customers. I spoke with Chad on the phone a couple months ago and he is working on getting some fitting kits to interested fitters in Canada. There's a fairly long list of individuals looking to purchase the fitting kits and he's still working out his structure for secondary fitting sites, so we may still be a little ways off.

[MattM97]

17 minutes ago, jordan_mccomb said:

I'm a PGA of Canada professional in Calgary who does a ton of fitting and am highly interested in carrying the Foreward product to help fit my customers. I spoke with Chad on the phone a couple months ago and he is working on getting some fitting kits to interested fitters in Canada. There's a fairly long list of individuals looking to purchase the fitting kits and he's still working out his structure for secondary fitting sites, so we may still be a little ways off.

 

Good to know there is some interest up in Canada for these and I'm sure interest in growing in his products. 

 

I'm in no rush for am iron change, just working on technique but when they're available maybe it will be time for an upgrade for me. 

[Wardonation]

3 hours ago, ForewardGolf said:

Hey Wardonation, without your email or name it would be hard to say we've missed your emails. But please send an email to info@foreward.golf directly and we'll get back with you asap. 

Thank you but I should have updated this and I forgot. I have spoke to Foreward and am excited to get fitted this fall. I love the concept and attention to detail. If you need a rep let me know 😎. I beleive you are guys are going to blow up...

[AmateurAmateur]

On 7/8/2024 at 4:08 PM, MattM97 said:

 

Good to know there is some interest up in Canada for these and I'm sure interest in growing in his products. 

 

I'm in no rush for am iron change, just working on technique but when they're available maybe it will be time for an upgrade for me. 

.. 

Edited January 14 by AmateurAmateur

[Yankees18]

Update here as I've had my set for about a month now.  I've only played 1 round with them but have spent a number of sessions hitting them indoor off of mats.

 

Overall happy with the set so far but going to need some more time with them on the course.  Luckily I have a number of rounds planned this month so will have much more comprehensive feedback at the end of the month  

 

They aren't any longer than my previous set and ball speed is pretty comparable.  This is pretty notable to me because when I did the fitting, I was around 120 ball speed having not played for a while and am back up to 127 128 with 7 iron.  On the sim my long irons are considerably more consistent than my previous set.  Hard to know if that is club head, shaft or both (previous combo of $ taper 130X and miura MC502).  Left side seems to be completely eliminated, although do notice a few more balls out to the right. I had been struggling with pulls and over draws and didn't have anything miss left during my one live round which is what matters vs praciticing indoors.

 

So far my only issue has been a bit of a harsher feel on what i believe are shots lower on the face vs my previous set.  Ill report back how this feels with more swings off grass as it could be exacerbated by steeper angle of attack and hitting off mats.  During the fitting, the TIGER STRIKE felt harsher than what I was used to again trying to calibrate correct feel with optimal strike.  Other minor issue is I got blue heads and the range i practice at has lots of sand in its base and bottom of the club and a bit of the face showing some wear already. Not huge but something to consider if you want to go with one of their heads.

 

Again, if you are on the fence thinking about it, or a club, shaft, fitting junkie like myself, go for it.

[MattM97]

Bumping this a bit, saw on their IG page that their fitting kits will be coming to Canada soon, I'm assuming this is @jordan_mccomb since he was showing interest or similar. I'm waiting for more info and I might consider doing a fitting during the winter to cure my cabin and why not as well maybe see if something better comes out of it. I'm not sure how accurate Trackman is with strike location on irons but I'm getting a ton very high on the face with my PXG irons, no where near Tiger Strike location. 

[jackstraw1975]

Just went through the fitting last week.  

 

It's interesting, the last couple of times I went to get fitted for irons at CC, nothing other than standard L, L, L was ever brought into the conversation so I was shocked when he said my "prescription" was +.75" and 3 degrees flat.  He explained my best ball speed, trajectory and Tiger Strikes came from that set up.  Considering how disappointed I was with my last fitting at CC, I told him to send me an invoice and I pulled the trigger.

 

Only thing I'd have changed is going to CA and doing it in person but, I don't have that kind of scratch.

 

I'll post more once I get them in hand.

[geauxWRX]

I have a remote fitting case heading my way, interested to see the results

[jordan_mccomb]

On 9/9/2024 at 10:09 AM, MattM97 said:

Bumping this a bit, saw on their IG page that their fitting kits will be coming to Canada soon, I'm assuming this is @jordan_mccomb since he was showing interest or similar. I'm waiting for more info and I might consider doing a fitting during the winter to cure my cabin and why not as well maybe see if something better comes out of it. I'm not sure how accurate Trackman is with strike location on irons but I'm getting a ton very high on the face with my PXG irons, no where near Tiger Strike location. 

Not me yet unfortunately. I believe it's a couple guys out of Vancouver. Reach out to Golf Gainz on instagram if you have questions. I enquired again recently and they said they're still working through requests and getting the fitting kits out ASAP. I hope by early 2025 we'll have ours.

[MattM97]

27 minutes ago, jordan_mccomb said:

Not me yet unfortunately. I believe it's a couple guys out of Vancouver. Reach out to Golf Gainz on instagram if you have questions. I enquired again recently and they said they're still working through requests and getting the fitting kits out ASAP. I hope by early 2025 we'll have ours.

 

I saw who has the kit, I'll see if they have a remote kit for a fitting but I'm in no rush right now to buy anything especially irons.