[Vandal]

I think that depends on your swing speed. Certainly for those with average speed and/or no real compression, todays irons are significantly more user friendly than those of 5-10 years ago or longer. Those with good compression and/or high swing speeds may fight ballooning with the newer irons - mostly, IMO, due to the grooves, and somewhat due to the moving of the center of gravity back (in effect, making a lagging clubhead a built in feature). I like to test new gear in a headwind to test if too much spin is going to be a factor.

That's kind of what I was thinking, which leads me to believe that once you pass a certain level you need to re-evaluate your gear. Some of the newer "players" cavity backs and muscle backs are being designed to keep the ball lower for the better player, which is why the new Titleist 695CB actually has jacked up lofts for a lower ball flight. I found this weird because of what Tommy says about his swing producing a higher ball flight as a good thing.