You have asked a two-part question, I'll deal with the second part first. It's impossible to say whether or not you are a bad golfer, since I've never seen you play. That question is better answered by your playing partners (folks you've played more than a few rounds with). As for the 718 AP1s being forgiving, yes they are. I know this because I have a set. Remember though, forgiving doesn't mean the clubs will auto-correct for the poor swings we make.

AP1's are forgiving in that almost the entire face short of a hosel rocket will product similar results. With a muscle back blade, off-center hits will result in far inferior results. But if you aren't getting the face square to the swing path, no club face is that forgiving. There are irons with very wide soles to somewhat aid with fat shots but a better investment might be a couple of sessions for a pro to suggest improvements. A couple of small tweaks can make a world of difference.

AP1 716 and AP1 718s are very forgiving.