There are many reasons a lot of us don’t use the right irons. Whether it is price, ignorance, vanity or simply that we are using some irons that have been passed down to our way, many of us are using the clubs that don’t offer enough help, forgiveness or distance. So when you are selecting your next set of irons a) get fitted and b) have an open mind about what is out there.
1) You will hear a lot about perimeter weighting in irons – this enhances forgiveness by spreading the weight around the edges of the clubhead which helps us to hit straighter shots even when we don’t find the middle of the clubface. Game-improvement irons and hybrids will feature perimeter weighting which explains why they’re so popular with mid to higher handicappers. Cavity-back irons, which have hollowed-out backs, are a common example of perimeter weighted clubs.
2) You will also hear a lot about offset in game-improvement irons. This is where the clubface is set back slightly behind the shaft. Given the majority of golfers slice or at least fade the ball the main purpose of offset is to give golfers more time to square the clubface at impact. It also helps to move the club’s centre of gravity back which makes it easier to launch the ball higher. Conversely, stronger players don’t like to see a lot of offset as they feel that it encourages the possibility of the shot going left.
3) Game-improvement irons have stronger lofts, meaning the angles of the clubfaces are more upright. So, while our old 8-iron might have a loft of around 38-40˚, we can expect this to be 31-35˚ in a game-improvement iron. This stronger loft helps produce more distance, especially for those of us with slower swing speeds or who need help achieving optimal distance with each club. But the clubs are also designed in a way that still allows for a higher ball flight despite the stronger lofts, due to the lower centre of gravity and other forgiveness features such as perimeter weighting. This makes them an ideal choice for mid and high-handicap golfers looking for more distance without sacrificing height or forgiveness.
4) Game-improvement irons typically feature a low and back centre of gravity to enhance forgiveness and promote a higher launch. The centre of gravity refers to the point at which the weight of the clubhead is evenly distributed and this affects how the club behaves during the swing and at impact. In irons, the CG is typically located lower and further back in the clubhead compared to the driver. In a bladed iron which sits at the other end to a game-improvement iron, the centre of gravity is more centred which provides a balanced feel for skilled players who can consistently strike the ball well.
5) There is a reason that the better players now blend their irons set-up: they might have more of a bladed iron for the shorter irons and then have more of a game-improvement shape in the longer irons. This is because the longer irons are generally harder to launch and long/mid irons with larger cavity backs or hollow-body designs are more forgiving as we’re more likely to mishit these. For many of us there will be plenty of mishits on the shorter irons too so give yourself more help throughout the bag.
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