Nick's tip of the week
Golf Irons Buying Guide
Irons make up the vast majority of the clubs in our bags, so finding the right set for you can make a considerable improvement to your game. There are many types of irons with different specifications, so this page will help you to the perfect set of irons.
Types of Irons For Golf
Forged Irons
Forging a club is very similar to what the village blacksmith used to do. The metal is sunk into a rough shape, then hammered into the desired shape. The manufacturer then has a raw forged iron, which is a close approximation of the final club head. The carbon steel clubhead is then finished by milling, grinding and polishing.
The end result is a solid looking, one-piece iron that has a reduced sweet spot. Typically, forged irons are aimed towards good players who place a higher importance on the feel of the club and the ability to shape shots and control trajectory.
Cast Irons
The alternative to forged irons is the cast iron. This type of iron involves pouring the liquid metal into a mould, which allows manufacturers to make more complex head designs. For that reason, cast irons are more suited to irons that are multi-material, perimeter weighted and intricate. The casting process is easier and cheaper than forged irons, which is the reason for the lower price tag.
Designs of Irons
Blade Irons
Blade irons are designed for the game's better players and feature a thin face, a thin top line and a compact hitting area. Blades generally distribute weight evenly throughout the entire head, producing a small "sweet spot" in the centre of the head.
Because more weight is placed behind the sweet spot it offers more feel and ability to shape a shot than a cavity back, hence why blade irons are sometimes referred to as muscle backs.
Cavity Back Irons
A cavity back iron is a club that positions a recess or cavity in the back of the head, concentrating more weight on the perimeter. By adding more weight to the edges of the clubhead, manufacturers are able to increase the Moment of Inertia (MOI) or forgiveness of the club. Typically a larger clubhead will be paired with a thin clubface, which means off-centre shots fly longer and straighter than an off-centre shot with a blade iron.
This increased forgiveness reduces feel and means that the cavity back iron is more suited to mid to high handicap golfer who benefit from the larger sweet spot.
Hybrid Sets of Irons
Aimed towards players who struggle to hit longer irons, the hybrid iron set progresses from cavity back short irons, through hollow back or reduced cavity mid irons to part-iron/part-wood hybrid clubs.
The benefits of this type of set are clear. The cavity back short irons offer maximum forgiveness and control for shorter shots into greens. Following that, the hollow back mid irons move the weight (and therefore centre of gravity) of the club head lower and further back on the club to produce easily-hit high mid iron shots.
Lastly, the long irons combine fairway wood distance with the control and accuracy of a long iron. For a high-handicap or older player, this set could provide the perfect mix to help your iron-play.
Shaft Options
There are many different shaft options available from: Steel, Graphite and multi-material. The steel shafts are heavier and are aimed at a lot of golfers particularly the mid-lower handicaps and players with faster swing speeds. The graphite shafts are lighter and deigned for slower swing speeds to maximise distance. If you have any questions please feel free to come and speak to the golf team.
Custom Fitting
Custom fitting is key as everyone's golf swing is different. It doesn't have to cost any more than off the shelf clubs and there is no better time to get a custom fitting as we are currently offering the Complete Equipment Solution which can be seen below.
This brings us onto our fantastic Complete Equipment Solution.
Call it a celebration to start the new season, in which we're offering you a FREE lesson to go with a FREE custom fitting. Sound good?
We want to help you enjoy better golf this season, which is why we've teamed up with Titleist to offer you the Complete Equipment Solution.
Every golf swing is different and we're confident that this fantastic promotion will help you get the most from your new equipment.
We want to ensure you maximise the performance benefits from every Titleist club.
Please click here to take a look at the Titleist offering.