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Golf Equipment Chronicles 2008 (Part 7)

Choosing the Right Iron Head Design for Your Game

by Leith Anderson

The excitement of the new golf season is building. How do I know? The first tournament of the year at the Palo Alto Muni—hosted by the Palo Alto Golf Club—was a “sellout”.

That happened even though the weather forecast predicted the worst weather of the year. After a couple of months of “winter golf” we’re aching to play—and waiting for scores to start coming down. When a California golfer signs up to play in the rain, you know there’s something going on.

If you’re a “Muni Golfer” like me, I’ve got a recommendation for you: join a club. In the San Francisco Bay Area every public course has a “Men’s Club”—no longer private enclaves “for men only.” The Palo Alto Golf Club is a good example—women are welcomed.

Muni clubs are a great bargain. For around $100 per year you get a couple of tournaments a month—prime Saturday and Sunday morning tee times—and everyone is on their best behavior. If you’re new to “competition” joining a club is a great way to start your understanding of “playing under pressure.” Some clubs have active travel schedules so you get to visit some of the courses that you’ve always wanted to play. Plus, all of the clubs keep your NCGA handicap for you.

If you live in the Bay Area and want to join me for a “morning at the Muni” with absolutely no pressure, get in touch. We start an hour after daybreak, play the back nine and finish up with breakfast at the clubhouse. It’s a great way to start the day, especially when the weather gets better. Let’s all figure out a way to play more golf in 2008.

Finding the Right Iron Design for Your Game

One of the most common themes for golfers coming into the Golf Lab is finding “forgiveness” in their irons. There is no doubt that relentless advances in technology have produced annual improvements in drivers—fueling the desire for better performance. But irons haven’t kept up with the steady technical improvement. Why not?

With irons, manufacturers have a lot less to work with. The heads are smaller, the shafts are shorter and the traditional weight standards severely limit a manufacturer’s ability to create an iron with significantly different performance. This month I’m aiming at a little different theme—a freewheeling discussion of some facts and opinions about iron heads.

Chronicles readers know that I’m a certified golf nut. I have a collection of over a hundred of the classic styles from years past—and rebuild and play them with great success and satisfaction.

This article will be interesting to anyone thinking about the shape (and weight) of his irons. Who knows, maybe I’ll help you find your own “Magic irons.”

The Problem with Standard Products

Golf equipment companies are trying to build a standard product—fast and economically. They don’t want to too many inventory problems for their retail distribution channel. They like “one size fits all.” Keep it simple. Don’t give buyers too many choices.

Fitting irons at the Golf Lab we focus first on club length, second on shaft weight and flex and third on balance. Balance is indicated by swingweight. Just like standard shaft lengths, you get a standard swingweight—usually D-1.

Let’s take a closer look at swingweight.
Swingweight is measured on a contraption that was invented in 1922 and never changed. The idea was to get an idea of “heft” or “head feel.” The contraption—a “swingweight scale”—balances the first fourteen inches of a club measured from the grip against the rest of the club—shaft and head. The result is a letter-number combination. Letters are “B” to “F” each broken into ten sub-measurements. Over the years, swingweight has become the way that manufacturers adopted to build their clubs to a target balance specification—and to some extent, matching swingweights through a set has become the way manufacturers demonstrate the consistency and quality of their manufacturing process.

All iron heads are manufactured to standard weights. Five iron heads usually weigh 255 grams, plus or minus a gram or three, with each successive head getting seven grams lighter or heavier. When you put those heads together with a standard shaft (125 g.) a standard grip (52 g.) and at standard length (37.75” 5 iron) you will come out with a D-1 swingweight. That covers 90% of all off-the-rack clubs with steel shafts.

How do you know if D-1 swingweight is correct for you? That is a great question. We have found through launch monitor testing that one swingweight does not fit all. PGA Tour players frequently prefer heavier swingweights—often up to D-5 and higher. Hogan and Nicklaus were known for playing with very heavy clubs.

Finding your “perfect swingweight” takes a bit of time—and a little technology. If you start with a test club at D-1 swingweight and hit a set of shots that you record with a launch monitor, you establish a benchmark. Add enough lead tape to bring the swingweight up a couple of points and hit another set of shots. We’re looking at three data points. First is ball speed. Most players are interested in maximum distance so ball speed is the best indicator.

econd, we look for center contact. The Achiever launch monitor reports “heel, center, toe” contact so you get a good visual of how easy the clubs are to control. Impact tape works just fine as an alternative. Finally, we look for consistency of launch angle. Our method is to induce improved performance while increasing swingweight. Most of the time, players do better with heavier swingweights. Add too much lead tape, the club gets too heavy and ball speed falls off. Then, go back to the prior weight and you’re done.

I have worked with many players who improved their distance by over five yards and improved their consistency by simply increasing swingweight. One swingweight certainly does not fit all.

Swingweight is affected by shaft weight. If you replace steel shafts with lightweight graphite, swingweight is going to decrease by four or five points. The easy way for manufacturers to hold swingweight near D-1 is to increase the length of graphite-shafted irons by up to an inch—that puts back six points. But, I think that’s a huge mistake. If irons fit at a certain length, why would longer irons be required with graphite shafts?

To complicate matters, there is a school of thought that says swingweight is an obsolete standard. Lead by custom club guru and deep thinker Tom Wishon—many club makers have moved toward “Moment of Inertia” (MOI) matching. MOI matched irons increase in swingweight through the set by roughly half a point, club to club. There is a lot of anecdotal testimony from club makers that suggests MOI matched clubs feel more consistent and perform better.

There are gizmos available that allow precise MOI matching. We have them all at the Golf Lab. What do we believe? We let the customer decide. If he wants swingweight matched clubs because that’s what he’s familiar with, that’s what we do. Personally, I let my swing weights increase through the sets I build for myself.
So that’s the first requirement. You’ve got to make sure your iron heads are the correct weight to provide the right balance—and deliver the best performance—in your set of irons. If you want to know the right weight, for sure, you have to test for performance. You might find that to get the best balance, you will need heads eight or ten grams heavier than “standard”.

That’s one of the benefits of Miura as a custom iron head supplier. We can order iron heads up to eight grams heavier than “standard”. That’s a great benefit when you want a set of lightweight irons with graphite shafts at shorter lengths. An alternative is to use an assortment of tip weights, mix tungsten powder with your epoxy and finally resort to lead tape to get the right balance. Especially for women and seniors, much heavier than “standard” head weights are imperative if you want irons with light shafts but correct balance.

Next Steps

Swingweight is only one variable. A complete iron fitting requires applying the same principles to shaft length, shaft weight, shaft flex, flex profile and lie angle. In all cases, it is possible to test performance by hitting calibrated golf clubs. One of these months, I’ll describe the entire Golf Lab irons fitting process. For today, let’s postulate that the physical specifications are correct and we’re focused on choosing an iron head style.

Who is the Player?

A player’s personal goals are a huge factor in choosing an iron head design. How frequently does a player actually play? Does he play tournament golf or is he exclusively a recreational player? Is he working on his swing?

What courses does he play most frequently? It’s important to know the turf conditions. If the course is soft, it will favor a much different head style than if it is hard. Texas is not California.

The fundamental choice is whether player wants the satisfaction of his “best good shot” or his “best average shot.” My preference is almost always for forged irons—blades or cavity backs in a variety of sizes and styles. There is no reason that a mid handicap player can’t use forged cavity back blades with success. I’m even in favor of high handicap players trying forged cavity back irons instead of “shovels”. Forged irons, due to their sole designs, deliver a more solid feeling shot—when struck near the center of the clubface.

Some testing is required to make sure that a player has realistic expectations. The easiest test is with impact tape. If a player gets a decent percentage of his shots close to the center, he’s a candidate for “real” irons. At the Golf Lab, we use an Achiever launch monitor to get a picture of the consistency of a player’s swing. In addition to face contact, it’s important to know about a player’s tempo and timing, his swing path and the consistency of his launch angle.

If we test a player’s swing and he lacks consistency, we will recommend a “game improvement” iron head design. If there’s any natural ability that can be unlocked, we try to find an iron style that will reward practice and hope.

Iron Head Size

In irons, the major factor that promotes “forgiveness” is head size. As a general rule, the better the player, the smaller the head. Since most iron heads are more or less the same weight, it stands to reason that the smaller the head, the more concentrated the weight. If a player is skilled enough to make center contact a high percentage of the time, he will get the best results from the smallest muscle back blade that he can find. The most weight directly behind the ball will deliver the highest ball speed. This fact was confirmed in testing the Miura “Baby Blades” with the Max Out launch monitor. The Baby Blades produced ball speeds two to three MPH faster than larger models.

The Miura Limited Edition “Baby Blades” are the smallest muscle-back iron head available. They are suitable for very low handicap players.

The next size up is the “players’ blade.” In the Miura line, that covers the 202 and 301 models as well as the Tournament blade. In the Mizuno line, the classic muscle back blades define “players’ blade”—for reference, have a look at the MP-32 and MP-37 models as well as the limited edition blades produced for Mizuno’s 100th anniversary. The original Nike forged blade is a good choice and can be picked up very reasonably in excellent condition. The most economical way to get a good set of custom clubs is to start with a model that’s been out for a few years and have them rebuilt with the custom fitted shaft of your choice. In the players’ blade category, there is very little difference in performance from iron heads that date back to the 80’s and 90’s. The one detail you should examine closely is the length of the hosel. The more weight that’s near the hosel, the closer the sweet spot moves to the hosel. That’s why the older models are usually found with wear inside the center—the location that a good player finds automatically. Both Miura and Mizuno have taken pains to move the sweet spot in their later models closer to the center of the clubface.

The best choice for most players is a “mid-sized blade.” Examples include the Miura 102, the Mizuno MP-57 and MP-60. These models combine a slightly larger size with a cambered and radiused sole to promote playability. In the “playable classics” category, you can’t beat a set of Hogan GCD forged blades from 1993.

How Big is Too Big?

There is a trend with some companies to produce oversize forged irons. An example is the KZG Forged III. I’m not a fan of oversized iron heads. There’s a simple reason. When you find yourself in the rough, it’s very difficult to get the head through the grass and on the ball. I never recommend oversize iron heads.

Offset or Non-Offset?

The determining factor in choosing between offset and non-offset iron heads is swing path. I assume that a player with a consistent inside out swing path will do better with irons that have little offset.

Offset iron heads are intended to combat an outside in, cut or “over the top” swing path. The all-time classic offset irons were the Ping Eye 2’s.

Some iron sets are designed as “progressive offset.” Such sets will have more offset in the long irons—the most difficult to hit—and less in the short irons. Progressive offset is a good choice for players who need a little help with the consistency of their long irons.

For players who are trying hard to improve, little offset in the short irons is mandatory. An improving player will be working on finesse shots: knock downs and partial swings. When your hands are ahead of the ball at impact, offset makes it too difficult to control the direction and trajectory of such shots.

Sole Width

The defining difference between “standard” and “game improvement” irons is sole width. The function of a wide sole is to prevent the iron head from digging in behind the ball. Actually, a very wide sole functions something like a water ski. The designer assumes that a player will not make great contact and most of his misses will be “heavy”—a polite way to say “fat”. When the game improvement iron strikes the turf, it slides into the ball and produces “acceptable” contact.

The downside of a wide sole is that it’s very difficult to get the iron head on the ball first—most of the time the head “skids” into the ball. That’s where a player gives up the possibility of that perfectly struck “sweet” shot. Over the years, I have played many game improvement models with reasonable success—most commonly the Mizuno MX-23 and MX-25 series of forged irons. I’ve had decent rounds with those designs as well as the Mizuno 900 series for ultra-game improvement. But, I’m prejudiced and I admit it. I don’t like to recommend game improvement irons for players who are trying hard to improve, have the skill to improve and are willing to pay the price by working on their game.

Another more subtle difference is where a player strikes the ball on the clubface. Game improvement irons are designed with extremely low centers of gravity—presumably to help “get the ball up.” I think that most designers of game improvement clubs assume that the ball will be struck low on the clubface. The low weight distribution gets the ball in the air. I think that a really solid iron shot requires hitting the ball up a little higher on the face. Forged irons typically have a higher center of gravity and reward a shot that’s not struck thin. That’s also where “workability” comes from.

Sole Grind

The defining difference in playability in irons is the shape of the sole. When you look at an iron head there are two dimensions. From “straight on” the sole will either be pretty straight or curved—referred to as a “radius”. I prefer a “radiused” sole—it’s helpful in Northern California in digging shots out of the rough and making solid contact on soft fairways.

The “old school” leading edge is straight. That’s what Hogan and Johnny Miller used to set their records. But, most of the time they were playing on hard courses with the grass cut short. In Fort Worth, they saved their water for drinking. If you want the set of irons that comes closest to Hogan’s preferred grind, look for a set of “Legends”.

The other dimension in a sole grind is front to back. That’s referred to as the “camber”. Another common term is “bounce”. If the leading edge of an iron is ground off, the sole will look “rounded” and the iron head will resist “digging”. In the old days, “digger” blades were common. If you’re looking for a playable set of “digger” irons, find some Tommy Armour 985’s from MacGregor. That’s the model that Johnny Miller used when he was setting records.

Playing in Northern California, my preference is for iron heads that have a radiused profile and enough camber to prevent digging. A good model for reference, though rare, is the Bridgestone MR-23. They’re a small size, but I’ve that style in my bag, off and on, for over a year.

Cast or Forged?

There have been plenty of studies that compare the “feel” of forged iron heads to cast. If the heads are painted black, even Tour players can’t tell the difference. Alas, most of the time they’re not painted black so most of us think we can tell the difference.

If you’re a connoisseur, you might prefer a forged blade that’s been sent through the forging process an extra time. That would be Miura. There are plenty of variations of “forged”. When you hear descriptions like “grain flow forged”—there’s a pretty good chance that the iron was cast and then pounded—not necessarily a “true” forging. Does it matter? Probably not, except if you’re a purist.

The Psychological Fit

It’s impossible to escape advertising. Even players who profess no “brand preference”—will still need to think about which brand they choose.

Just like cars, watches, bicycles and all other sports equipment, there is a wide range of quality and prices. For better or worse, iron heads forged in Japan get the most recognition and respect. The recognized world leader in quality is Miura—a rare accomplishment to gain such consensus. Using the car analogy, Miura equates to a Mercedes. KZG forged irons are manufactured in Japan, making them a great choice for a player who wants to make a statement that “name brands don’t matter” and still be confident that he’s playing a quality product. KZG irons are forged in Japan.

Like it or not, when you leave your clubs at the bag drop, the kids take a close look and make some assumptions about what kind of player you might be. Same thing at the pro shop.

Recommendations?

My all-time favorite muscle backed blades are the 1984 Taylor Made “TPF” forgings. If you’re looking for a “retro” look, you can’t do better than a set of early 60’s Wilson Staff Dynapowers. Of course, you’re going to have to update the shafts to make sure they match your game today. To pursue the car analogy, that’s like driving into the parking lot in a 1955 Thunderbird.

If you’re thinking about new irons, I’m a fan of Miura—the new 102 model a little bigger for amateur players looking for some forgiveness. You can’t go wrong with Mizuno—the new MP-57 being my shape of choice. I’ve also been playing Bridgestone irons for the last year—also a Japanese forging. Bridgestone put out three forged models in 2007. My preference is the “Combo” set with a unique leading edge grind.

I almost hate to mention specific models—there are so many worthy examples. Above all, if you’re trying to improve your game, get yourself a set of forged blades set up with modern shafts to fit your game and you’ll be a happy camper.

Leith Anderson is a Partner in the Golf Lab, Palo Alto, CA.
He will answer any and all questions about club fitting and club making. Contact: Leith@calgolftech.com. Or by phone (650) 493-1770