Brian Heberer
PGA Apprentice
Assistant Golf Professional
Bull Run Golf Club
The Right Irons for You
With so many new irons hitting the market today from so many different companies, it is hard to figure out what direction to go. Do you want a cavity back iron, a blade, a cast club, a forged one, a game-improvement iron, a hybrid set, etc, it can get confusing.
The best way to find the correct irons for your particular game it to get fitted by a certified club fitter at the Raspberry Golf Academy. There you are able to hit balls and find out first what you need from your irons; more distance, a higher ball flight, more forgiveness, or more workability. Then you are able to get properly fitted for the correct length, lie, and loft tailored to your body type and swing. But still what is the difference between all the different irons today?
Here is a basic description of some of the irons available now and why the might be the iron for you.
Forged- Simply refers to the manufacturing process in which the head is created. Here the metal is heated and then hammered and pound into shape repeatedly. This produces a softer metal with a smaller sweet. These types of irons are usually aimed for better players who value the feedback from the iron.
Cast- Again is just the name of the manufacturing process of the particular club head. Here, a liquid metal is poor into a mold of the club and cooled. Because they are able to use a mold the designs can be more extravagant and complex. Manufactures are able to move weight from one of the club to another.
Blades- A style of iron that is most valued by low handicappers. A thin iron, usually forged, with a small sweet spot and evenly distributed weight throughout the club head. Because of the even distribution of weight, these clubs are the most “workable,” meaning they are the best for trying to shape different types of shots.
Cavity Back- Another style of iron that is usually made from the casting process. The cavity back usually refers to a large backside of the club head. This perimeter weighting increases the size of the sweet spot and the forgiveness of the club by helping more on “miss-hits.” The perimeter weight also can be moved towards the bottom of the club to promote a higher ball flight.
Split Cavity- This is a new style of club that combines the workability of a forged blade, with the forgiveness of the cavity back. These clubs usually are thinner like blades, but with more perimeter weighting to increase the size of the sweet spot.
Hybrid Set- Another new style of club design that incorporates hybrids and cavity back clubs in to a set. Usually consists of hybrid clubs for the low and mid irons and large cavity back clubs for the high irons. These are designed for higher handicapped players who have trouble getting the ball in the consistently and need the most forgiveness available.