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Thin Top Line

SuperStroke
Golf Ghost said:
I don't really care about thin top lines myself, it's more not being able to see the cavity of the club.
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That's a good way to describe it. It's all about hiding the rest of the club.


Tapatalking on my iPhone!
 
I thought I didnt care until recently when I bought some Cobra Amps and some Ping Ansers and learned that I really enjoyed the look and 'feel' of a thin topline. I think its the feeling that Im slicing through the ball instead of ramming into it. Ive yet to play a round with a thin topline club so the jury is still out until this weekend.
 
To be strait to the point a fat top line looks like a 300 lb supermodel to most of us. It'sjust ain't sexy.

Not to say it needs to be razor thin but good design can help hide a heavier top line. My old irons, Top Flite Tour's, actually had a flange above the frame of the cavity that made the top line nice and thin. My current R9 TP's (which if I remember right were massaged into their final shape by Sir Nick Faldo) are radiused and beveled along the top edge to help the 1/4' thick top line look thinner at address.
 
I prefer to focus on the ball itself, and not the club. So I guess that's why I've gravitated toward the sleeker iron. I am just getting into improvement, and I would rather know what went wrong. Rather than having the forgiveness give me a false sense if you will. I have made some great strides I believe, and using a club that tells me my mistakes and doesn't take away from address...I like. Well...eventually.

Based on the assumption that the thinner top line is associated with more response, and less "help". Usually offset comes more in line with the thinner top...usually.

LtEvO TaPpEd In
 
I don't think I have a preference.....the Adams A12OS irons I was playing prior to the Morgan Cup had a huge top line and I hit them very well.

The Callaway Razr X Blacks that I am playing now probably fall somewhere in the middle...they are much thinner than the Adams but not anywhere near a players iron.

So I don't think it bothers me.....I will play what I hit best.
 
I find that I love a combo or progressive set. Give me big ole long irons with some medium mids and bladey short irons and I'm happy
 
I think that INgolfer said it perfectly. The smaller topline is going to make me focus on better contact where as an iron with a thicker topline will hide most swing flaws and not penalize you nearly as much
 
JB said:
One of the benefits of being on a forum such as THP is hearing the differing of opinions on why people like the clubs they do, what they gravitate towards and of course, what they dislike.

One that seems to come up rather frequently is the size of the top line of an iron. Quite a few prefer the thin top line and the question I am asking is why? Not that it is a bad choice, the wrong choice or anything of the sort, just a curiosity.

What makes one gravitate towards the thinner top line or even more so, need the thinner top line? Why does it only seem to have an impact to the eye with irons? Why does looking at a driver, FW, hybrid and even putter not have the same impact (meaning looking at something large)?

Interesting to hear the responses. Thanks everybody.
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The thin line is mental for sure. The thick topline makes me think of SuperGI "I am not good at this" golf.

Jman said:
Topline has never really bothered me or my eye. Now, offset, that's a different story. That can make an iron really ugly to me in a hurry.
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I played the Cleveland VAS irons. Now that is offset!
 
I think for a lot of people, then like a thin topline because it makes an iron look more blade-like and less like a GI or SGI iron. I personally dont mind a thicker topline.
 
DufferToo said:
I guess I am in the minority, offset and topline doesn't bother me.
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I am in the minority as well!! To be honest, I don't think I have ever hit anything with a thin topline.
 
Trout Bum said:
I know it's aquirky answer but I prefer the way it looks behind the ball. I thick top line just looks big and bulky to me and I feel like it takes away my focus from where on the back of the ball I want to hit it. Almost like the clubhead is too big.
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This is exactly how I feel, for some reason I end up looking at the clubhead instead of the ball.

I also hate looking down and seeing the cavity off the back of the club. That is really distracting to me.

I don't think it bothers me on drivers or fairway woods because that's just how they are "supposed" to look, I guess.
 
I relate this question to why does someone prefer brunettes over blondes or why does someone prefer cats over dogs.
I also think this falls into all our equipment choices from irons, to wedges, balls, drivers and even our gold bag. It is who we are. With that stated, I also think it comes down to comfort. I started with a very thin topline way-back-when then went to a larger topline and sole for many years back to a thinner topline. During this time I also could never get myself to put in play a 430+CC driver, it just looked weird to me.

So I guess my answer would be A.) Comfort and B.) what a person is used to. I got used to what I have chosen and been fitted for and it is no longer a thought. Now, when I look at an iron with a thick top-line, I'm like wow, that is huge.

Our equipment says a little bit about ourselves just as the car/truck we drive and the clothes we wear.

I do think performance is directly related to comfort, but I also think some could benefit from the technology of each depending on their abilities. As you stated JB, no real right or wrong. Great Topic
 
I got back into golf some yrs back and pulled out my old big bertha irons. (Didn't know a ton about golf equip. back then) Slowly got into the swing of things and my game started improving and I started looking at websites such as this...all the talk was of shiny blades and cb irons. Pulled the trigger on the original AP 1's and honestly didn't see a great deal of improvement in my game. A year later I got the AP 2's and kept them for 3 yrs.....Honestly I think that is the benchmark for me in regards to topline looks - why? Because I am used to it at this point. Ego? probably a little...but I'd have no problem looking down at a set of i20's ....g20's may be a different story. Usually a larger topline means a larger sole and in my time back in the game I've realized I get along better with a bit of a thinner sole. I am more of a picker and they just work. Could I use a little larger topline and thicker sole..probably! So for me really it is the middle of the road topline that I like. The irons that give me the most confidence are the Bridgestone J40 DPC irons. Thin topline but a little longer heel to toe - perfect combo.
 
i used to be obsessed with a thin top line. when i first started "iron hunting" a long time ago, was when a lot of companies were beefing up their irons and coming out with OS lines. the top lines on those irons were just way too bulky for me. to look down at them was just not pleasing at all. so i gravitated towards a thinner top line club, with a minor cavity back. now though, even though i still dig and own thinner top lined clubs, i have no issues with most new irons that have a slightly thicker top line. maybe it's the technology...i dunno. but still, even though i have more of an open mind about it, there's still a "line" to be drawn between just right, okay, and way to thick.
 
GopherNut said:
I think it is a confidence thing tied to what I have had success with in the past. Since I grew up with cut-off blades in the early 80's, the thicker they are, the less familiar they look to me. I also don't like the bulky look of some of the more game improvement irons because to me, it looks like I won't be able to work the ball as well or be as aggressive digging out balls in bad lies without thinking the bottom of the club has too much bounce or a really thick sole to match the thicker top-line.
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+1. I also grew up playing with an older set of my dad's blades. To me, it's a familiarity and comfort thing. When I first got back into the game a year or so ago, I knew my game needed work and wasn't ashamed to go the GI club route. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't hit them consistently and my ball striking sucked with them. As I began experimenting with CBs and blades, my game immediately became more consistent and familiar. I've since made the switch to Mizuno MP69s, which in theory would be much harder to hit, but for me it's been the opposite and I've shaved about 5-7 strokes per round from the switch.
 
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I have preferred the look of a thin top line long before I knew the difference between players irons and GI improvement irons. It's just a personal preference. Whenever I am looking at irons, I am always drawn to clubs with a thinner top line. That being said, the irons I play are not thin at all. When I chose them more the 10 years ago, I hit them the best. I preferred functionality over looks.

It's not just irons. I find myself drawn to hybrids and woods the same way. Certain clubs just suit my eye better. I am not saying I hit them better or they are better for my game though.

There are plenty of pretty girls out there who are not right for me.
 
Jman said:
Topline has never really bothered me or my eye. Now, offset, that's a different story. That can make an iron really ugly to me in a hurry.
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x2 for me on this one right here. I still haven't adjusted to the offset on my Ping i20 3 iron ><
 
WestTex said:
x2 for me on this one right here. I still haven't adjusted to the offset on my Ping i20 3 iron ><
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That thing is a WEAPON though off the tee!
 
It's the look I'm comfortable with. Even my first set of K-Mart knockoffs had thin toplines by today's standards. Yes, I've adjusted and a far wider topline doesn't bother me a lot, but old habits are hard to break.
Also, a thick topline sometimes makes the entire head appear clunky to me, if that makes any sense. Make the heads as long as you want, that doesn't bother me at all. Probably helps my confidence.
 
IMO, thicker top lines equal more glare off of them, that's why I prefer a thinner top line.
 
i never really had a preference doesn't bother me one way or another. interesting to read some responses in there though.
 
I certainly don't think that a thicker top line affects playability. But, to me it can be distracting. I have never really liked super duper game improvement clubs, because they typically look like massive chunks of iron behind the golf ball. They just look clunky and distracting. The first Big Bertha irons really gave me that feeling - just never got used to that.

I don't think it is that big of an issue, though. My irons have a pretty thin top line, but I would be fine playing other irons that had a little thicker line.
 
Buckjob said:
i never really had a preference doesn't bother me one way or another. interesting to read some responses in there though.
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If they were to get you and I talking about putters though...look the heck out.
 
I dont need a thin topline. I just want a club that performs. I find that the thinner sole is nice to get through some thinker stuff
 
I prefer a thinner top line:
Iron distance control is the number one facet I work on, so feel is critical. Thinner top line = thinner clubhead = more feel = better distance control.
Muscle back blades have the most feel and a thin top line, so a fat top line = thicker cavity back clubhead = more distance and forgiveness but less feel.
 
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