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Packing Forgiveness Into Irons in 2015

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Canadan

Canadan

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I had a relatively entertaining revelation on course tonight -- Now mind you, I haven't been strictly a blade player since maybe 2011 when i finally turned in my Mizuno MP-32 irons (beautiful, by the way)..... But there's a fairly simple truth that we as golfers are being treated to recently in club tech.

Irons, despite a rather tiny profile, are FORGIVING. Even my CB irons are geared towards a better player who is expecting to miss a couple shots, and can without major punishment thanks to a rolled sole. Now we've got wider forgiveness footprints on the center of the face, better ball speed retention on the lower grooves, and a bevy of shaft + head offerings to accommodate even the most confusing swing outputs.

Is there a better time to be a golf club buyer? In the last two weeks I've used three sets of irons that would be unheard of 10 years ago, and even five years ago would have been competing with larger profiles + crazy flyers.

I can't wait to see what they come up with next. In five years, will people who use blades be laughed at when we finally bridge the gap between our own ego and better scores?
 
There are a lot of good golf clubs out there right now. Thats a good thing.
 
I think that companies are definitely getting better at packing technology into smaller packages. It's amazing what they can do with weight distribution (hello tungsten) as well. Also, irons with multi-material construction weren't as prevalent a few years ago, but now most companies have something like that (ex: Callaway Apex, Titleist AP2). The options are much bigger now than they were a few years ago. Take my dad: he's a senior player that needs help getting the ball in the air, but he doesn't want to look at a iron clubhead that is basically a hybrid. He can now play an iron that doesn't have a super-big topline, but that iron is going to be easy to elevate AND he can play a lighter shaft that is still stable enough to where he feels like he can have some control. Heck, a few years ago a guy like you who can spin the ball a ton and hit moonballs would be stuck playing 130 gram iron shafts because that's all there was to knock down the flight, but now you can play 110 gram shafts that do the same thing. It's a great time to be a consumer because it's a buyer's market with all of the options out there.
 
New technology has really afforded me the opportunity to play an iron that like you said 10years I wouldn't of played. That technology has also brought the possibility of playing a MB / blade closer to reality as well. Technology is making up for what I lack in talent, subsequently giving me a false positive in some ways.
 
This is one area where technology isn't hurting anyone. The OEMs have done some good work and it is hard for anyone to not be able to go out and find an iron that fits them. So many good options.
 
I love you thinking process Dan. The advancements that have been made in iron technology is staggering. Clubs that should have a level of difficulty are easier to hit. And club that help with the game are just silly easy to hit. I am with you, a forgiving blade will be offer sooner than later.
 
I'm still surprised at the amount of forgiveness I get out of the 545s in a relatively compact package. Way low on the face isn't going to give you the type of forgiveness the D200s or a club in that category are, but for decent sized misses, I'm still finding myself getting somewhere near the target.
 
It's pretty crazy what they can do with a club design, that's for sure. It's hard to think of where they can go from here too, but you know it's only going to keep getting better.
 
Good thoughts Dan.

I think Apex is the best of all worlds right now, small enough yet packed with forgiveness. An improvement on those is hard to believe but I know it's gonna happen.
 
I know making the switch from TM 300 forged irons to the Wilson M3s, I'm just amazed how much 'easier' they are to hit. And besides, I was thinking we've learned that there are at least a few Tour players playing GI irons (and I seem to recall one maybe on the senior tour playing SGI?). It seems like not that long ago, if a Tour player had a hybrid, they were 'struggling' with their iron game. Now I'd go so far as to say that if a tour player didn't have a hybrid, they just aren't that smart.

Perception perception. It takes a long time to alter what the large group thinks, but once it does, perhaps everyone's scores will lower.......then we just need to get people to stop playing the tips who have no business playing the tips.

~Rock
 
as a consumer, i'm thrilled, not to mention the advancements in clubfitting. as a manufacturer, i'd be sweating bullets and having sleepless nights. the pressure for constant innovation while maintaining profit margins AND market share would drive me insane.
 
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caeleric said:
as a consumer, i'm thrilled, not to mention the advancements in clubfitting. as a manufacturer, i'd be sweating bullets and having sleepless nights. the pressure for constant innovation while maintaining profit margins AND market share would drive me insane.
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On the one side, I agree -- It's got to be incredibly competitive right now in that aspect...

But on the other, I don't think it could be any more exciting right now, to innovate and then release something that genuinely surprises people when they hit it. Has to be a cool experience for them.
 
I keep telling people these CB's have plenty of forgiveness but I feel like they keep rolling their eyes at me. Their loss. Do bad swings punish you? Duh. But no where remotely near where CB's of the past would. No where near. Hell the J15 MB's are probably the easiest to hit muscle backs I've ever picked up. I still can't play those, but in terms of MB's they are "easy"...which is all relative haha
 
I can see why you say the 15 CB's are on the forgiving side. They're pretty huge for a iron of that type. Not that it's a bad thing of course.
 
I think the advancements in the last 5 years rival the leap forward when Karsten released the first Ping Eye - it's pretty revolutionary.

It's as if the R&D that went into drivers since the mid-90s took 15 more years to really get into irons. It's a great time to be hitting golf balls.
 
Hawk said:
I can see why you say the 15 CB's are on the forgiving side. They're pretty huge for a iron of that type. Not that it's a bad thing of course.
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big footprint? i haven't had a chance to see them in person. i was surprised at how big the dpf irons were in hand.
 
caeleric said:
big footprint? i haven't had a chance to see them in person. i was surprised at how big the dpf irons were in hand.
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There's a lot of blade there for sure, relatively speaking. Nice shape at address.
 
caeleric said:
big footprint? i haven't had a chance to see them in person. i was surprised at how big the dpf irons were in hand.
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The blade length is longer than most CB's. You can't really tell looking at them by themselves, but if you put them next to a lot of other CB's it's pretty apparent.
 
#Cookie said:
Good thoughts Dan.

I think Apex is the best of all worlds right now, small enough yet packed with forgiveness. An improvement on those is hard to believe but I know it's gonna happen.
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This is my thinking as well. The Apex and Z545's come to mind when thinking about a compact shape that is packed with forgiveness. At address you look down and the confidence is there. That couldn't be said with irons of years past bc the forgiveness on mishits wasn't there and left your hands stinging for a few holes.

I'm excited where iron R&D is going and curious to see what the next designs bring to the table. Definitely a great time to be a consumer.
 
Great thoughts by the OP for sure - I myself am blown away with the Apex irons I now game - the forgiveness is crazy and even on mishits the distance loss isn't nearly as penal as previous irons I have gamed....

I think right now is the best time to be in the market for new clubs - feel, look, forgiveness, and shaft offerings are great. Also with more options to be custom fit, there is no reason not to be in the right clubs for your game.
 
I have to agree Dan, hitting the CB's again in Myrtle was eye opening on how and average golfer like myself can still get away with an iron head like that.
 
I agree, it is an exciting time for anyone looking for new irons, and with all of the options available there is going to be something for everybody that, if they ignore their ego, can help improve their game

I can't wait to see what the next step forward will be with regards to the technology that the OEM's can pack into clubs

#Cookie said:
Good thoughts Dan.

I think Apex is the best of all worlds right now, small enough yet packed with forgiveness. An improvement on those is hard to believe but I know it's gonna happen.
Click to expand...

mikeg_74 said:
This is my thinking as well. The Apex and Z545's come to mind when thinking about a compact shape that is packed with forgiveness. At address you look down and the confidence is there. That couldn't be said with irons of years past bc the forgiveness on mishits wasn't there and left your hands stinging for a few holes.

I'm excited where iron R&D is going and curious to see what the next designs bring to the table. Definitely a great time to be a consumer.
Click to expand...

I went down the Z545 route and compared to my very old Ping irons they are absolutely leaps and bounds better in all aspects - I know this should be expected based on how old my Pings were, but I couldn't believe how easy the Z545 were to hit. Shooting 4 over my handicap first time out, followed by 1 over the second time has made the game so much more enjoyable
 
BrianW said:
There are a lot of good golf clubs out there right now. Thats a good thing.
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I agree. More options today than ever before.
 
In short my answer/opinion is NO, there is no better time to be a golfer with all of the innovative tech that is being released. Wether it is GI/SGI irons for people such as myself or tech packed players irons for the better player who wants a bit o forgiveness. It just is a great time to be a golfer.
 
ShanksaloT said:
Great thoughts by the OP for sure - I myself am blown away with the Apex irons I now game - the forgiveness is crazy and even on mishits the distance loss isn't nearly as penal as previous irons I have gamed....

I think right now is the best time to be in the market for new clubs - feel, look, forgiveness, and shaft offerings are great. Also with more options to be custom fit, there is no reason not to be in the right clubs for your game.
Click to expand...
Can't wait for my Apex order to come in. I'm not a patient man.
 
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