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Soft - Why Is It Considered Good?

SuperStroke
Good question, not sure I have a good answer. Could be we like a loudish sound for the power clubs, since it at least sounds like it could go a long way. With irons sand especially wedges softer seems the give more of an impression of control.
 
I think it's because on a well struck shot you don't want to hear or feel anything harsh. Sound or vibration can actually take away from a good shot for a lot of people.
 
Spivey said:
Maybe soft = pure? As in a purely struck shot?


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^^^^^
This right here. When you hit the "sweet" spot, it's like there is no "feeling" or resistance or twisting... the ball springs off the face and goes.
 
G$$$ said:
^^^^^
This right here. When you hit the "sweet" spot, it's like there is no "feeling" or resistance or twisting... the ball springs off the face and goes.
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This. A good iron shot to me doesn't feel like there's any resistance when I hit the ball, hence "soft".


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ddec said:
Because marketing tells me so.

Really I don't know.
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Yup, I'm with ddec. In reality soft is a term that doesn't correlate. I don't want to be hit with a club or a ball. Neither are soft.
 
JB said:
Guys, I think my rambling is not making sense. I get why people say soft. What I want to know is why is soft considered good? I mean in baseball its not described as soft. Neither in other sports. Why is soft for contact considered something people are looking for?
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Judging by the little dings on my relatively new Bridgestone J15's, I'd say they are literally softer than previous cast irons I've owned. They also feel the best out of all clubs I've hit when struck well. I don't think they feel any worse than other clubs I've tried during mis-hits either. That is why I think people prefer soft once they hit softer irons for some amount of time.
 
I thought you were asking why my wife seems to be ok with my doughy physique.

but since we're talking about irons, I don't want the irons to feel firm at impact and do their damage on my hands. that soft, spongy feel when you flush an iron is one of the most satisfying feelings in all of golf. harsh/clicky/firm wouldn't give that elusive feeling I've come to love so much.


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I think soft = effortless. It isn't effortless but it feels that way because, as others have said, there is a maximum energy transfer. It is the same way in tennis and baseball. When you crush it in the middle of the sweetspot, there is no harsh feeling whatsoever and no "sting" to the hands that tells your brain something is wrong.
 
JB said:
Okay, stay with me here. I was speaking to a friend of mine about irons today and we got to talking about descriptions people use to describe them. Now I am not heading down the butter or cast/forged thing, here, but more of a simple question. It seems that when someone likes their irons, they describe them as soft and I understand that feel is a personal thing, and slightly overused.

So that leads me to this odd question. If the goal is hitting a ball to a target, why is soft considered a good thing? In just about everything else that involves contact to move something, hard is generally considered a better option, right?

I ask this not to say something is or isn't soft feeling, but more asking why is something soft considered a good thing. Hope that rambling makes sense.
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It would depend on one's definition of soft. Soft as in easy on the hands or good scoring feel. Many describe soft as an exceptional sweet spot...although I generally only associate soft as in forged due to the process and metal.
 
To me it is like when connecting with a pitch on the sweet spot of the bat. You just don't feel it as the ball is compressed and trampolines off. So the soft aspect comes from not really feeling the impact.
 
Soft is good because hard vibrations into the hands and arms is generally not a nice feeling when swinging something at 80mph+.
The complete lack of feedback and vibrations on a well struck shot is great. I'm not sure when that started to be called 'soft'.
 
To me, SOFT translates as not harsh on mishits.

I definitely want SOFT if I think of it that way.
 
I think soft comes back to that idea that a well-struck shot doesn't generate a strong feeling of impact with the ball. Plenty of guys, especially big hitters, talk about how on a good drive you don't even feel the impact. So a well-struck shot the impact is, well, soft. The CG of the club is making contact with the ball, so there's no feeling of twisting or fighting against the impact.

There's a certain irony that the feeling we're looking for in golf is, essentially, almost no feeling at all.
 
I'm sure from an energy transfer standpoint, the materials the irons are made from don't make a big difference. But I get where you're coming from - "hard" seems like it's better for the task at hand.

But, with the whole sound = feel thing, I think people are talking about a more "solid" sound you get with the designs that are typically talked about as "soft". It's one of the reasons the G series Pings have always been a favorite of mine - they give me a more solid sound than some of the other irons in the class. That's why I was so surprised with the sound of the GMax.
 
I don't personally like the 'soft' term. I prefer 'money', but that doesn't translate well to sales.

i suppose that I know what it's supposed to mean, but you're correct when it isn't referred to that in other sports

Well hit balls in baseball are crisp or 'shots' and feel effortless; but never referred to as soft. Those are dribblers to the pitcher.
 
When I think of "soft" I guess I think of the feeling like the ball wasn't even there when you pure it and the varying feedback you get on those shots iron to iron. I don't know if that's right, but that's always what I've thought of. I think really as long as the feedback is consistent, that really shouldn't matter, but it does feel nice when it's a pure clean strike with little feel but the swing itself. Probably poor words on my part but is what comes to mind. I think there's too much emphasis on softness personally, but that's just me.
 
It feels good in our hands and arms. Also, mishits usually involve some amount of harshness. Soft is the opposite of harsh so it probably gets associated with good (ball strikes).
 
checkered said:
When I think of "soft" I guess I think of the feeling like the ball wasn't even there when you pure it and the varying feedback you get on those shots iron to iron. I don't know if that's right, but that's always what I've thought of. I think really as long as the feedback is consistent, that really shouldn't matter, but it does feel nice when it's a pure clean strike with little feel but the swing itself. Probably poor words on my part but is what comes to mind. I think there's too much emphasis on softness personally, but that's just me.
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Lol.... That's how I was going to respond.... it feels "Pure."

Hit a Pro V1 vs a Calloway Supersoft.... the Pro V1 feels like a rock. The Supersoft feels Pure!
 
Growing up I was always told a good shot meant it didn't even feel like you hit the ball. I guess I always correlated that to the club feeling "soft". That is one sweet feeling (or lack there of).
 
If all my shots could feel like I was puring a Wilson Staff Fluid Feel blade I would be a happy camper. Whats not to love about that?
 
Spivey said:
Maybe soft = pure? As in a purely struck shot?

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^^^This^^^ For me, a "pure" strike almost feels like you whiffed it.
 
Spivey said:
Maybe soft = pure? As in a purely struck shot?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I like this thought. I remember gaming old 1960's Wilson irons, and they were hand stingers. I'd call those hard. With today's irons you don't get that hand sting through the shaft.
 
I think the "soft" feel that players talk about feeling has to do with the harmonics of the shaft/club and how it vibrates at and after impact.
 
Soft = good because it feels better. As many have said before A hard or harsh feeling comes with a poorly struck shot. It could be the vibration in the shaft or even the club or the ball makeup, but soft just feels better. #feelplayers
 
I think that soft relates to feel and control whereas firm is more mechanical and technique but that's just how I relate to it. I think I am able to measure the difference but unable to describe it honestly, but there is an undeniable difference in response and there are audible differences as well.

Both do the same thing they just do it with different nuances and perceptions. I prefer soft.
 
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