Biglefty1980
New member
Has anyone switched from forged cavity back to a hollow body iron? If so, did you see a distance increase?
Hollow body vs forged cavity back
I just switched from mp20 mmc to Edel SMS and when I hit them square I get about 12-15more yards. I'm just not hitting them square very often yet.
Went from the XForged to Apex pro. Lofts are the same and they aren’t really designed for more distance so I didn’t see much of a difference there.
Main thing I saw was more forgiveness and higher ball flight especially in the long irons.
Main thing I saw was more forgiveness and higher ball flight especially in the long irons.
Biglefty1980
New member
- Thread starter
- #4
Nice. I currently play MP 62 and I'm looking at the Takomo 101 irons. Is the feel any different?
Biglefty1980
New member
- Thread starter
- #5
How is the feel?
The Edel are forged face hollow body so they feel amazing
I tried a number of hollow body clubs, there is a world of difference between a hollow body iron, forged face or not, and a solid, forged chunk of steel. The hollow body is not much different than any casting IMHO. So last time around, I bought SGI castings, only my 2nd set of castings in 45 years and lots of different sets of clubs, the other was a big mistake, Cleveland VAS anyone? LOL
I think the Yonex ADX Tour is the best forged cavity back ever. (Not to be confused with the Super ADX that came after it and looks like a garden implement).
I think the Yonex ADX Tour is the best forged cavity back ever. (Not to be confused with the Super ADX that came after it and looks like a garden implement).
I've had hollow body 5 & 6 iron in the bag for a few rounds now before it transitions to forged CB.
Distance I'm still figuring out but finding forgiveness in those long iron shots much better than trying to nail a traditional iron.
Distance I'm still figuring out but finding forgiveness in those long iron shots much better than trying to nail a traditional iron.
They put a lot of work into making them still feel good, and they do. Hitting side by side I’d say the forged cavity feel better but I’ve gotten used to the Apex and they feel good to me.
It will depend on the specific iron, but generally yes. I have historically played forged cavity back (i.e. ZX7), and one hollow body set I have is the Ben Hogan PTx Pro and those by design go about the same distance. This year I moved into Cobra King Forged and picked up a good amount of distance.
I went from Z765 (solid forged) to Forged Tec Black (forged, but two pieces if different steels) to Forged Tec for a year (2020 Hollow body ), then to Apex '21( same construction as the FTB, for the most part ) and now back to my FTB's, which I LOVE.
I also had a brief flirtation with the new P790 (hollow). Didn't care for them.
I find the hollow/foam filled clubs to feel hotter and have a "techie" kind of click to them, maybe hit the a little longer, but the lofts are 1-2* stronger than my other clubs were.
I've been demoing the Rogue ST Pro a bit, and they feel better than the other hollows that I've tried, maybe the Mizzy 225 very similar.
I'm not a high speed player, low 90's driver and hit my 7i about 150. With the hollow Forged Tec's, my 7 was closer to 155-160 when pured. But again, lofts are a bit stronger.
I also had a brief flirtation with the new P790 (hollow). Didn't care for them.
I find the hollow/foam filled clubs to feel hotter and have a "techie" kind of click to them, maybe hit the a little longer, but the lofts are 1-2* stronger than my other clubs were.
I've been demoing the Rogue ST Pro a bit, and they feel better than the other hollows that I've tried, maybe the Mizzy 225 very similar.
I'm not a high speed player, low 90's driver and hit my 7i about 150. With the hollow Forged Tec's, my 7 was closer to 155-160 when pured. But again, lofts are a bit stronger.
This is a good question. I’m following along for the responses. I want 225s but just can’t do the hollow body.
Biglefty1980
New member
- Thread starter
- #13
I haven't had cast irons in my bag since 2001, I do like the tech with hollow body. I just worry about the feel.
I don’t care if they are cast, Forged, MIM, hollow as far as how they are produced. Hollow irons do feel strange to me
Over the last 6 years I’ve gone from cavity back irons to hollow body irons and then returned to cavity back irons before switching to forged blades.
I’m now playing the Cobra King Tour MIM technology irons which to me are somewhere between the cavity back and blade category in looks and feel.
My journey started with Taylormade PSI irons and then I switched to Titleist AP3 irons in 2018.
The Taylormade PSI irons would produce odd fliers about 1 out of 8 shots that would go 10-15 yards farther than normal often resulting in a bad outcome when it occurred. The badges on the back also started lifting up and the sharp pointy bits would stick me in the hand when I reached for a club. They had to go!
The AP3 irons had such a clean look, no pointy things to stick me. They had stronger Lofts than the PSI irons and were very long. It eventually created a problem for me at the top end of my bag where the clubs all seemed to go the same distance and at the bottom end. I ended up playing 5 wedges, dropped the 4, 5 & 6 irons and added a 7 wood and a 5 hybrid. After 700 plus rounds I retired them and briefly played a set of more traditionally lofted forged cavity back irons. I didn’t really notice it when playing the AP3s, but now they definitely sound louder, clickier and harsher than the clubs I’ve played since.
Shortly after I got my forged cavity back set of irons I had a chance to pick up a set of slightly used super premium Japanese forged muscle back blade heads for a very good price and thought I might make a combo set with the cavity backs using the same shafts.
The blades looked better, felt better and performed the same as the cavity backs so It didn’t take long to decide to play a full set of the blades. The blades and the forged cavity back irons gave me much better front to back dispersion and with their traditional lofts higher launch, more spin and better stopping power on the greens.
I would still be playing those irons if it wasn’t for the Morgan Cup. I absolutely loved them.
Because of the Morgan Cup I chose the Cobra King Tour MIM copper finished irons. They have very similar lofts to the blades I was playing. They look good, feel good and have performed well for me. They’ve exceeded my expectations for sure and I think that they are vastly underrated and probably too often overlooked.
After my experience with these different types of irons I would say that hollow bodied iron construction will definitely help someone looking for more distance especially if paired with lighter weight shafts. The stronger lofts and generally lower spin would be ideal for a person that is looking to lower their ball flight or reduce spin. If your stock shot is a high cut or a weak fade these clubs might help a lot.
For someone who tends to hit a low draw probably not so much.
I’m now playing the Cobra King Tour MIM technology irons which to me are somewhere between the cavity back and blade category in looks and feel.
My journey started with Taylormade PSI irons and then I switched to Titleist AP3 irons in 2018.
The Taylormade PSI irons would produce odd fliers about 1 out of 8 shots that would go 10-15 yards farther than normal often resulting in a bad outcome when it occurred. The badges on the back also started lifting up and the sharp pointy bits would stick me in the hand when I reached for a club. They had to go!
The AP3 irons had such a clean look, no pointy things to stick me. They had stronger Lofts than the PSI irons and were very long. It eventually created a problem for me at the top end of my bag where the clubs all seemed to go the same distance and at the bottom end. I ended up playing 5 wedges, dropped the 4, 5 & 6 irons and added a 7 wood and a 5 hybrid. After 700 plus rounds I retired them and briefly played a set of more traditionally lofted forged cavity back irons. I didn’t really notice it when playing the AP3s, but now they definitely sound louder, clickier and harsher than the clubs I’ve played since.
Shortly after I got my forged cavity back set of irons I had a chance to pick up a set of slightly used super premium Japanese forged muscle back blade heads for a very good price and thought I might make a combo set with the cavity backs using the same shafts.
The blades looked better, felt better and performed the same as the cavity backs so It didn’t take long to decide to play a full set of the blades. The blades and the forged cavity back irons gave me much better front to back dispersion and with their traditional lofts higher launch, more spin and better stopping power on the greens.
I would still be playing those irons if it wasn’t for the Morgan Cup. I absolutely loved them.
Because of the Morgan Cup I chose the Cobra King Tour MIM copper finished irons. They have very similar lofts to the blades I was playing. They look good, feel good and have performed well for me. They’ve exceeded my expectations for sure and I think that they are vastly underrated and probably too often overlooked.
After my experience with these different types of irons I would say that hollow bodied iron construction will definitely help someone looking for more distance especially if paired with lighter weight shafts. The stronger lofts and generally lower spin would be ideal for a person that is looking to lower their ball flight or reduce spin. If your stock shot is a high cut or a weak fade these clubs might help a lot.
For someone who tends to hit a low draw probably not so much.
Hot take: There are some forged CBs that have so much going on they play like HBs. The lines are so blurred now.
Hot take: There are some forged CBs that have so much going on they play like HB. The lines are so blurred now.
Y'know, I've long been wondering about that.
I really don't like the look of any of the modern GI irons I've seen. Not a single one I've seen in two years. I'm not saying I'd be inclined to sacrifice playability for looks, but, if I could play a sleek forged CB iron well I'd never give any of the modern GI irons a second look.
razaar
Well-known member
The only difference I found between the two was in the sound of the strike. The hollow back has a maraging steel face which is harder steel than a forged face. This produces a high pitch sound than the forged steel.
scottmti
Passionate Hacker
I have Mizuno 225 Pro. According Mizuno website 2-8 is hollow and 9-G is not. I had these for past 4 months and I do notice from 7i up they get more clickier. Not loud and annoying but you can hear and feel it. Even tho 8i is built same as 7i. Definitely 7i feels different. 8 to P even G. It feels very solid. Can’t tell difference between CB forged or even MP20 I briefly stupidly had. Never had other hollow heads.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
After 3+ years playing the Cobra King Forged CB/MB irons, I switched this summer to hollow-bodied Sub-70 699 irons, and I'd say overall I see about 8-12 yards (so a little less than a club) increase in distance. While this seems like not much given that they're two or three degrees stronger across the board and are supposed to have more technology to encourage ball speed, but club length plays a factor (I'm running mine .25" shorter than stock, which was already .50" shorter than the Cobras) and shaft choice as well (I went from KBS $-Taper 120s to KBS Tour-V 120s.) While that got me into more consistent height and spin windows, it cost some overall distance, which I'm fine with.
So to answer your question, for me, yes, going to a hollow-bodied iron has given me more distance, which has given me more dials and switches to play with to get more of the flight & consistency I want without giving up distance.
So to answer your question, for me, yes, going to a hollow-bodied iron has given me more distance, which has given me more dials and switches to play with to get more of the flight & consistency I want without giving up distance.