We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Soft - Why Is It Considered Good?

SuperStroke
JB

JB

Follow @THPGolf on Social Media
Albatross 2024 Club
Staff member
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
283,970
Reaction score
436,911
Location
THP Experiences
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.
 
Soft - Why Is It Considered Good?

Maybe soft = pure? As in a purely struck shot?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My guess is soft = quiet. I don't think consumers are looking for a lot of sound when they hit an iron. I think is also makes them feel like they are making center contact if they get less feedback.
 
I think soft denotes a sense of control.
 
I have no idea honestly. When I hit an iron crisp, I don't feel very much really. I hear the Tic sound and I can feel the impact, however I can't really put it into words. But soft is not a word that comes to mind for me.
 
I think of it as soft feel and harsh feel. A ball struck on the grooves as little or a soft feel coming off the face. A ball hit low on the face or off the toe or heal has a harsh feel. Soft generally means you have imparted spin and harsh means the ball is low with little spin.

I know you said you are not looking for that 'butter' feel. But a solid strike has a distinct sound and a 'melt into or off the face" feel. That is how I have always approached it.
 
Soft - Why Is It Considered Good?

Maybe people have just grown so accustomed to forgiving clubs the feedback "soft" means a good hit and "hard" is a mishit. As such a lot of time poor hits result in bad vibration up the shaft and into the hands reinforcing the poor shot. I'd prefer to not have a stinging sensation 60 times a round.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I personally think people confuse good contact with some characteristic of the club. Hit it in its sweet spot with good tempo and barely feels like you've exerted any wasted energy, and feels "soft", which is desirable.
 
Stay with me here too :act-up:

Could it be that "soft" is interchangeable with "well struck"? I only ask because I was one who often used the overused Buttery Soft description. What I learned this year was that the only shot that is buttery soft is one that is well struck. The material and the method of construction of the iron head is secondary.

Does that make sense?

JM
 
Soft feels hard. Make sense? I am guessing a lot of people might say if it feels soft, they hit it pure and compressed the ball well.
 
Pure strike = maximum energy transfer = less sound and vibrations = soft
 
I would say soft is a way of saying in another form quite and less to no shock.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 
I think maybe it describes feel at impact? Some irons whether you hit the sweet spot or not have a harsh feel to them. Others feel less harsh.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I think of it as soft feel and harsh feel. A ball struck on the grooves as little or a soft feel coming off the face. A ball hit low on the face or off the toe or heal has a harsh feel. Soft generally means you have imparted spin and harsh means the ball is low with little spin.

I know you said you are not looking for that 'butter' feel. But a solid strike has a distinct sound and a 'melt into or off the face" feel. That is how I have always approached it.
Click to expand...
^^^ This describes what i was going to post better than I could have myself.
 
I think it's from not feeling any harsh feedback or a loud click. It's weird when I make solid contact with the Srixons it's a low sounding noise and I don't feel much feedback in my hands, when I hit DFs same way there is a little more click but I again feel not much feedback. Two different sound same feeling
 
I can understand everybody's view so far. I think the easiest to relate to harsh and soft that tadashi referenced.

I tend to to refer a really clean shot as being hammered. I usually mean it has distance and control. I always feel my best full shots are the ones that are struck perfectly or 'hard.'
 
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?
 
Nobody talks about feel in baseball, but when you hit the sweetspot on a bat it feels soft, just like when you hit an iron pure.

Golf commentators never refer to a pure struck shot as soft. I don't think I've ever said 'oh I hit that soft'

Soft is just simply a synonym for pure or perfect.
 
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?
Click to expand...

It isn't some I'm looking for unless I'm hitting a half wedge or a chip/pitch/flop.
 
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?
Click to expand...

Random thoughts:

- You are trying to compress the golf ball which is not the case in other sports.
- In other sports like baseball or hockey, you are trying to hit the ball or puck as hard or far as you can.
- The other sporting environments are louder.
 
I can't speak for everyone but when I played softball and baseball, home runs felt effortless. I think it is considered good because you are catching the sweet spot. Any other area provides feedback to gain that sweet spot.
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?
Click to expand...
 
Tadashi70 said:
I can't speak for everyone but when I played softball and baseball, home runs felt effortless. I think it is considered good because you are catching the sweet spot. Any other area provides feedback to gain that sweet spot.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Soft = maximum energy transfer.
 
I've honestly never used "soft" to describe irons. I have always thought of it and referred to the sweet spot or solid feel. Solid contact, solid feel, that sort of comment.
I mean I guess the steel could be softer technically but I don't know how that would improve the iron.
 
Because marketing tells me so.

Really I don't know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top