Soft - Why Is It Considered Good?

I would say that is because a soft feel is better on the hands and wrists. You want clubs that you aren't going to wince every time you strike the ball. Just like in baseball, hitting that sweet spot should have little to no feeling at contact. If a golf club can give that feeling on some amount of mishits, so much the better.
 
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.




Many irons,putters, drivers feel harsh or hard when the club is mis-struck..when they are hit in the center they have a much better feeling... many use the word soft to describe the feeling............
 
Quite simply, I equate soft with control.
 
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.
I agree!! But it's only my opinion!!
 
Soft - Why Is It Considered Good?

For me using the word soft to describe an iron shot is purely on feel and how well the golf ball was struck. Something about a "soft" feeling shot just feel right. I think Freddy said it best in regards to soft and harsh feelings on off-center and while struck hits. I don't want to hit a well struck golf shot and it feel rockhard. That just isn't right to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
As I think of it, I think the biggest difference between "soft" and "hard" or harsh for me is pain. When contact is good, no hand stingers, no elbow shock, just effortless power. The ball feels like a marshmallow off of the the face. When contact isn't good, hands get tingly or my body feels the impact. The ball feels like a solid rock coming off.

I may be over simplifying it. But so being it. The really good "soft" irons are not just soft on good swings, but the bad swings don't hurt.
 
I'd describe it more as a "crisp" versus "harsh" feeling.
 
As I think of it, I think the biggest difference between "soft" and "hard" or harsh for me is pain. When contact is good, no hand stingers, no elbow shock, just effortless power. The ball feels like a marshmallow off of the the face. When contact isn't good, hands get tingly or my body feels the impact. The ball feels like a solid rock coming off.

I may be over simplifying it. But so being it. The really good "soft" irons are not just soft on good swings, but the bad swings don't hurt.

Im quoting this because I think it sums up a lot of thoughts in here and let me ask some follow up questions.
One of the knocks on larger club heads, hybrids, etc is that they "dont feel soft". Then in the next sentence, it is described as "lacking feedback".

With the above, and what is being posted here, wouldnt lacking feedback offer less "harshness" and therefore be soft?
 
Im quoting this because I think it sums up a lot of thoughts in here and let me ask some follow up questions.
One of the knocks on larger club heads, hybrids, etc is that they "dont feel soft". Then in the next sentence, it is described as "lacking feedback".

With the above, and what is being posted here, wouldnt lacking feedback offer less "harshness" and therefore be soft?

I think so, larger heads can feel offer leas harshness and are therefor soft. I mean, nobody has every described a fairway wood as being soft. Maybe explodive, hot, or powerful. But I can't remember one being called soft.

It's an expectation that a lot of golfers have, drivers feel one way, woods another, and irons are completely different. Preconceived notions. When I think about it like that, it makes me appreciate the work the club designers are doing even more.
 
With the above, and what is being posted here, wouldnt lacking feedback offer less "harshness" and therefore be soft?

I think this right here is very true!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I think with game improvement irons. Soft relates to not feeling anything other than solid contact.
 
Soft is a good feeling. Soft means that you hit the center of the face. I dont care what kind of club you are using, when you hit it pure, it feels so soft that its almost like the ball isnt even there.
 
Back
Top