How important is leading edge bounce in an iron?

I was thinking about this yesterday as I was demoing the Z565 irons with the v.t. sole. My current Mizuno 850 is very low bounce. It is even listed as a negative number for irons 4-6. Ping G, G30 and GMAX are a bit higher, The Srixon clubs have a really high leading bounce with the v.t. sole. Others don't list their bounce.

For someone who is a higher handicap like myself and not a huge divot taker is this something I should look closer as I start looking to choose my next set of irons? I know the review thread for the Z565 someone mentioned the v.t. sole was a sweeper's dream and I frankly had a good experience with my demo of them while I have struggled this year with my 850. Is the v.t. sole a good contributing reason as to why I was able to make better contact?

I think that some bounce is useful regardless of handicap or steep vs. shallow swing. I am also more of a shallow hitter, but when I do hit fat, I'd much rather the club glide than dig deep. I have not found a downside to the VT Sole for the conditions I play in.

GraniteRoost said:

I think that some bounce is useful regardless of handicap or steep vs. shallow swing. I am also more of a shallow hitter, but when I do hit fat, I'd much rather the club glide than dig deep. I have not found a downside to the VT Sole for the conditions I play in.

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Thanks, I know when I do catch it fat with my 850 it totally eats up my club head speed and kills it into the ground. I don't think the grind matters when I hit it thin due to a swing flaw but I'm certainly all for any club right now that will help me make solid contact with solid turf interaction. I think the 965 might be able to do that with the right shaft.

Hitting anything fat is going to kill your distance. That said I personally find bounce to be a good thing here in MN.

I have V soles in my Hogan irons. I'm not sure I can answer your specific question but feel confidant that V Sole tech is very user friendly in all turf conditions.

widespot said:

Hitting anything fat is going to kill your distance. That said I personally find bounce to be a good thing here in MN.

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Understood. The dig versus glide effect is what I'm looking to help since a bad swing is still a bad swing.

the VT Sole is probably a contributing factor. It's versatile and works well for players who get steep or players who sweep the ball like you. It's not just the leading edge bounce on those that help, it's the trailing edge relief that aids as well.

I don't think many other manufacturers if any list spec on the bounce of their iron soles, could be wrong. It may therefore be hard to compare numbers, may need to go more on visual appearance and cues.

I see the V-sole as innovative because it give a serious 16-20* leading edge bounce, which is a pretty good skidplate, more bounce than most wedges. That is not something to ignore. I believe it is more typical for irons to have single digit amounts (maybe 1* per Iron # or so) of bounce with some radiusing. The V-sole uses a steeper angle and maximize resistance to digging, but shorter sole depth of leading edge and trailing relief minimizes ground drag and still keeps the leading edge close to the turf. The claims seem logical to me, and it works good.

What you are talking about is a fundamental difference between player's irons, game improvement and super game improvement irons. A player's iron has a relatively narrow sole and little to no bounce. Game improvement has a wider sole and some bounce. Super game improvement has the widest sole and the most bounce.

We're all taught to strike the ball with a forward shaft lean and a descending angle of attack. Hit the ball first, then turf. If you can do this consistently you want that thin leading edge that will cut through the turf. Does a great job of compressing the ball and the player has minimal vibration from the club head contacting the turf.

Most of us of course don't strike the ball that way, or do so consistently.

The whole idea of a wider sole and bounce is to allow the club to stay at ground level if you hit it fat. Of course, there are limits. Too much bounce or getting the shaft lean back and the club can literally bounce off the ground causing you to blade or top the ball. Consider your game and playing conditions to determine how much bounce and the width of your sole.

Softer ground conditions require more bounce than hard pan.

If you have proper shaft lean at contact, but tend to get stuck on your back foot (which moves the bottom of your swing back) you'll need more bounce than if you don't have a forward shaft lean, but still get stuck on your back foot.

I don't know - all I know is the V sole works in my Srixons

I have been wondering lately if the V-sole on my irons is really doing me any favors. I probably take less divots with my irons than with any other iron set I have owned. I always take nice divots with my wedges but generally only take a small divot with the clubs in my iron set about one in four shots with no divot on the other three.