Technology - Irons

Played over the weekend with a bloke who was using a set of Pings that he's had for 25-years. He is treating himself next year to a new set and has tested quite a few, but opted for Muira's. We had a good chat about those clubs of his, and couldn't make our minds up if technology has actually moved on for irons, as it has in other areas. Drivers, fairway woods (Metals) hybrid, shafts, balls, etc.

We decided that the only real technological improvements for iron's has been cavity back (For those who struggle with blades), and at the top end some better quality forgings. So if we're correct it would mean that a set of 25-year old irons may look a bit tatty and tired, but could well perform as good as some of the new irons released this year. What's everyones thoughts.

Had a technology advancement discussion before:

https://www.606v2.com/t3258-the-greatest-development-in-golf-technology

Although it wasnt specifically about irons, it was still quite a good read.

You also have tungsten weighting, shorter hosels, pocket cavities, milled grooves, CMC milled flat faces etc.

I suspect that the OEMs are moving on to irons right about now in a serious way in terms of distances. Drivers more or less maxxed out and fairway woods not far behind.
The Mizuno JPX800 already have some sprung face effect and I suspect that'll be developed.

I wish the R&A/USGA/whomever would get off their bum and put a stop to this technological arms race throughout the game.

And that link is relevant to this how exactly?


Doc. I think that the technology of irons has improved greatly. Although maybe not in the more visible ways that balls and drivers have leaped forwards in terms of technology.

With the advent of the more advanced CAD and also some of the testing technology that they have the club designers are more easily able to identify the centre of gravity and move it around. They can model turf interaction and associate the sole grinds to the loft and player. Grooves are another area of iron design that has moved on massively. The ability to model this on modern computers has allowed the companies to more or less bypass the new groove ruling with various different methods meaning there is almost no change to the way the ball reacts from the various types of lie regardless of the actual loft of the club.

Then there are the thin faces, mutlimaterial irons, the way the hosel is created, bore through shafts on irons and various other little things that add up to a big difference when in the hands of the right player.

And don't forget the iron set that is hybrids throughout!

Moving to Muira's after playing Ping for 25 years? Good luck with that.

Isn't it YE Yang who's longest 'iron' in his bag is a 6 iron? Rest all hybrids?

There are some very forgiving Miura irons JPX.

Look at this one for example. It's fairly extreme in it's perimeter weighting.

http://www.miuragolf.com/passingpoint-PP9003.asp

Yeah that's a fairly forgiving looking iron, I reckon it would still be a world away from a Ping iron though at address.

Very true. I would think it's a lot more traditional than a ZING 2 or some other mad looking iron design.

that said Ping do have some more traditional designs such as the i line of clubs. Those have always been a little more pleasing. Although if this guys clubs are 25 years old I would imagine they look a little funky and probably the Eye or Zing model.

The thing I disliked about the early Ping clubs was the high pointed toe which gave it a "shovel" look. I have had a couple of sets of Pings and currently play with G10's which suit my game as I am an old duffer. They do however look fairly conventional at address which is more pleasing to the eye. The other day I was at my mothers house cleaning it out and I found a set of clubs that I bought in the 70's...John Letters Gary Player blades...the 3 iron looked like a razor blade....I am all for playing whatever suits your game...the low guys can play blades that can work the ball and peeps like me can play a shovel that gets the ball in the air..it's all about enjoyment.

Must admit, even though I've pretty much hated every iron they produced, I do like their most recent S range, is it the s56? The earlier ones had a silly plastic insert that made it look cheap but the that seems to be dissapearing slowly. If they get rid of it all together, make it forged, I think they will have a great iron......but then I suppose that would go against all of Pings traditions!

LJ I think you're right about not seeing much obvious difference, but when you put it like that .... As for the Muira's JPX, the bloke is a single figure player and is being properly fitted. he hits a great ball now, but says the Muira's he's tried were sublime.

I discounted the hybrid sets as I see them as just being a variation, but one set I tried a while ago were the KZG Evolution irons, which gradually change through the set, from a slight oversize cavity back down to a blade. Great clubs though. I appreciate forge technology has moved on and there are some great forgings out there, but when you compare say an old Ping Eye to a new Ping, there doesn't seem to be much obvious difference, whereas with woods its blatantly different and moves further each few months, but agree that drivers/woods etc are almost as far as they can go unless more rules are relaxed. How much pressure do the major OEM put on the R&A

Doc wrote:...How much pressure do the major OEM put on the R&A

A lot. Can I hear you say "Restraint of trade!"

Doc wrote:As for the Muira's JPX, the bloke is a single figure player and is being properly fitted. he hits a great ball now, but says the Muira's he's tried were sublime.

I can attest to the difference that a Miura has over an off the rack iron. I have one of their wedges. And the strike and consistency it gives is scary.

Only problem I'm having is in controlling the distance. It seems to go a lot further than the club it replaced.

From my own experience, I had my golf clubs stolen about 10 years ago. I was loaned a set for the summer which had blades.

It was my best summer on the course ever.

I eventully was given a set of Cobras from my brother, and my play has never been as good since.

I guess its horses for courses.

When I was at uni, playing off about 13, I played a lot with a guy off 8 who had a set of pings. At the time, I was using blades. I remember we each had a one iron of the respective types and each hit them reasonably well. If we swapped, however, he couldn't hit the blade, despite being a lower handicapper, and I couldn't get my head around the huge offset on the ping. Horses for courses indeed!

I don't think there have been any earth shattering advancements in irons. As stated earlier, shafts etc have come on a long way. I expect you could take pretty much any 'modern' iron head and with the right shaft fitted, it would be as good as anything else out there.

Westy was playing an old set of Ping Eye's until just a couple of years ago. I use a 10 year old set of Callaway x14 pro series, not found anything better.

The irons I am using at the moment and enjoying immensely are at least 15 years old, Rogue oversize, with simple stiff steel shafts. Nothing fancy at all, but as sweet an iron as I have ever used.

I am in the camp that you can play with any iron, it just takes a bit of practice.

OS and camp, mmmm not actually put that one together ...... but if you say so

Ball retrievers have come along way.
Few years back under the mistaken idea that I could play the game I treated myself to a set of MP30s but still kept the old cast cavity back wedge in the bag.After a few weeks I added back the 9 ,then 8,7 and so on.Now I only have the Mizuno 4 iron.Just didnt feel comforablr with the new club

I completely agree about technology not moving on. Ive had a few sets of irons over the years and played with other peoples and quite frankly none of them have ever worked.

oldshanker wrote:The irons I am using at the moment and enjoying immensely are at least 15 years old, Rogue oversize, with simple stiff steel shafts. Nothing fancy at all, but as sweet an iron as I have ever used.

I am in the camp that you can play with any iron, it just takes a bit of practice.

there is no way I am practising any kind of game with a camp iron!

I don't know you make one offhand glib remark and you're pilloried and chastised for ever..............er............maybe I should rephrase that.......too late.

When I started playing cavity backs had not been invented, so I would have said that was the biggest improvement in irons was the cavity backs.

I started with the old type of blades, slight miss hit with them, your hands would tingle for the next 10 minutes(just like getting 6 of the belt) but the new blades are now more forgiving, so you do not get the same tingle in the hands with a badly hit shot.

Oldparwin - you must be from the same era as me

I remember golf balls when you unwrapped them & if you miss-hot them then you joined the "happy smile club"

GWR-Golfer

I started playing in the early sixties, that's when the grass on the greens was not much shorter than on the fairways, ( a forty foot putt had to be hit so hard to get it to reach that you always left them short) and huge clumps of grass growing in the bunkers, and the old type of clubs we used, would not like to go back to those days