Golf Iron Design

Modern golf irons have been scientifically engineered to help golfers of all levels improve their game. So what can these modern golf club "miracles" do for your game? Depends on what you need. Do you slice? Miss the sweet spot? Hit the ball thin? GolfSpyder can help you sort through the differences in today's golf irons and find the ones that will most benefit your golf game.

Oversized vs. Blade

Oversized irons, also known as cavity-back or perimeter-weighted irons have a larger sweet spot resulting in a typically easier to hit club. Blade style irons, or blades, have a slimmer top profile, smaller hitting area, and are weighted more towards the middle of the clubhead. This results in a smaller sweetspot, but produces a softer feel and well struck balls. I am about a 13 handicap, and have played both types of clubs (Callaway VFT and TaylorMade Firesole) over the last few years, and have found that my good shots are better with blades, but my miss-hits aren't as bad with the oversized. If you miss the sweetspot more often than not, then the extra forgiveness the larger sweetspot of an oversized iron offers is probably best for you.

Lie Angle

Lie angle is the measurement of the angle between the club head and the shaft. This is a crucial aspect to having the right clubs. Clubs with a lie angle that is not right for you will result in miss hits. Too flat of an angle and you will slice. Too upright and you will hook. Even worse, you will try to overcompensate and make a poor swing. A lie angle that is off by 1 degree will cause you to miss your target by 10 feet or more. 2 degrees off and you are missing by 20 or more feet. An estimated 90% of golfers have a lie angle that is atleast 2 degrees off what it should be for them. You can find out what your lie angle should be by using our Lie Angle Chart.

Center of Gravity

The lower the center of gravity in the club the easier it is to get the ball up in the air. Club manufacturers often use a progressive weighting technique where a heavier metal, such as tungsten or copper, is placed in the sole of the club to lower the center of gravity.

Hosel Offset

The offset is measured in millimeters from the face of the club to the side of the hosel facing the target. This offset is designed to help keep your hands ahead of the club face at impact, resulting in a squarer club face at impact. The greater the hosel offset, the easier it is to hit the ball squarely. Main benefits are to those who slice the ball often.

Loft

Loft is the angle of the clubface in relation to a vertical line from the leading edge of the club head. The lower the loft, the less trajectory and greater distance. It is recommended that you stay with standard loft increments for your irons and only consider different lofts for your driver and wedges.

Which Irons are best for me?

Once you understand the logic behind selecting the right golf irons, you now need to find which manufacturer offers the best model to suit your needs. Visit our Golf Club Fitting Guide to learn more about how custom club fitting can help match you to that perfect set of irons.