Buying advice for Golf Irons

If you struggle with your irons, go for as forgiving an iron as you can get. These are called cavity back irons, and they benefit all golfers. With perimeter weighting the club twists less during impact so more energy is transferred to the ball.

There are a few other clubs which maximise their use of weighting to benefit players with a slice. If you tend to slice the ball, look out for clubs which promote a draw.

You should only consider getting blades or muscle back irons if you are a low handicap player. These irons feel great when the ball is struck from the “sweetspot” and provide great feedback and workability; however they are extremely unforgiving and can even be painful when the ball is struck away from the sweetspot.

If you buy blades, you should try them out first and look at them as a long term investment. Spend your money wisely as these irons can be quite pricey. Forged irons are more expensive due to the manufacturing process but they are definitely worth it for blades.

The average golfer (mid to high handicap) should look for a large amount of cavity back and a slightly oversized face. This will give the forgiveness required without compromising on feel or distance.

An iron with a small cavity and little offset will allow you to work the ball from left to right and right to left. This is great if you are starting to lower your handicap and want the freedom to manipulate the ball.

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Accuracy Is Key!

Irons are not about distance; they are about precision and distance control. Try not to get swayed by manufacturers’ claims about massive distance in their irons.

Accuracy is far more important to an iron than distance. Leave thoughts of distance for when you buy a driver.

In fact several iron manufacturers have been known to lower the loft of their irons and increase the shaft length (which increases distance) and then suggest the increased distance is due to clubhead improvements

Irons - A Long Term Investment

It is essential that you buy a well designed set of irons. Irons are mostly about distance control and are specially weighted and have different shaft lengths so that they can cover a large range of distances. Irons are probably the hardest wearing clubs in your bag and you will only need to replace them after a few years (for the moderately frequent player) when the grooves lose their edge.

You may therefore consider increasing your budget as you realize how long a decent set can last. If you buy a decent set now, you will be less inclined to buy a more expensive set in a year from now.

Cavity Back Irons vs Blades

If you struggle with your irons, go for as forgiving an iron as you can get. These are called cavity back irons, and they benefit all golfers. With perimeter weighting the club twists less during impact so more energy is transferred to the ball.

There are a few other clubs which maximise their use of weighting to benefit players with a slice. If you tend to slice the ball, look out for clubs which promote a draw. You should only consider getting blades or muscle back irons if you are a low handicap player.

These irons feel great when the ball is struck from the “sweetspot” and provide great feedback and workability; however they are extremely unforgiving and can even be painful when the ball is struck away from the sweetspot. If you buy blades, you should try them out first and look at them as a long term investment. Spend your money wisely as these irons can be quite pricey.

Forged irons are more expensive due to the manufacturing process but they are definitely worth it for blades. The average golfer (mid to high handicap) should look for a large amount of cavity back and a slightly oversized face.

This will give the forgiveness required without compromising on feel or distance. An iron with a small cavity and little offset will allow you to work the ball from left to right and right to left. This is great if you are starting to lower your handicap and want the freedom to manipulate the ball.

Graphite Or Steel Shafts?

As with a driver, you need to choose the right shaft type to get the most out of your irons in terms of distance and accuracy. Unlike drivers, you can opt for either steel or graphite shafts with irons.

Graphite offers further distance than steel (due to its lighter weight and faster swing speeds), which is good, but it can really push up the price of a set of irons.

How Many Irons Are You Buying?

Check the price of irons sets carefully, making sure that you don’t just compare the first price you see. Irons used to be sold in the standard format of 3 iron – sand wedge.

Due to the introduction of hybrids and separate wedges, many companies offer options where you do not have to buy the long irons like the 3 and 4 (and sometimes the sandwedge). Some packages even come with replacement hybrids in the set.

This is also very convenient if you already have a set of wedges (or intend to buy them). You can save money here to spend on the wedges and hybrids that you would probably shell out extra for later on.

Ever Wondered About Custom Fitting?

Everyone's golf swing is different so it makes sense to adjust golf clubs to suit the individual.

Custom fitting is the process for tailoring a golf club to suit your personal swing. Effectively golf club manufacturer's know that a set of clubs aren't cheap so the least they could do is make them fit. Whatever your level, the aim is to ensure that if you do make a good swing, the club will be square at impact and should produce a straight shot.

Anything that can be changed on the club to help you hit the ball more accurately and consistently can be considered as custom fitting. Custom fitting can include everything from changing the shafts to the thickness of the grips, from have the lies and lofts adjusted to having the length of shaft altered. This is becoming a very popular option for a lot of golfers nowadays, not just the professionals and it is definitely something to think about when purchasing a new set of irons.