How much has iron design really changed over the years ?

[nil1121]

About 15 years ago i purchased a set of ben sayers M2i forged irons (which i still have stuffed away in the cupboard under the stairs) and they look like this

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t418/nskeates/bensayers.jpg

When Mizuno bought out the new MP63 i thought, i know that design from somewhere

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/t418/nskeates/mp63.jpg

got me thinking on how much the design of irons has really changed over the years and how much they can really change a forged iron design ?

 

[Dave B]

In terms of game improvement irons there have been huge leaps and bounds. I remember people shirking from the looks of the Callaway Big Bertha which at the time looked big and cumbersome compared to most irons however this is the club that set the bar for game improvement and the introduction of wide soles and larger cavities.

My original game improvement irons were the muscle backed Hippo AGC's, (circa late 90's early 2000), which had tungsten weighting, a muscle back and a very narrow sole typically around 7-8mm. Compared to todays irons they look like blades.

I still use them occasionally as they stay in my brother inlaws garage for when I visit family in the North East. The general comments from other players is "they look like blades"

Todays irons are much more user friendly however I also have an old set of steel shafted MacGreggor steel head woods from the same period. These bring a smile to my face every time I use them as they are very easy to use despite having small compact heads. If I compare them to my current fairways which have graphite shafts I have to come to the conclusion that either these were way ahead of their time or that most of the hype you hear about new clubs and technology is very misplaced as 12 years of technology and graphite shafts has probably only gotten me an additional 10-15 yds.

 

[Foxholer]

While the BBs were the major change recently, Ping started that ball rolling, I believe, with a new casting process to produce the first cavity-back irons, previous irons being almost always forged.

Not a lot has really changed since BBs - except lofts or iron numbers! My 2001 TM set is built off a 48* PW. The equivalent set today is built off a 45* PW - not all that strangely, sold with an AW but no 3-iron! And half an inch longer is now 'standard' too, though that could be about user's heights which have generally increased.

 

[MashieNiblick]

I would agree that irons haven't changed much in appearance in the last 15 years.

In the time I have been playing there have really in my view been 2 big changes in basic iron design

1. Cast cavity back game improvement irons. This really began with Ping but Callaway moved it on a step with under cut cavities.

2. Forged cavity irons. These were a revelation. Until about the 90's forged meant blades but around that time Mizuno, Hogan, Macgregor, Ram and Wilson brought out a forged blades with cavities. These offered the feel of a forged club with the forgiveness of a cavity back. I had a set of MacGregor JNPs which were lovely to hit.

However there have been a lot of other changes particularly in terms of better and more accurate grooves, better weight distribution (as a result of CAD), sole width, bounce and grind options.

More modern irons are probably a bit more playable because of those factors.

Compared to a modern club the blade of those JNPs is fairly long and the sole is pretty flat.

 

[CMAC]

Agreed they haven't changed much in the last 20 yrs, design tolerances and weight distribution expertise has come on though.

Ping eye 2's were in the 70's I believe and wouldn't look out of place today.

My Titleist tour muscle back blades in the garage from 1981 look very similar to my MP 69's from 2011

 

[need_my_wedge]

I've got a full set of Slazenger XTC iron's in the garage that I bought circa 1990, look like these



they still work well today as my son is using them and prefers them to the Cobra FP's that he also has the use of.

 

[Alex1975]

Some nice illustrations and points made in this post. I wonder how far we have come with steel shaft technology. I also wonder how many R&D guys there are around the world working on golf club design and what percentage gains they think they make each year.

I found this last night and its kind of interesting with regard to ramped up lofts and longer shafts:

You will have to click it to enlarge it

 

[duncan mackie]

having started with clubs that would be about 60 years old now, they still look fundamentally similar to todays designs ......but only similar!

designed for a smaller ball made a difference - even my 1988 WS Fluid Feels look a little scary sitting behind a 1.68 ball (to me today anyway); I will see if I can post some pics of both later.

 

[Alex1975]

having started with clubs that would be about 60 years old now, they still look fundamentally similar to todays designs ......but only similar!

designed for a smaller ball made a difference - even my 1988 WS Fluid Feels look a little scary sitting behind a 1.68 ball (to me today anyway); I will see if I can post some pics of both later.

Would love some pics.

I was looking at my pitching wedge last night sand wondering why the face was so much taller in the face than clubs from back in the day but it must be to do with the larger ball....

 

[munro007]

I think that muscle backs cavity and full cavity backs have changed. I don't think blades have changed much. I also think Shafts have changed loads, and golf balls. IMO

 

[SGC001]

The difference in playability on off centre hits changed greatly with the introduction of cavity designed clubs. The changes after that in clubhead design are not at the same level.

 

[duncan mackie]

Would love some pics.

I was looking at my pitching wedge last night sand wondering why the face was so much taller in the face than clubs from back in the day but it must be to do with the larger ball....

sorry for the delay....



60 year old 2 iron late 80's 2 iron ping eye 1 iron r9tp 3 iron

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Whilst the irons may not have moved on aside from perimeter weighting, tungsten tuning ports and cavity and weight distribution (ok they've changed a bit), it is the shaft that has really made the ifference. So many more stock options available than ever before. In the old days it was True Temper, Dynamic Gold etc and the choice was stiff or regular