What's the difference

bobmac

bobmac

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The difference between these two 5 irons is about

DSCI0280.jpg


40 years.
The top one is my S59 and the bottom one is my junior 5 iron bought for me 40 years ago.
How much further can technology go with golf club design?
There must come a point when clubs cant get any better.
Then what will we all buy?
Shoes probably eh Homer? ;)
 
Bob

I don't think iron head technology has improved nearly as much as balls, shaft tech or woods. I was looking at a MP68 Mizuno today, a beautiful iron for sure, but I doubt it is a lot better than a Mizuno TP11 from 20+ years ago.

The shafts have improved a lot though, and better fitting helps too. Back in those days, the guy in the shop just looked at you and said 'You'll do fine with Regular, mate".
 
It will not make a blind bit of difference technology wise as long as they keep bringing out shiny new stuff we will all buy them anyway always had always will. They know that thats why there are new models every year or week for TM.
 
I agree with Ethan.
Apart from the real deep cavity backs, not much has changed in 30 years with clubhead design. Sure there have been tweaks and adjustments but the head is much the same. Shafts is where the big difference has been seen.
I don't think they can actually do much with the clubhead that hasn't been done already.
 
I don't know, I think multi metals have made a difference, allowing the designer to distribute weight as required. I also think CAD has had a real benefit, again allowing weight distribution to be optimised for the type of club.

However, I do accept that irons are well into the law of diminishing returns.

Putters on other hand. Can you imagine showing Bobby Jones a TM spider?
 
Shafts are the future. That is where technology will really come into the fore with all the variations available (stiffness - oooo matron, kick points, pured etc) I think head design in terms of cavity backs and weight distribution even in blades must be almost at the end of the road in terms of what s allowed. It will be a case of rehashing old ideas in shiny new packaging. Personally shoes are the way to go but I am getting help with my Myjoy affliciton - honestly
 
I can only speak as I see....

The face on my irons (miz mx900) is much bigger than my trusty Tommy Armour 845s, especially the 5/4/3 irons. If big means less toe and shank action, I'm in!!

As someone who's just bought a 3 wood with a 450cc head, I'll tell you on Monday if technology helps....

Whoops, the cat's out of the bag.
 
RG, that's some chipper.....

Head size on real irons hasn't changed that much, just GI stuff. If you try the new Titleist CBs, they are tiny.

For me, shafts on irons are irrelevant. True Temper have been pedaling dynamic gold for what, 15 years.

Drivers, yes, shafts are now everything. The head is maxed out.
 
Sorry but i don't agree with the lot of you.
OBviously with the cavity backs have made hitting irons a lot more easier but also that irons are more consistent now because of CAD. I read in Golf monthly or golf digest that sometimes a pro thirty or fourty years ago would go out on the range and bring 10 of the exact same drivers with him and would hit all of them until he discovered one that was clearly better than the other ones
Also bob, i'm sure if you turned the clubfaces around they would look quite a bit different! I also find that hitting a new bladed iron is a little bit easier than hitting one from about 20 or 40 years ago! :D
 
Interesting that given all clubs are designed on CAD, and are manufactured to tolerances that are miniscule, that shafts are measured to the nth degree, that they can be manufactured to near perfection and sorted that way, that a/ they can't get one that suits Tiger, and that b/ neither Westwood, nor Poulter have a back up they can hit a barn door with.

Worrying.
 
I think a lot is missing in the interpretation of improvement or how much someone may measure that improvement and so many people are different in this.

If you hit a 30 yr old 9 iron 120 yds then hit a modern club of the same angle club face (bearing in mind the degree changes) and make 130 yds, what is the degree of improvement, is it simply 10 yds rather than a 'massive' improvement?

Now anyone can make arguments galore on this subject but the only improvement golf clubs make is on the score card, if it doesn't improve your score then it is no improvement at all is it?

I have played long enough to hear so much about golf technology and I feel 10% is factual and 90% is bogus sales rubbish. If anyone feels a modern golf set is a massive improvement to their game over a 10 yr old second hand set they had for a couple of years, show me the 'massive' score improvement thats not related to greater practice but simply the clubs.

If someone feels comfortable and at home with an old niblick around the greens, then that is probably the best club they will ever play those shots with unless something giving the same comfort comes along that technology might not be a responsible for.

The improvements in golf clubs have been very minor year after year, even the difference between a 30 yr old driver and a modern one are small in both distance and accuracy, likewise with every other club and although technology takes part in this, technology is both restricted by the sport in some ways and restricted in its capacity for proven improvement to any golfers accuracy, control and distance. If the hype was to be believed, simply owning a particular set of clubs would instantly make you a scratch golfer.
But belief can be a comforting bedfellow, but you would probably get more from a good pro ;)

What a finishing line that is :D :D
 
I just feel sorry for the weak minded amongst us who actually believe all the hype about having to have the "latest" clubs to help their game.

I'm sure that some of you must be like me - i.e. the wally on the other end of a perfectly good implement for the job in hand.

If it were true that the new equipment helped golfers, then wouldn't the "average club golfer's" handicap have reduced significantly over the years???

Get a life chaps :eek: (and save yourselves a lot of money)
 
I just feel sorry for the weak minded amongst us who actually believe all the hype about having to have the "latest" clubs to help their game.

I'm sure that some of you must be like me - i.e. the wally on the other end of a perfectly good implement for the job in hand.

If it were true that the new equipment helped golfers, then wouldn't the "average club golfer's" handicap have reduced significantly over the years???

Get a life chaps :eek: (and save yourselves a lot of money)
Click to expand...



I have to agree with Pants here somewhat.....
I think that its the average club golfer improving skill wise rather than his equipment that is making his handicap drop...
I know a chap playing Ping Eye 2's since new and he is off of 4 so i think this blows the argument out of the water that new equipment will make you improve.
 
Also agree with pants.

The most ridiculous example in recent times has to be the Ping G range, from G2, G5, G10 and i15, they're the same golf club! I use the G10 myself, have played a couple of rounds with an i15 and tried the earlier G models over the years and it's remarkable how they've gotten away with it.

I wrote a piece in my blog a few weeks back on this if anyone's interested.
 
I suppose the materials could be different in those two clubs, and what goes on inside the head that you can't see, but I've been out of the loop club wise for quite a long time. As a junior I knew every bit of kit inside & out, but not any longer.

What is most important is how you hit the ball not what you hit it with.

I've had 3 sets of irons adult clubs (last 18yrsish):
got down to 15 with Howson Derbys,
down to 10 with TM Burner Bubbles,
currently have the Titleists.

Anyone who remembers Howson will know that @ £50-60 the Derbys were rubbish but I still got lower than alot of lads using Pings, TMs, etc.
 
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