What Makes an Iron "Good?"

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Have a question, just because I'm curious and have this kind of time...

 

What makes an iron "good" in your opinion?

 

Is it forgiveness? Distance?  Feel?  Price (high or low)? Looks?

 

Favorite hobby is visiting golf stores and trying different irons - blades, cavity backs, distance irons -- and nothing feels like "junk" to me, but I definitely like some better than others -- usually a combination of feel and distance on the LM, even though I know distance isn't the be-all and end-all for irons.

 

What say you?  What makes for a good iron?  What are the best irons you've tried over the past year?  

[Jmikecpa]

For me it is looks first and foremost...if I don't like the way it looks I really am not interested in the performance.  I generally prefer a smaller overall look and have tended to play blades for the last several years with the exception of the AP2s that I had in the bag for half of this past season.  I also do not like to look at numbers for the irons until I hit them on a range so I can judge the ball flight since this is hard to judge by hitting balls into a net and then looking at data.   When it comes to irons I am generally more of a looks type of guy in terms of I need to like how it looks behind the ball and then the ball flight needs also fit my eye.

[mbrodeur86]

Most of my shopping is done on the internet because of lack of any golf shop locally that would carry many different brands and selections. I also go by what I read on the net, people's own reviews, lots of which is done here (because this site is the best)  

 

Anyways, when I find something that I think would benefit my game, I try to find pics at address to see what I would be looking down on. I don't care for something overly bulky but at the same time don't want it to be too thin. 

 

Most of what you will read here is true about feel. The AP2's I use have a great feel when struck well but they aren't forgiving enough on my mishits to justify making my game better (and let's face it, we all want to get better).

 

Personally, I look for a little bit of everything you mentioned and pray it all works out lol

[hckymeyer]

Different strokes for different folks, but lately my two biggest concerns are forgiveness and consistency.  All of those other considerations are still there, but if I'm overly penalized for not hitting it in a dime sized spot every time I'm never going to bag them.  Or if my history shows anything I'll bag them, just not for very long

 

My current favorite irons also happen to be the ones I'm bagging, the Speedblades.  They are forgiving, feel pretty decent, I like the look, I hit them well and my scores have come down while GIR have gone up.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Or if my history shows anything I'll bag them, just not for very long

 

 

Yup - I know that feeling!

[whiskey golf]

Favorite hobby is visiting golf stores and trying different irons - blades, cavity backs, distance irons -- and nothing feels like "junk" to me, but I definitely like some better than others -- usually a combination of feel and distance on the LM, even though I know distance isn't the be-all and end-all for irons.

 

I love doing this too but lately I try to control myself and not hit irons because every time I do, no matter what club it is, a "hacker" switch turns on and I start shanking, topping, thinning, etc. almost every shot I hit. Plus I don't need new irons so maybe it's a sign telling me to not entertain the thought of new clubs.

[Tophand576]

I will go with looks first. If it does't look good to me at address, I will likely not even try it. Next, is feel. I like a nice pop off the club and they have to sound right. Playability comes in third here, because I just haven't found a huge difference in playability in the clubs that I try or use. They all seem pretty close. My swing and strike is the problem.

[Mr_Theoo]

Looks, then performance for me. It has to look good for me to want to put it in the bag. Then performance, if it can't perform as well as what I currently have then there isn't a point in buying them.

[Kenny B]

I don't like a thick top-line, and other than that I don't really care what an iron looks like as long as it performs.  I have played super game improvement irons with large cavity backs and big soles, and these clubs work fine for me if all I want them for is to hit straight shots. I played blades way before I should have, but they gave me a feeling that I liked when I hit them well.  So, I went with the Ping i20's a few yeaers ago because they were easy to hit and I colud work them a little bit.  I would like a little more workability, which is what I am hoping for when the Hogans come out next spring.  If I can hit them like the SCORs, well I will have finally found my holy grail.

[BIG STU]

First off I do not care about the brand period. It has to be eye appealing to me to begin with. Then I go with feel and workability. This may sound funny to some but when I was experimenting with some of the cavity backs I absolutely could not work the ball with them or control my distance with the short irons especially. One set I experimented with I hit the ball too straight with and had absolutely no distance control. I had no feel at all and feel is my game. The irons I have now have (see my profile) combine all the elements I like. I actually played with a friend of mine that I have not played with in a year or so and he remarked "have you hit your head or something? I would have thought you would be the last man in the world to have cavity backs in your bag" Yeah but they sit good and they are forged and they feel good and I can work them. But it is as I always said what ever floats your boat that's why they make different brands and styles of golf clubs

[Dhuck Whooker]

Feel.  You hit it ball with the iron and the ball feels like it melted into the face. 

 

I hit a demo Callaway X-Forged 2009 six iron at a G-smith four years ago and had that experience.  That was it, love at first smash.  Six months later we got married.  Never thought I would have hooked up with a Callaway, but there you go.

 

We are still together, some days are better than others, but we never go to bed mad each other.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

 

We are still together, some days are better than others, but we never go to bed mad each other.

 

How much do I love this!?!?!!?!!!!

[revkev]

For me it's totally about the combo of performance and value. I 'be never been a great iron player so give me something with forgiveness, consistent distance and a little workability that doesn't break the bank and I'm happy.

 

The problem is though that I sometimes, often, end up with irons that don't look the part for my handicap and then my eyes start roaming. I actually liked the looks of my Nicklaus irons because they were a progressive set and the short irons were smaller. I hit my Wilson's great but they look like shovels to me. Fortunately I'm on a tight budget ......But there is always hope for the new Hogans and perhaps they will have a nice trade in program.

[westy]

Ive had some beautiful irons - the TM TP Coin forged irons......oh my they were lovely. Couldn't hit them for toffee!

 

So now I'm more pragmatic, yes Id like them to be beautiful but I'd settle for not butt ugly and enjoyable to play; enter the ping i20's. Yep they aren't stunning but they aren't fugly.

[ZenGolfer]

All of the above.  I would say that all irons today are, "good".  For me, an iron has to be somewhat of a bigger head to inspire confidence, a medium width sole so that it doesnt dig into the turf too much and has to have a minimum of offset.  My miss tends to be to the left, so offset isnt a good thing for me.

[N8ball]

Looks and sound play a part, but I also have to like how an iron feels when I swing it. It is probably related to swingweight and the shaft that is in the iron. Some clubs just "feel" right to me when I actually swing them and that feel makes me swing a little better(i.e. let the club go at the bottom rather than savagely thrashing at the ball).

 

As far as sound goes, most make a completely acceptable noise, but once in a while an iron I want to like(JPX850 forged) will make a noise is too harsh/clacky for my taste.