VCOG and iron design

[jorgesgolf2]

Hi Everyone,

I was on the Maltby site the other day checking out classic iron designs from Mizuno and Titleist.  It looks like the VCOG has been creeping higher on the clubbed over the last 20-30 years.  Does anyone have an idea why that might be happening from a design standpoint?  

 

 

[Hook DeLoft]

I'd also like to know why.  If you're talking about players' irons (blades, small cavities, etc), then the vcog probably needs to be higher to help bring the flight down for fast swingers, but it seems like many of us hackers could use a lower vcog.  I'm guessing that 80% of the middle and high handicappers I play with hit their irons too low.

[jorgesgolf2]

You're right, I am mostly talking about the players irons.  The trend is difficult to accurately assess because the Maltby measurements are not complete for every iron model a company has produced.  For example, the MP-29 and MP-37 irons are not present in their inventory.  Perhaps it has to do with the evolution of golf ball characteristics (i.e., moving in the direction of a ball that spins less)?

 

 

[Kansas King]

I haven't been able to completely figure out this trend yet but my guess is that it has to do with the "perceived feel" of the club when it is swung. I consider the "perceived feel" to be more the subconscious or confidence you feel regarding your ability to be precise when swinging a club, not the literal feeling of how the club feels in my hands or swing. I don't think VCOG significantly impacts ball flight or spin as much as minds might want to believe it does. The MPF's pure focus is on the static mass and dimensional properties of the clubhead. The static properties of a clubhead determine how it will react at impact. However, when you throw the human element into a dynamic swing, the "perceived feel" of a club being swung will change based on the mass and dimensional properties of the clubhead, shaft, grip, etc. I largely thing this is why we are seeing more blendable sets with compact club heads on the shorter irons. I believe the "perceived feel" that the mass and dimensional properties of a more compact club head provides on shorter irons allows golfers to be more confident about accuracy and ball flight regardless of their real world performance. I think through trial and error manufacturers are starting to get closer to what golfers want regarding the "perceived feel" of irons. VCOG could very well be a significant element that impacts your "perceived feel".

I think at the end of the day, having the absolute lowest VCOG isn't the best for everyone. Tour players would be using lower VCOG irons across the board if it actually helped. Tour players have started playing more playable designs on the longer end but the scoring clubs are generally still blades. I actually just made a windy reply on the General Equipment Talk page on the post about the MPF that kind of pertains to this. 

I think next year I'm going to get a few muscle back 7 or 6 irons with varying COGs and I'll install the same shaft in each and see how much of a difference I feel. The MMB-17 Maltby made is by far the most "playable" muscle back blade ever made but I'm curious if the lower VCOG and longer C-dimensions actually take away how good my "perceived feel" is when I swing the clubs. Will a less playable MP68 or Titleist MB give me the perceived feeling of more precision or is this feeling caused by something else. I'm not an engineer, but my theory is that is if you draw a line down the middle of the shaft through the iron head, the further the mass is away from this line, the less "perceived feel" you will have. That means clubs with much wider soles, rearward CG, and more offset would potentially provide less feel because the mass if further away from the center line. I'm not saying these are bad things but I think it's why the best ball strikers still play with blades. There is a real benefit to playing with more compact iron heads. However, that's not to say having a more forward CG, higher VCOG, and generally less playable iron is for everyone because the benefits a more playable iron provide probably greatly outweigh the penalties you receive from poor ball striking of a less playable iron.

Dang I got windy again. This is just my opinion as of today, it may change tomorrow if I see something compelling that says otherwise.