With so much choice out there, selecting the right set of irons for you is a difficult task. What type of head should you choose? What about the loft and lie angle? Should I go for steel or graphite shafts? In this video, irons expert Joel Tadman runs through all the things you need to consider when choosing a new set of irons to ensure you get the right clubs in your bag and can start peppering those flags.
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00:00Are you in the market for a new set of irons?
00:03Well, in this video, I'm going to cover everything
00:05you need to know about buying a new set of irons.
00:09There's a ridiculous amount of choice out there.
00:10It can be incredibly confusing.
00:12Watch this video right to the end.
00:14You'll find yourself a match made in heaven.
00:16So without further ado, let's get into it.
00:18So the first decision you need to make
00:33when choosing new irons is which type of iron
00:36you want to go for.
00:37And as you can see, I've got five here in front of me.
00:39Starting with this one, this is the Muscleback,
00:41otherwise known as a blade.
00:43It's the one that's got the least amount of technology
00:45in it.
00:46It's really aimed at elite ball strikers, tour players,
00:49because it is the most compact and there's not
00:51a lot of forgiveness built into this club head.
00:53There's not a lot of technology got into it.
00:55It's the lowest launching, the highest spinning,
00:58designed for golfers with quite high swing
01:00speeds who are very competent ball strikers.
01:02Then we move into kind of low-handicap irons.
01:05Now, these can typically form cavity-back irons.
01:07You can have some hollow-headed irons as well.
01:09But these offer a little bit more forgiveness
01:12and stability, but in a compact head.
01:14So it will still suit the eye of a low-handicap golfer.
01:17The next type of iron we're going to move into
01:19is otherwise known as a compact distance iron or a player's
01:22distance iron.
01:23As the name suggests, it's more of a distance-orientated club.
01:27And as a result, the lofts are a little bit stronger.
01:29It's going to produce more ball speed and distance.
01:31Conversely, the two previous ones
01:33have quite traditional lofts.
01:34These are a little bit stronger, going
01:36to give you more ball speed.
01:37But you can get them in quite compact packages
01:39as well, similar to the low-handicap iron.
01:41They are quite refined, but you can get larger ones
01:44as well if you like to look down on something a bit meatier.
01:46Next type of iron is a traditional kind
01:48of cavity-back iron.
01:49These, again, are slightly stronger and loft still.
01:52And you can see there's a lot more obvious perimeter
01:54weighting on this club.
01:55So this will give you a lot more stability
01:58on those off-center hits.
01:59If you're someone that utilizes a lot of the club face,
02:01you're going to enjoy the performance
02:03that a cavity-back style head offers.
02:06And another option you can go for
02:07is like a hybrid-style club.
02:09So this is an example of a hybrid-style iron,
02:12built more like a metalwood, so it's
02:14going to give you metalwood-like ball speeds
02:16and also metalwood-like launch from that really wide sole.
02:19And as a result, they can make the loft quite strong
02:22on these to give you maximum distance and maximum forgiveness
02:25as well.
02:26Obviously, you have options to combo your set
02:28with various models within this selection.
02:31We'll talk about that a bit later in this video.
02:33But hopefully, that gives you an idea
02:34as to the types of irons available
02:36and which one might suit your eye.
02:39So the next thing you think about with your new set of irons
02:42is how it looks, and particularly down at address,
02:44because that will affect the amount of confidence
02:46you have over the golf ball.
02:47And there's a lot of design features
02:49you need to consider.
02:50The blade length, obviously, we know
02:52as the irons get more suitable for higher handicappers,
02:55they tend to get bigger.
02:56Blade lengths get longer.
02:57Top lines get thicker.
02:58But there are some kind of gray areas
03:00you can get forgiving irons that have relatively short blade
03:03lengths and thin top lines.
03:05So you kind of know instantly when you put it down
03:07behind the ball, yeah, that suits my eye.
03:09I really like that.
03:10Or no, I don't like that.
03:11Consider things like different finishes.
03:13Certain irons can come in different finishes.
03:15You've got brushed satin finishes.
03:16You've got reflective glossy finishes.
03:18Again, one will suit your eye more than the other,
03:20more likely.
03:21And there are certain design features
03:23that can actually influence the ball flight.
03:25So really think about the amount of offset
03:26that you have on your irons.
03:27If you tend to miss your iron shots to the right,
03:30having more offset, i.e. the leading edge,
03:32set back a little bit more from the hosel,
03:34will produce more left bias for a right-handed golfer,
03:37and therefore should help reduce your slice.
03:39So think about that when choosing
03:40how your iron looks down behind the ball at address.
03:43It's going to really affect the quality of your shots.
03:48Now another area of consideration
03:50is the sound and the feel.
03:51Yes, this is a subjective one,
03:53but I think it's very important
03:54that you enjoy the sensation that you have
03:56when you're striking shots with your irons.
03:59And these can be anything from something
04:01that feels very soft, very muted
04:04in terms of the sound it offers,
04:05all the way up to something that's really lively
04:08and quite loud and powerful.
04:09And there's a lot of irons that fit in between those,
04:12but I've got two ends of the spectrum here,
04:14starting with this Muscleback iron,
04:15which typically would give you
04:17a really soft, dense sensation at impact,
04:21which is typically preferred by the slightly better player.
04:28See, there wasn't much kind of acoustics there.
04:30It was quite muted.
04:32Then the other end of the spectrum,
04:33you've got more distance-orientated irons
04:36that typically offer a slightly firmer feel
04:38and often a much louder sound
04:41to kind of translate into a little bit more distance.
04:44So it kind of really just comes down
04:45to what you tend to prefer.
04:50You can see there's a much louder, clickier sound to it.
04:54And as I said, there are a lot of irons
04:55that fit in between those,
04:56but it's really important that you enjoy the sound
04:59and the feel you get from your irons.
05:01That's gonna steal a lot more confidence
05:02and just provide a much more pleasurable
05:05ball striking experience.
05:09Now, one underrated area of consideration
05:11for your new set of irons is the sole geometry.
05:14Specifically, we're talking the width of the sole
05:16and also the amount of bounce that it has as well.
05:19Typically, low-handicap irons,
05:20like this blade I've got here,
05:22have quite narrow soles
05:23with not much bounce or camber to it.
05:25That means the leading edge is gonna play quite sharp.
05:28You're gonna create big divots
05:29and the margin for error on your strike
05:31is gonna be quite narrow.
05:32So it's really designed
05:33for better players' low-handicap irons.
05:35But if you need a bit more leeway on your strike,
05:37game-improvement irons do tend to have wider soles
05:41with a little bit more camber to them.
05:42That's gonna increase the margin for error.
05:43If you do catch the ground slightly before the ball,
05:46it has less propensity to dig,
05:48should glide through the turf,
05:49and hopefully pick the ball off the top of it
05:51a little bit more easily.
05:53Obviously, we know game-improvement irons
05:55with the wider soles means more weight
05:57is pulled lower and further back.
05:58It's gonna help increase launch
06:00and it's also gonna give you a little bit more stability
06:02on those off-center hits.
06:03Couple more things to think about on the sole geometry.
06:05If you tend to be quite shallow into the ball,
06:07you are gonna suit more of a sole
06:10that has less bounce to it
06:11because you're not needing as much resistance
06:13into the ground.
06:14If you're quite steep into the ball,
06:15you might want a little bit more bounce
06:17to counteract that steeper angle of attack.
06:19And if you are bending the hosel
06:21to create slightly less or more loft
06:23to do some gapping things or whatever,
06:25if you hit a specific number on your irons,
06:27that will affect the effective bounce
06:29and the way the club interacts with the ground.
06:31So all these things you need to think about.
06:32Obviously, that will be covered during a fitting,
06:34especially if you're hitting off grass.
06:35But just consider getting the right sole width
06:38and the right geometry to match up your technique
06:41and that should help you hit better shots.
06:43So when you're choosing a new driver,
06:47the number one factor you would consider is distance.
06:49Is one model going further than the other?
06:51That might cause you to choose that model
06:53versus the other one.
06:54But with irons, it's a completely different story.
06:56It's not about distance, it's about distance consistency.
06:59It's something I've said with my reviews time and time again.
07:02I don't really look at how far an iron goes.
07:04It might be useful to some golfers
07:05to gain a bit more yardage with their irons,
07:07but I'm really looking at the distance consistency,
07:10so the front to back dispersion.
07:11How repeatable is an iron at hitting a distance
07:15over and over again?
07:16Because that is really gonna help your ability to score.
07:18Ultimately, with an iron shot,
07:19you're tasked with hitting the ball a certain distance.
07:21And if you've got an iron that delivers that
07:23in terms of the right level of forgiveness
07:25for your skill level,
07:26you should see your approach shots get closer to the hole
07:29and your scoring should improve.
07:31So this particular shot, 145 yards away,
07:34you want an iron that's gonna deliver performance,
07:37that's gonna hit the ball as close to that pin as possible.
07:45I've leaked it a bit, but it's pin high,
07:49and that's the most important thing.
07:50If you can get pin high on most of your iron shots,
07:53your score should start to tumble.
07:57Now when you get fitted for irons on a launch monitor,
08:00you will be bombarded with an awful amount of data,
08:03ball speed, launch, spin, all that sort of thing.
08:05But one parameter I really want you
08:07to pay close attention to is descent angle,
08:10so the angle your ball is coming in to land on,
08:13because that has a really big impact
08:15on the ability of your golf ball to stop.
08:17If your golf ball is coming in nice and steep,
08:20it's gonna stop pretty quickly by the hole.
08:23If it's coming in too shallow and too hot,
08:25it's gonna often run past the flag,
08:27and if the pin's at the front of the green,
08:30it's gonna be very difficult
08:30to stop the ball close to the pin.
08:32So the optimum land angle varies
08:35depending on your swing speed.
08:36As your swing speed increases,
08:38as does the amount of spin you generate
08:39and the land angle that you have into the green.
08:42So talk to your fitter,
08:43see what land angle is right for you.
08:45Tour average is about 50 degrees with a six iron,
08:48so it's quite steep.
08:49I'm generally looking for my swing speed
08:51around about a 45 degree land angle with a seven iron.
08:55Might be different for you,
08:56but have a chat with the fitter,
08:57make sure you've got a land angle
08:59that's appropriate for your swing speed,
09:01and that should help you stop the ball close to the hole.
09:06So one really important factor
09:07when choosing your new set of irons is the set makeup,
09:10and there's two things you need to consider.
09:11The first is a combination set.
09:13So that refers to having different types
09:16of head within a set.
09:18So for example, a lot of manufacturers
09:20offer different models within a range
09:22that allows you to implement different models
09:25in different areas of the set
09:26to give you the performance where you need it.
09:28So you might opt for a slightly larger,
09:31higher launching, more forgiving long iron
09:33to give you the performance where you need it.
09:35You know, when the shaft's a bit longer,
09:36you tend to strike your long irons
09:37a little bit more inconsistently.
09:39Having something that's a little bit more forgiving
09:41will offset that drop off in performance
09:43from the miss hits,
09:44and give you more consistency through the set.
09:46That's one example where a combo set can be really useful,
09:50and we see everyone from tour players
09:51all the way up to high handicap golfers
09:54opting for something like this.
09:56The second thing you need to think about
09:57is the set makeup.
09:58Specifically, what's the composition of your set?
10:01So what's gonna be your longest iron?
10:02What's gonna be your shortest iron?
10:04You know, low handicap iron sets
10:06typically start at four iron
10:07and run all the way up to pitching wedge.
10:09High handicap irons often start at five iron
10:11because the lofts are slightly stronger,
10:13and go up to kind of a gap wedge.
10:16And that's because a lot of high handicap golfers
10:18will want to add one, maybe two hybrids
10:21underneath that five iron.
10:22So think about what clubs that you want to have in your bag.
10:26Do you prefer hybrids?
10:27You might even want to have three hybrids,
10:28and then start your set at a six iron,
10:30and work all the way up to a sand wedge.
10:32Some iron sets will go all the way up to sand wedge,
10:35so that's another thing you need to think about.
10:37Do you want to go for a speciality wedge,
10:39or are you okay with the wedges
10:40that are included within the set?
10:42All these things you need to think about.
10:44Give them a test.
10:45Obviously, a speciality wedge at that other end of the bag
10:48will give you a bit more versatility,
10:49but if you want all your clubs looking the same
10:52within your iron set and your wedges,
10:54having the complete set from five iron
10:56all the way to sand wedge could be the way to go.
10:58So two really key considerations.
11:00Get the right set that's going to suit
11:02the way you hit the ball.
11:06Now the last thing, but still really important thing
11:08to consider when choosing new irons
11:10is the spec of the club.
11:11Now typically this will be covered during a custom fitting,
11:14but it's worth pointing out in this video
11:15if you are buying irons off the rack,
11:17there can be some areas that will affect performance.
11:19The first one being the lie angle of the club,
11:22so how the club sits at the ground
11:24when you're striking the ball.
11:25You want it to be as flat as possible.
11:27Obviously, if it's toe down,
11:28it's going to cause misses to the left.
11:30Toe up, it's going to cause misses to the right,
11:33and the interaction with the ground
11:34is not going to be as clean as you want it to be.
11:36You think about when you're swinging through,
11:38the shaft is flexing, the head of the club is drooping,
11:41so you need to make sure that your club
11:43is fitted dynamically to get it nice and flat
11:46at the point of impact,
11:47so the lie angle is really important.
11:49The other thing is the length of the shaft.
11:50Obviously, if you're slightly taller,
11:52you probably need a slightly longer shaft
11:55to allow for that,
11:55and length is also used to influence the strike pattern,
11:58so if you're hitting a lot of iron shots
12:00and you tend to hit the ball out of the toe,
12:02the fitter may well add a little bit of length
12:04to shift that strike pattern from the toe
12:07more towards the center of the club,
12:08so there's two reasons why you might alter
12:10the length of the club,
12:12and the other thing to think about in terms of the spec
12:14is the shaft of the club,
12:16so the weight, the flex, and the material as well.
12:19I would definitely urge you,
12:20if you haven't tried graphite shafts in the past,
12:23give them a go.
12:24That lightweight feel is really, really nice.
12:26It allows you to swing more powerfully,
12:28gives you a little bit more launch,
12:29and you can get some pretty stiff profiles in graphite now
12:33that would suit faster swingers, better players,
12:35so graphite is definitely something to consider.
12:37Most golfers will look at a steel shaft.
12:40A huge variation in weight and flex,
12:42so just make sure you get the right weight and flex
12:45that feels comfortable for you.
12:46Obviously, a fitter will be able to identify that for you.
12:49So those are the things you need to think about
12:51with the spec.
12:52Obviously, you've got the grip as well.
12:54Make sure you get one that feels comfortable in your hands,
12:56the right sort of thickness.
12:57If you've got larger hands,
12:58you will typically want to go for a slightly thicker grip.
13:02There is a kind of wives' tale,
13:04you know, thicker grips tends to reduce hand action
13:07and stops the club base from turning over.
13:09Not sure how much science there is to that,
13:11but could be something to think about or something to try.
13:14You know, those thicker grips,
13:15we've seen Bryson with those really thick grips.
13:17Could be an option to give you a bit more control.
13:19So consider those things when choosing an iron.
13:24The spec is really important.
13:25So hopefully you found this video useful
13:26in terms of choosing your next set of irons
13:28if you're looking to upgrade very soon.
13:31And if you are researching a particular make or model,
13:33be sure to check out the Golf Monthly website
13:35for all our latest reviews and buying guides
13:37that can really help narrow down your search.
13:40That's all from me here from Goggler Golf Club.
13:42I'll see you next time.
13:43♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪