Not all irons are created equally, each set of irons is specifically aimed at a type of player and will perform best for their playing style. There are several different styles of irons to choose from depending upon the players ability but they will all fall under two main categories, “player” and “game improvement.” Some of the specific options include blades, forged, muscle back, and cavity back. Forged and muscle back irons are are considered player irons and are designed with a smaller sweet spot but when hit correctly will give the player increased accuracy and distance. On the other hand, cavity back irons are considered game improvement irons which will feature a larger head and a more forgiving sweetspot in order to correct the mishits.
With all of the options out there on the market for irons, it can be difficult to understand which ones are for best for you. You have to take all of the important factors into consideration when making your final choice. These factors include swing speed, overall experience, and the percentage of times you make proper contact with the ball. A player that typically shoots in the mid 80s or higher is less likely to have a consistent enough swing to gain the benefits of player irons.
If you are a ten handicap or above, game improvement irons may be best for your game. The large majority of golfers in the world cannot break 100 so player irons are not a necessity to most. In fact, it will make it more difficult for them to hit consistently accurate shots. This inevitably makes the game less fun to play. By switching to game improvement irons, the increased clubhead size will give you more forgiveness and will add distance.
Before switching to game improvement irons, it’s important to know what you stand to gain. The irons will have bigger heads and an increased sweet spot which will make you more confident when standing over the ball. The perimeter weighting on the game improvement irons also helps to increase the sweet spot size and allows for a smoother swing. The increased sweet spot is the most stressed point about this iron type because it offers such a great benefit to the average player.
A recreational golfer will struggle to create a swing that is consistent enough to warrant player irons. Their swings will vary greatly shot to shot and they’re less likely to hit the sweet spot. Someone may think they’re player irons will improve their game when in reality it’s hurting them more than they know. For example, the results of a slice or hook will be drastically worse with player irons than they would be with game improvement irons.
Game improvement irons will drastically improve the results of their mishits because of the large head size and sweet spot. This will make every round of golf more enjoyable because they will be more confident in their irons. This added confidence will be backed by more greens hit and lower scores overall. The best way to determine if your game could be improved by playing a different model or irons, talk to your local golf professional. The key to lower scores and more fun on the golf course could simply be a change of irons.
