Question

2.42K viewsJune 28, 2024

J22 16 June 28, 2024 0 Comments

Hello,

I have several sets of Maltby irons at home (TE Forged, TS1 & TE+) and no other iron brand was able to tempt me to change for more than 15 years.

I really like driving / utility irons and normally I always carry in my bag a 20/21 degree to play in short par4s, long par3s and recovery shots.

For years I purchased dedicated utility irons but some years ago, after looking at the MPF Head Ratings, I decided to try with Super/Ultra Game Improvement heads cause the transition from them to my iron set is smoother than with the typical huge sole and topline of many utilities.

This year I am thinking about assembling a new utility and I came across the Titleist T350 head. Although the rating is similar to my current TE+, I am surprised by the high MOI measurement it has: 16.1755. I have not came across of anything similar reviewing the other heads.

For a club that will be played mostly from the tee and recovery shots, wouldn’t MOI should be the first characteristic to consider?

Thanks for your feedback.

Britt Lindsey Answered question June 28, 2024

1 Answer

Answer 1 · 2024-06-29T12:05:29+00:00

MOI is a part of it, but overall playability is the most important thing. Important to understand the MOI in irons usually runs between around 11.000 to a 17.00, with a high percentage being between 11.000 and 14.000. That is really not a lot of difference. Of all the data points we use to calculate playability for irons, MOI has the least affect. In other words, a small increase in MOI might move the MPF a few points, but a small increase or improvement in the horizontal cg or vertical cg or rearward cg (and by small I mean fractions of a millimeter to 1 or 2 mm) can have a more positive affect. Good MOI can be a result of having the cg in the most optimum place in all the dimensions. You can also have a club with a High MOI, but have the cg not optimized. Ralph explains that as “Bad MOI” in the book, so I won’t go into the detail here as it is lengthy explanation of the difference of Good MOI and Bad MOI, but trust that it is a thing.

So, I would say a design with a Good high MOI would be optimal, but I would focus on the overall playability vs just the MOI. I would take a high MPF with a 12.5000 MOI over a low MPF with a 16.000 MOI every day. Our KE4 Tour FDI Utility Driving irons have MOI of 14.8108 (#4) for reference and I play the #3 and the #4 with my 5-PW TS4’s. The FDI’s are awesome for me of the tee, long par 3’s, second shots into long par4’s, etc. Just easier to hit for me than the traditional long irons and better for me than regular hybrids. The Titleist T350 is an excellent design and would work well too. Combines high MPF and High MOI.

One last thing about MOI, in putters, MOI is a much bigger factor in the stability and overall playability. Putter MOI’s that we measure have ranged from 10.000 and below to 50.000 and beyond. Like anything else, if you strike the ball with a putter perfectly every time the MOI doesn’t matter. However, on putters, the off center hit with a high MOI design will roll closer to the intended distance and line than putters with low MOI. Irons the variance is much smaller and thus the measurable affect is much smaller.

Hope this helps.

Britt Lindsey

Thanks a lot for your explanatory answer Britt.

As always, it is a pleasure asking questions in this forum.

Cheers,
Jorge