I have a set of Taylormade Rocketbladez Tours that start at 47 for the PW but end up with a 3 iron at 19*. I guess it makes sense for the big SGI or UGI type irons to jack all the lofts. But I’ve never understood it for the player or blade irons that the PW loft is coming down to 46* to 45* but the 3 and 4 irons still end at around 21* or 24* respectively. I’m no club designer but my thinking would be to make the short irons more traditional and bump lofts for help into the longer irons.

From the club designer point of view, why do we see flighted iron shafts, progressive offset, weight added to soles and material injected slots/cavities/faces in long irons, but few progressive loft sets? Is it basically that most players need the higher loft in the longer irons to get them in the air? Just looking for an expert’s opinion.

theblake7 Answered question August 4, 2022

Basically, my theory is companies want to jack the lofts of the clubs most golfers can hit (6-SW) but not the longer irons because they become too hard to hit, get in the air, or control with the lower loft. So, they leave loft on the long irons. The downside is the better player has bigger gaps with the scoring clubs and smaller gaps with the 3-5 irons.

Nick, you highlight my gripe with what virtually all manufacturers have done with loft in order to make consumers think the newer product is “better.” Even The Golfworks TS-1 falls into this trend with 2.5 degree gaps in the long irons. Some pros now skip a long iron in the set just to be able to carry enough wedge and short irons.

I get that sole weight tends to add dynamic loft but not to the extent that we have seen with loft creep. I hate what has happened.

The good news is that The Golfworks intends to produce a set in the TS-4 which will at least keep a 3 degree spacing in the long irons. You’re still stuck with 4 wedges but that’s better than having gaps exceeding 4 degrees in the scoring clubs.

My worry is that trade with China and/or the broader economy tanks and the TS-4, already pushed back, doesn’t get produced. I intend to buy them as soon as available. I doubt they will need any bending, and even if a little is required, the sole is thin enough not to make the bounce angle much of an issue.