Question

942 viewsJanuary 9, 2019

apj80 107 January 9, 2019 0 Comments

Hey guys got another question I know over the years that lots have gotten stronger than they used to be how much does that affect distance because we constantly hear from Big manufacturers that they’ve gotten faster more ball speed and all of this marketing hype aren’t they all about maxed out I mean besides cosmetic changes and color changes what more can they do if I took a old school 7-iron strengthen it to a modern 7 iron loft wouldn’t get the same amount of distance also does strong enough does that have any effect on distance and spin ? Also just wanted to say thanks for your technology and footprint in the game of golf and also your pricing with modern technology at a fair price while everybody else prices goes through the roof !!!

1 Answer

Answer 1 · 2019-01-10T14:01:53+00:00

Loft jacking, as you call it (it is a good term), has definitely been going on for a while. We are clearly a club stronger today, say on a #6 iron, than we were 10 years ago. Now that is not true on all models, but most modern models. There are some “traditional” blades from a few manufacturers that have not strengthened certain models as much, but for the most part, everyone has gone stronger. That is the major reason you see the iron distance increase. The golf ball has a little to do with it, but not as much as you think. The USGA has had golf ball guidelines on ball speed in place for a while. Golf balls that meet the requirements on ball speed have come to market that spin less, which combined with the lower lofts, can aid in increasing distance for higher clubhead speeds. Lower clubhead speeds will only benefit from the decreased lofts, to a point. Lower clubhead speeds need both loft and spin to maintain flight and distance.

The only issue with strengthening an iron with a traditional loft, is that you will reduce the sole angle or bounce by the number of degrees you strengthen the loft. It is a 1:1 ratio. If you have a 6 iron with 31 degrees loft and 3 degrees of bounce and you strengthen it to 27 degrees of loft, you now have a sole angle of -1 degree. That is a “dig” sole angle and not good for the general playability of an iron.

Britt Lindsey