OPINION: More Distance From New Clubs is Really Just an Angle

I first picked up a golf club in middle school when the swim club we belonged to also had a very basic par-3 course attached to its property as a membership perk. I found a cheap Wilson blade 8-iron and what was basically an over glorified mini golf flat stick from a sporting goods store that was closing shop so I could play those 9-holes with my Dad almost every day we were at the pool.  

That scruffy 9-hole patch led to the game of golf becoming something I was more and more intrigued with, and I played my first real round ever when trying out for my high school’s golf team in 1993.

Playing the game was something I did regularly on both a friendly function and competitive level into my mid-20’s, graduating from my original Northwestern off-the-shelf blades and ABS woods (driver, 3-wood, putter, and 3-5-7-9 irons starter kit) to eventually scoring Titleist PT metal woods, Lynx Black Cat irons with the rubber cavity ring, wedges from Golfsmith, and a RAM Zebra mallet putter before hanging up the wrenches.

Well, it was more like I wasn’t playing the game much and I needed cash. I still regret the decision.

Nonetheless, even back then, golf manufacturers were teasing us weekend warriors to scratch players with claims about more distance. You’ll hit them longer, guaranteed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fast-forward to 2020. Playing again and fresh off building my own custom set of irons using authentic, never used Cobra heads, I found myself at the range finally getting my iron game feeling good. And then it happened…

I hit three 7-irons in a row that all blew past 165 yards. One was a true flight piss missile that almost hit 180 on the fly.

165? Me, a 7-iron going 165? Back in the day when I was playing more consistent a smooth 7-iron for me would go 140-150 tops.

What changed?

Of course we see all of the marketing from the big names in golf about hitting the ball further will every new design they bring to the pro shop. Additionally, we also see more forgiveness and straighter flights on mishits claimed as well.

Now I spend every day behind the desk of a media company as their region/market General Manager in charge of all operations including the sales organization. Before that, I spent over 7 years as the Vice President of an advertising agency. I know marketing. I know sales. I know advertising.

I know how to brand and pitch a product. I know how to wet the appetites of the public with key phrases, words, colors, emotions, you name it. So I’m always skeptical about claims whenever anyone tells me a new product will now change any game in my life.

But this type of distance improvement? That’s remarkable.

Well, it was remarkable until I decided to run the numbers. It turns out my distance gains were most likely just an angle. Literally, it’s an angle.

My 1995 Lynx Black Cat irons had a face angle of 35° on their 7-irons.

The irons I bought when I returned to golf, a never used set of 2002 Callaway Big Bertha, own a very similar face angle of 34° on the 7-iron.

Both brands featured a 31° 6-iron.

My Cobra 7-iron? It clocks in with a face angle at a much more shallow 30°.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Granted my Cobras were built from components matched to my swing speed, height, preferred launch characteristics, etc., like a fitting would. Just from this personal custom build alone I would expect a better carry performance.

And yes, my iron swing was and is feeling far better than recent years. But 20-30 yards gained at a clip?

Yes, manufacturers have done an amazing job with game improvement and even players irons to control mishits with forgiveness technology.

Now we’re seeing a slew of new for 2021 irons from the big brands claiming more distance matched with forgiveness in the full array of their offerings. However, the distance claims may even be further cooked up with these new sticks hitting the pro shops:

Brand                                        7-iron loft

COBRA RADSpeed                     27.5°

TaylorMade SIM2 Max              28.5°

Titleist T400                                 26°

Callaway Big Bertha 2021          29°

Players irons seem to be following a trend of staying more traditional in their face angles but the game improvement category has been massively raking the faces forward from the traditional 33°-35° lofts on a 7-iron to what is usually near a 5-iron in a players set.

In the end it’s all about working on your game and having fun, and yes it’s really fun now hitting a good number of my 7-irons in the 165-175 yard range. But let’s also be realists: the distance gains we’re seeing in game improvement irons is most often a little to do with tech and a lot to do with how designers are using the manufacturer’s protractors.

I love marketing.

Cover Image via Instagram