Bending Clubs to a Specific Loft

[Tommy_Boy14]

I have played Nike VR Split Cavity irons since they came out in 2008 and I refuse to get anything else.  With that said I have a 3 iron (standard loft, lie and length Loft: 21 degrees, Lie: 69 degrees and Length: 39") that I am thinking about bending to a 2 iron loft (19 degrees.)  Will I see any decreased playability with bending it down 3 degrees but it being 1/2 inch shorter?  Certainly it wont go as far because the shaft isn't as long and all that, which I completely understand,  but will I run into issues with lie angle or anything like that because it is a different loft?  I have a 19 degree hybrid that I do really like but is not the most reliable club in the bag.  I have always been a better than average long iron player and am just looking for a "fairway finder" on the days where my driver and woods are not working for me that I can toss out there 240+ but before I bend the club I want to make sure I am not going to loose any playability, possibly just some distance because the club is 1/2" short

[starrman77]

 "Lie: 69 degrees" ????

 

The standard lie I believe is 59*

[ChetlovesMer]

31 minutes ago, Tommy_Boy14 said:

I have played Nike VR Split Cavity irons since they came out in 2008 and I refuse to get anything else.  With that said I have a 3 iron (standard loft, lie and length Loft: 21 degrees, Lie: 69 degrees and Length: 39") that I am thinking about bending to a 2 iron loft (19 degrees.)  

Seriously? Why not just get a 2 iron?

[dennyjones]

On my old set of clubs I had the 7 iron bent stronger to help fill the gap distance.   It worked well.    

Since Nike isn't making clubs anymore,  I see no reason not to give it a try.   If it doesn't work like you expect, you can always find an alternative anyway.   You could even look at a hybrid.

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, Tommy_Boy14 said:

I refuse to get anything else.

Why? Just curious.

[ChetlovesMer]

3 hours ago, Tommy_Boy14 said:

I have played Nike VR Split Cavity irons since they came out in 2008 and I refuse to get anything else.  With that said I have a 3 iron (standard loft, lie and length Loft: 21 degrees, Lie: 69 degrees and Length: 39") that I am thinking about bending to a 2 iron loft (19 degrees.)  Will I see any decreased playability with bending it down 3 degrees but it being 1/2 inch shorter?  Certainly it wont go as far because the shaft isn't as long and all that, which I completely understand,  but will I run into issues with lie angle or anything like that because it is a different loft?  I have a 19 degree hybrid that I do really like but is not the most reliable club in the bag.  I have always been a better than average long iron player and am just looking for a "fairway finder" on the days where my driver and woods are not working for me that I can toss out there 240+ but before I bend the club I want to make sure I am not going to loose any playability, possibly just some distance because the club is 1/2" short

In answer to your question. 3 degrees is a long way to bend loft. If you only plan to hit it off a tee it may be fine. But it will definitely affect the turf interaction as you will be removing 3 degrees of bounce, which might be close to all that club has. 

[saevel25]

22 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

In answer to your question. 3 degrees is a long way to bend loft. If you only plan to hit it off a tee it may be fine. But it will definitely affect the turf interaction as you will be removing 3 degrees of bounce, which might be close to all that club has. 

I agree wit this, 3 degree is a lot. Pending the club, you can damage the finish on the club. 

[TourSpoon]

15 hours ago, Tommy_Boy14 said:

I have played Nike VR Split Cavity irons since they came out in 2008 and I refuse to get anything else.  With that said I have a 3 iron (standard loft, lie and length Loft: 21 degrees, Lie: 69 degrees and Length: 39") that I am thinking about bending to a 2 iron loft (19 degrees.)  Will I see any decreased playability with bending it down 3 degrees but it being 1/2 inch shorter?  Certainly it wont go as far because the shaft isn't as long and all that, which I completely understand,  but will I run into issues with lie angle or anything like that because it is a different loft?  I have a 19 degree hybrid that I do really like but is not the most reliable club in the bag.  I have always been a better than average long iron player and am just looking for a "fairway finder" on the days where my driver and woods are not working for me that I can toss out there 240+ but before I bend the club I want to make sure I am not going to loose any playability, possibly just some distance because the club is 1/2" short

Bending your 3 iron strong a degree or two is not a big deal. Its also not going to give you more than a few yards more than what it plays at now. The lie angle doesn't matter because the length of shaft isn't changing. The successful long iron swing is pretty shallow so bounce going down to 1 or 0 with the Nike sole is probably not an issue. My question is how far do you hit the 3 iron now and what is your ideal distance you would like to hit it for the situation you describe? 

I think you are an ideal candidate for a driving iron. The new ones are downright cheat sticks if you are a strong long iron player. 

 

[ChetlovesMer]

8 minutes ago, TourSpoon said:

I think you are an ideal candidate for a driving iron. The new ones are downright cheat sticks if you are a strong long iron player. 

I have to agree. I think this is the answer.