TV ad said that Callaway irons 20 yd longer?

[scorpion12]

I read a testing review on the new Big Bertha irons. Results showed that there was a slight distance increase on a couple of the clubs. Callaway compared the Big Bertha irons to the X2 Hot I think is also what the article said. The distance gained from the Big Bertha irons was greater and more impressive the higher the swing speed... go figure...

The most appealing thing was the forgiveness. Hit the club in the sweet spot, the ball goes far. Hit it off the toe, the ball still goes almost as far. The irons are more like hybrids than irons... with the progressively wider sole and forgiveness...

[Lihu]

I read a testing review on the new Big Bertha irons. Results showed that there was a slight distance increase on a couple of the clubs. Callaway compared the Big Bertha irons to the X2 Hot I think is also what the article said. The distance gained from the Big Bertha irons was greater and more impressive the higher the swing speed... go figure...

The most appealing thing was the forgiveness. Hit the club in the sweet spot, the ball goes far. Hit it off the toe, the ball still goes almost as far. The irons are more like hybrids than irons... with the progressively wider sole and forgiveness...

That's pretty cool.

So, I just wasted 6 months learning how to use blades to 3i barely adequately.

[mvmac]

Yes lofts are two degrees stronger for the irons they robot tested (4 and 6) but there are other distance features. The irons have flexible face, fairway wood technology, they're lighter and they are designed to launch the ball HIGH in the air (super low CoG). So even though the lofts are a little stronger, you'll probably hit them higher than your current 4 and 6 iron. Players with average speeds need to launch it higher and keep the ball in the air longer, these irons will help them do that.

Also "up to two clubs longer" isn't a guarantee that you'll hit it two clubs longer.

Here's the fine print on the distance claims.

[Lihu]

I am not questioning how far Bubba hits his 9i, sorry if I was not clear on that point.  My point is that someone else with a lower swing speed could jack up the loft on their 9i and claim to hit it 180 yards too.  The numbers on the irons these days are meaningless, so that's why I believe putting the lofts and not numbers would better represent what someone is hitting.

Did you see @mvmac 's post above? These clubs are the ultimate distance clubs. If you compare the lofts of these clubs versus my current playing set (notice I did not say "gamer") there's about a 3+ club difference in loft and 2 full clubs at the PW. Of course, the lofts on my irons are all roughly circa 1965 values, and I like them when I am inside 190-200 yards.

[Shorty]

Longer, what do you think.....maybe 1/2"

Surely you want precise answers, not guesses. Every OEM has a website where they have length and loft of each club. You can do your own research, you know.

[Golfingdad]

The numbers on the irons these days are meaningless, so that's why I believe putting the lofts and not numbers would better represent what someone is hitting.

Completely disagree.

The numbers aren't there so I can compare my distance to other people, they are there so I can compare them to all of the other clubs in my bag.  If I'm 150 yards away from the center of the green and I need to decide which club to hit based on that factor, as well as elevation change, wind, and the location of any really dark decision maps ;) then I'd much prefer to choose between a 9 and an 8 instead of a 42 and a 37.5.  That would be way too unnecessarily confusing.

Further, even if you were going to use the numbers to compare to other people - still don't know why anybody cares though - then you have to consider a lot more than just the loft on the club.

[Lihu]

Surely you want precise answers, not guesses. Every OEM has a website where they have length and loft of each club. You can do your own research, you know.

Exactly. Like as printed in @mvmac 's post.

Completely disagree.

The numbers aren't there so I can compare my distance to other people, they are there so I can compare them to all of the other clubs in my bag.  If I'm 150 yards away from the center of the green and I need to decide which club to hit based on that factor, as well as elevation change, wind, and the location of any really dark decision maps ;) then I'd much prefer to choose between a 9 and an 8 instead of a 42 and a 37.5.  That would be way too unnecessarily confusing.

Further, even if you were going to use the numbers to compare to other people - still don't know why anybody cares though - then you have to consider a lot more than just the loft on the club.

Right, that's the other thing.

[newtogolf]

Completely disagree.

The numbers aren't there so I can compare my distance to other people, they are there so I can compare them to all of the other clubs in my bag.  If I'm 150 yards away from the center of the green and I need to decide which club to hit based on that factor, as well as elevation change, wind, and the location of any really dark decision maps ;) then I'd much prefer to choose between a 9 and an 8 instead of a 42 and a 37.5.  That would be way too unnecessarily confusing.

Further, even if you were going to use the numbers to compare to other people - still don't know why anybody cares though - then you have to consider a lot more than just the loft on the club.

Then you must have problems with your wedges, doesn't 46, 52, 56 and 60 confuse you too?

[turtleback]

Did you see  @mvmac 's post above? These clubs are the ultimate distance clubs. If you compare the lofts of these clubs versus my current playing set (notice I did not say "gamer") there's about a 3+ club difference in loft and 2 full clubs at the PW. Of course, the lofts on my irons are all roughly circa 1965 values, and I like them when I am inside 190-200 yards.

So doesn't that mean that there really are no such things as "standard" clubs with "standard" lofts.

Completely disagree.

The numbers aren't there so I can compare my distance to other people, they are there so I can compare them to all of the other clubs in my bag.  If I'm 150 yards away from the center of the green and I need to decide which club to hit based on that factor, as well as elevation change, wind, and the location of any really dark decision maps ;) then I'd much prefer to choose between a 9 and an 8 instead of a 42 and a 37.5.  That would be way too unnecessarily confusing.

Further, even if you were going to use the numbers to compare to other people - still don't know why anybody cares though - then you have to consider a lot more than just the loft on the club.

Oh come on  I thought you were an engineer?  An exact measurement is confusing but an arbitrary number that has no actual definition is clear?!?!?!?!

But seriously you would adjust very very quickly.  Just like most Americans have no feel for metric measurements, but if we adopted the metric system, then before you know it you would "instinctively" know whether 137 cm. was tall or short and just how long a 350 m. hole is.

And you would know that there is no way you will reach the green with the 42 so you better hit the 37.5.

As an aside, my fairway woods only have lofts on them, not 3 or 5 wood.  It does not confuse my club selection.  But it is only 2 clubs (I carry a 13* and a 17*) so that really is different.

[Golfingdad]

Then you must have problems with your wedges, doesn't 46, 52, 56 and 60 confuse you too?

I only have two of them, 54 and 58 ... they're pretty easy to keep track of.

It's pretty standard at this point that anything over 50 is referred to by loft and anything under that is referred to by club number.  Certainly over a period of time I'd eventually get used to it and could say, "alright, I'm 180 out, I need my 36 now."

But my point is ... why??  Why make things needlessly more complicated?

Oh come on  I thought you were an engineer?  An exact measurement is confusing but an arbitrary number that has no actual definition is clear?!?!?!?!

But seriously you would adjust very very quickly.  Just like most Americans have no feel for metric measurements, but if we adopted the metric system, then before you know it you would "instinctively" know whether 137 cm. was tall or short and just how long a 350 m. hole is.

And you would know that there is no way you will reach the green with the 42 so you better hit the 37.5.

As an aside, my fairway woods only have lofts on them, not 3 or 5 wood.  It does not confuse my club selection.  But it is only 2 clubs (I carry a 13* and a 17*) so that really is different.

Not clear ... simple.  Remember, there are a myriad of other factors that go into deciding distance than just loft.  So set to set its going to change every time.  It's not like I'm going to nail down my distance for my 37.5 and it'll be exactly the same for my new set.  Heck, the chances that I'll even have a 37.5 in the new set is slim to none.

So, again, why??  How would that make more sense than sticking with the convention of 4,5,6,7,8,9?  I go from knowing that my 37.5 will travel about 155 stock to having to learn that my 36.5 will now travel 148 stock (because the MOI and COG have moved, the shaft is different, the length and lie are different, etc, etc).  Wouldn't it make more sense to go from "I hit my 8 iron 155" to "I hit my new 8 iron 148?"

P.S.  Engineers aren't mathematicians.  Our job is to make stuff work and do it as simply and efficiently as possible. ;)

[newtogolf]

I only have two of them, 54 and 58 ... they're pretty easy to keep track of.

It's pretty standard at this point that anything over 50 is referred to by loft and anything under that is referred to by club number.  Certainly over a period of time I'd eventually get used to it and could say, "alright, I'm 180 out, I need my 36 now."

But my point is ... why??  Why make things needlessly more complicated?

I don't think it's that much more complicated and when you went to buy a new set you'd know if you were hitting the new irons longer because of technology or just jacked up lofts without having to look up the specs on every set you hit.

Most of my woods have lofts not numbers so we're just talking about a few clubs that go by the old numbering system.

[Golfingdad]

I don't think it's that much more complicated and when you went to buy a new set you'd know if you were hitting the new irons longer because of technology or just jacked up lofts without having to look up the specs on every set you hit.

Most of my woods have lofts not numbers so we're just talking about a few clubs that go by the old numbering system.

"not that much more" complicated may be true ... but that certainly isn't "less" complicated.  So, again, I ask ... why???

[iacas]

I don't think it's that much more complicated and when you went to buy a new set you'd know if you were hitting the new irons longer because of technology or just jacked up lofts without having to look up the specs on every set you hit.

You're clearly forgetting that there's a heck of a lot more to how far a club goes than the loft of the face. Even if you're literally constraining it to the clubface, there's the location of the COG, any trampoline effect, etc.

I could build irons with identical lofts that launch 3° apart and fly 20 yards differently.

And what's more, those differences will vary depending on another factor - the golfer swinging them and their unique impact conditions: clubhead speed, delivered loft, angle of attack, the type of ball they're using, etc. And that's not to mention the shaft, etc.

[newtogolf]

"not that much more" complicated may be true ... but that certainly isn't "less" complicated.  So, again, I ask ... why???

I've explained why in previous posts, imo, there's value in additional information.   My car requires 93 octane, so I have to go to gas stations that lists octane values which for you might seem unnecessary since regular, plus and super is good enough for you.

[iacas]

I've explained why in previous posts, imo, there's value in additional information.   My car requires 93 octane, so I have to go to gas stations that lists octane values which for you might seem unnecessary since regular, plus and super is good enough for you.

It's not really additional information. It's simply a different kind of information, and since it would be unique in the golf world, it's more complicated/confusing.

I'm with Drew on this one. Your suggestion makes little sense.

[newtogolf]

You're clearly forgetting that there's a heck of a lot more to how far a club goes than the loft of the face. Even if you're literally constraining it to the clubface, there's the location of the COG, any trampoline effect, etc.

I could build irons with identical lofts that launch 3° apart and fly 20 yards differently.

And what's more, those differences will vary depending on another factor - the golfer swinging them and their unique impact conditions: clubhead speed, delivered loft, angle of attack, the type of ball they're using, etc. And that's not to mention the shaft, etc.

I'm not forgetting but we deal with those variables and yet many woods and wedges are defined by lofts not numbers so it's not a foreign concept.

[iacas]

I'm not forgetting but we deal with those variables and yet many woods and wedges are defined by lofts not numbers so it's not a foreign concept.

To irons, it is.

And people still call their longest wood a "driver" and their 3-wood is still mostly a "3-wood."

Many people also continue to call their clubs a pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge.

[newtogolf]

To irons, it is.

And people still call their longest wood a "driver" and their 3-wood is still mostly a "3-wood."

Many people also continue to call their clubs a pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge.

Hogan called the gap wedge the "Equalizer", others call it an approach wedge, attack wedge, gap wedge and I think Ping calls it a utility wedge.  That seems confusing to me too.

If I have a set with a PW that's 46* I might want a "gap wedge" that's 52*, if my sets PW is 44* I might want a gap wedge that's 50*.  IMO it would be easier to just know the lofts on the clubs to determine what wedge set fits best for each iron set rather than having to memorize or look up the specs.