Does your game suit strong loft irons?

With the help of Ping's new 7-iron landing angle chart TG Test Pro Neil Wain, and Equipment Editor Simon Daddow discuss the numbers needed to get low, mid or high stopping power on approaches at any swing speed.

We help golfers understand whether strong loft irons suit their game, and highlight the top performing models.

Timestamps:
01:01 What are strong lofts?
03:30 Ping's 7-iron landing angle chart
06:20 How does Neil's 2022 test data stack up for launch, spin and descent angle?
07:49 Best 2022 strong loft irons

[andyl]

Nice video, a good friend of mine recently got the Callaway Rogue ST Pro’s - great irons & whilst he was fitted for them the fitter completely overlooked that he now goes from a 43 degree 1 inch longer than standard pitching wedge to a standard length 52 degree gap wedge. Consequently he’s got a massive distance gap which highlights the importance of factoring in gapping either end of any new set of irons - hitting it further is great for the ego but massive distance gaps aren’t good for scoring!

[davidm]

I’ve watched hundreds of club reviews and the CG location and faster face counts for very little compared to what the marketing departments say.
In most cases, loft is still by far the biggest driver of launch and ball speed. (P790 and Rouge St Pro seem to genuinely have faster faces, ie high smash factor for loft.)
Look at the relationship between dynamic loft and launch in most videos, it’s comparable with very different style heads.
Even look at the data within your 2022 test data summary!
I understand why we play stronger lofts, I always feel more confident with a shorter club in hand.
Not a dig at you guys, I enjoy your videos.

[legend]

Excellent video! The fitting bay numbers have radically affected how people buy clubs. Distance is king and so manufacturers have responded. In one right they were correct because many amateur golfers deliver way too much dynamic loft and initially some strengthening of lofts did serve golfers well.
However with advances in design and the quest for more distance they were also able to couple the loft strengthening with spin reduction. Now we are at a point where the average golfer with average speed cannot game these irons.
I remember the Callaway Apex CF16s were excellent in terms of performance, sound, feel but I could not hold a green with them. More recently the Cobra Forged Tec X gave me a very similar experience. I always end up back to Ping and currently gaming the i525s. Ping’s secret weapon to combat strong lofts and low spin on their irons is adding a lot of bounce. I don’t think any manufacturer with a standard game improvement or players distance iron has more bounce than Ping. Their long irons (4-7) are extremely playable however there is a slight issue when you get to the short irons and wedges. The bounce increases so much that I find that the ball launches too high and is difficult to flight down. I actually strengthened the lofts in the 9 iron and pitching wedge to not only add distance but also decrease bounce while being mindful of distance gaps.
Mizuno’s new JPX 923 HL is an excellent idea and offering by them that fills a need in the game. However golfers will still need to put their egos aside to game that iron. I hope Mizuno succeeds and other manufacturers follow suit.
One final piece that gets overlooked is hitting in the bay off of mats. Sometimes the mat can mask a poor strike and give you false numbers that you will not get out on the course off turf.

Keep up the great work lads 🙏🙏🙏

[loikepalenikonu]

I recently moved away from a stronger lofted iron in the ZX4 and into the Apex DCB set at Apex Pro lofts. I gave up half a club in distance but my spin, height, and descent angle all went up. Which resulted in a tighter dispersion pattern and more distance control. I traded some distance for accuracy and the results showed on the scorecard.

[Mannchini]

Really like this. I've just had new irons and my Top Tracer stats have me nicely in the High Stopping Power bracket for my swing speed.

[ajaytuk]

I don't really get why people are hung up trying to match a number on the bottom of the club to loft- its a marketing thing, yes (OK the shaft length could also be a factor as well)? What really matters is the gapping. What does appeal to me more is a stopping power comparison as ping seems to have done. Very interesting

[brandonrivers]

I think depends on how much a player has shaft lean aka loft

You can change the club but not the player at all times

I think consistency is key from play and knowing his attack angle

[alvermeil]

Very insightful. If you could leave the graphs up just a little longer it would be helpful

[atomant]

All videos about stronger loft tech golf clubs needs to prefaced with a statement acknowledging that there is no golf club tech that will have the impact of honing technique. There is only so much that golf manufacturers can do to the iron head. So for years they strengthen lofts in an attempt to sale, something better, something you don't already have. The average golfer wouldn't wear out an iron set. So they created another reason to buy more clubs. Improving golf technique will best golf tech everytime and it will also save space in the garage too.

[quoostonator]

Hey lads. I’m a good iron player, better than my 9 handicap suggests. I play JPX 919 Tour irons, 3-PW. I’ve always hit every club very high. I’m not long, but I don’t struggle with distance. 7i is about 155m (170y) at 34 degrees, as per my shotscope data. Recently, a fitter suggested that I go a couple of degrees stronger with my current irons. If I do that, will it affect the workability of these irons through the bag? I’d only consider it if not. I have real problems in the wind as I’m simply too high.

[nickhines]

My 7 is 36 loft and may bend it to 38. I want high flight, with more spin to stop quicker, if I need more distance, I go to a 6 iron. Today's clubs are too strong, I play 33 year old tommy armour 845's. I'm not worried about distance, because I hit my long irons further than most people hit their woods.

[adriantwiss]

Just curious, in the longer irons as you get older and slower do you lose carry due to not being fast enough to get sufficient launch.

[dannodog]

Gentlemen, is there such a thing as fitting used clubs? Such as picking up a set that’s somewhat easier on the wallet and then having the heads fit to new shafts? I’m in the market for a new set of irons, however I do not have $1000+ to drop on new clubs. Thank you!

[stephenmowforth]

Can you please tell me if weakening the lofts can change the bounce on my clubs as I went recently to ping and they weakened my lofts by 2 degrees

[mikevreeland]

I simply don't understand the strong lofts. Why hit a "7 iron" with a 5 iron loft? Why not just play a 5 iron? The player is lying to himself about his distance.

[JuanitoLima]

Guys the audio is horrible in terms of Left to Right change, really annoying, constantly fading from one side to the other.

[stevekoch]

I have probably not learned less in my life. A bit of preparation next time, please.

[connortimpson]

Hey guys, I’m a mid handicap looking at t200s. Have always struggled with getting the ball high enough since shattering my shoulder last year. Would you suggest adding 1* strong or weak? Thanks @todaysgolfer