Master Your Golf Game: A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing Custom Fitted Irons for Every Golfer

With a history that reaches back more than 500 years to Scottish royalty, golf is now more widely accepted than ever. From a sport whose popularity was in decline less than a decade ago, to one that was able to roar back to prominence during the Covid crisis, golf proved itself to be one of the safest ways for people to enjoy outdoor activities while still observing social distancing rules.

In Australia alone, roughly 10% of all adults identify as active golfers that includes an astounding 33% increase between pre- and post-pandemic participation. It’s to be expected, however, that for anyone who’s just beginning to nurture their appreciation for the sport, selecting the right clubs can be daunting. They’re a substantial equipment investment that needs to be custom-fitted to each user; that’s why you only want to buy your clubs from a golf shop that understands club basics.

Elevate Your Golf Game with Premium Irons

Make no mistake: if you’re serious about your golf, you know that your equipment makes all the difference. Everything from ball speed and accuracy to its spin and trajectory is determined by your clubs, which is why you want a premium-grade iron set that’s compatible with your capabilities and your budget.

There are dozens of high-quality club manufacturers offering literally hundreds of different types of irons and woods for any handicap or skill level, and it’s no exaggeration that the sheer volume of clubs on the market can seem overwhelming. Selection is the key to a golfer correctly assessing their abilities, though; that’s why when it comes to irons, having the right ones can make or break your game.

Custom Clubs Give You the Advantage on Any Course

If you’re a beginner or intermediate golfer and you’ve made up your mind about buying your own golf club iron set, it’s important to remember the differences between irons and woods. Although the names can be confusing, irons and woods are both forged from steel and high-density tungsten; but unlike the heavy forged clubheads used on woods for maximum distance, lighter weight iron heads are ideal for short and intermediate distances.

With the exception of hybrid long-distance golf club iron sets, the smaller, lighter clubheads, and angled club faces of irons are engineered for distances under 200 yards, making them the perfect choice for shots that require:

• Superior trajectory control. Whether you’re shooting low to go under a limb or against a headwind, or shooting high to go over the same limb or straight onto the green, iron sets are specialized for both.
• Hitting off the tee. For fairways in the 200 yard range (or longer if going downhill), irons offer a measure of control that isn’t possible with woods.
• Low bump and runs. For low shots that would typically be taken ahead of the green, and allowing the ball to run along the ground, irons are your best choice.

Make no mistake: everything from variations in your stance and swings to your height and hand strength makes it impossible to say that any particular golf iron set performs better than any other. You have to have them fitted; that’s why premier golf shops offer literally hundreds of high-quality clubs from manufacturers like Titleist, Callaway, Ping, and Mizuno for every style, handicap, and skill level. They’re designed to give you the advantage on any course, and it’s no coincidence that their innovative forgings begin with the standard club numbering.

Follow the Numbers For Club Face Angles

For more than 80 years, golf club manufacturers have used numbers to consistently describe their club face angles. This angle, known as “loft”, is the chief determinant of ball travel distance.

• 2 iron (long) – 105 to 210 yards travel distance.
• 3 iron (long) – 100 to 205 yards travel distance.
• 4 iron (long) – 90 to 190 yards travel distance.
• 5 iron (mid) – 80 to 175 yards travel distance.
• 6 iron (mid) – 70 to 165 yards travel distance.
• 7 iron (mid) – 65 to 155 yards travel distance.
• 8 iron (short) – 60 to 145 yards travel distance.
• 9 iron (short) – 55 to 135 yards travel distance.

Together with their long, mid, and short-range ratings, lower iron numbers are used to designate the progressively lower club face (loft) angles that are crucial for better shot control. Together with correspondingly longer shaft lengths, each sequential number change is equivalent to a 10 -15 yard (+/- 4° loft) increase or decrease in ball travel; and it’s a factor you want to keep in mind when you’re looking at the wide range of custom clubhead features that are found on high-quality iron sets.

Clubface Features That Drive Iron Performance

While most golfers understand the importance of whether a club is left or right handed, as well as its grip and shaft flex, the science and engineering that goes into clubhead design is easily overlooked. Attributes like ball lift, spin, and even direction are all determined by clubhead design, which is why before you buy an iron set, you need to be aware of how specific clubhead features affect characteristics like:

• Loft angle. Loft is the angle that exists between the clubface and the ground; and depending on your swing speed, it’s responsible for both ball height and travel distance.
• Centre of gravity (CG). An iron’s CG is the 3-dimensional point inside the clubhead where its weight is most evenly distributed and should be matched to a golfer’s unique style for the best balance and stability.
• Clubface grooves. The shape, quantity, and depth of your clubface’s grooves are responsible for creating the spin-producing compression and friction that make balls easier to control on the green.
• Clubface angle. Clubface angles are considered to be either open, closed, or square and are used to describe the angle of the clubface relative to the centreline of the ball.
• Bounce angle. The bounce angle is the angle between the clubhead’s sole and the leading edge where it makes contact with the ground.

The fact is, there’s an immense amount of applied physics that goes into clubhead design, and these are just a few of the attributes that you need to consider when looking at various iron sets. It’s why the best golf iron sets for sale are tailored specifically to each golfing style; and why when you’re ready to buy a premium set of irons, you only want to buy from a golf shop that understands the importance of every set of clubs matching the golfer.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, even if you’re still relatively new to golfing if you’re serious about enjoying a few rounds of golf on your days off, then it makes sense to have your own clubs. Course rentals simply can’t deliver the performance that your own custom-fitted clubs can; and fortunately, finding custom clubs isn’t difficult in Australia.

A custom fitted iron set is going to give you everything you need to take your golf to the next level. It’s an equipment investment that you won’t regret making, and premium golf shops even make it possible for you to successfully order them online.