What Are The Different Types Of Golf Irons?

A majority of your golf bag is made up of irons. It is important that a golfer knows how each iron feels. However, finding the right set of golf irons can take a considerable amount of time and money. With the plethora of choices, you may be wondering – what is up with the different types of golf irons?

The main two styles of golf irons are a cavity back and a muscle back blade. Each of these irons have different subsets within them. A muscle back iron (or blade) features a full back rear of the club, while a cavity back features a hollowed-out rear end of the club. Cavity backs are used by all types of players, from beginner golfers to PGA Tour pros. Muscle back irons typically are only used by advanced players and some professional golfers.

What Are The Different Designs Of Golf Irons?

Cavity back irons have become more popular in recent years, specifically for beginners and your average golfer. Cavity back irons have a larger sweet spot than blades and make it easier to elevate the ball and achieve a straighter shot.

Muscle back irons (also called blade irons or blades) are not the most forgiving iron style. However, they do allow you to shape your ball much easier when compared to cavity back irons. They’re designed for more advanced players and feature a thin face, a thin top line and a very small sweet spot.

The Different Types Of Golf Irons

There are two different types of golf irons, forged and cast irons. 

Forged Irons: Forged irons are created from a single piece of metal that is smashed into a rough shape and then hammered into the finished design. The club head is then sent through the process of grinding, milling and polishing until the final product is produced.

Cast Irons: Cast irons are a popular and typically cheaper than forged irons. This type of iron is created by pouring molten metal into a mold, which then hardens as the finished process. Cast irons are created with multiple materials and feature more parameter weights. The casting process is cheaper and faster than the forged process.

What Are The Differences Between Short, Mid and Long Irons?

Generally, irons fall into three categories, short, medium and long. Each iron is designed to hit the ball a different distance. There is no right or wrong yardage that you need to hit for each club.

Learning your distances, or how far you hit each club, is extremely important in lowering your score in golf.

Try not to get caught up in hitting the same iron yardages as your friends, rather, learn your yardages and play your own game.

Short irons: Short irons are your 8 iron, 9 iron, and pitching wedge. These irons are also called the “scoring irons”. Short irons are typically easier to hit because the shaft of the club is shorter compared to the rest of the set. Learning how to hit your short irons is vital to shooting low rounds.

Mid irons: Mid irons are your 6 iron and your 7 iron. These two irons should be your “mid distance” irons. Mid irons are a drop harder to hit than short irons but still easier to hit than long irons. Getting the ball in the air with mid irons is a little harder than short irons. However, when you learn how to control your ball flight, mid irons can be more versatile than short irons.

Long Irons: Long irons are normally not favored by new golfers. These are your 3 iron, 4 iron, and 5 iron. 3 irons and 4 irons are not as common nowadays and are commonly replaced by hybrid clubs because of how much more difficult long irons are to get into the air. Learning how to hit long irons can be challenging, but is important when learning how to golf.

Here at Bestgolfaccessories.net, we suggest that you visit your local golf shop and test different irons and iron types before purchasing anything! See a professional fitter to ensure you are buying the correct iron set.