Why the wrong iron sole could be hurting your scores

When golfers think about bounce, they usually think about wedges. But the same principles that influence strike location, launch and turf interaction with a 56-degree wedge apply equally to your 6-iron.

A typical wedge fitting includes a look at a player’s angle of attack (AoA) and divot pattern. While being cognizant of a client’s general playing conditions, my primary focus is to help get the strike closer to where you want it. 

More bounce will move the strike down the blade, thus producing lower launching shots. Conversely, less bounce will present higher on the blade, producing higher launching shots. How someone delivers a wedge influences the bounce they’ll select. 

The purpose of this article is to illustrate that sole width and bounce on irons should be considered in a fitting with the same level of attention as on wedges.

When a player needs less bounce in their irons

I’ll start with the most common example I see. Client A is a good golfer. He is delivering his 6-iron very shallow, producing a left spin axis on his good strikes. 

This client is playing a set of irons that includes a thick sole and a 6-iron loft of 26 degrees. He is wondering why even his best iron shots have a very shallow land angle and lower than optimal spin. 

This player is in a high-bounce set of irons where the loft on the portion of the face he regularly strikes has maybe 23 degrees. Client A, being a shallow swinger and drawer of the ball, is bouncing the club into a lot of shots, presenting the bottom portion of the blade, resulting in unwanted low iron shots. 

One of the first things I want to try with this client is an iron head with less bounce and more loft. Remember from the opening paragraph, less bounce moves the strike up the blade, producing higher launching shots. Client A could use an iron set that he strikes more up in the middle of the face. Combined with a higher lofted set, he should be seeing softer landing iron shots in no time. 

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While being intently aware of the bounce on your irons is more of an immediate concern for the better player, it is not to be discounted as a factor in forgiveness for players who are either less skilled or who deliver the golf club rather steeply.

When a player needs more bounce in their irons

My second example is one I see weekly in my role as Master Fitter with True Spec Golf. Client B has been playing for a few years now, but never received formal golf lessons. He came to the game after playing another sport extensively. Some of the habits from his previous endeavor are dying hard with his golf swing.

Client B delivers his 6-iron in a fashion that would produce a low fade on the best of circumstances. He is using a set of golf clubs that his buddy recommended to him when he got started. The irons are a beautiful set of muscle backs that could get stuck in the turf on the best of ball strikers.

With his steep delivery, Client B has little hope of hitting any kind of shot that reflects his clubhead speed. Client B has good clubhead speed, but the high on the blade strikes are robbing him of significant distance, and worse, control. 

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After discussing the effect club bounce can have impact location, we begin testing with stronger lofted sets that feature more bounce. In cleaning up his contact, we witnessed massive ball speed gains and much more penetrating flights.  This client will enjoy more forgiveness all around by selecting an iron set with an appropriate amount of bounce for their golf swing.

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I recognize there are many factors that influence strike location on the face. Some can be swing, some can be club-related. Understanding the role of bounce on impact location is one element to be aware of when selecting your next set of irons.