New for this version is the Fitters Corner. As a Master Club fitter, and one who does a lot of fittings, I come across unique situations and questions, as well as a lot of common questions from players, pros and other fitters. Here, I hope to answer these on a weekly basis. Contrary to my normal emails, these should be short and sweet. Anything you’d like to see in here? Ask the question – I’ll add it!!

Today, I’ll get to the number one question/ comment I get. “Why are the lofts of these irons so strong?” or, “these just go so far because the lofts are jacked.” This one is loaded, but I’ll dive in.

Loft makes a difference in distance, but nowhere near as much as most players think. The difference between a 6 iron and a 7 iron for most players is 10 yards – correct? The physical difference between those two clubs is essentially 4 degrees and an extra half inch in length. Typically, half of your 10 yards comes from the length, and the other half comes from the stronger loft. In English… +1/2″ gets you 5 yards, and 4 degrees stronger loft gets you 5 yards. So, 1 degree gets you a 42″ – the width of your riding lawn mower. Brace yourself for all the extra distance!! Haha. Still with me?

Here’s why loft DOESN’T matter. In the old days (5+ years ago and before), most irons were made with a single piece of steel. The same steel. Even hollow body irons were the same steel – just hollow. About 5 years ago, iron manufacturers started tinkering with Technology and pushing the USGA limits to the max. Essentially, how to make faces hotter (to make irons go further). With this advent, came new materials (like Tungsten) strategically placed to ALSO make the head more forgiving. The result is many irons today have faces that are as hot as any fairway wood (and even some drivers from years ago), yet are as forgiving as anything ever made (distance losses on off center hits are often negligible). Cool, huh? 

Well, the issue became a matter of sight. A 7 iron now had so much mass low, deep and around the perimeter of the club that the ball simply didn’t launch like a 7 iron. They flew WAAAAY too high. We golfers are a fickle bunch… If a 7 iron doesn’t look AND fly like a 7 iron, no one wants it. To accomplish that, we had to… you guessed it – lower the loft of the iron to lower the trajectory. The stronger lofts are more about ball flight than distance, BUT they do help the ball fly a bit further too. The reality is the hotter faces and strategically placed Tungsten have more effect on distance than stronger lofts, but everything plays a part.

The main issue uncovered here is that not everyone needs the stronger lofts. Many players with slow swing speeds do not generate the lift to get the ball in the air, or the spin to keep the ball in the air, so they actually need MORE loft – almost counter intuitive that more loft can hit it farther for some players, but it does. We make a club just for these folks!! The Rogue ST MAX OS Lite is a lighter weight head with 2.5-3 degrees more loft than the STD MAX OS. The lighter head will help slower swing speeds swing the club a little faster, and the increased loft will add more spin (so it climbs higher and stops faster) and lift (so it launches higher). Great for Seniors, ladies and Juniors. There are no feminine markings on the heads, so a 13 year old boy won’t be embarrassed , a 75 year old man won’t buck your suggestion, and they have a very similar look to the Rogue ST MAX (they don’t look like an oversize duffers club).