Spice up forged irons with a bit of technology, and what do you have? A new breed of irons made for traditionalists preferring the classic look of blades but no longer owning the game to match.

In the past, manufacturers relied on the casting process to manufacture clubs with optimum forgiveness. Casting involves pouring liquid metals into molds to create irons with large cavities, a key to game improvement. Forging, on the other hand, requires the shaping of an already solid block of metal into the desired form, which makes creating deep cavities difficult.

Despite the challenges, designers have found ways to add forgiveness to forgings. MACGREGOR’s MacTec forged M685 ($700, macgregorgolf.com), TITLEIST’s 775.CB ($750, titleist.com) and BEN HGOGAN’s new Apex Edge iron ($800, benhogan.com) infuse game improvement by forging pieces of the clubhead separately.

Hogan’s Apex Edge iron is forged from 1020 carbon steel, and its 180-degree undercut channel allows designers to push the center of gravity (CG) low and deep. The back wall of the cavity is parallel to the face and is laser welded to the face.

Titleist adds game-improvement features to its new 775.CB irons where golfers need help: in the long irons. The oversize clubhead combines a stainless-steel body with a thin face insert, which the company says allows 20 grams to be moved to the perimeter and sole, creating a low and deep CG. To combat the harsh feel of the thin face, designers added an aluminum dampener bar to reduce vibration and improve feel.

MacGregor builds its M685 molds with the input of Don White, the legendary club grinder from Albany, Ga. White produces the final shape before shipping the clubhead to the company’s Asian factory. The one-piece short irons are forged from a softer carbon steel than the two-piece long irons (3-iron to 6-iron).

“The face and hosel are forged as one unit to improve feel,” says Jim Bode, MacGregor’s vice president of research and development. “The center of the face is 10 points harder than its perimeter, which means the face will give as much for a shot hit off-center as one hit off the sweet spot.”

Most golfers miss that sweet spot, but the consequences lessen as designers continue to package forgiveness in new ways.

Sneak Peek
A first look at what the insiders are showing off CLEVELAND is using a geometric departure (a scooped-out crown design) in its new HiBore driver to help push the center of gravity more in line with the center of the clubface. The prototype has been in the hands of Vijay Singh, Jerry Kelly and David Toms (This is Toms’, by the way.), and the finished product should be in stores this spring.