On this page you will find golfing information about Cast Irons Vs. Forged Irons
Forged Irons? Cast? What's the Difference?
In the olden days, all golf irons were forged. That meant that a single piece of metal was heated and then hammered or stamped into the basic shape of the club head. Then skilled workers would finish off the club by giving it its final shape and polish. They were also "muscle back" clubs meaning that the part of the club directly behind the face of the iron was soild metal and usually the thickest part of the club.
Cast irons are made by pouring molten metal into molds. Thus, each club is an identical replica. This process also allows harder metals to be used that wouldn't normally be easy to forge. The casting process also allowed some club design innovations such as cavity back irons which redistributed weight to the outside leaving a "cavity" right behind the club face. This design helped amateur golfers hit their iron shots straighter and helped them get them up into the air.
In recent history, cast irons have become the most popular clubs played by most people. There are several reasons. Cast irons are generally cheaper to make and therefore cost less for golfers. Another reason is that they were simply easier to hit. Most amateurs struggle initially to get their iron shots airborn. The cavity back design made that easy.
Why Do Professional Golfers Choose Forged Irons?
Professional golfers have consistently preferred forged irons claiming that they prefer the softer feel. Recent studies have shown, however, that it is virtually impossible for a human being to differentiate between a cast iron and a forged iron based on the "softness" of the metal. Many mid to lower handicap amateurs have chosen to use forged irons because they seem more elite, even though cast irons could have helped their game.
Golf Technology Has Leveled the Playing Field
Fortunately, technology has almost completely obliterated the line between forged and cast irons. If you want, you can now find some fine forged irons that incorporate modern cavity back design. You will pay more money because they are forged, but if that is your preference, at least you don't have to sacrifice golf technology improvements. Extremely accomplished golfers do find that the muscle back clubs give them more ability to "work" the ball -- either drawing or fading their shots on demand.
For most average golfers, we would probably do best to stick with cavity back cast irons. Working the ball is usually built into our faulty swings (can you say slice?) We need the most help keeping our shots straight. If you can find a club that will help you do that, it's just one less thing to worry about.
Whatever you do - find clubs that use the latest technology and still fit within your budget. That usually means either choosing used name-brand clubs, or brand new cloned golf clubs. I've done both, and in my humble opinion, cloned clubs are the way to go. On this site we have links to several manufacturers where you can get an entire set of cloned irons - cast or forged - for less than $200. So go ahead, order some today. You will be happy you did. And most important, you'll have a lot more fun playing golf!
Joel Thomas is an avid golfer, gardener and fisherman who lives in S. Arizona with his lovely wife and children.
