Low bounce irons

[Spederman]

Having issues finding that perfect set of irons. My problem is that in North Texas, the ground most year round is like concrete. Being a sweeper, I struggle with getting the club under the ball. My miss is usually fat, and with such a hard ground, the irons I've tried so far tend to skip off the ground and top the ball or hit low on the bottom grooves and barely get in the air.

 

Currently I have a set of TM p790 and mizuno jpx 900 forged. I'm finding that the soles on the p790's are a bit too wide. The mizuno have leading edge and trailing edge sole relief which helps.

 

But wondering what else is out there that would have a straight sharp leading edge with low bounce.

[nbg352]

Move the ball back in your stanceMmmmmmm

Having issues finding that perfect set of irons. My problem is that in North Texas, the ground most year round is like concrete. Being a sweeper, I struggle with getting the club under the ball. My miss is usually fat, and with such a hard ground, the irons I've tried so far tend to skip off the ground and top the ball or hit low on the bottom grooves and barely get in the air.

 

Currently I have a set of TM p790 and mizuno jpx 900 forged. I'm finding that the soles on the p790's are a bit too wide. The mizuno have leading edge and trailing edge sole relief which helps.

 

But wondering what else is out there that would have a straight sharp leading edge with low bounce.

Move the ball back in your stance

[Shipwreck]

Take a look at the Ben Hogan Ft Worth Black. 2-3* of bounce on the irons.

[Pepperturbo]

I understand the problem with Texas courses. I play there a few times a year. Dry and tight conditions are surprisingly common in SOCA and AZ.

 

You show 12 index on left. Going off that it's going to be difficult to find low bounce irons as they don't typically suite people that want forgiveness like P790 irons.

As stated above, moving the ball a tad back in your stance might help, but it turns your shot into more of a punch shot. Other options are to have a "profession" grind down bounce, but that can be problematic with P790's or go to more traditional irons like my Titleist 716CB's, which by comparison have lower bounce and weaker lofts than what game improvement and TM irons have.

 

TM, like other large OEM's, no longer post bounce #'s. FYI: TM P790's have 2-3* stronger lofts and lot more offset, etc.than more traditional irons, so you may experience a distance loss. Also, I suggest a call to TM for bounce numbers on your irons. :beach:

[JDMRN81]

Check out Maltby DBM's. You can buy heads only or purchase a club pak with shafts. I don't have a set yet but will be getting some this offseason to build up.

[Lagavulin62]

Another reason not to play gi’s. Grew up in FW. I know its tough but just have to deal with it. Not poking fun at your situation but who would have thought we would now have to worry about bounce on 2-9 irons? Sonetime we just have to ask ourselves, what are they selling?

[Spederman]

Yeah, thinking I'll dump the p790's. The jpx 900 forged with the bit of sole grind seems to help. The soles feel like they play thinner than they really are. Plus they are definitely smaller than the p790 square soles.

 

Do y'all think that the mizunos are more or less forgiving than p790?

[Big Ben]

Most of the JDM models have lower bounce. Not sure why though, is it firm in Japan??

[Kingcat990]

Blades.

[Chuck905]

Perhaps check your lie angles as well. I like toe clearance on firm conditions otherwise, I’m pushing the ball as my miss.

[Golf64]

Srixon have a V sole(5/785s). Might help? If not, go Mizuno.

[gbartko]

Go to your local Goodwill and get some beater blades from the 70s and be a hero on golfwrx ;-)

[Lagavulin62]

Go to your local Goodwill and get some beater blades from the 70s and be a hero on golfwrx ;-)

 

I used to make the pawn shop rounds for my other interests and got great deals. All I ever saw was junk clubs though. Maybe things are different now?

[ChipNRun]

As Shipwreck says, move the ball back in your stance.

 

Circa 1994, while living in Denton TX, I swapped out my 1973 MacGregor MT blades for some Pro Tour irons (Eye2 clones). In the rather hard NTex conditions I did fine with the higher bounce irons as long as I hit ball first.

 

Moving the ball back will help you on this.

[roundersmitty]

Want less bounce bend the lofts strong. Want more bounce bend the irons weaker.

[ThinkingPlus]

While lower bounce will help with turf interaction you also need lower vertical COG to help you get higher launch. Maltby MPF rating information (on the Golfworks website) gives you the VCOG for most OEM clubs available today.

[macdowa]

New Mizuno JPX forged and hot metal are low bounce

[SwingMan]

I play in NTexas - last 2 months - lots of rain. If you're fat at all, whether low bounce Mizunos or high bounce - you lose speed. But yes, it's usually dry.

 

I haven't had issues with high bounce or low bounce clubs - IOW, the clubs may not be the issue. But then I always look at the guy in the mirror first. But look at the Mizuno 919 HM or Forged.

 

It may be a combo of club and swing. You might experiment with increasing swingweight with lead tape for more clubhead feel; you might work on getting weight more forward. If you're sweeping, sounds as if your arms are not an issue.

[cxx]

I found that clubs that cut through the turf worked better in hard conditions. Not as much negative feedback from the ground affecting future swings. That's kind of opposite of how GI clubs are built.

[S7EV1E]

Titleist 680’s 2° throughout the set and like butter

[Lagavulin62]

Oh the memories. Rock hard courses, 30* weather, no gloves, oh a little off. Hands rattlin, feels so good to be out here.

[mlp021]

Curious what courses you play in the dfw area? I grew up there and play the courses a few times a year when I visit my Dad from Amarillo.

[SwingMan]

Lots of advice about moving ball back. Of course, you need it in the correct position - maybe off the logo of your shirt, for long to mid irons and then back another ball or so for shorter clubs.

 

Moving the ball back can create a push, which if you don't set up correctly at address, can lead to a ball out to the right unless you set up the face angle at address for a push draw.

 

Since I work constantly on the fat issue, as I said above, I work on sequencing, getting off the back foot and on the front foot as the first moves in the transition.

[gators78]

If you're hitting it so far behind the ball you're skipping into it and topping the ball I can guarantee it's not the bounce that's the issue.

[ThinkingPlus]

If you're hitting it so far behind the ball you're skipping into it and topping the ball I can guarantee it's not the bounce that's the issue.

Hitting fat is never a good play, but the OP did describe it as a "miss". However, even a ball first strike off very firm turf/hardpan can cause issues if the club has too much bounce or a very high CoG. Just because it is ball first doesn't mean the bottom of the club never strikes turf or ground while still in contact with the ball. Forward shaft lean helps, but can become a negative sum game between extra launch from impacting the ball closer to the vertical CoG vs the excessive shaft lean to get that impact position.

[propman]

I hardly hit fat iron shots but I hit way too many thin shots - very frustrating. Hitting thins with Maltby TEs.

[gators78]

If you're hitting it so far behind the ball you're skipping into it and topping the ball I can guarantee it's not the bounce that's the issue.

Hitting fat is never a good play, but the OP did describe it as a "miss". However, even a ball first strike off very firm turf/hardpan can cause issues if the club has too much bounce or a very high CoG. Just because it is ball first doesn't mean the bottom of the club never strikes turf or ground while still in contact with the ball. Forward shaft lean helps, but can become a negative sum game between extra launch from impacting the ball closer to the vertical CoG vs the excessive shaft lean to get that impact position.

 

The 900 Forged 7 iron has 3 degrees of bounce, if that's too much bounce then he's hitting it with his hands a foot behind the ball at impact.

[Cwebb]

The biggest issue is you're playing iron designs with sweet-spots (AVCOG) that are too high, for you and the conditions you play in.

 

The harder the turf, the tighter the ball sits to the ground, which makes getting the sweet-spot....to or better yet underneath the center of the ball more difficult. No "cushion" under the ball.

 

Try something with a much lower sweet-spot. The Maltby TE and DBM (same design, different finish) are the ones I would recommend trying, because they have one of the lowest AVCOG's available today.

 

They have an AVCOG that is .675". Compare that to the Mizuno JPX 900 that is .824" and P790 that are .774".

 

This aspect will help minimize hitting shots "thin" from tight lies

[Pepperturbo]

Hard pan or firm, tight turf conditions require more of a sweeping motion as opposed to digging. Ever notice the lack of divots on the tight firm turf at the Masters; players adjust swings or club head specs. And it's not always the bounce, but sole width and leading edge combined with bounce and camber in the wrong hands that cause poorly struck balls. :beach:

[dbbowen2]

Could you just get a set of traditional lofted irons, bend them 2 or so degrees strong through the set, and essentially lose 2 degrees of bounce on every iron?