Softest players distance irons that aren't forged?

[Pnwpingi210]

36 minutes ago, ScooterMcTavish said:

I can agree with missing bag chatter and the sound of metal spikes.

 

I also miss the days of buying a new set of irons for between $100-300, and being able to respike a pair of well loved shoes for under $10.

 

Unfortunately, when irons are $1,400 plus per set, I want ‘em to look as nice as long as possible.  And I genuinely love a clean and undamaged top line.

I’m the opposite.  I dislike the look of new irons.  It’s weird but I feel like I baby them and are more worried about damaging them than playing golf.

 

every new set I get now gets lead tape add just to start the process of making them look not new….no lie

[mootrail]

23 hours ago, Foxx said:

 

I'd like soft feeling irons that don't get beat up easy.

It's the type of steel not the forging that makes it prone to getting dinged up.  Modern player's hollow body are forged from harder metals fused with a springy face, tungsten and some dampening component.  They don't ding easily.  Some feel soft like a classic forged CB and some do not.  My Epic Max Fasts with a high chrome finish do not show any signs of denting and they feel amazingly soft off the face.

[HokieNC]

i230 and hit a softer golf ball, solved. Try AVX?

 

and to someone thinking… how could you change golf ball how extreme, we are discussing how to find a soft but not forged iron so we’re splitting hairs😅

[AbSWFPGA]

Callaway rogue pro 

[Foxx]

4 hours ago, AbSWFPGA said:

Callaway rogue pro 

 

Thanks.

Yes tried a set of 2022 Rogue Pro ST irons.

450 stainless steel. The softest non forged irons I've tried so far.

[JD3]

PXG 0211, but idk if they still make them. Btw I don't know if cast don't get as "beat up" looking at forged. Think it depends on a number of things other than just cast or forged.

[GoldenEagle69]

I've got a set of JPX 921 HMP's and I can attest to their extreme durability. No chance of bag chatter. No need for iron covers.

 

I had always played forged irons, most recently Mizuno CB's. Feel is important to me. I really like the feel of these. It's not that buttery soft forged feel, but more of a solid thwack that feels more like cracking a homerun with a wooden baseball bat.

[Golfdoctor]

On 7/3/2025 at 9:14 PM, Foxx said:

What are the softest players distance irons you've played that aren't forged?

You need to look at 431 Stainless Steel, such as the Ping 230's. It's softer than 17-4 SS, but not forged. 

[underwater]

Change your perspective and open up a world of options for soft feeling clubs.

 

...the patina of a well-played forging is a beautiful thing and highly respectable. #noheadcovers

 

 

 

Edited July 5 by underwater

[Nessism]

13 hours ago, mootrail said:

It's the type of steel not the forging that makes it prone to getting dinged up.  Modern player's hollow body are forged from harder metals fused with a springy face, tungsten and some dampening component.  They don't ding easily.  Some feel soft like a classic forged CB and some do not.  My Epic Max Fasts with a high chrome finish do not show any signs of denting and they feel amazingly soft off the face.

 

All forged club heads use soft metal.  Even the harder than average 8620 steel, used by some like Ping and PXG, is still quite soft.

 

The wild card in this discussion is that some clubs claim to be "forged", when the only part of the head that's forged (actually stamped) is the face.  Blame the marketing people for this.

[iNeedMoreGolf]

I also have cobra mim. Great irons. Maybe the softest ive ever hit without feeling dead. They are cast basically but feel great and soft. They are very durable as well. The cobra tours that are out now are the same just name change. T200 arent bad either but ding up just a bit more and feel great and soft most of the time except here and there a thin miss hit can feel harsh. Also the new mizuno forged feel so soft and dont look like they would ding much.  Last the zx5 irons maybe forged but my zx7 i have played for 3 yrs are in great shape.

[Foxx]

12 hours ago, underwater said:

Change your perspective and open up a world of options for soft feeling clubs.

 

...the patina of a well-played forging is a beautiful thing and highly respectable. #noheadcovers

 

 

 

 

Each to their own, but if I've got a choice of soft irons that easily rock gouge, scrape, chip etc, or ones that don't. Then I'd prefer the ones that don't.

 

 

 

Edited July 6 by Foxx

[Johnny Biarritz]

I've played 30 years worth of irons and 30 years worth of golf balls. Actually, played a wider variance than that on the irons because I had a set of Ping Karsten II's that were released in 1977; not sure when my set was built. I built clubs professionally for a while. There's no difference in "feel" that has anything to do with the steel that's used in construction. It's a giant myth. I'll plant the flag and die on that hill until I'm in the ground. Blind test multiple sets of irons and see if you can tell the difference between forged and cast. It's not there. You think a cast club "feels" hard, it doesn't. Golfers are predisposed to think that forged feels soft and cast feels hard, so when they hit clubs that's proven. Predisposed to think that Ping cast is rock hard and Mizuno forged is butter soft...well, I had the Karsten IIs and a set of MP-29s at the same time, I've hit them on the range back-to-back. There's no difference in feel if you don't already believe the myth that there should be. Seriously, blind test a bunch of irons on grass with real golf balls, not range rocks. They feel the same. Still think the cast clubs "feel" hard, stuff some foam down the shaft and see how that feels.

[Llortamaisey]

I didn’t read every post, and I saw a few people mention cobra, but I didn’t see anyone mention their 3D irons. I’ve never used them but I have a buddy who has them and he swears they’re abnormally soft feeling for a club that it definitely not forged. He could be just blowing smoke or have users bias. He also says they’re fairly forgiving for their size as well. 

[leojax]

Second the recs for the recent generation of Hot Metal Pros. In the JPX line, the cast clubs are hotter, and if they work for you great. I get more playable spin and distance control from the JPX forged lines in addition to a little better feel, so will take the extra dings. As other have shared, there are some harder forged options (e.g. Ping Blueprint S)

[AbSWFPGA]

On 7/5/2025 at 4:30 AM, Foxx said:

 

Thanks.

Yes tried a set of 2022 Rogue Pro ST irons.

450 stainless steel. The softest non forged irons I've tried so far.

Original rogue pro that Tommy Gainey still games. The st pro weren’t bad but the original rogue pro irons were just different. 

[hammergolf]

On 7/5/2025 at 10:38 PM, Foxx said:

 

Each to their own, but if I've got a choice of soft irons that easily rock gouge, scrape, chip etc, or ones that don't. Then I'd prefer the ones that don't.

 

 

 

If a rock doesn’t gouge, scrape, or chips it’s a very hard metal. You’re looking for something that doesn’t exist. 

[POKeefe]

On 7/5/2025 at 4:30 AM, Foxx said:

 

Thanks.

Yes tried a set of 2022 Rogue Pro ST irons.

450 stainless steel. The softest non forged irons I've tried so far.

I have the Rogue ST Pros, and they're still really clicky compared to forged irons. Honestly, if someone needs forgiveness, something like the Callaway XForged Max or Maltby TS3 are ideal. They give help while still feeling good without fliers. Or if you do want a little tech, the ZXi5 or JPX Forged are good bets.

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, POKeefe said:

I have the Rogue ST Pros, and they're still really clicky compared to forged irons. Honestly, if someone needs forgiveness, something like the Callaway XForged Max or Maltby TS3 are ideal. They give help while still feeling good without fliers. Or if you do want a little tech, the ZXi5 or JPX Forged are good bets.

Yeah, but they are soft and will get nicks and gouges, the OP doesn’t want that. He wants Mizuno MP14 feel with an indestructible metal…. I’m wanting to wake up next to Jennifer Anniston in the morning so him and I are both asking for something that isn’t a possibility. 

[bk3318]

They are expensive, but the Cobra 3DP all day.

[Foxx]

3 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Yeah, but they are soft and will get nicks and gouges, the OP doesn’t want that. He wants Mizuno MP14 feel with an indestructible metal…. I’m wanting to wake up next to Jennifer Anniston in the morning so him and I are both asking for something that isn’t a possibility. 

 

Most posters here understand the mission. Because most know you can get cast irons that feel quite soft while also being very durable against rocks guages etc.

 

Who said anything about Mizuno feel with indestructible metal? You did.

 

 

Edited July 9 by Foxx

[puttingmatt]

Play forged,

When needed,

Buy updated forged irons,

This is golfwrx,

When we need, we buy.

No such thing as a one and only set of  forever clubs

Adopt the Tools, not Jewels attitude. 

Edited July 9 by puttingmatt

[bodhi555]

On 7/5/2025 at 4:36 PM, underwater said:

Change your perspective and open up a world of options for soft feeling clubs.

 

...the patina of a well-played forging is a beautiful thing and highly respectable. #noheadcovers

 

 

 

 

I approve of this philosophy.

 

 

[flognut]

Ping I210's with KBS TGI 100 feel as soft as any forging i have tried from memory.

[dmbolp]

[DNice26]

Cobra King Tour...    they make range balls feel premium.

[underwater]

On 7/5/2025 at 9:38 PM, Foxx said:

 

Each to their own, but if I've got a choice of soft irons that easily rock gouge, scrape, chip etc, or ones that don't. Then I'd prefer the ones that don't.

 

I'm a 4hc and I've been as low as 1.2 in my 35 years of playing golf.  I don't think I've EVER had a "chip" in an iron - nor "rock gouge" that was meaningful.  Yeah I might have a slightly deeper groove on the sole from some sort of aggregate in the soil, but who cares?  Why sacrifice feel so you can show off your shiny new irons that don't feel as good.

 

Wear is expected - new baseball gloves suck.  Nothing worse than guys who treat their irons like jewels.  Frankly, irons look silly until they are broken in.  

 

If some guy rolls up onto the tee box with new shiny irons (or iron head covers with a 14-way bag), I immediately tell him "We're playing a money game, Go get your wallet".  Conversely if some cat rolls up with broken in 8-year old blades with bag chatter, im running my wallet back to the car.

 

 

Edited July 9 by underwater

[Pnwpingi210]

Did somebody say headcovers on irons?????

 

[alexc93]

On 7/6/2025 at 5:58 AM, Llortamaisey said:

I didn’t read every post, and I saw a few people mention cobra, but I didn’t see anyone mention their 3D irons. I’ve never used them but I have a buddy who has them and he swears they’re abnormally soft feeling for a club that it definitely not forged. He could be just blowing smoke or have users bias. He also says they’re fairly forgiving for their size as well. 

This is interesting because I just watched a video of a builder who was requested to bend the 3D irons weak which he was concerned about, but after he bent them, said they bent easier than any forged club. So maybe they really are soft..

[KGrinols]

On 7/4/2025 at 4:39 AM, WristySwing said:

It doesn't really answer your question because it is not really Player's Distance since they are larger overall, but the PXG 0211 irons felt very soft to me when hit near the middle, as soft as any forging I've had. 

An 0211 owner and I also feel like they are fairly soft relative to other unforged irons I've hit.  I think the softest I've ever personally felt was the srixon 545, but I'm not as much of a hoe as others.

On 7/6/2025 at 2:58 AM, Llortamaisey said:

I didn’t read every post, and I saw a few people mention cobra, but I didn’t see anyone mention their 3D irons. I’ve never used them but I have a buddy who has them and he swears they’re abnormally soft feeling for a club that it definitely not forged. He could be just blowing smoke or have users bias. He also says they’re fairly forgiving for their size as well. 

This would have been my guess.  I'm too poor to afford them, but every review you can find on the 3d printed cobras, gushed about the feel.

I can't wait for 3d printed clubs to become more mainstream and prices to come down.