Opinion & Analysis

Wedge Guy: Do irons really need to go longer?

Published

4 years ago

Oct 26, 2022

I’m going to admit right up front that today’s post is an update of one I wrote almost 10 years ago, but the subject is just as relevant to all golfers today, if not even more so, in my opinion. Back then, it was interesting to me that the two most “aggressive” marketers of irons that year began touting how long they are, because up until then, the “distance war” had been mostly limited to drivers.

Until then, we had been through almost 40 years of drivers being sold by touting that they are longer, and that kind of makes sense. Then this “longer, faster, meaner” claim worked its way into the fairway woods category, and even the hybrids. Even that makes a little sense.

But what advantage does it give you if your irons’ specifications are “jacked up” so that the new ones go further than the old ones?

While I will admit that golf club technologies have certainly advanced, the main pathway to making new irons longer – on a number-by-number basis – is to lower the center of mass, decrease the loft and maybe make the shaft longer. Essentially, what is today’s “8-iron” for example, has almost the same loft and length as an historic 6-iron. Of course, it goes further.

As a comparison, I was revisiting an old set of Reid Lockhart RL Blades that I designed in the mid-1990s. The pitching wedge had 48 degrees of loft and the 7-iron was 36 degrees in loft. In looking at specs for many of the modern iron sets, many 9-irons have almost that same loft.

So, for fun I got out the launch monitor and hit balls with both the RL Blade 7-iron and a modern 9-iron that was just 2 degrees weaker. What I found was that carry distance was really not all that different at my strength profile, about 140 yards. But the RL Blade launched considerably lower, delivered significantly more spin and was much easier to flight up and down to adapt to varying conditions, particularly wind.

What I also found was that the once-piece design of the RL Blades made “dialing in” those shorter distances much more reliable.

But back to what a jacked up set of irons does for your game . . . what happens if all your irons go further than your last set? Does that really help you hit more greens?

There was an old adage of golf club design called “the 24/38 rule”. What that meant is that only skilled players could proficiently handle an iron with 24 degrees of loft or less, and 38 inches in length or more. I’ll admit that modern iron designs have made the loft limitation a bit outdated, but the longer a club is, the more accurate you are likely to be, both in delivery of the clubhead to the ball and keeping the face angle and path tighter.

But here is what I find really interesting. In many of the major brands’ iron line-ups, they have their “tour” or “pro” model . . . which are typically up to two degrees weaker in loft and ¼ to 3/8 inch shorter in length than the ones they are trying to sell you. How much sense does that make? The tour player, who’s bigger and stronger than you, plays a club that is shorter and easier to control than the one they are selling you. Hmmmmm. Gotcha.

But let’s tie this back to drivers. On Iron Byron, the 46” driver always goes further than the 45, because Iron Byron doesn’t have any swing flaws. So, that’s what the stores are full of. But tour bags are full of drivers at 45”. So, if the tour player only hits 55-60% of his fairways with a 45” driver, how many are you going to hit with a 46?

Same goes with longer irons.

I’m just sayin’…

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Terry Koehler

Terry Koehler is a fourth generation Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Over his 40-year career in the golf industry, he has created over 100 putter designs and dozens of wedges. In 2014, he put together the team that reintroduced the Ben Hogan brand to the golf equipment industry with his TK 15 wedges and Ft. Worth 15 iron designs. Since receiving a U.S. Patent for his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” in the wedge category. In addition to inspiring multiple companies to emulate this sole technology, the performance of his wedge designs have stimulated all other companies to reposition some mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges. Terry is retired from his role as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf, and remains active in the industry as an independent designer and consultant. But his most compelling work is in the wedge category. Since he first patented his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” reflected in ‘tour design’ wedges. The performance of his wedge designs have stimulated other companies to move slightly more mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges, but none approach the dramatic design of his Edison Forged wedges, which have been robotically proven to significantly raise the bar for wedge performance. Terry serves as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf – check it out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

16 Comments

Dennis Kovit

Mar 1, 2025 at 4:45 pm

I have a full set of Reid Lockhart irons and still use them often as nothing feels as good as hitting a forged blade pure. I’m looking for a Reid Lockhart 56 degree QB Sole wedge if anyone has one for sale.

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Golfer

Jan 20, 2023 at 9:27 am

I’m curious about Wishon’s 24/38 rule. Does that still apply given today’s more forgiving, hotter iron heads? I’m curious as to the timing of when this rule came out and then also what he/we define as “average” golfer. What handicap is that? Anything above 10?

Curious as to thoughts here….

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Steve

Oct 30, 2022 at 9:11 pm

This is such a silly look at this issue. One of the biggest differences between better players and average players, the average players do NOT know how to deloft irons at impact. In fact, many amateur players are actually adding loft at impact. As a result, to get ball launch conditions into an ideal window without changing a swing, the iron lofts get stronger. And that really does HELP that player who can’t deloft at impact. And, it increases launch ball speed and efficiency. For the first time, that amateur is seeing a launch window closer to an ideal for each iron number. That’s not a bad thing. Yes, Maybe they should take hours and hours to rebuild and learn a new swing, but many just don’t have that much time and don’t care, it’s a leisure activity not a profession for most! If stronger lofts don’t work for you, great, select one of the more standard lofted iron choices. But it doesn’t mean there isn’t a true market for stronger lofted irons, because they work for many amateur players!

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Blaiser

Oct 29, 2022 at 5:28 pm

Distance (and ego) is a thing in golf. Has been, and will be forever.

I get how having jacked lofts can make a golfer happier, and I see nothing wrong with that. If it makes them enjoy the game more, then I’m all for it.

But yes, it’s doing them a disservice if their gapping is messed up. But it looks like OEMs do a good job of providing gap wedges to combat this.

All in all, it’s just a number on the button of the club and it really doesn’t matter “what is a 7 iron ‘supposed’ to be”

My take is it would be easier to just have the loft stamped on the club. But that would probably be a bit too confusing for the new or casual golfer.

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Ned

Oct 29, 2022 at 5:55 am

Easy to say but wait to you get to be my age “79”. You will be looking to get all the distance you can get so you can play a reasonable round of golf. I don’t really care how much they jack the lofts if it gets that added distance. The new tech makes the launch angle almost the same as the older lofted clubs. The number in the bottom is meaningless it is all about gaping.

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Jay

Oct 28, 2022 at 1:33 pm

Have never understood the distance obsession with irons. The point of an iron is to hit a ball a particular distance, not to hit it as far as humanly possible.

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Fred

Oct 28, 2022 at 10:55 am

You mention lower COG’s. Clubs seem designed now to get in the air by the force applied to them rather than spin, which plays into the unfortunate tendency of most golfers to hit up on the ball.

That is to say, many modern clubs seem designed to groove a bad swing.

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Rich Douglas

Oct 27, 2022 at 4:24 pm

I’ve played single-length irons for 6+ years. Wishon–first Sterling now EQ1-NX. I’m way more accurate throughout the set. You’d expect to be more accurate with the 4-7–they’re set at an 8-iron length. But the 9-SW are more accurate, too. That’s because I’m putting the exact same swing on every ball throughout the set, and every club in the set feels exactly the same. Same length, weight, swing weight, shaft, offset, lie angle, and MOI. The only difference you can see or feel is loft. (CG is a big player, too.)

I carry an 8-iron 157 with 87mph swing speed. I don’t need it to go farther. If I do, I can reach for a 7-iron (ore more) that will feel exactly the same. What I really need is accuracy, and the single-length set certainly provides it.

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Jeff B

Oct 27, 2022 at 8:35 am

You are right this is still very relevant. The issue for most amateurs is the long iron lofts all getting crammed together and then having 5-6 degree gaps in their scoring irons and wedges. They often can’t hit a long iron consistent distances anyway. It would be much better for their game to have smaller gaps in the short irons and wedges.

But that doesn’t “sell” apparently when you’re hitting 7-irons on the monitor and just want the longest one. You often see tour pros testing new clubs and saying the opposite, i.e. “This one goes too far, not enough spin, don’t like it.”

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Bob

Oct 27, 2022 at 12:43 am

No. Irons need to be spaced, non-redundant, predictable, reduce distance and direction volatility, perform on mishits, and fill all the gaps between woods and wedges. Take care of these and it’s amazing how much better they look.

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Paul Runyan

Oct 26, 2022 at 10:15 pm

Or my old set of Haigs with the PW loft of 50 degrees!

I’m looking at a new set of irons for next year. Standard old lofts of 27 degrees for a 5 iron, 46 degrees on the PW. Works well on my 919Tours. And a Ping TiTec 7 wood from with an A flex shaft for height and distance I’ve had for 20 years or so. Tiny head too! What’s wrong with that!?

Considering a new set from TXG with Mizuno MP 20’s or MMC’s.

Some 6 irons are now 4 irons with a length of a 5 wood.

Why don’t we just have a 6 iron contest and forget about playing golf?!

Just take another club, I say.

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Rory

Oct 26, 2022 at 10:06 pm

You have a 3 wood and a lob wedge and typically 10 clubs to fill that gap. Does not really matter what they are called as long as the gapping is good

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MICHAEL

Oct 26, 2022 at 8:15 pm

With iron lofts getting stronger every year, I’m already planning for my new iron set in 2030. The eight irons I will carry w/b a 7 iron @ 24 deg, an 8 @ 27 deg, a 9 @ 31 deg, a PW @ 35 deg & 4 Gap wedges to make up the rest of my bag up to my sand wedge.

Why doesn’t the usga require that ‘lofts #’s’ & not just useless club #’s are stamped on every iron? Then comparisons can be meaningful.

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Martien

Oct 26, 2022 at 4:14 pm

The road leads to single length irons .

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Steve

Oct 26, 2022 at 11:53 am

Terry, what is your take on the newer iron design with respect to handling the in between distances on iron shots? I find that a choked down 9 iron or wedge goes almost the exact same distance as a regular shot. How does the current iron design affect the ability to adjust the distance you can hit an iron?

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Bobby G

Oct 26, 2022 at 11:24 am

It’s fun to hit the ball a mile. But scoring is best when you know your distances inside 150. If you have four clubs that you take a full swing and know it will go 150, 135, 120 or 105, that’s more valuable for amateurs than hitting your shortest wedge 150. If your irons are longer then you have to make up for the short yards with less than full swings. Takes a lot of practice to develop that touch.

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Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag