Question:
[This followup was posted to rec.sport.golf and a copy was sent to the cited author.] – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was getting my clubs regripped and out of curiosity, had the lofts of my 6 and 5 irons measured The lofts on both were 30 degrees! The clubs are casted, off the shelf Wilsons. I practice with the 5 iron much more than the 6 and am guessing all that banging on range mats is responsible, but the clubheads should hold their shape. Any clues? Defect or normal wear? Hi Steven. It is normal tolerance for the casting manufacturing process. The OEMs do not adjust these or match them they simply put them on the self and sell them. The good news is they can be adjusted 2 degrees each and put them back in spec. Cost you about 10 to 20 dollars US to have it done.
That is quite expensive, my nearby Golf Galaxy will check and adjust the lofts and lies for $4.00 per club…. — Gary Udstrand The opinions expressed are mine only, unless you agree with me. The world is filled with willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them. -Robert Frost
Response:
I was getting my clubs regripped and out of curiosity, had the lofts of my 6 and 5 irons measured The lofts on both were 30 degrees! The clubs are casted, off the shelf Wilsons. I practice with the 5 iron much more than the 6 and am guessing all that banging on range mats is responsible, but the clubheads should hold their shape. Any clues? Defect or normal wear? Steve Ho
Steve, The set was almost certainly made that way. There is normally a 4 degree difference between irons, with a normal tolerance of +/- 2 degrees, therefor it is possible for two consecutive irons to have the same loft. This is a major reason for buying custom made clubs, rather than mass produced clubs. The clubmaker who is regripping your clubs should be able to adjust the lofts to the correct numbers. Have him check both the lofts and lies on your entire set while he is at it. Dave Smith Dave’s Custom Clubs http://home.earthlink.net/~dave4golf
Response:
I was getting my clubs regripped and out of curiosity, had the lofts of my 6 and 5 irons measured The lofts on both were 30 degrees! The clubs are casted, off the shelf Wilsons. I practice with the 5 iron much more than the 6 and am guessing all that banging on range mats is responsible, but the clubheads should hold their shape. Any clues? Defect or normal wear?
Hi Steven. It is normal tolerance for the casting manufacturing process. The OEMs do not adjust these or match them they simply put them on the self and sell them. The good news is they can be adjusted 2 degrees each and put them back in spec. Cost you about 10 to 20 dollars US to have it done. — Ed Underwood Clubs-N-Stuff PCS & GCA Member 1-972-816-2679 http://www.clubs-n-stuff.com
Response:
I was getting my clubs regripped and out of curiosity, had the lofts of my 6 and 5 irons measured The lofts on both were 30 degrees! The clubs are casted, off the shelf Wilsons. I practice with the 5 iron much more than the 6 and am guessing all that banging on range mats is responsible, but the clubheads should hold their shape. Any clues? Defect or normal wear? Steve Ho
Response:
I was getting my clubs regripped and out of curiosity, had the lofts of my 6 and 5 irons measured. The lofts on both were 30 degrees! The clubs are casted, off the shelf Wilsons. I practice with the 5 iron much more than the 6 and am guessing all that banging on range mats is responsible, but the clubheads should hold their shape. Any clues? Defect or normal wear?
It could possibly be wear, especially if the steel is reasonably bendable. But I would have thought that hitting your 5-iron on the mat on the bottom a lot would de-loft it, not increase the loft towards the 6-iron. The manufacturing tolerances of clubs for loft can be +/- 2 degrees. Therefore it’s quite possible that a 27-degree 5-iron could be cast at 29 degrees, and a 30-degree 6-iron could be cast at the same. Which is why you shouldn’t take stated lofts as a "given". I have a club-making acquaintance who has done some work for the Australian Institute of Sport. He has to fine-tune/adjust the loft of nearly every set of golf clubs that golfers in this program buy, regardless of manufacturer and regardless of specific ordering. His advice was to always get the lofts checked and adjusted on purchase to ensure the correct progression. Of course, this may be difficult where the store doesn’t have a lie/loft machine, or where a low-bendability metal like titanium or 15-5 stainless is used and can’t easily be bent. Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham