+TourSpecGolfer Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 The Japanese have been launching so many quality forged cavity backs and wedges in recent years. The U.S side has quite a few more cast offerings than Japan. Some old school guru club makers say things like golfers cant tell the difference. I was once told i couldnt tell the difference, IMO I can when i hit the shot perfect but cant tell during poorly struck shots. Is it the forged steel we are feeling or is it the lack of heat treating done to the head. I do know i could take 1096 steel which is considered hard by todays standards and if it hasnt been heat treated i could bend the lie and loft with my bare hands. I also know that if the anneling process was not done properly and the heat treatment was done shortly after i could break a forged club with slight preassure. So what are we really feeling here? And why does Japan do so many high quality forgings? Is it due to price point? or is it because many golfers simply cant tell the difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 I started golfing using several cast sets from TM, and after playing with forged sets from Mizuno, Tourstage and Srixon, I can never go back to cast. The feel of forged is definitely softer, the quality of the finish better, and so pure when you hit a great shot. I forgot what cast feels like already... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Alexander Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 I guess a well struck shot is the key. Forged is head and shoulders above cast on a shot struck from the sweet spot. There is no difference on a poorly struck shot. How many times do I hit the sweet spot in a round?? Maybe once or twice, but let me tell you when it happens it is pure magic!! On that basis I prefer to play forged. Each to their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldenhawk Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 My golf instructor has told me to use a forged set to learn what pros learn. How it feels when the sweet spot is hit and how it feels when the sweet spot is missed. Apparently pros and low-handicap amateur like to know when the sweet spot is missed. It helps determine the estimated loss in distance and their next shot. Hence, my Fusion irons are now collecting dust and I switched back to my Mizuno MX-900s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted October 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Wishon did a test with 12 golfers and 12 sets of irons all masked black half forged the other half cast. they used PGA tour players and the pro's couldnt tell the difference between forged and cast on a steady basis. What do you guys think about that? do pro's know less than ho's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorkman53 Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Wishon did a test with 12 golfers and 12 sets of irons all masked black half forged the other half cast. they used PGA tour players and the pro's couldnt tell the difference between forged and cast on a steady basis.What do you guys think about that? do pro's know less than ho's? It may be because pros hit the sweet spot so consistently that they truly might not be able to tell the difference. A perfectly struck ball feels pretty sweet on just about any club. I think perhaps a group of 5-15 index players might be an interesting test. I can usually tell the difference, though I have hit a few really sweet feeling cast clubs that felt nearly as soft as a forged club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramizuno13 Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Wishon did a test with 12 golfers and 12 sets of irons all masked black half forged the other half cast. they used PGA tour players and the pro's couldnt tell the difference between forged and cast on a steady basis.What do you guys think about that? do pro's know less than ho's? Great post Chris. On a side note, one should realize that you don't feel the club. You hear it. Forged feels better because the sound is softer. When Wishon masked the clubs, He accidently dampened the sound a little. Hence, a lot of cast club manufacturers use dampening devices in the cavity of thier clubs. Remember Cleveland V.A.S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHawkmc Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 As someone who grew up on Wilson Staff forged irons in the 70's, I guarantee that I can tell the difference between forged and cast. About 10 years ago, I even tried hitting several sets of each with a blindfold and ear plugs. I never got one wrong. Cast do FEEL different, not necessarily better or worst, but different. My personal preference is a very soft, solid forged feel. My favorite irons ever in terms of the grind was a cast set of Reid Lockharts. Oh did they look amazing. I played them for two years based strictly on looks, but eventually that different feel was enough to bring me back to forged. Maybe I am a dying breed, but I've hit too many shots with forged carbon steel not to feel the difference and prefer what I grew up with. NOW if only I could find that perfect set of forged cavity backs that allow me to control spin!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted October 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 As someone who grew up on Wilson Staff forged irons in the 70's, I guarantee that I can tell the difference between forged and cast. About 10 years ago, I even tried hitting several sets of each with a blindfold and ear plugs. I never got one wrong. Cast do FEEL different, not necessarily better or worst, but different. My personal preference is a very soft, solid forged feel. My favorite irons ever in terms of the grind was a cast set of Reid Lockharts. Oh did they look amazing. I played them for two years based strictly on looks, but eventually that different feel was enough to bring me back to forged. Maybe I am a dying breed, but I've hit too many shots with forged carbon steel not to feel the difference and prefer what I grew up with. NOW if only I could find that perfect set of forged cavity backs that allow me to control spin!! Wow, ear plugs and blind folds! its like eating while holding your nose shut, cant taste much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blader-X Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 I prefer forged all the way. I'm not saying cast clubs are inferior or I couldn't hit quality shots with them, I just like the way they feel. Especially, when it comes to wedges. Shots off of forged clubs have more solid "feel" to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxio Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 IMHO material+design play a bigger factor than manufacturing process. Carbon steel will be softer than SS. Designs with mass behind the sweetspot will also feel sweeter than those without. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfgolfer Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 IMHO material+design play a bigger factor than manufacturing process. Carbon steel will be softer than SS. Designs with mass behind the sweetspot will also feel sweeter than those without. Agree. I think the quality of the construction is ultimately more important than whether or not it was forged or cast per se. It seems to me that a lot of the high-end designers go forged so this positive feedback loop accrues. (I would suggest that Endo could decide to make cast clubs and they would probably be pretty sweet.) Still, I don't know of many Tour pros that play non-forged clubs - or even clubs that are forged at the same forging house as the retail versions :tsg_smilie_whistle: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldenhawk Posted October 26, 2006 Report Share Posted October 26, 2006 Still, I don't know of many Tour pros that play non-forged clubs - or even clubs that are forged at the same forging house as the retail versions :tsg_smilie_whistle: This goes back to an arguement about whether or not the Nike Blade irons played by Tiger are forged by Muira, like his Titleist irons before the Nikes. The most notable pro that plays a cast cavity back is Annika Sorenstam who uses Callaway X-18s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaisuShotto Posted October 27, 2006 Report Share Posted October 27, 2006 can't tell the difference with a high-quality casting - like fourteen or honma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe295 Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 I'm not clever enough, or sensitive enough (according to my ex's) to tell the difference. Hit the Ping S58, S59 and my Hogan Apex side by side with the same range rocks and couldn't feel a difference. My hands are lacking, but my head tells me forged is better. I would believe Mr. Wishon and his results, the man is as knowledgable about golf club manufacturing as anyone alive today. He also makes a mean forged clubhead. That being said I might be able to tell off ball flight on mis**ts much easier, but since I don't mis**t often that would be a guess. :tsg_smiley_laughatyou: :tsg_smilie_wink: :tsg_smilie_whistle: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjustice09x Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Just because an iron is forged does not mean it will definately feel better than a cast club. My Macgregor M565's are forged, but they don't feel nearly as soft as many other forged sets do. If I didn't know they were forged I probably would have guessed that they were cast. In some cases I might be able to feel the difference between forged and cast irons, but there are always going to be exceptions. There are good feeling cast clubs, and bad feeling forged ones. The majority of golfers probably couldn't tell the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daf452 Posted November 1, 2006 Report Share Posted November 1, 2006 Hi, Can not tell exactly the diference but I bought a TM 300 ns foged by Miura. And its feel great very sweet.............. compare with cast. I can feel every shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjames Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 I think my Rac Lt's feel as good as anything out there, forged or not. I have hit alot of forged irons. Although I think they feel great, I do not like the idea of the lofts and lies changing if you like to beat alot of balls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 I've got a set of Rac LT's here and while I think they are pretty good irons, I personally prefer the feel of any of my TourStage irons and Miz MX-23 over the RAC's... lofts and lies can easily be adjusted. :tsg_smilie_cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EPONfreak Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 Wishon did a test with 12 golfers and 12 sets of irons all masked black half forged the other half cast. they used PGA tour players and the pro's couldnt tell the difference between forged and cast on a steady basis.What do you guys think about that? do pro's know less than ho's? mmmmm may have something to do with how well pros hit the ball as the chap above pointed out...I changed from my first good cast set (TM something......) to MP-29.....it was a new world.......I have gone back to 'the cast side' from time to time (played LT's in '04) but again back to forged with my current set.......I wont be going back to cast irons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunmetal Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 Cast 303 is a lot softer than some of the "forgings" offered by a lot of companies. It even registers softer on the Rockwell Hardness scale than a lot of the steel that is used in forgings. There are so many bogus corner cutting versions of forged IE Form Forged, True Forged, blah, blah. True 5 or 6 step carbon forgings will feel a tad softer but Cast, especially 303 is really closing the gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted February 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 Yup, Like Fourteen's castings feel very soft although they recently switched to ENDO 6 press 1020 forgings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xchangmanx Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 Honestly, I can't tell the difference I think its all in my mind. Perhaps, I like knowing that my clubs are forged. A little more confidence is always a plus for me. I play w/epons and even though I'm not a scratch player I love the fact they are forged and high end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjr. D Posted March 1, 2008 Report Share Posted March 1, 2008 Forged is looked upon as the more elite choice. With most of us golfers being as competitive as we are (as well as equipment snobby) we're going to naturally convince ourselves and migrate to forged. For someone says there is absolutely no comparison between forged and cast is ridiculous. I have two sets of cast irons (Ping and Callaway) and two sets of forged irons (Epon type J's and Mizuno MP 37's) and i love how each of them feel. I can't honestly say forged feels better than cast as it's total preference. I would say from my experience, a forged iron has a heavier, more solid feel when compared to a cast iron. Does that mean it's softer? Maybe. Maybe not. I know when i hit either the Ping's or the Fusions on the screws, it feels incredible as well, just in a slightly different way. Like anything, forged vs cast is personal taste.....largely dependent on the human mind finding a way to convince you of what you want to believe. At the end of the day though, more than anything, it's fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xchangmanx Posted March 2, 2008 Report Share Posted March 2, 2008 One of my favorite wedges are Cleveland TAs and the CG12s. (they are cast not forged) I love the feel of the cast 8620. To, be quite honest, I like them better than the a lot of forged wedges out on the market. But then again, when I look at a high end forged wedge, I always pick the forged wedge. ie, I play my epon wedges more than my CG12s, cuz of the WoW factor I get from friends and others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.