Cast vs Forged irons
Ive been looking at some new clubs the last few weeks and am currently swaying between the Nike CCI’s and the Titleist 755’s. I have been coming across the terms ‘Forged’ and ‘Cast’ and until I actually looked into it I didn’t know the difference and what that difference would mean to the actual golf club.
I eventually found a review on about.com, which basically summarises as follows;
Cast irons are made from molten metal and put into a cast to form the eventual club head shape
Forged irons are compressed from a single piece of metal without the melting process.
The difference then… well apparently nothing but that doesn’t seem to explain to me why forged irons seem so much more expensive than the cast irons!?
Read the full report at Golf.About.Com
April 18th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Forging irons takes more time than pouring molten metal into moulds. Forged irons are produced from a solid block of metal that is squeezed (hammered) into the shape of the final club between a frontal club-face mould and a rear club-back mould. Under great and repeated force, the moulds are hammered and squeezed together to make the club head. In contrast, the cast club is made from liquid (molten) metal being poured into a mould. Cast clubs can be poured and then cooled in as little as 30 minutes each. Forging clubs can take twice the time or more to create a single club.
If you’re a single digit handicap or a plus handicap, you’ll be able to tell the difference in feel between forged (which offers a slightly softer feel) and cast (which offers a slighter crisper feel). Forged clubs use softer steel, therefore ding more easily. Cast clubs tend to be more durable due to the fact that stronger steel may be used in the manufacturing process.
I just sold my forged Titleist 690.MBs and bought a set (4-AW) of Nike CCI (cast). I am happy I made the transition to cast. When you strike the ball well, you’ll still be able to know where it’s going with cast clubs.
Lastly.. Trevor Immelman just won the 2008 Masters with cast clubs. Good enough for him… good enough for me.