Question: What Is the Effect of Wider Soles on Irons?
(Editor's Note: Many golf companies these days design irons with wider soles and tout the game-improvement qualities of this design characteristic. But why? What is the effect of a wider sole? Here is Tom's answer.)
Answer: There is another old adage in head design: "Where goes the weight on the clubhead, so goes the center of gravity."
If you have two 5-irons of the same loft angle for example, and of the same headweight, but one has a much wider sole than the other, the one with the wider sole will have a slightly lower center of gravity. Therefore, it will help get the ball on a slightly higher trajectory.
Also, the head with a much wider sole will have a slightly more rearward CG position because the wider sole extends more weight back farther from the face. The combination of the two effects of the wider sole on the CG position should allow the golfer to hit the ball a little higher with the same loft and same shaft, compared to an iron with a traditional sole.
In addition, wider soles will meet a little less resistance when moving through taller grass, compared to more narrow soles. So if you hit the ball in the rough a lot, a wider-soled iron will help deliver a little more distance from the rough compared to an iron with a more narrow sole.
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About the Author
Tom Wishon is one of the most highly respected members of the golf equipment industry. He specializes in clubhead design, shaft analysis, and clubfitting research and development, and is the owner of his own golf equipment company, Tom Wishon Golf Technology. Tom is a member of the Golf Digest Technical Panel, and is the Technical Advisor to PGA.com, the website of the PGA of America.
