Topline?

[straightshooter]

What part of the club is the "topline" of a club. I believe the term is used for irons mostly, but I am not entirely sure what it is. I have attempted to indicate what I think it is below (using the character 't'). Is that indeed the topline of a club?

..ttt..............o..o
o.....tttt.......o..o.
o...-----.tttt...o..
o...-----......o....
..oooooooooo.....

[tmtp]

You got it, when you look down at the iron in address position, the top line is the top part of the club and the part that you see.

[delong19]

I gotcha, took me a while to figure out you diagram but yeah I think that's right if i'm seeing this right, but it's usually refered to looking dowd on the club as in at address.

[straightshooter]

Thanks! I sometimes read about golf-clubs having a 'nice thin top-line', and I have always wondered what that was about! Some golfers make it sound like they can only hit good iron shots if their topline looks right!? The topline in delong's image looks wonderful though!

[victork]

I don't think it's that golfers can only hit good iron shots if their irons have think toplines, but its just personal preference. Having a club infront of me with a thick topline and tons of offset doesn't inspire confidence to me....I'd keep thinking "the ball's going left"

[SolidRockGolf]

Originally Posted by straightshooter

Thanks! I sometimes read about golf-clubs having a 'nice thin top-line', and I have always wondered what that was about! Some golfers make it sound like they can only hit good iron shots if their topline looks right!? The topline in delong's image looks wonderful though!

Just to add to this conversation...

Most thin top-line clubs will offer more feedback (vibration) if not struck solid and thats why most lower handicappers use them. They can strike the ball well so the feedback is usually solid.

Most thick top-line clubs will offer alot less feedback but in most cases will have heavy offset and are not as workable but very forgiving.

Mid top-line clubs will be right in the middle. Considered solid feeling and mostly workable as long as the offset is minimal.

Wanted to add this to the equation incase you are looking into a set of irons.

[Bigvivec]

It's that really fat part on the top of a callaway iron...LOL

[tmtp]

Originally Posted by Bigvivec

It's that really fat part on the top of a callaway iron...LOL

Wait till you see the X Forged irons, looking down you wouldn't believe it's a Callaway club.

[Butter Knife Guy]

Originally Posted by tmtp

Wait till you see the X Forged irons, looking down you wouldn't believe it's a Callaway club.

I notice the lofts on them aren't *quite* as juiced as on other Callaway models, either. Seems they're moving in the right direction, as far as irons go (jury still out on the woods).

[tmtp]

Originally Posted by Butter Knife Guy

I notice the lofts on them aren't *quite* as juiced as on other Callaway models, either. Seems they're moving in the right direction, as far as irons go (jury still out on the woods).

True about the lofts, the reason that the lofts on other Callys are usually strong is because of how low the center of gravity is in each club. If they played to the traditional loft, the ball would go straight up in the air, especially with the short irons. Taylor Made does a lot of this with their game improvement clubs, the r7 CGB set is a full iron strong versus my set of TP Forged.

[Butter Knife Guy]

Originally Posted by tmtp

True about the lofts, the reason that the lofts on other Callys are usually strong is because of how low the center of gravity is in each club. If they played to the traditional loft, the ball would go straight up in the air, especially with the short irons. Taylor Made does a lot of this with their game improvement clubs, the r7 CGB set is a full iron strong versus my set of TP Forged.

It seems every company is juicing lofts nowadays - look at Wilson, the Di7 has a 43* PW! The argument they pose is that it is to keep the ball from ballooning with all the weight down low... i'm not so sure that is 100% the case. Golf companies aren't stupid, they realize that many amateurs are solely on a quest for distance, and the companies are marketing that. Most modern game improvement sets have PWs that are equal to or 1, or even 2* stronger now loft-wise versus the 9i in my set.


Part of the reason long irons are getting harder to hit, obviously, is the fact that lofts are so much stronger. The loft of the 4i on the r7 XDs is only 1* weaker than that of my 2i. Of course, now companies are offering these "easier to hit" hybrids as a replacement, each one going for close to double what the iron they replace was sold for. Now, to fill that 12* gap between your pitching wedge and sand wedge, a whole plethora of options for wedges is being marketed, sticker price of each and every one is a good 1.5 times as expensive as any one iron in the set. Can anyone else say shill?

[300Yards]

Originally Posted by SolidRockGolf

Just to add to this conversation...

Most thin top-line clubs will offer more feedback (vibration) if not struck solid and thats why most lower handicappers use them. They can strike the ball well so the feedback is usually solid.

Most thick top-line clubs will offer alot less feedback but in most cases will have heavy offset and are not as workable but very forgiving.

Mid top-line clubs will be right in the middle. Considered solid feeling and mostly workable as long as the offset is minimal.

Wanted to add this to the equation incase you are looking into a set of irons.

My Ben Hogan are right in the middle then! I wouldn't say the topline is thick, but I wouldn't say it's thin either.