Forged vs ?

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By Scott Golightly

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  1. Rookie question: I've always known that a lot of the better clubs are forged, but it dawned on me the other day that I'm not sure what the alternative is... are they cast? No way they're milled, right (obviously I'm aware of the putters, just curious as to irons and how they're made)? I only ask because I'm thinking of playing the soon-to-be-released AP3's instead of my CB's when the time comes, and I'm wondering how they create a "hollow-blade" head.

  2. 19hole

    19hole
    Reading, MA

    They actually cast multiple parts and then weld them together to make the T-MB and the AP3. This allows different parts of the club to be made from different materials. This allows the designer to tailor the weight and CG of each club in the set to give maximum performance.
  3. I think Most if not all cavity clubs are cast. Ap1 & ap3 are definitely cast. Someone who know more than me can give you the full rundown on why and what the differences are. I think the main two are sound off the face and feel. Forged (solid) clubs offer a better feel for how th balls comes off the face. Hope that helps.
  4. Michael M

    Michael M
    London, OH

    You are right. Traditionally irons have been cast or forged. Cast is the process of pouring molten metal into a cast to give the desired shape. Forged is the process of pounding, either mechanically or manually, on a solid piece of metal to forge the shape. Players would often consider forged irons superior because of the perception, real or not, that the forging process gave the iron better feel. Also forged metals take loft and lie adjustments better than cast material. However, there has been some truly remarkable developments in metal work which has challenged the notion of one being superior to others. For example some irons now consist of cast sections being seamlessly weld to forged sections while incorporating a hollow cavity or an insert made of a different material inside the head. As a suggestion I would recommend a club fitting from a Titleist certified professional. This way your new sticks will come from the factory with your unique lie, loft and length adjustments already.
  5. Brian B

    Brian B
    Kuna, ID

    I believe they are cast. I hit the new AP3 today and to be honest they felt pretty dang close to my forged AP2's. I love the forged feeling but those AP3's were sweet
  6. David T

    David T
    Grosse Pointe Farms, MI

    Your'e correct - the other option is called investment casting. Here's a great article describing how they're both made.

    www.golfclub-technology.com/cast_irons.html

    As to which is "better" I'll leave that discussion for others...
  7. Thank you guys for the input. I thought they were probably cast but never had the presence of mind to really ask. I'd be curious to see how the welds are done... that must be some fancy equipment, assuming the welds are as precise as I'm imagining they must be.

    Brian, I'm so excited to get a chance to try the AP3's. Almost saved enough money for a used set of AP2's but its sounding more and more tempting to wait longer and get the 3's. How close are they on the top-line perspective to the AP2's? I'm used to my CB's with a really narrow top line and don't think I can go any thicker than the AP2's. Just aesthetic preference.
  8. I'm not sure whether the AP3 are cast or forged, it doesn't say on the page for the specs, however the C16 concept irons are a similar construction and they are forged. Of course they are also twice the price!

    I would try the AP3's before buying a set of used AP2's. I'm trying them out in a few weeks, got a 2 hour tee-to-green fiting booked in.

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