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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?

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...

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.

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.

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.

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. (IMG:http://www.tourspecgolf.com/forum/style_emoticons/TSG_Smileys/atsg_smilie_mizuno.gif)

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.

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.

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: