4820 Jacksontown Road | P.O. Box 3008 • Newark, Ohio 43058-3008 | Toll Free: 800-848-8358 • FAX: 800-800-3290 | Canada Toll Free: 800-387-5331
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4820 Jacksontown Road | P.O. Box 3008 • Newark, Ohio 43058-3008 | Toll Free: 800-848-8358 • FAX: 800-800-3290 | Canada Toll Free: 800-387-5331
e-mail: [email protected] • website: www.golfworks.com
After the head is secured in the ma
-
chine and the bar is attached to the
hosel in the proper position, the 昀rst
procedure is to gain a “feel” for the
resistance or elasticity of the metal
before exerting any bend-ing force.
Very hard metal clubheads will feel
very “tight” when a medium amount
of pressure is applied and released
to the hosel. Softer metal clubheads
will stretch a little farther before
demonstrat-ing a “tight or sti昀” feel
in response to the pressure exerted
with the bar. Do not worry if this is
not acutely apparent. It takes experi
-
ence born out of bending hundreds
of clubheads made from many di昀er-
ent metals to develop this sense of
“feel” for the springiness of a metal.
An iron’s resistance to bending is
also a product of other factors in the
design of the head in addition to the
material used in its manufacture.
Take time to familiarize yourself with
design di昀erences in the con昀gura
-
tion of the crotch area of di昀erent
irons. (The crotch area is the part
of the clubhead where the base of
the hosel 昀ows into the face). The
thicker this section on the clubhead,
the harder it will be tostretch and
bend the metal to make a loft or lie
change. Typically, irons with more
o昀set will also have a thinner crotch
area and will be easier to bend,
regardless of the metal used in the
production of the head. Vice versa,
irons with less to no o昀set will also
have a thicker crotch area and will
be more di cult to bend, regardless of
the metal used in the production of the
head. However, it is true that a non-o昀set
forged carbon steel head (soft metal) will
be easier to bend than an o昀set invest
-
ment cast 431 or 17-4 stainless steel
head.
Another factor that can a昀ect the ease
of bending is the diameter of the hosel.
Non-zinc irons do not vary by much more
than about 0.5mm in hosel diameter. The
smaller the diameter or cross-section of
the hosel, the easier the clubhead will be
to bend. As such it is always wise for the
clubmaker to evaluate the shape and size
of the hosel before bending to estimate
the force that may be required to make
the bend.
The best teacher for how to actually
apply the force required to bend irons
is practice. GolfMechanix recommends
practicing with used irons and hybrids
of di昀erent materials, di昀erent amounts
of o昀set and di昀erent thickness of the
base of the hosel area as a way to gain
the “touch” and the “feel” for how much
force to apply with any particular type of
club-head to make the bend.
