Best iron sole style for hard fairways?

I have a feeling opinions will be all over the place but I'm curious.

What is the best sole type for hard fairways?

For me, I like to pick the ball pretty clean and I think a thin sole allows me to do that better. Even though I sometimes have a tendency to hit fat, I think a hard fairway kind of naturally prevents digging, which I have heard others claim can be a problem with thin soles. My experience with wider soles is that its harder to pick the ball clean and interaction with hard ground can be unpredictable. Sometimes i'll get a weird sensation of the club bouncing off the ground or the toe opening etc.

I have often heard that wider soles are more forgiving generally. If this due to turf interaction or due to more mass being low?

If you pick the ball then any sole should work really.

A wider sole is more forgiving because it supposedly gets in and out of the turf faster if you get a little steep or the ground is softer.

The ball should be gone before there is any real interaction between the club and the ground so if you hit it that fat no sole will really help you .

If you pick the ball then any sole should work really.

 

A wider sole is more forgiving because it supposedly gets in and out of the turf faster if you get a little steep or the ground is softer.

 

The ball should be gone before there is any real interaction between the club and the ground so if you hit it that fat no sole will really help you .

Yes, but if the groud is firm, it’ll never dig, so a thinner sole will be able to dig & take a small divot.

As a picker, thin sole works for me especially on links type turf. Having said that, I get really steep with my wedges so I have just switched to have more bounce and it has transformed my short game.

I prefer a club that will cut a divot rather than bounce off firm turf. I think the bouncing makes me reluctant to hit the ground.

The Srixon vsole has worked for me in every type of lie including 10 rounds in Scotland.

I would assume something with less bounce, and/or something with a trailing edge that is machined down quite a bit...like a 745? Mentioned above I believe

I prefer a club that will cut a divot rather than bounce off firm turf. I think the bouncing makes me reluctant to hit the ground.

Exactly. Thinner and sharper leading edge. Maybe with trail relief to get out of the turf faster too. I like a long shallow divot. Love playing off hard pan and hard red clay. No real way to hit a fat shot.