What Is The 10 Iron Anyway?

[EmperorPenguin]

I see a few iron sets, most notably from Japanese companies, that have a 10 iron. Is the 10 iron supposed to be a pitching wedge? If so, what, then, is the pitching wedge of that set? I suppose that the 10 iron is between the 9 iron and the pitching wedge, but the next club after the 9 iron is the pitching wedge anyway. So if the 10 iron is a pitching wedge, I suppose the PW is a 52-degree wedge?

[Rohlio]

It is a response to the oems jacking lofts... Since the 9 iron in a lot of sets is getting close to 40* when it used to be 44 or 45there is now a 20* gap between the modern 9 iron and the lob wedge so the club that falls around 45* is now being called a PW, but it shares little other characteristics of a wedge. So since it is just another iron why not call it a 10 iron then bag a ~50*, ~55* and a ~60*.

[Cwebb]

It's another name for the club after the 9 iron that nobody hits "pitch" shots with

[Need4spd]

It’s what would commonly be referred to as a PW. Go ahead and close the thread now.

 

#micdrop

[Socrates]

I see a few iron sets, most notably from Japanese companies, that have a 10 iron. Is the 10 iron supposed to be a pitching wedge? If so, what, then, is the pitching wedge of that set? I suppose that the 10 iron is between the 9 iron and the pitching wedge, but the next club after the 9 iron is the pitching wedge anyway. So if the 10 iron is a pitching wedge, I suppose the PW is a 52-degree wedge?

The 10 iron used to be commonplace. MacGregor might have been one of the last OEM's to still have a 10 iron in the line. It was far more logical than the name PW in my opinion.

[rt_charger]

Basically, a 10 iron plays more like an iron and flows through into the 9 iron. It is pretty much a set pitching wedge with a different name.

[EmperorPenguin]

It’s what would commonly be referred to as a PW. Go ahead and close the thread now

 

Then in a 9-10-PW setup, what is the PW? A second pitching wedge? Then I can discard the PW and go straight 9, 10, SW?

[flip flappy]

I see a few iron sets, most notably from Japanese companies, that have a 10 iron. Is the 10 iron supposed to be a pitching wedge? If so, what, then, is the pitching wedge of that set? I suppose that the 10 iron is between the 9 iron and the pitching wedge, but the next club after the 9 iron is the pitching wedge anyway. So if the 10 iron is a pitching wedge, I suppose the PW is a 52-degree wedge?

The 10 iron used to be commonplace. MacGregor might have been one of the last OEM's to still have a 10 iron in the line. It was far more logical than the name PW in my opinion.

I was cleaning out my utility room in the garage yesterday and got out 3 old golf bags. One was my Dad's leather Hot Z bag that had a few of his old clubs from previous mismatched sets. One was a MacGregor 10 iron. Another was a Dr. Cary Middlecoff Wilson 8 iron with a leather grip that is in great condition that has a flat side. I actually just assumed the 10 iron was a pitching wedge.

[rt_charger]

Then in a 9-10-PW setup, what is the PW? A second pitching wedge? Then I can discard the PW and go straight 9, 10, SW?

A pitching wedge is a club between 45-50 degrees. If your 10 iron is in that range then you don't need one. A 10 iron is a more logical name for a set pitching wedge anyway - it looks like one and plays more like one.

[Nessism]

It’s what would commonly be referred to as a PW. Go ahead and close the thread now

 

Then in a 9-10-PW setup, what is the PW? A second pitching wedge? Then I can discard the PW and go straight 9, 10, SW?

 

Call it what you want. It's a club in the progression of the set.

[dlygrisse]

A modern pitching wedge isn’t designed for pitching anyway.

 

 

The original matched sets were 1-9; with the 9 having over 50* of loft.

 

You often bought 2-9 iron then maybe a dual purpose pitching sand club.

 

It’s all just marketing.

[Matt J]

I have a trivial idea... why not google the specs of the set in question. No one can guess the loft of an unknown set of irons. Where did you think the 10 fit? Between the 7 and 8?

 

No one can tell you if you need a gap wedge or the next gap would be a 56.

 

Check the specs or if you have them in hand throw them on a loft gauge.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Are you saying you've found a set that goes 9i, 10i, then PW? I've never heard of a set like that. Honma sets often have a 10i instead of a PW, and I have a Macgregor set or two with a 10i (50*, IIRC) instead of the PW (e.g. 1980 MT Tour Forged). I have a set of Honma PP737s (late Eighties) that go up to an 11i; the 10i is 50* and the 11i is 54*. I also recently acquired a slightly unusual set of Mizunos from the latter half of the Eighties that go up to a 52* 11i, then have a SW after that; incidentally, I have a separate Mizuno 12i that had 56* of loft when I measured it.

Some Japanese sets from back in the day also went 9i-PW-P/S-SW, with the "P/S" being a gap-wedge.

 

But 9i-10i-PW I have never seen.

[EmperorPenguin]

I have a trivial idea... why not google the specs of the set in question. No one can guess the loft of an unknown set of irons. Where did you think the 10 fit? Between the 7 and 8?

 

You think I didn't try to Google it already? Try it yourself for these clubs, smartypants. I could not find the specs.

 

 

Emperors are not dumb, you know.

[xgolfx]

10 was just a number. You will find it on wedges and putters.

 

CHARLEY PENNA

[Matt J]

I have a trivial idea... why not google the specs of the set in question. No one can guess the loft of an unknown set of irons. Where did you think the 10 fit? Between the 7 and 8?

 

You think I didn't try to Google it already? Try it yourself for these clubs, smartypants. I could not find the specs.

 

 

Emperors are not dumb, you know.

 

Some are.

 

Like I said, if you have them in hand stick them on a loft and lie machine and find out the loft. If you're real smart you might even bend them to your own specs while you're at it. Hint: if you're going to play the next club as a 56 then bend that PW to 52. You can probably figure out the rest of the math.

[Matt J]

Here's an old photo of the ADX Tours that Phil played. I think it's safe to say the lofts would be the same. PW is 52, 10 is 48, 9 is 44, probably 4 degrees gaps until the 7 or 8. I'd go out and hit them and bend them to my needs, but I have a loft and lie vise.

 

 

[ChipNRun]

I see a few iron sets, most notably from Japanese companies, that have a 10 iron. Is the 10 iron supposed to be a pitching wedge? ...

The 10 iron used to be commonplace. MacGregor might have been one of the last OEM's to still have a 10 iron in the line. It was far more logical than the name PW in my opinion.

 

I played MacGregor MT irons from 1974 to 1994. The irons were numbered 2 through 10. The McG 10i was supposed to be a PW, but it functioned more like an iron. It was great for full shots, but on partials it tended to dig in or give thin shots from tight lies (10i had a fairly sharp, square leading edge, and not much bounce.)

 

I ended up using a MacG sand wedge for most touch shots, or a 7i chip and run. (Until 1994, the 10i and SW were the only wedges I carried).

 

I have seen a 10i in Honma iron sets. http://www.honmagolf...spec_iron2.html

• TW737Vn: 9i = 42* / 10i =46* (10i = highest loft iron in set)
  
• Amazing Spec: 9i = 34* / 10i = 39* / 11i = 44* / AW = 49* / SW = 55*
  

Not sure how the 10i of 2018 compares to those of 30 years ago. I suspect a 10i is whatever a company wants it to be.

[dlygrisse]

10 was just a number. You will find it on wedges and putters.

 

CHARLEY PENNA

 

Yep, I have an old (I think Spalding) blade putter with a 10 on it. Probably from the 1930's

[dlygrisse]

Really weird how the OEM's don't like to start counting with the #1. :)

 

By all logic and reason you should always start with the number 1, they got it all backwards.

[flip flappy]

I played MacGregor MT irons from 1974 to 1994. The irons were numbered 2 through 10. The McG 10i was supposed to be a PW, but it functioned more like an iron. It was great for full shots, but on partials it tended to dig in or give thin shots from tight lies (10i had a fairly sharp, square leading edge, and not much bounce.)

The MacGregor 10 iron I dug out of my Dad's old bag is just what you describe, sharp, square leading edge. I cleaned it up this morning with some CLR and got to thinking it might be cool to put in the bag for chip shots but that leading edge sure nixed that idea. Oh well, it will look cool in my workshop on my nostalgia shelf with other family heirlooms.

[NRJyzr]

Are you saying you've found a set that goes 9i, 10i, then PW? I've never heard of a set like that. Honma sets often have a 10i instead of a PW, and I have a Macgregor set or two with a 10i (50*, IIRC) instead of the PW (e.g. 1980 MT Tour Forged). I have a set of Honma PP737s (late Eighties) that go up to an 11i; the 10i is 50* and the 11i is 54*. I also recently acquired a slightly unusual set of Mizunos from the latter half of the Eighties that go up to a 52* 11i, then have a SW after that; incidentally, I have a separate Mizuno 12i that had 56* of loft when I measured it.

Some Japanese sets from back in the day also went 9i-PW-P/S-SW, with the "P/S" being a gap-wedge.

 

But 9i-10i-PW I have never seen.

 

They're out there, but not particularly common. The Goldwin AVDP Oversize set from the late 90s had a 9 iron at 42*, a 10 iron at 46*, and a PW at 50*.

 

The problem is, the same people who can't stand not hitting their 7 iron X far also can't stand then hitting their PW four clubs shorter instead of three clubs shorter. LOL

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Are you saying you've found a set that goes 9i, 10i, then PW? I've never heard of a set like that. Honma sets often have a 10i instead of a PW, and I have a Macgregor set or two with a 10i (50*, IIRC) instead of the PW (e.g. 1980 MT Tour Forged). I have a set of Honma PP737s (late Eighties) that go up to an 11i; the 10i is 50* and the 11i is 54*. I also recently acquired a slightly unusual set of Mizunos from the latter half of the Eighties that go up to a 52* 11i, then have a SW after that; incidentally, I have a separate Mizuno 12i that had 56* of loft when I measured it.

Some Japanese sets from back in the day also went 9i-PW-P/S-SW, with the "P/S" being a gap-wedge.

 

But 9i-10i-PW I have never seen.

 

They're out there, but not particularly common. The Goldwin AVDP Oversize set from the late 90s had a 9 iron at 42*, a 10 iron at 46*, and a PW at 50*.

 

The problem is, the same people who can't stand not hitting their 7 iron X far also can't stand then hitting their PW four clubs shorter instead of three clubs shorter. LOL

 

Yep, I just saw the Yonex irons in this thread. Never knew that, learn something new every day ;)

 

It looks rather like what Mizuno did with the 9i-PW-P/S-SW progression, only instead of the P/S gap wedge, Yonex decided to call it a pitching wedge. Which is fair enough, I suppose.

[EmperorPenguin]

Really weird how the OEM's don't like to start counting with the #1. :)

 

By all logic and reason you should always start with the number 1, they got it all backwards.

 

It does makes sense, because if club numbers were reversed, there would be no confusion when said to use more or less club.