Research / Build log

Five years of my own iron builds

Every set I have played since 2021, what changed at each step, and why. Full dated build sheets are planned as a data pack.

  1. April 2021

    First full build: 4-iron to lob wedge

    My first full set built from components, with conventional length steps, worked out on a swing-weight build sheet.

  2. March 2023

    Wishon 565 irons, first MOI build

    My first set built toward an MOI target instead of a single swing weight, covering driver through wedges. The irons ended up with MOI falling about 60 units from the 5-iron to the wedge, so the matching was rough.

  3. March to May 2024

    Mizuno MP-55, MOI matched near 2,750

    Tighter matching: the 5-iron through 9-iron landed within 2 units of each other. Lofts and lies were adjusted twice in April and May.

  4. June 2024 to now

    Mizuno Pro 245, current set

    MOI matched near 2,750 with ascending swing weight. Lie angles were changed four times that year, which became its own article. Full numbers are in the MOI article.

  5. October 2024

    Seven-iron shaft test

    One head, eight shaft configurations marked with colored bands, hit back to back on a launch monitor. The shot data is planned as a data pack.

The 2021 set, as calculated

Nominal loft, total length, and head weight from my 2021 build sheet.

ClubLoft (°)Length (in)Head (g)
4-iron2238.3246.2
5-iron2538.0254.8
6-iron2837.5259.2
7-iron3237.0266.6
8-iron3636.5272.4
9-iron4136.0281.2
PW4635.5292.2

Compared with the 2024 set, the 2021 irons were longer through the long irons and had weaker lofts. The 2021 7-iron was 37.0 inches at 32 degrees; the current 7-iron is 36.9 inches at 29 degrees.

Freshly built irons and woods in a stand bag, with KBS steel shafts in the foreground
Part of the 2021 build.
A seven-iron with a purple tape band on the shaft, held in front of an impact screen
The October 2024 shaft test. Each shaft was marked with a colored band.

All numbers on this page come from my own clubs, measured and recorded in my own build workbooks. Nothing here is drawn from client fittings. This is one golfer’s record, not a controlled study.

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