On the latest episode of Golf Digest‘s “Golf IQ” equipment podcast, a listener wrote in to get our take on hollow-body irons. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone understands the inner workings of today’s high-tech gear.
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During a recent testing session with Ping’s i530 irons, the listener was surprised to learn the iron featured a hollow cavity design – something he’d assumed was reserved for bulkier game-improvement models. What stood out even more was how the ball seemed to “explode off the face”.
Curious to know if every iron with a hollow cavity construction possessed similar game-changing ball speeds, he asked us to analyse the data from our most recent robotic testing session using the Golf Laboratories swing robot. As self-professed gear nerds, we were more than happy to dive in.
Hollow cavity irons have been around since the 1990s, but their popularity has surged in the past decade as manufacturers search for ways to enhance speed and forgiveness – without making irons look like hybrids. The goal? Retain a compact, better-player profile while delivering ball speed numbers that rival larger, more forgiving clubs.
So how does it work? By removing material inside the head and pairing it with a high-strength, flexible face insert, manufacturers are able to create a “spring-like” effect at impact – often referred to as face flexion – which helps generate faster ball speeds. But that’s only half the story.
As we combed through the iron data from our latest round of robotic testing, a pattern emerged: many of the top-performing hollow-body irons had a “secret sauce” that goes beyond just speed. By hollowing out the body, designers unlock a significant amount of discretionary mass – weight that can be strategically repositioned around the head to improve other key performance metrics like launch, spin, and forgiveness.
In the case of Ping’s i530, the numbers spoke. It ranked in the top third for ball speed, with a low launch angle of 17 degrees and mid-low spin rates about 4,849rpm. That combination helped the iron carry an impressive 155 metres with a 95mph swing speed.
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But what really caught our attention was the iron’s off-centre performance.
Toe misses are a common mishit for most amateurs, and many irons in our test group lost anywhere from 12 to 16 metres of carry when struck off the toe. The i530? Just a six-metre drop-off. That’s a huge difference – especially for golfers who struggle to consistently find the centre of the face. By relocating more mass towards the toe – something made possible by the hollow construction – Ping engineers were able to mitigate one of the most penalising misses in the game.
Not every hollow-body iron is created equal, but the category continues to evolve, offering players a unique combination of speed, forgiveness, and sleek aesthetics. Whether you’re a mid-handicapper looking to gain a few extra metres or a low-handicapper seeking modern performance in a traditional shape, there’s likely a hollow-body iron out there that fits your needs.
So, to answer our listener’s original question: yes, hollow-body irons can offer serious ball speed advantages – but it’s the clever use of discretionary weight that often makes the biggest difference.
