Review: Bridgestone J40 Dual Pocket Cavity Back Irons
The best pocket cavities on the market
Many companies have a version of irons that are pocket cavities. There are all different ways that companies modify their pockets, with different metals, different compounds in the cavities, different sizes and configurations; all with the hope of creating a solid, yet forgiving head.
The J40 line of dual pocket cavity irons are, I think, the best on the market. In so many ways they are what players want and need.
While my pre-release set only came with a 3, 6 and 9 iron; I still think I got a pretty good feel for them. Obviously they won’t make my playing bag because I’m missing some irons, but here are my thoughts on what I did play. I played 6 total rounds with these, 3 with just these irons and 3 with these and another set to fill in the gaps. The first aspect of these irons that will appeal to many golfers is that they are forged. They are just solid and soft at impact. I was happy with how durable they were for a forged iron, they really seemed to hold up well to dry conditions and bag chatter.
The pockets are probably the next best feature. Bridgestone has made pocket cavities for a few seasons now and to me these are the tweaking of those previous versions to get it just right. My complaint with many pocket cavity irons is that they feel hollow. The forgiveness is great, but feel is not the same as other forged irons, especially blade like irons. These on the other hand are very solid; there is no hollow feeling at all. The dual pockets might be the reason since the two pockets are right and left of center.
The looks are very clean. They have thinner top lines and a good length from heel to toe, yet are not too tall. It is really an appealing head to look from all directions because they also have minimal graphics. Add to that the fact that they don’t have a color scheme, just etched and engraved brushed metal; they are some of the better looking irons around.
For me the final touch that sealed the deal for me is the sole grind. I tend to be a digger with my irons. I attack the ball pretty hard and take a healthy divot. These however have a leading edge grind different from most other irons. Sure some clubs are beveled or have a radius sole, but these have almost like a trapezoid sole. The center of the sole is raised or the leading and trailing edges are ground down. So diggers and pickers alike I think will really like the turf interaction with these soles.
As far as distance is concerned, it is a little hard to tell with only 3 clubs how exactly they fit into gaps and such, but the comparison of the 3 irons seemed to be spot on with my other sets. I didn’t really pick up any yards or lose any yards with these irons. Which I see as a good thing. The most impressive thing I did see was how easy it was to even hit the 3-iron. I haven’t hit one well in years, this was the first one I actually liked and hit solid. PX flighted shafts may have helped with that too, but the head itself I think worked too. I liked the lift in the 3-iron, the normal feel in the 6-iron and controlled trajectory in the 9-iron. I think a full set would be very solid with these shafts.
While reviewing with only 3 irons isn’t ideal, I can say that I think these are the best pocket cavity irons out right now. The solid feel, excellent forgiveness, sole grind and outstanding looks should put these on the top of your list to check out for new irons.
For more information: www.bridgestonegolf.com
Quick Hits
+ Soft forged irons
+Forgiving yet solid w/dual pockets
+Awesome sole grind
+Clean looks
--Finding them at a store
Many companies have a version of irons that are pocket cavities. There are all different ways that companies modify their pockets, with different metals, different compounds in the cavities, different sizes and configurations; all with the hope of creating a solid, yet forgiving head.
The J40 line of dual pocket cavity irons are, I think, the best on the market. In so many ways they are what players want and need.
While my pre-release set only came with a 3, 6 and 9 iron; I still think I got a pretty good feel for them. Obviously they won’t make my playing bag because I’m missing some irons, but here are my thoughts on what I did play. I played 6 total rounds with these, 3 with just these irons and 3 with these and another set to fill in the gaps. The first aspect of these irons that will appeal to many golfers is that they are forged. They are just solid and soft at impact. I was happy with how durable they were for a forged iron, they really seemed to hold up well to dry conditions and bag chatter.
The pockets are probably the next best feature. Bridgestone has made pocket cavities for a few seasons now and to me these are the tweaking of those previous versions to get it just right. My complaint with many pocket cavity irons is that they feel hollow. The forgiveness is great, but feel is not the same as other forged irons, especially blade like irons. These on the other hand are very solid; there is no hollow feeling at all. The dual pockets might be the reason since the two pockets are right and left of center.
The looks are very clean. They have thinner top lines and a good length from heel to toe, yet are not too tall. It is really an appealing head to look from all directions because they also have minimal graphics. Add to that the fact that they don’t have a color scheme, just etched and engraved brushed metal; they are some of the better looking irons around.
For me the final touch that sealed the deal for me is the sole grind. I tend to be a digger with my irons. I attack the ball pretty hard and take a healthy divot. These however have a leading edge grind different from most other irons. Sure some clubs are beveled or have a radius sole, but these have almost like a trapezoid sole. The center of the sole is raised or the leading and trailing edges are ground down. So diggers and pickers alike I think will really like the turf interaction with these soles.
As far as distance is concerned, it is a little hard to tell with only 3 clubs how exactly they fit into gaps and such, but the comparison of the 3 irons seemed to be spot on with my other sets. I didn’t really pick up any yards or lose any yards with these irons. Which I see as a good thing. The most impressive thing I did see was how easy it was to even hit the 3-iron. I haven’t hit one well in years, this was the first one I actually liked and hit solid. PX flighted shafts may have helped with that too, but the head itself I think worked too. I liked the lift in the 3-iron, the normal feel in the 6-iron and controlled trajectory in the 9-iron. I think a full set would be very solid with these shafts.
While reviewing with only 3 irons isn’t ideal, I can say that I think these are the best pocket cavity irons out right now. The solid feel, excellent forgiveness, sole grind and outstanding looks should put these on the top of your list to check out for new irons.
For more information: www.bridgestonegolf.com
Quick Hits
+ Soft forged irons
+Forgiving yet solid w/dual pockets
+Awesome sole grind
+Clean looks
--Finding them at a store
