What's New for 2005/ Part Two: Philip Reid gives some advice into choosing those all-important irons and explains some of the head-scratching jargon involved.

You don't change them as much as you do a driver or, for that case, a putter. In reality, though, they're probably the most important clubs that you have in your bag: a set of irons.

It's just that, well, irons don't have the same allure as other clubs. You don't bomb the ball off the tee with irons, and - if you really like the irons you've already got - there often isn't the same inclination to change them.

Just like with drivers, however, there have been tremendous technological advances in the design of irons. Also, not many golfers may be aware that, just like drivers, the game's governing bodies - the USGA and the R & A - have ruled that the spring-like effect also applies to irons, in this case what is called the CT (characteristic time) test.

As things stand, though, irons generally reside in the .76 COR area, still some way below the .83 limit that has been imposed.

Still, the technical jargon that applies to drivers and fairway woods also applies to irons. Moment of inertia . . . Centre-of-gravity location . . .

Forged clubs . . . Swing-weight . . . Bounce angle . . . the list goes on.

"Sometimes the message gets confusing for the average player because the technology changes so rapidly," said Todd Harman, director of product marketing for Cleveland Golf, acknowledged as one of the premium makers of wedges.

"New technologies are introduced each and every year; it's a constant challenge to clearly communicate what the benefits of these new technologies are."

Club players have a number of ways to go about choosing new irons. They can take advantage of demo days at driving ranges or, increasingly, clubs; try clubs their playing partners use, or go to their local club professional or golf shop for testing or advice.

Others look at the clubs that their favourite tour players endorse, and want to play the same.

The various club manufacturers have been busy in launching new irons for 2005, although - according to both Mick O'Kelly of Nevada Bobs in Kimmage and Carl O'Keefe of McGuirks Golf in Howth - the Callaway X18 are proving especially popular with consumers.

Naturally enough, given that the vast majority of golfers are mid- to high-handicappers, cavity-back irons, rather than blades, appeal to the mass market but it is not just as simple as liking the look of an iron and buying for that reason.

Just as with drivers, it is probably worth knowing some of the finer technological information on any given club. For instance, companies - in their marketing - talk incessantly about "centre of gravity" and "moment of inertia," and with good reason.

The centre of gravity placement in the clubhead affects distance, ball flight and control.

"It's all important, it's the nuts and bolts of how everything works," said Mike Nicolette, a designer for Ping.

The lower and deeper the centre of gravity is, the easier it is for a player to get the ball in the air. Players wanting a lower ball flight will want a higher centre of gravity.

However, some believe that the centre of gravity is overplayed.

"An iron's centre of gravity has a huge impact on the head's stability and the trajectory it is going to produce," agreed Harman. "However, I do think the term is a little overplayed in golf marketing right now."

In fact, what's really important is that the person selling you the golf club is trained sufficiently to understand the particular result produced by the specific iron design. Don't be afraid to ask questions and, in many cases, it may be possible to test clubs.

The other buzz word in irons is "moment of inertia" which may sound like techno jargon, but actually it is an important consideration because the measurement of a club's moment of inertia is "a good way to predict how stable that clubhead is going to be on mis-hits", according to Harman. "When a consumer hears a manufacturer saying a club has a high moment of inertia, they're going to know that clubhead was designed to be a more forgiving, game-improving club."

A blade-style iron without a cavity - with the club's mass more centrally located - will have a very low inertia and, obviously, is designed for better players who can work the ball left-to-right or right-to-left and can control the ball's trajectory.

Still, the old adage of Karsten Solheim, the founder of Ping, still holds true today. Solheim used to work in the shoe industry and said that no matter who makes the shoe or how high the quality of its leather and its design, if that shoe doesn't fit your foot, you're going to hate it.

The same is true of golf clubs.

Regardless of the irons' quality and performance, if that set is not fit properly for you, you're not going to be happy with it.