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Opinions on who should / should not play blades?


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Those x-protos are such a sweet club, I've all but decided on those, they just dropped about $400 in price to $1000 as well! The X-protos are the club that really made me start to consider blades. Callaway had a demo day at our club 2 years ago, and I was hitting some clunky cavity backs and kinda laughing at them and the rep walked up and said "here, hit this" and it was an x-proto. Ever since then they've been like the girl who got away!

 

I'm going to give the Adams MBs a very good look first, I hit those briefly at another demo this year but they only had x-stiff shafts. They felt pretty good but I want to hit them in the configuration I would buy, and I want to hit the x-protos and the Adams side by side.

 

For me, its not about ego, in fact, that's part of the reason for my hesitation in the first place, because of all the talk about "you gotta be a scratch golfer to game those" etc etc its scared me off of them, basically not trusting my own senses because of all the craziness whenever I've brought it up!

 

TWS67 I tried sending you a pm a while back, you still got those MP14s for sale?

Ping I20 8.5* - Aldila NV 65g S
Adams XTD Super Hybrid 15* - Stock Fubuki S
Adams DHY 21* - Stock Matrix Ozik White Tie S
Mizuno MP58 4-8 Irons - Fujikura MCI 100 S
SCOR 42,46,50,54,58* - SCOR/KBS Genius S
STX Robert Ingman Envision TR 35", Iomic grip

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The T-Zoid Pro's weren't for me. They were fine, but they are actually pretty similar in feel to my Cleveland Reds, and part of them I actually didn't like. I struck the ball well with them, and I really liked the Sensicore Shafts, but the clubs felt heavy, and the odd thing about it was that the PW & 9 iron are actually larger than the other clubs, and larger than my Clevelands! Very strange. I actually think I liked the 3-5 a bit better than my clubs, but not the lower lofts.

 

Anyhow, the T-Zoids are not quite the club style I'm looking at, I just thought with them being a more pronounced muscleback I might bet a better feel for how I'd transition to blades. The T-Zoids never gave me that great feel of a blade, they were actually a bit dead feeling even on pure shots, kinda like my clubs!

Mizzy is one of the softest feeling irons out there imo, you might want to try a Bstone product as they are probably one of the most underated irons out there and can be had very cheap. Now their j33b's are not the easiest club to hit but the j33cb's were awesome. I played both and like both except i didn't like the extra long hosel on the blades. They have very very lttle offset and that's what will make them harder to play. No offset is harder to play then blades per say. I haven't hit any of the new offerings but have been tempted to try out a combo set of the J38's. Bstone has Endo forge their irons and if you want a little different sounding forged iron some say Endo's are just that a little firmer sounding versus softer dud sounding like Miura and Chuo (mizzy's forging house) once again it's all personal preference.

The Bag:

Right handed

Cobra King FLYZ+ 10.5* w/ Aldila Rogue 125 R 44.5"

Tour Issued TM M2 10.5 w/ Mitsubishi Tensi CK Pro Blue 60S

Tour Issued TM M2 15* w/ GD Tour AD 7S 43"

TM R7 17.5 HFS w/ Tour AD 7S Stiff 42"

Cobra S3 Pro's 4-pw w/ Aldila RIP Tours SLT 115 Reg. 5i 38.5"

Titleist Vokey Proto's

52*,54*,58* all TTDG S-400

TM TP5 X

Scotty Cameron SSS Tiffany 009 350 34.5" or Bettinardi BB1 DASS Proto

GHIN # 5144472

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You only live once (as far as I remember) and I feel you should at least give it a go once just to see what's what. If you play well with the blades and you feel like it's not hurting your game (be honest) then stick with blades as long as you want. I personally went from a 10 to a 2 when I purchased a BN set of MP-29's. Before the blades I played Hogan Edge irons, the Titleist 962's. When I went from the Hogan's to the Titty's I missed the fell of a forged iron. But that's another Topic. Anyways my handicapp was always right around 8-10. I played decent golf but I wanted to be better. that's when I made up my mind that I was buying Mizzy MP-29's. These clubs changed my game, that and some real good practice. In two seasons I went from 8 to 4 and then from 4 to 2. I can't say this formula will work for everyonem but I can tell you this much just switching won't really do much unless you have a plan. My plan was to practice, practice and more practice. I'm a Union Plumber so it wasn't like I had lots of day time to play or practice, but every night (just about) I would stop at the course on the way home and I would chip, putt,and drive balls, like 2-3 hrs a night. The point I'm trying to make is I know there are those who are of the thought that you can't get better going from GI/CB's to blades. I disagree. I believe that when you continually play with a bigger headed club you focus isn't the same as when you look down at a smaller headed iron/club. I mean after a while the MP-29's were starting to look too big so I went to MP14's then Titleist 681's, to TM Rac mb's finally settling on my Cally Proto's. I've tried the TM TP B heads that are supposed to play like blades and feel forged but I just love the feel of the proto's. Now I missed golf for two seasons because of knee replacement and two other surgeries. I started playing with cb's because I felt I've been away too long to play blades and I was playing the worst golf I've ever played. I put the blades back in my bag a little over a month ago and started shooting low 80's high 70's and now my last 4 rounds have been mid to low 70's. I believe it all comes down to what makes you feel confident and or comfy. Go out give it a shot and don't worry about what others say. We all pay to play and until someone pays me and tells me I want you to play X or Y I'll do what I feel makes me better. There's no ego for me it's all about what club I play better with. I want my best possible score. It just happens to be with X-Proto's right now!

 

Tim

Of all the things that I've read on this forum this answer might be the most sound advice that anyone has ever given. In my opinion however.

Fairways and Greens

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I've hit several Mizuno irons that I've liked very much. These T-Zoids just weren't right, something off with the swingweight or perhaps the Sensicore shafts are heavier than my current Dynamic Golds and I'm just not used to it, even though I had them in my last set. Which makes sense because the whole point of the Sensicores was to dampen vibration, which probably translates into less "feel". Anyhow, it wasn't just the feel I didn't care for. Don't get me wrong, I could game them and probably get used to them, I just didn't see anything compared to my Clevelands that would make me switch.

Ping I20 8.5* - Aldila NV 65g S
Adams XTD Super Hybrid 15* - Stock Fubuki S
Adams DHY 21* - Stock Matrix Ozik White Tie S
Mizuno MP58 4-8 Irons - Fujikura MCI 100 S
SCOR 42,46,50,54,58* - SCOR/KBS Genius S
STX Robert Ingman Envision TR 35", Iomic grip

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I played blades most of my life, right up until last year late when I found the killer deal on the Adams that are currently in my bag. Usually all Mizuno blades too (except the Nike Forged Blade experiment). I also sed to practice a ton, and nothing is sweeter than a well struck blade. I played them when I was a 20+ guy up until I got to a 4.7 this year. And the lowest I've ever been was when I was in high school and carried a 1.2 and had probably the blades with the smallest sweetspot I'd ever owned, Mizzy TN-87's. Now that I look back on that, I wished I still had those after virtually giving them away. Regardless, blades don't have a handicap number, especially with the more modern blades that offer all of the technology that's available today. It's more about what suits your eye IMO. And blades are only going to make you better, IMO, because of how small the sweet spot is. You learn to hit them well or you struggle tremendously.

In The Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400

SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"

Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo.

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Here's my 2 cents:

 

I am a 17 handicap, and I switched early this year from a set of Cleveland Launcher LP's (serious game improvement cavity backs) to a set of Mizuno MP68's. I got a tremendously good deal when a friend decided that the Mizunos weren't for him, and I couldn't pass it up. I was really worried that my game wasn't good enough to play the blades. My first trip to the driving range was eye opening to say the least. I never realized how steep my downswing was because I never really took a big divot with the clevelands, but with the Mizunos, I was taking huge divots. So, immediately I realized something about my swing that my Clevelands had been hiding for a few years.

 

I will say that I'm probably not your average 17 hadicapper. I can shoot in the low 80's when I'm on and I'm not wasting shots with my driver going OB. I practice at least once a week and try to play at least 18 holes a week. My iron game has gotten much better since I've switched, and my confidence with these irons is miles above where it was with my old cavity backs. I fully intent to have my handicap down around 10-12 by this time next year.

 

My personal opinion is that if you are serious about getting better, get away from serious game improvement irons. I still have my Clevelands and a couple of weeks ago, my friend came to town without his clubs and borrowed my old irons when we went to play. I hit some shots on the range, and it felt like I was swinging a shovel. Every ball came off feeling relatively the same, and you were completely dependent on the ball flight to determine how you hit the ball. I love the feedback I get from my blades, and don't see myself going back anytime soon.

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  • 5 months later...

I gonna put my 2 cents in. To begin with I personally do not care what anyone plays as long as they are happy and enjoying themselves. That being said I prefer blades old MacGregors or Mizuno MP-33s to be exact. I am an old school "feel and instinct" player and I can feel and work the ball better with blades. I hav tried cavity backs both forged and cast and they simply do not work for me. I have absolutely no control over the ball with cb irons and absolutely no feed back at all when I mis hit them. I have modernised a little I have taken out my beloved 2 iron and replaced it with a 7 wood but for me blades work

Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha  Speeder 565 R flex- 5W TM V-Steel Fubuki 60r--- 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R----- 9 W TM V Steel TM MAS stiff---- Irons 2015 TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R--- GW Callaway Mack Daddy 2 52* shaft unknown junk pile refugee. SW Callaway PM Grind 56*  Modified sole grind--- KBS Tour Wedge-- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter Ping B90I Broom Stick 

 

 

 G

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I don't change clubs often. I just switched from Callaway X-16 Pro Series to the new Bridgestone J38s. I would consider this a fairly significant change. But I don't think I would have ever considered the change unless I had made a significant swing change 1 year before the switch. Let me explain...

 

I made the swing change to help with my balance and consistency. Basically, I now hit the ball on the middle of the club face consistently. Two things occurred to me when I made the iron switch. One: I can actually enjoy hitting musclebacks when I hit the sweet spot. Two: my swing change affected my ball striking quality, distance and flight much more than any club can offer.

 

I saw an entirely different ball flight & club distance when I began hitting the ball on center. I know all this sounds basic, but to me, it was eye-opening. Whichever club set you choose, you will find more enjoyment from learning to hit them SOLID.

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I play off 22 but have only been playing approximately one year. I already can shoot well underneath this handicap and the major flaws in my game are slicing the driver when I try to hit it too hard, and putting. Iron play I would describe as solid and I have on several occasions played rounds in low-80s. Consistency is now the biggest issue (which practice will hopefully resolve) as I know that I can play well some of the time.

 

I play with Titleist AP1s; I had a set of MD clubs that I'd inherited and once I took golf up seriously I quickly changed these to a set of TM Burner Plus irons. I loved the look of AP1s though and once I tried them out, and negotiated a good trade-in on the TMs I couldn't resist. These are a game improvement club of sorts - compared to a lot of the so-called game improvement irons they have a much thinner top line and sole; however there are plenty in the same category that make the AP1s look positively obese!

 

Now I have purchased from eBay a set of Titleist Tour Forged blades. I've no intention of using these in competitve play straight away. However I am considering playing with these a bit on practice rounds as I believe that this will improve my game. I would intend to do this perhaps once per week over the summer, use the AP1s once/twice per week and then in a competition on a Saturday.

 

I would appreciate any thoughts on this approach however please: am I better to work with the same tools consistently or will this approach (using the blades on a regular basis) ultimately lead me to the point that my game would be good enough to play with these all of the time?

Driver: Mizuno JPX-800 10.5 degree; stiff shaft; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

3 Wood: Taylormade R9, stiff shaft (set to NU)

Hybrid: Ping G15 17 degree; stiff graphite shaft

Irons: Mizuno JPX-800; Project X 5.5; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

Wedges: Cleveland CG12 52 (smoked finish), 56 (oilcan finish) & 60 degree (chrome finish)

Putter: Odyssey White Ice No. 1; Scotty Cameron Studio Design No. 5

 

I also play a set of Titleist 1980s Tour Forged Irons with regular shaft. These are excellent for practice, as is the Titliest PT 20 degree 5 wood that accompanies them.

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I play a combo set of cavity and muscle back blades. My previous set of super game improvement Cleveland HB3 brought me up to a 7.1 index, and I thought I was good enough to try more players irons - Titleist ZB Forge.

 

Boy was I in for a shock! The Tity irons are not really forgiving, and plays about 2 clubs shorter. This is probably because the Titty loft is weaker, it is steel shafted (which is already shorter compared to HB3's graphites), and on my club fitter's recommendations, it was cut 1/2 inch shorter to better fit my swing. So previously what I used to cover my PW distance, now I have to use an 8 iron, and it will only get there provided I hit the ball perfectly.

 

Frankly I'm not sure whether I regret the change. The new irons exposes all the flaws in my game, and forced me to work harder on my swing, which could result in a better overall game. But for now I have to endure the pain of seeing my handicap getting worst, the indignity of play much much more club for the same distance, and yet not quite getting there.

 

Then again, the original intention was to change to a less forgiving iron, so that I can improve my game overall. Whether it's going to work out remains to be seen.

 

My take about whether should higher capper use blades is that it depends on what you are trying to achieve. If you just want to enjoy the game, please avoid blades. If you think using blades makes you look good, well it don't if you can't play it. But if you use blades because you want to improve, it's up to you.

 

After all, before Ping and Callaway, everybody, beginner or pros, were using blades and perssimon woods, and nobody were harmed in anyway.

Now in my bag:

TM SLDR 10.5 Deg with Matrix Ozik 6Q3 S flex

TM VSteel 15 deg 3 wood

Cleveland Launcher Hybrid 18 deg Diamana Red Board Stiff

Titleist ZB Forged Iron 3-PW DG S200 Steel Shaft

Cleveland CG15 46, 52, 56, 60 Wedges

Scotty Cameron California Del Mar

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I'm currently playing the Nike VR Split Cavity 4-PW w/ an Adams A7 19* hybrid. From '04-'09 (until they were stolen) I played Cleveland TA2 6-PW and TA7 Tour 3-5. Currently I play to a 4 handicap and have been as low as a +1. My game has always been focused around the greens and I believe most amateurs, high or low handicap should do the same. Is "cavity or muscle back?" the right question? How about, where in my set should I have muscle back blades and where should I have cavity backs? I approach my set makeup like this: My long game sets up my short game, I need loft, soft, and straight in my long game. I go with a 19* hybrid and a G15 17* fairway. VR Split is forgiving enough 4-PW and precise enough in the short irons for me. I am seriously considering the new VR Pro Combo set in order to have more shot options in my short game. I guess what I am saying is your set makeup should play to your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. My long game is average at best so I get what I can play and make sure I have all the tools I need in the short game dividers of my bag.

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good topic guys - lemme throw my $.02 into it -

 

IMO one would be doing themselves a disservice by not playing a game improvement iron - why would you want to make the game tougher? for tradition and ego? fine so be it - i can understand that reason.

 

After growing out of my junior set of wilson 1200's (those rocked), my first real set of irons were my head pro's hand me down of golden ram tour grinds (model 792 stamped on the toe) with brunswick 7.5FM shafts 1i-9, PW, SW. they were telephone poles to me, but i loved them because i could wear out a quarter sized stamp in the face.

 

From that set i graduated to a set of Zevo molybdenum set of blades, which again i loved, but this time i had shafts that fit me.

 

next set were KZG blades again with fitted shafts.

 

Point being each one of these sets gradually became easier for me to hit cause of better fitting of the shafts.

 

then i switched to my current set of taylormade R7 TP - they are still a smaller face, but now have the harder face and forgiving cavity and they are just ridiculously long and far easier to hit than all three of my previous set.

 

I always had in the back of my mind to learn how to play with blades and then switch over to cavity backs eventually sometime. Would i go back to blades at this time? sure, but they would have to outperform what i am currently playing as far as distance goes - so that is an issue of high priority for me.

 

so to summarize, if your #1 concern is your performance, go with the best fitted club for you thats available on the market.

 

as long as your properly fitted, i put much more stock and priority into the shaft fitting than the head. head is important but third at best in the process after shaft and lie angle.

 

plus with todays shafts, puring, spining, and everything else available to do to the shaft, even the smallest cog blade is far easier to hit than what was available just 20 years ago.

 

:cobra-small: Staffer 

:Arccos: Staffer 

www.MANAVIANGolf.com

 

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Hi guys;

 

I can see 2 basic points being made:

 

1) Why make golf any harder than it needs to be?

2) GI irons may slow your progress as a golfer (mask poor shots to an extent, allow you to 'get away' with a shot that isn't pure).

 

Further to my last post (in which I was seeking some advice on the pros and cons of using blades purely for practice) I have played on the course a bit with these and had a good session at the driving range using them.

 

On the course obviously there isnt the same opportunity to rehit a poor shot. I found however that I didnt really ever want to. On a poor shot with the blades I was achieving approximately 75% distance with these; as opposed to maybe 85-90% distance with a similarly poor shot with my Game Improver irons. I think this is the point that persons who are advocating the use of GI irons are making - why make things harder for yourself; why play with something that if you are not going to hit pure every single time you will be punished; why open yourself up to a poor round just for the sake of being macho (or for whatever reason you prefer/aspire to play with blades)...

 

On the course and then on the range however I found that the more balls I hit, the better I became at making a pure connection almost every time. Over time I would have no doubts that I could play well with these. When I then picked up the same club from my GI set, I found that I was hitting this really well every time. Hitting a shot 100% perfectly however with the blades does give you so much more satisfaction than creaming one with the GI irons though!

 

My question - the bit of advice I am looking from some of the guys who have played the game for a long time and who have progressed from a hacker to a low handicapper and/or have gone through a number of different sets of clubs - is:

 

Will practicing a bit with a set of blades help my game in the long run (practice with these, use GI irons on more rounds and in competition)?

 

Or will practicing with these - instead of the clubs I intend to use more often - impact my ability to play well with my GI irons?

 

Will using another club cause an issue brought about by switching, or by losing some familarity with the other set?

 

NB the blades are: Titleist Tour Forged 3-PW (I believe that these are a late 90s iron, aimed very much at the better player, purchased on eBay for £80 (British Sterling)); the GI irons are: Titleist AP1 irons 4-PW.

 

As said I would stress that I don't harbour any ambitions of playing exclusively with blades nor would I intend to use these in a competitive round, or on a new course etc. I'm intending to use these only as practice - to improve my game by using a harder to hit club so that when I use the Titleist AP1s my swing is a whole lot better than it would be if I only used them.

 

So far (albeit with only a small amount of play with the blades) I think it is worth sticking with as I found that when I went back to the AP1s I was hitting these better.

 

Similarly - I have two 5 woods that I hit off the fairway. One is a Titleist PT (I must be a sucker for old classic Titleist gear!); other is a Taylormade R9 that I have set at neutral upright. I find that when I hit a few balls with the PT, I will then smash the R9 cleanly and pure every single time. I guess to a degree you could liken the PT to a blade and the R9 to something more forgiving - the PT has very little offset if any, it has a significantly smaller head - it is a beautiful little club though!

 

Thanks for the advice - appreciate your thoughts on this. Am concerned that I'll do my game more harm than good with this approach; hoping on the flip side that it could do wonders for my game!

Driver: Mizuno JPX-800 10.5 degree; stiff shaft; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

3 Wood: Taylormade R9, stiff shaft (set to NU)

Hybrid: Ping G15 17 degree; stiff graphite shaft

Irons: Mizuno JPX-800; Project X 5.5; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

Wedges: Cleveland CG12 52 (smoked finish), 56 (oilcan finish) & 60 degree (chrome finish)

Putter: Odyssey White Ice No. 1; Scotty Cameron Studio Design No. 5

 

I also play a set of Titleist 1980s Tour Forged Irons with regular shaft. These are excellent for practice, as is the Titliest PT 20 degree 5 wood that accompanies them.

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2) GI irons may slow your progress as a golfer (mask poor shots to an extent, allow you to 'get away' with a shot that isn't pure).

 

 

I would quite say your "getting away" with anything with a GI iron. Your just maximizing your opportunity.

 

Further to my last post (in which I was seeking some advice on the pros and cons of using blades purely for practice) I have played on the course a bit with these and had a good session at the driving range using them.

 

On the course obviously there isnt the same opportunity to rehit a poor shot. I found however that I didnt really ever want to. On a poor shot with the blades I was achieving approximately 75% distance with these; as opposed to maybe 85-90% distance with a similarly poor shot with my Game Improver irons. I think this is the point that persons who are advocating the use of GI irons are making - why make things harder for yourself; why play with something that if you are not going to hit pure every single time you will be punished; why open yourself up to a poor round just for the sake of being macho (or for whatever reason you prefer/aspire to play with blades)...

 

The biggest thing you can do to save some of your distance on mishit shots is get your shafts spined/pured. that i have found keeps your mishits in the ball park .

 

Will practicing a bit with a set of blades help my game in the long run (practice with these, use GI irons on more rounds and in competition)?

 

Or will practicing with these - instead of the clubs I intend to use more often - impact my ability to play well with my GI irons?

 

Will using another club cause an issue brought about by switching, or by losing some familarity with the other set?

 

 

your over micromanaging this thing way too much. choose a set that is game improvement enough for you, and put the rest of your intention on the most important part - the shaft

 

:cobra-small: Staffer 

:Arccos: Staffer 

www.MANAVIANGolf.com

 

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I agree wholeheartedly with your point about maximising your opportunity (excuse the non-usage of the letter 'z' in this, I'm from N. Ireland and speak the Queen's English). For a player of my ability I would be nuts to think of using blades competitively. GI clubs make the game easier, which most/all of us could do with...

 

Incidentally I went to a fitting session/lesson with Trackman technology just last Saturday. The need for proper fitting is incredible - even being slightly off with your clubs will mean you're not connecting with the centre of the club face. Quite a tall guy who pushes to the right or slices? Less than average height with a duck hook? Try proper fitting and your woes may be cured!

 

get your shafts spined/pured

 

your over micromanaging this thing way too much. choose a set that is game improvement enough for you, and put the rest of your intention on the most important part - the shaft

 

I agree with you RE: the importance of the shaft. I have been properly fitted for the Titleist AP1s that I play with - loft/lie and shaft length/flex. I'm happy with these clubs.

 

However - you are missing my point/query. I'm purely asking a question specific to PRACTICING with blades. Will these help me become a better golfer, or will they affect my use of the game improvements irons I play with?

 

I don't care how well the blades work for me. I have no intention of playing with these any time it matters. My thought process with using them is to become a better golfer, and carry this into my use of my Titleist AP1s whenever I'm using them.

 

I used to swim competitively at national level. When training I would wear baggy shorts. In competition, when I wore speedos, the lack of drag helped me swim faster. Practice under challenging conditions, to perform at a higher level.

Driver: Mizuno JPX-800 10.5 degree; stiff shaft; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

3 Wood: Taylormade R9, stiff shaft (set to NU)

Hybrid: Ping G15 17 degree; stiff graphite shaft

Irons: Mizuno JPX-800; Project X 5.5; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

Wedges: Cleveland CG12 52 (smoked finish), 56 (oilcan finish) & 60 degree (chrome finish)

Putter: Odyssey White Ice No. 1; Scotty Cameron Studio Design No. 5

 

I also play a set of Titleist 1980s Tour Forged Irons with regular shaft. These are excellent for practice, as is the Titliest PT 20 degree 5 wood that accompanies them.

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Had never heard of a tourstriker until your post. It looks to be a serious bit of kit and in principle I can see this being fairly awesome.

 

Notion behind it seems to be: forgetting about the swing, the most important part is connection between clubface and ball.

 

i will perhaps look to see if this is available for me to purchase - as said I live in Ireland.

 

More on blades for practice: took the set of blades to driving range on way home from work. Also took the Titleist PT 5 wood. With the exception of the 3 iron I was hitting these really well. Distance was not great but I was consistently hitting these plum (the blades I have are from early 80s and distance won't compare to what modern clubs can achieve). Even with the 3 iron I hit 2/3 well and was slicing the odd one. 6 iron up I was hitting these as well as I have ever hit a club.

 

Got home, and took the Titleist AP1s to the range. Got a bay, and then noticed that in the bay directly beside me was a friend of my brother-in-law - a scratch golfer. I know this guy to speak to but wouldn't know him that well. Certainly not well enough to be immune to the embarrassment a duff shot with him watching would produce!

 

Hit 100 balls, probably 95 of these as pure as I have ever hit a ball. I have no doubt that this approach will pay big dividends and with my handicap being quite high (I only got this last year) I am looking forward to cleaning up in a few competitions and watching my handicap tumble!

Driver: Mizuno JPX-800 10.5 degree; stiff shaft; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

3 Wood: Taylormade R9, stiff shaft (set to NU)

Hybrid: Ping G15 17 degree; stiff graphite shaft

Irons: Mizuno JPX-800; Project X 5.5; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

Wedges: Cleveland CG12 52 (smoked finish), 56 (oilcan finish) & 60 degree (chrome finish)

Putter: Odyssey White Ice No. 1; Scotty Cameron Studio Design No. 5

 

I also play a set of Titleist 1980s Tour Forged Irons with regular shaft. These are excellent for practice, as is the Titliest PT 20 degree 5 wood that accompanies them.

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Its works, I used to carry an old Wilson Sam Snead iron when I went to practice not long after picking up the game. You learn soon learn which swing produces more of a pure contact if you want your fingers to stay attached to your hands.

 

Now days I bag a combo set, blades from 7 iron down, cavity 6 and up

I have a revolving WITB policy.

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Yeah with blades you know before you look at the ball if you've just fired a dud or not.

 

With game improvement irons you don't always get this and I believe that you could, over time, reduce your game to repeatedly making nearly good strikes, rather than repeatedly striking the ball good with the occasional duff (if you follow what I mean)...

 

I tested the Ping K15 irons a week or so ago. I deliberately hit one or two off the toe. There was absolutely no feedback from the club to tell me that i'd done this and the resulting shot wasn't that bad.

 

For me - the reason I keep coming back to golf, the reason I love playing the game is for the several shots per round when I utterly cream a shot - when I hit one really pure. You don't get that with a super game improvement iron in my book, personally I wouldnt get the same satisfaction. You might hit one close, but, well... meh...

 

It's all sliding scales I guess - while I don't want a super game improvement iron, im happy with a game improvement (think G15 over K15). For the better golfer he'll want something thin up top, something he can fade or draw at will. A part of it is actually liking the look of the club in your hands, and the K15 for me was about the most hideous thing I've ever looked down upon.

 

Other golfers though - it's a results business, it's all about getting the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible.

 

question:

 

you're just off the green and intend to pitch the ball close. instead you catch the ball on its equator and it gets about 2 feet high, smacks off the flag and drops one foot from the hole.

 

Are you:

 

1) hacked off at the poor shot

2) relieved at your good fortune

3) satisfied that no matter how it got there, it got there...

 

for me, it's 1 (maybe with a little bit of 2 thrown in). that's why i want to be able to hit blades, that's why even while i'm still at the stage where game improvement irons are best for me i want something that gives me feel and feedback, and that i can work the ball a bit with...

 

just my pennies worth (£0.01 for you americans!)

Driver: Mizuno JPX-800 10.5 degree; stiff shaft; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

3 Wood: Taylormade R9, stiff shaft (set to NU)

Hybrid: Ping G15 17 degree; stiff graphite shaft

Irons: Mizuno JPX-800; Project X 5.5; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

Wedges: Cleveland CG12 52 (smoked finish), 56 (oilcan finish) & 60 degree (chrome finish)

Putter: Odyssey White Ice No. 1; Scotty Cameron Studio Design No. 5

 

I also play a set of Titleist 1980s Tour Forged Irons with regular shaft. These are excellent for practice, as is the Titliest PT 20 degree 5 wood that accompanies them.

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If I bone a chip and it goes in. I'm stoked, this game kicks you in the balls often enough, you learn to take what you can get.

 

You don't draw pictures on the scorecard, only write numbers.

 

The days I shoot my best scores aren't normally the days I hit the ball perfect or make every putt. You just don't make as many mistakes.

I have a revolving WITB policy.

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The 9th at my course is a par 3.

 

Tee is elevated and green is elevated so that these are approximately on the same level. Between is a valley. To get to the front of the green requires a carry from the white tees of about 140 yards. Pin at the back needs 160 yards.

 

Behind the green is a path for trolleys, behind this a house which you would need to carry the ball easily 175-180 yards to reach. Twice now I have connected with my 6 iron and sent the ball over the green, over the path, and into the garden behind.

 

In a competition I'm a bit annoyed about this because all of a sudden I'm 3 off the tee and unsure about which club to hit with. On a casual round I'm laughing and secretly pretty happy that I bombed the club in such a way!

 

For me, golf is more than a results-driven business. It's more than simply getting the ball into the hole by any means necessary. If it hit the ball well, I'm generally not too hacked off. If I feel I'm not playing great but still put in a respectable card I'm not by any means happy.

 

But everyone's different I guess. And I'm certainly enjoying the challenge of using blades for practice (and if anything it's making me go to the range more)!

Driver: Mizuno JPX-800 10.5 degree; stiff shaft; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

3 Wood: Taylormade R9, stiff shaft (set to NU)

Hybrid: Ping G15 17 degree; stiff graphite shaft

Irons: Mizuno JPX-800; Project X 5.5; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

Wedges: Cleveland CG12 52 (smoked finish), 56 (oilcan finish) & 60 degree (chrome finish)

Putter: Odyssey White Ice No. 1; Scotty Cameron Studio Design No. 5

 

I also play a set of Titleist 1980s Tour Forged Irons with regular shaft. These are excellent for practice, as is the Titliest PT 20 degree 5 wood that accompanies them.

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Pete I will throw my 2 cents in I have always been a blade man for most of the reasons that have already been stated here by myself and others. When I played my best golf I did not worry about technique any I just hit it and got it in the hole any way I could. I have quite a few flaws in my swing. It has been documented that I can break down a medicus club 5 times in one swing no joke I have witnesses. I was never a student of the golf swing untill 5 years ago. I was trying to revamp my game after laying of for a few years. I was attempting to play mini tours again I got hooked in with an instructor/coach and with his best intentions got me too technical. I got to worrying about club position tempo etc and forgot how to hit the ball. It really messed me up. Last year I finally got back to my old way of thinking and playing and i am getting back to where I used to be.To put it in a nutshell I am back playing golf my own way (I call it freewheeling). My swing aint pretty or textbook correct but it is what it is. I am having a lot more fun and definitly scoring better. Remember there are no pictures on a score card. If you can pick up the US Champions Tour in your location check it out you will see a lot of very competitive players that have homemade golf swings. On the US PGA Tour Bubba Watson comes to mind in fact I have adopted his style to my game and It helps me. Good luck in your endevors I hope maybe I could be some help to you

Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha  Speeder 565 R flex- 5W TM V-Steel Fubuki 60r--- 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R----- 9 W TM V Steel TM MAS stiff---- Irons 2015 TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R--- GW Callaway Mack Daddy 2 52* shaft unknown junk pile refugee. SW Callaway PM Grind 56*  Modified sole grind--- KBS Tour Wedge-- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter Ping B90I Broom Stick 

 

 

 G

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Update:

 

I'm definitely seeing worth in practicing with the blades. They aren't even close to be long clubs - a good 9 iron will just clear 100 yards while my JPX-800 9 iron will easily give me 120 yards. They are however early 80s clubs...

 

While not long though I'm finding that I am able to hit these extremely accurately and to the same distance every time, apart from the odd poor connection.

 

When I then play with the Mizunos, I am making a really good contact and am hitting the ball straight at the pin.

 

Using the blades I'm also learning how to draw the ball and control a fade - and am able to then replicate this with the Mizunos - albeit not as much control doing this with the much more forgiving club.

 

I was discussing this with the guy in the pro-shop from whom I purchased the Mizunos. He fully agreed with the notion and suggested that when he was in his teens using blades and messing about on the course - trying to hit crazy draws and fades etc made him a much better player.

 

My view seems to be that for the golfer who wants to continue improving and plays the game without worrying too much about the score on their card - blades or thinner clubs are the way to go. If however you're after forgiveness and it's all about the number on the card - then go forgiving.

Driver: Mizuno JPX-800 10.5 degree; stiff shaft; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

3 Wood: Taylormade R9, stiff shaft (set to NU)

Hybrid: Ping G15 17 degree; stiff graphite shaft

Irons: Mizuno JPX-800; Project X 5.5; Golf Pride Multi-Compound

Wedges: Cleveland CG12 52 (smoked finish), 56 (oilcan finish) & 60 degree (chrome finish)

Putter: Odyssey White Ice No. 1; Scotty Cameron Studio Design No. 5

 

I also play a set of Titleist 1980s Tour Forged Irons with regular shaft. These are excellent for practice, as is the Titliest PT 20 degree 5 wood that accompanies them.

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Pete I think you have got it!! You have came around to the old school blade hitting way of thinking. From experience I think you will enjoy the game more. Good Luck in your endevors

Driver ---- Callaway Big Bertha Alpha  Speeder 565 R flex- 5W TM V-Steel Fubuki 60r--- 7W TM V-Steel UST Pro Force Gold 65R----- 9 W TM V Steel TM MAS stiff---- Irons 2015 TM TP CB Steel Fiber 95 R--- GW Callaway Mack Daddy 2 52* shaft unknown junk pile refugee. SW Callaway PM Grind 56*  Modified sole grind--- KBS Tour Wedge-- LW Vokey 58* SM5 L grind--- Putter Ping B90I Broom Stick 

 

 

 G

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  • 8 months later...

This is an old topic but I wiil chime in with my opinion and experiences. In 2004, it started playing again more regularly. I guess I would have been a 24+ handicap if I would not have been too embarrassed to turn in a card. I bought a brand new set of GI clubs to replace my Ping Eye 2's. Another topic but I have since learned that there is no such thing as a better club than Ping Eye 2's. After a year of regular play there was no real difference in my handicap. I was a 22+. I could break 100 but that was it. I was told that if I wanted to get better I needed different clubs. So I got a set of Ben Hogan FTX's in 2006. Practiced more and played more and got the handicap down to 10. I 2008 bought Titleist AP2's because I wanted them and thought the extra forgiveness would help. 2009 I had worked my way up to a 14 cap. I sold the AP2's and began a years long search for the perfect iron. Staying in the 12-14 cap. I was a very steaky player who could go out one day and shoot in the 70's and 90's the next. I won some local tournaments for proshop credit with some old Titleits 755/s (on good days) :D . He had a set of Callaway TA Proto 7-W and 2009 XForged 3-6, so I swapped.

These blades have taught me something I should have already know. The problem was not with the clubs but my poor swing. When I swung good they feel perfect. Bad swing, well, not so much.

My problems started with my grip, stance, and backswing and got worse. Three months down the road, I am happy to report that I am currently playing to a 6 HCP and improving everyday. I have a new putter coming today, combination of two of my favorite putters, that should help me lower it more, great lag putter make a significantly high number of long putts, but miss way too many from 2-5 feet.

When I first switched from cb's to blades, I kept track. I did not hit any more GIR's with the GI clubs than I did with the blades. However, when I hit a good blade I had a "real" birdie opportunity rather than a "real" two putt par opportunity.

Now inside 150 yards I expect to be within 10' of the cup. But the key is not just the clubs. But the club does insprire confidence. Also, I have had trouble hitting the ball straight but could work it fine. So now I decided to work the ball on every shot. This has drastically improved my game.

Well, got to go, I have a 1:30 TEE TIME.

:ping-small:G430LST 10.5° on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Driver 

:ping-small:G430MAX 3w  on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Fairway 

:ping-small:G425 3H on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Hybrid 

:taylormade-small:P790 Black 4-A 
on :kbs: TGI 80S
 

:mizuno-small: ES21 54-8° & 58-12° on :kbs: Hi Rev

:L.A.B.:DF2.1 on :accra: White

:titelist-small: ProV1  

:918457628_PrecisionPro: Precision Pro  NX7 Pro

All Iron grips are BestGrips Micro-Perforated Mid

Driver, 3w, 3H are JumboMax JMX UltraLite XS 

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I would have to disagree with you on this one. ALL of us golfers know that golf is hard enough let alone having improper equipment. I use the term "improper" because if someone is shooting over 85 they probably should be playing a perimeter weighted iron, just ALOT easier to hit than forged blades. The analogy about having a beautiful wife and being miserable is a great one, however, why make yourself miserable on the golf course when you DO have a choice of which clubs to buy etc...I believe that the person or persons playing forged blades and shooting triple digit scores or near them either 1-has alot of money and therefore it's a status thing for them and their friends or 2-they were sold the wrong set by someone who only wanted to make a sale and did not care about the golfers abilities. Either way, I think it is wrong. I know some people are fascinated by certain "name brands" and will only play them but I'm sure they offer clubs for people with a lower skill level. One last thing, if they played a more forgiving club, they would have more fun, hit better shots, save money(in which they could use for lessons to eventually buy the forged irons) and not play 18 holes in 4.5-5 hours, more enjoyable for all. Just my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have seen this debate on other forums and I always wonder why people care what other people play. I love the look of the TM blades, but I like hitting the ball well too. However, if someone wants to bag blades and shoot 120, go for it. Same thing for a low number person who plays GI. If someone puts up a 73 using G15's and not I15's, I don't think that the score was achieved via equipment.

 

With blades, some people are married to a beautiful spouse who makes them miserable. Even so, they stay with them for whatever reason.

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I'll bite.

 

I play blades 4-PW. I used to be as good as a +2.7 and now play to scratch- play once a week and practice once a week from may 1 until about mid November. The reason why I play blades is not because I am some "incredible ballstriker" or because I like to "work the ball" around the golf course. I play blades because I HAVE A FLAWED GOLF SWING. I have a tendency to sit back and flip at it with an early release so everything I hit goes extremely high and with a lot of spin. This is an absolute nightmare on a windy day. No problem when it's calm but very difficult when it's windy. Blade headshapes produce the lowest trajectory of all. That is why I play them. I would play SGI irons in a heart beat if my ball flight wouldn't be so high with them. The 2nd Asst at my facility plays RAZR irons (not RAZR tours, RAZRs) and he is a VERY good player. Plays to scratch, played collegiate golf, and has qualified for the IL Open numerous times. The reason he plays those is "because you can't miss." As for other people, I couldn't care less when it comes to what you play. It is a game and we are out there to enjoy ourselves. If you are a competitor and receive enjoyment out of shooting low scores but are not that good of a player and are playing blades- well then maybe you should consider something more forgiving, especially in the 4-7 range and you better not have a 3 iron in the bag. However, if you don't care what you shoot and love your blades then who am I to tell you what clubs to use?

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  • 3 months later...

My view has changed on this. I used to fear playing cavity backs would make my iron game sloppy. But, I've learned that unless you play quite often, the extra forgiveness is needed.

 

Hell, even pros are playing them now. I believe a few of Ping's PGA pros even play the G20's (yes, I said the G-series).

Callaway FT-9 Driver 10.5* Grafalloy Prolaunch Axis Blue

Callaway FT-9 Driver 9.0* Grafalloy Prolaunch Platinum

Cobra Baffler Rail F Fairway 15.5* Fujikura Motore

Wilson FYbrid 19* UST Proforce AXIV Core

Cobra Baffler Rail H Hybrid 22* Fujikura Motore

Ping I15 Irons 5-UW AWT

Ping Tour-W 56*,60* DG Spinner

Ping Redwood ZB Putter, WRX Starshot, 35"

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  • 1 month later...

I currently play the Nike Pro Cavity VR irons, 5-PW,AW and will take those to play 9 and 18 hole rounds. But I mentor for the first tee and when I play the par 3 with the kids, I will shoot with Adams Idea Pro irons. Figure it's the best time to work on my ball striking since I don't get much time at the range. Has made my striking much better. I'm a 17 handicap and have been playing a little less than 3 years (this september will be 3).

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ah this very old topic got dig back up... Think the more interesting discussion get spewed up in the more recent topic that RoverRick posted about blades and RBZ irons.

Callaway Epic Max 12.0 (-1/N) @ 44.50" w/ Graphite Design Tour AD IZ-7 Stiff

Callaway Epic Speed 18.0* @ 42.75" w/ Graphite Design Tour AD IZ-8 Stiff

Callaway Mavrik Pro 23.0* @ 40.00" w/ Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 95 HYB Stiff

Sub-70 639 Combo (5-P) w/ Nippon Modus 3 125 Stiff, Standard Length, Weak Lofts (27-47, 4* gaps)

Callaway MD5 Raw 51-11 S-Grind w/ Nippon Modus 125 Wedge

Callaway MD5 Raw 55-13 X-Grind w/ Nippon Modus 125 Wedge

Callaway MD5 Raw 59-11 S-Grind w/ Nippon Modus 125 Wedge

Callaway MD5 Raw 63-09 C-Grind w/ Nippon Modus 125 Wedge

Golf Swing & Putting -- Bruce Rearick (Burnt Edges Consulting)

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