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Why do you continue to pick blades over the forgiveness and technology packed into todays irons?


oldsnick01

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I thought of this topic because I have been playing Mizuno mp-15 irons for 2 years and I do not ever want to give them up. I plan on getting them refinished over and over rather than buying new irons unless I ever get sponsored and paid to play a certain set of clubs I believe in. Nevertheless, every year there seems to be new irons that have impressive forgiveness and offer a lot of distance to players who are seeking more. So, I'm curious, for those of you who still choose players irons year in and year out, why do you do so? I know that I do because I can't give up the feel of a well struck shot and the feedback I receive when I mishit a shot. Also, there's nothing like looking down at a blade style iron.

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Larger club heads don't do much to inspire confidence or forgiveness for me. They just look like something I have to work that much harder to get to do what I want. I've also discovered - through experimentation - that my ballstriking improves with compact club shapes (aim small miss small I guess). Even my current gamers which are fairly forgiving for players club have a blade length that is too long for my liking and I plan to eventually replace them with something smaller. Not to mention that the offset often associated with the most forgiving clubs brings the dreaded snap hook into play.

Driver: :mizuno-small: ST190 9.5* Fujikura Atmos Blue 5S
Fairway Wood: :mizuno-small: ST190 15* Fujikura Atmos Blue 6S
Hybrid: :mizuno-small: CLK 17* Fujikura Speeder EVO HB
Irons: :bridgestone-small: J40 CB (3-PW) Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: :taylormade-small: Milled Grind 2 54* & 58* Dynamic Gold S200
Putter: :odyssey-small: Tri-Hot 5k Two 34"
Bag: :titleist-small: Players 5 Stand Bag
Ball: Maxfli Tour

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MP-15s still have plenty of forgiveness built in so I don't think you need to worry that you're in old no tech musclebacks. It is a bit of heresy to say out loud that the data doesn't matter around here, but I think it's fine to say the data doesn't matter to you. If you like the feel of your clubs play away. Even if there's something else out there that would allow you to play your best a bit more often if you really took the time to drill down into exact fitting, your irons aren't the difference between playing for fun and playing on tour for any of us. I've played Srixon irons for ages. I used to own a retail golf store and the Srixon rep was really good to me and I thought they made great irons so I've played them ever since. I've always liked having something a little different. I have no idea if they're 100% the best fit I could possibly get but my handicap hasn't really changed in 20 years so they definitely aren't doing me any harm and they make me happy. I'm sure there's a different 4 or 5 iron out there that I could gain a little ball speed from or little more elevation out of but I'm really just looking for good enough out of those sorts of clubs anyway and these are good enough so I'm not going to worry about it.

Now as I guy who is turning 50 this year, let me say that all of those numbers probably will start mattering to me as soon as I see my yardages start to drop. I know it's coming, I just don't know when!

:callaway-small: Rogue SZ 10.5 *NEW* Fujikura Pro Green 65 X

:callaway-small: Rogue 15 degree Evnflow Blue 6.5

Back in the Bag :srixon-small: Z765 4-G Nippon Modus 120 Stiff

:vokey-small: 54 and 60

 

:bobby-grace-1: Amazing Grace Ass Kicker

 

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For me, there are three reasons why I will continue to play a combo or a more blade style for as long as possible.

  • Looks
  • Feel
  • Dispersion 

With dispersion I'm talking more about distance control, but still some left to right.  When I can dial in my players iron to a 7 -8 yard landing area it helps so much more.  I've tried non players irons and will have that one that hits the screws and goes 25 yards over my intended distance.

Edited by juspoole

Driver:  image.png.3c6db1120d888f669e07d4a8f890b3f1.pngMavrik Sub Zero 9* (Set to 10) Ventus Blue 6X

2 Hybrid: :titelist-small: TSI3 Hybrid Tensei Blue 80 X (17.25*)

3 Hybrid :titelist-small: 818 H2 Hybrid Hzrdus RDX Black 6.5 (20.5*)

4 Iron -  :titelist-small: T200 4 Iron Graphite Design Tour AD IZ X Hybrid Shaft

Irons 5-PW:  :titelist-small: T100-S 5 - GW KBS Tour 130 X

Gap/Sand Wedge:  :titelist-small: Vokey SM6 49*  SM8 54* 

Lob Wedge:  image.png.3c6db1120d888f669e07d4a8f890b3f1.pngJaws 5 Wedge 58* DG Tour Issue Stiff

Putter:   :scotty-small: Phantom 5.5 34"      Pro Platinum Newport 2 35"      Taylormade Tour Black Spider 34"

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Play what you want to play

 

Unless your goal is to shoot the lowest possible scores - then you need to carefully consider what equipment will give you the best chance to shoot the lowest scores.  For most (not all) these will be clubs with some improvement built in.

Enjoy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Love a blade- still got my Titleist pro blades from 30 yrs ago in the garage. If you have a decent swing you can hit anything and the new tech on previously hard to hit blades is so much better these days. I think I might even try some blades again this year, why not!

Driver     Awaiting NEW Driver (after 10 yrs)  
4 Wood   Callaway Big Bertha Steelhead plus 4+  :callaway-small: Callaway shaft in 'Firm' flex

Hybrid     Titleist 910H 19*    :titelist-small:   Diamana ahina 'flower' shaft in 'S'

Irons         Mizuno MP18SC 4-PW   :mizuno-small:  N.S Pro Modus3 Tour 105 in 'S'

Wedges    Callaway Mack Daddy forged in black 50* and 54*  :callaway-small:   KBS Tour in 'R'

Putter        'YES' Tracy 11 C groove 34.5"

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Paging @Shankster

Wilson Staff C300 9.0* Fujikura Pro 58 stiff

Callaway Rogue 3W Mitsubishi Diamana D+ LTD 80 stiff

Mizuno MP-18 MMC FLI-HI 2 iron UST Mamiya Recoil 95 stiff

Ping I200's 4-W Aerotech Steelfiber I110 CW stiff

Ping Glide 52* and 58* stiff

Bettinardi Studio Stock #38 Armlock

 

 

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I started with blades, played them for about a decade, then I picked up my friend's cavity back irons. Both of us had S300 shafts and I hit his at least 15 yards further. Later that winter I racked the blades and bought more forgiving clubs- R7 TPs. Last year I went back to blades and up to an X100 shafts in the Titleist 714 CBs. These are another club less than the cavity backs. I don't need distance, I need control and work ability. The bigger, more forgiving heads are designed to keep everything straight. I need to work more to get the shot shapes but it's a beauty when its all working.

Sent from my SM-G935P using MyGolfSpy mobile app

Take Dead Aim

Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* 

Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15*

Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18*

Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro

Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58

Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar

Ball: Srixon Z-Star

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4 hours ago, oldsnick01 said:

So, I'm curious, for those of you who still choose players irons year in and year out, why do you do so? I know that I do because I can't give up the feel of a well struck shot and the feedback I receive when I mishit a shot. Also, there's nothing like looking down at a blade style iron.

I don't choose to play blades. As a 3-5 handicap golfer I've have found my current set to be the best fit for my game at this time. My irons have great feel and I too certainly know where on the face the ball is struck. They also help me produce low scores. When I look down at my irons at address I feel very confidant. I've got a very nice (like new) set of KZG blades at home but they just didn't work out as well as my current gamers. I also have two older sets of blades stacked out in the garage. I'll never play those beasts again either. As I hopefully continue to age I'll change irons later I'm sure - going with a move forgiving design. To this day I see far too many guys (ehem...players) playing irons that are ill-suited for their ability. Too each his own.

My Sun Mountain bag currently includes:   TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 771CSI 5i - PW and TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png PFC Micro Tour-c 52°, 56°, 60 wedges

                                                                               :755178188_TourEdge: EXS 10.5*, TWGTLogo2.png.06c802075f4d211691d88895b3f34b75.png 929-HS FW4 16.5* 

                                                                                :edel-golf-1: Willimette w/GolfPride Contour

 

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5 hours ago, TR1PTIK said:

Larger club heads don't do much to inspire confidence or forgiveness for me. They just look like something I have to work that much harder to get to do what I want. I've also discovered - through experimentation - that my ballstriking improves with compact club shapes (aim small miss small I guess). Even my current gamers which are fairly forgiving for players club have a blade length that is too long for my liking and I plan to eventually replace them with something smaller. Not to mention that the offset often associated with the most forgiving clubs brings the dreaded snap hook into play.

Bingo!!!! I can't say my reasons better. Also my dispersion is much better. 

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Paging [mention=69396]Shankster[/mention]

 

I’m here. Don’t really have anything to add that hasn’t been said. Except all this

 

Everyone has a different reason that they play this wonderful game... we all love.

 

For me it’s the profile of the iron, and really my set aren’t really “blades” at the moment. They are “Bladez”... still quite compact, ok(ish) looking at address, and send the ball in somewhat the direction I intended s it to go on.

 

I won’t discount any of the work here that MGS does, heck that’s why I bought my irons, I read about them on here... so as a leader in weeding through the cow crap, I got 4 great seasons out of these things.... so I’ll thank GolfSpy T for that article, and that purchase.

 

Face progression is my main reason I like them. Offset makes me want to puke. I don’t know what it is, my first “real set” were hugely offset, and before YouTube, and no lessons so I had no idea what the heck I was doing, so every thing went right. Yeah weird right, the clubface looked so closed I was opening it up. Probably had a sweet swing as a kid, but listening to a 20 capper on how to swing I had no idea. So to “fix” that offset I opened the clubface and hit fades all day. Hated it. Fast forward to my early 30’s, YouTube, etc. and here I am figuring things out.

 

I’ll probably end up with some sort of combo set by the time my project is over, but if you ask me a 34° club is a 34° club and you should get the same yardages out of it.

 

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And... all of the marketing hoopla. Sure brand A’s 7 iron goes 180, but it’s the same loft as brand B’s 6 iron.

And a lot of the other testing outfits take iron vs iron, but you could have a 4° loft difference with the same number on the bottom. So of course the launch angles, spin, and carry will be different!

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My main clubs are my KZG Forged cavity backs which are a players style cavity back but I take out my 1954 Hogan Precisions or 1958 Wilson Dyna-Powered’s and score similarly with each. I prefer a simple forged iron.

I like the feel and accuracy of persimmon woods so I play them exclusively now with my 1-3-4 woods covering my 200-250 yard distances. I choose tees that are appropriate for the distance I can hit my persimmon driver. I don’t need to play the tips to “experience the whole course”. At 6000-6400 yards, my persimmons and traditional loft irons can get the job done. I can easily throw my modern driver back in the bag if I really feel the urge to play longer courses, but that hasn’t happened in nearly 8 months.


I have no interest in hitting my irons further using hollow heads or speed foam.

The goal of iron play is ACCURACY, not distance.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

WITB:

Stan Thompson “Reactionizer” persimmon woods 1-4

Spalding Tour Edition 3-PW

Spalding Top-Flite E.V.A. Sand Club

Rife Legend Z Putter

 

 

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I never understood why there was such a strong opinion towards people who shouldn’t play blades. I feel confident playing my Hogan’s (prior to that it was 962b’s and 670’s) and I kept it under a 4 index. Maybe I could have been better while playing something more forgiving but my errors aren’t from irons.
 
I lose strokes because I...
 
1) lose focus
2) short game errors
3) errant drive
 
So if they look good, swing them. Who really cares anyways.
 
 
Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
 

Spot on. Spot the heck on!

Not all people are bad with irons. My driver could cost me more strokes than my iron play will ever on one or two holes!
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... To this day I see far too many guys (ehem...players) playing irons that are ill-suited for their ability. Too each his own.


Ehem... PLAYAS!!!

Sent from my Nexus 6P using MyGolfSpy mobile app

Driver -  :callaway-small: Big Bertha Alpha

3W -  :callaway-small: XHot Pro

3 Hybrid - :taylormade-small: Rescue 11

4-PW - Maltby DBM Forged

52 -  :vokey-small: SM4

56 -  :cleveland-small: RTX-3

60 - Scratch SS

Putter -  :seemore-small: FGP

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One issue I see with current “forgiving” irons is the lack of spin control. Distance is the name of the game, therefore high launching, low spinning shots are the result of today’s designs. To get clubs that aren’t made this way, it’s necessary to go to more of a “player’s” iron that has a little less offset, and is a little less forgiving.

I also don’t like a big, chunky iron. I just can’t hit them, so based on that, the “thinner” top lines are usually more toward the player’s side.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X

Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X

Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X

Irons:  Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

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13 hours ago, PMookie said:

I also don’t like a big, chunky iron. I just can’t hit them, so based on that, the “thinner” top lines are usually more toward the player’s side.

I'm with you on this...at least the look part.  I am amazed just how much larger many of the GI thru UGI irons are as compared to my PE2... which, when they hit the market, probably looked like a sow's ear in comparison to most other irons at that time. I don't particularly care for the oversized, big offset look and would prefer to find a brand/model that has a bit more traditional/compact look.  Yeah, I know, that's a silly want - if it's the size of a garden hoe but hits long and straight, that's what one should go with...right?

I'm going back to my "Former PE2 Players" thread and re-review what some of you recommended as replacements.  Currently, I'm in data saturation, marketing spiel overload and need to do a reset.
 

 

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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I feel the need...

the need for Speed....

...foam

 

:titleist-small: TSr2 on tensi blue stiff

:cobra-small: Speedzone 3-wood on Tensi blue S

:callaway-logo-1: Epic Max 5 and 7 woods on HZRDUS  Reg flex

:callaway-logo-1: Paradym 9 wood on HZRDUS reg flex

:taylormade-small: P770 / P790 combo set on Ventus R-6 shafts 6-AW

:mizuno-small:  T22 Denim Copper 54°, 58° on Kinetic X Trajectory 

:EVNROLL: ER3 or,

:edel-golf-1: E.A.S. #4   (“Fang” or “Adele”)
 

:titelist-small: ProV1x, or, Maxfli Tour X

:callaway-small: .Org 14 cart bag

Adidas Tour 360 , or Sketcher shoes

 

 

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I play blades because my proximity stats with 4i-SW are better than the tour average and for me the foundation of that stat is distance control via trajectory manipulation. A smaller instrument is also my preference when I need to dig the ball out of a less than ideal lie. If golf were a game of strictly full swings from perfect lies then I might choose a different tack, but for the time being it's still a game that rewards intentional creativity. And nothing gets my creative juices flowing more than my Adams IDEA MB2s.

:cobra-small:______S9-1 Pro D - Matrix Ozik XCON 6 S
:cobra-small:______S9-1 Pro 15* - Matrix Ozik XCON 7 S
:nickent-small:________3DX 17* - Matrix Ozik Altus Hybrid SG
:Hogan:______ICON Black 4-PW - KBS Tour V S
:cleveland-small:__________588 RTG 49  RTX 52.10  56.12 - DG S400
BobbyGrace.png.1dc40002fcec0eee8603b71b3e706e89.png______Amazing Grace NYC Tour CS
:taylormade-small:_______'19 TP5X
(the preceding have all been gamer approved)

"The most important shot in golf is the next one“ - Ben Hogan

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Finally switched from my Nike vapor pro / pro combo mixed set last year to PXG. I would have never thought I would do it and certainly not PXG, nothing against anyone that likes them as a company, just the brand itself did not speak to me and I can’t unsee bob parsons wearing an earring slinging $1.99 domain names. 

I think I lost a touch of distance control but I’m hitting it way higher now and overall hitting more greens. 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Blades or MB's meets all the needs of my game. Forgiveness and technology are mass advertised in massive sizes. But it is trending to a better sized iron, eventually the OEM's will get it right. Lots of good things in the players CB's. No doubt, the OEM's are making not only better irons, but better sized irons.

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I have to admit that I am "this" player. I've been trying to shake my blades for 5 years now and keep going back to them. Most recently, I moved from my Wilson FG100's to the Mizuno JPX 900 Forged. I'm 5 rounds into my season and already seriously regret it. Probably the biggest issue I have is the fact that I hit the same shot almost everywhere on the face of the club. That's fine for the guy trying to hit the ball straight to the target every time, but when I drive it into the trees or need a good knockdown shot, I just don't have it with the cavity backs. 

Blades give me the feeling of control, not forgiveness. Blades give me the control to flight the ball where I need it and the ability to move the ball from right to left and left to right. I also like the "no offset" look that blades offer over many of the newer models. Another part of the blade that I prefer is the more traditional lofting of them. I know it sounds stupid, but I don't want to hit a 6 iron 220. That just means that I'm carrying 4 or 5 wedges AFTER my pitching wedge and losing the longer irons. 

Another side note,  I also like blades because everyone is scared of them. When I step on to the first tee with my blades in my bag, people get nervous. When I walk up with the Mizzy's they don't. There's something to the awe that blades deliver to others that can't be explained, but in a comp, blades are definitely something that people fear - and I like that. That may seem childish, but I'll take every competitive advantage I can take, and psyching out your opponents is one of them that comes with carrying blades.

Taking all of that into account, nothing, and I mean NOTHING feels as good as a perfectly hit blade. That's all there is to it. 

In The Bag:

:wilson-small: Cortex Driver - 9° - Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black 7 X-Flex Shaft - Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Grip
:wilson-small: Staff Model Blades - 3-PW - KBS C-Taper 130 X Flex Shafts - Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Grip
:wilson-small: PMP RAW Wedges - 50°, 54° & 58° - KBS C-Taper 130 X Flex Shafts - Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 Grip
:odyssey-small: Tri-Hot #3 (2002) Putter - Super Stroke Flatso 2.0 Grip

:titelist-small: AVX Balls  +  :wilson-small: Exo Bag  +  :footjoy-small: shoes

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3 hours ago, chisag said:

... Before any comment about irons, the ball has changed radically. It was so much easier to shape shots with a MB and a balata ball. In all honesty hitting a straight shot was dam near impossible as everything curved some because Balata balls spun like crazy. One of the reasons Nicklaus always said find a shot shape and increase the size of the fairway.  Hitting down the center you have 50% of the fairway on either side for error, but hitting a fade or draw down one side and curving it back you have 100% fairway to work with. Same with an iron shot not a green. I played a draw back then and every shot was a draw to some degree. Fast forward to todays ball and everything changed. 

This this and this. The ball has changed not just the distances but the ability to spin the ball in different directions. It is still possible but not even close to the degree that it was with a balata, or really anything before the original PROV1

:taylormade-small:     Stealth 2+ 9 (Diamana PD 60 S 45") 

image.png.dee92ef6cebb2ac4a3883744fc248f12.png     Stealth 2+ 15 (Diamana PD 70 S 43")

:ping-small:          G425 19 (Raijin 2.0 85x)

:ping-small:          G425 22 (Raijin 2.0 85x)

:srixon-small:            ZX7 5-9 (KBS C Taper S)

:titleist-small:            Vokey SM9 45 10 F (KBS 610)

 :titleist-small:           Vokey SM9 49 08 F (KBS 610)

 :titleist-small:           Vokey SM9 55 08 M (KBS 610)

 :titleist-small:           Vokey SM9 59 04 T (KBS 610)

:taylormade-small:     Spider GT Splitback 34"

 :titleist-small:           ProV1 #23

Twitter             @THEZIPR23

 

"One thing Golf has taught me, is that my muscles have no memory."

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Some of the game improvement irons aren’t playable to me. Not all but some. You have these rockets on a stick that fly high and long but that’s not what I’m looking for in my iron game. You can’t control the ball with that kind of club as well as you can a smaller forging.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Right Handed

4.5 handicap

Driver: Nike Vapor Flex with Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki ZT60x5ct S-flex shaft and stock grip.

3-Metal: Nike VRS 15 degree with Mitsubishi Rayon tour issue Diamana S73x5ct X-flex shaft and GolfPride MCC midsize Black/White grip.

Irons: Ben Hogan PTx 22, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 46 degrees standard length and lie with KBS Tour-V stiff shafts and GolfPride MCC midsize Black/White grips.

Wedges: Ben Hogan TK15 54, 58 degrees with KBS Tour-V X-flex shafts and GolfPride MCC midsize Black/White grips.

Putter: Nike Method Converge B1|01 with Superstroke Flatso 2.0 grip.

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