Time for Blade irons?

[BigJim13]

Having said that, in my opinion, handicap has very little to do with the necessity or preferance of blades. Just food for thought.

Couldntn agree more with this statement, Just because your a single digit doesnt mean you should grab a set of Mp-33 or Hogan blades...although those are 2 of the sweetest looking sets ever made IMO of course.

 

[JEFF4i]

Couldntn agree more with this statement, Just because your a single digit doesnt mean you should grab a set of Mp-33 or Hogan blades...although those are 2 of the sweetest looking sets ever made IMO of course.

And on the flip side, I've played with double digit handicappers who use blades.

Two primary reasons. One, their iron game is really solid. Their putting and driving not so much, but irons, yes. Two, if you can hit a blade, you can hit anything. Some people have the philosophy of that, or it's best to learn on a blade.

*shrug* Just my .02

 

[Clugnut]

Such a downer Clug.

:laugh: I've issued a fatwa against blades!

 

[BigJim13]

Another misnomer we find stated is that if you are a poor ball striker, blades will make your game better. Seems there is a school of thought that if you can't hit the center of an iron face with a perimeter weighted club you will magically train yourself to hit the center of a blade iron. I'm sorry. I just cannot believe the person who consistently hits his GI irons all over the face will suddenly smooth his blades to a dime-sized point at the sweet spot. A good ball striker, playing cavity back irons, can move to blades and... if those blades fit his swing... perhaps see good improvement. A poor ball striker needs to work diligently with his cavity back irons, honing his swing until he can perfect the consistency needed to play well with blades.

..

See now this I disagree with. I would be willing to bet if you gave a High capper 10 rounds, 5 with Huge GI irons and 5 with Blade irons you would see 10 rounds with about equal scores.

The thing with GI irons is that with all that perimeter weight, a bad shot has a tendency to get worse with a bad swing where as with a blade a bad shot may still stay in bounds and be playable.

Eventually if you play/practice enough with blades than you cant help but get to be a better ball striker, if you can play/practice enough.

 

[JEFF4i]

Playing blades if you are a poor ball striker, through time, patience, and dedication, makes you a better ball striker.

Why? With the dedication, you'll learn to hit blades. And if you can hit blades, you can hit anything.

 

[Sandpiper3]

Playing blades if you are a poor ball striker, through time, patience, and dedication, makes you a better ball striker.

Why? With the dedication, you'll learn to hit blades. And if you can hit blades, you can hit anything.

Just to play devil's advocate here;

Theorhectically

 

[JEFF4i]

Just to be an ass here...

Piper spells like a retard.

 

[zaphod]

I agree with Jeff. I play my cb to score. If I need to work on something my blades come out. They are more sensitive to imperfect ball striking. I can discern where the non sweet spot contact was made. Good for working out a problem. But scoring ----give me a cavity back.

Also its true CB can be worked left right etc. With pros playing CB irons the idea blades are the best way to go is not a given.

 

[JEFF4i]

Just to be an ass here...

Piper spells like a retard.

I agree with Jeff.

It's the truth!

 

[dukejh12]

actually i looked up the tzoids and they arerent close to a full out blade Players CB is what they are. But the topline is soooo much thinner than my current irons and there is defenitly less forgiveness but i get that feeling that was mentioned when you cant even feel the ball leave the clubface. That feeling is addicting, seriously.

 

[dave.]

Jeff

It takes no more effort for me to hit a fade with my i3s than it did the purest of blades,the MacGregor Muirfields,the only different being trajectory and the size of the sweetspot.Off the centre of the face there is no difference at all,blades are only only easier to shape because they launch lower and have no offset.So if you have a set of normal minimal offset cbs with low launch heads/shafts there is no difference at all,unless its all in the mind.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Another misnomer we find stated is that if you are a poor ball striker, blades will make your game better. Seems there is a school of thought that if you can't hit the center of an iron face with a perimeter weighted club you will magically train yourself to hit the center of a blade iron. I'm sorry. I just cannot believe the person who consistently hits his GI irons all over the face will suddenly smooth his blades to a dime-sized point at the sweet spot.

Playing blades if you are a poor ball striker, through time, patience, and dedication, makes you a better ball striker.

Why? With the dedication, you'll learn to hit blades. And if you can hit blades, you can hit anything.

I would tend to agree with Jeffs comment with an addition. I think a very important reason you will become a better ball striker is that you know where you are striking the ball.

In the transition from the i3+ to the MP-60's it hits you instantly, and within a few short months you can very easily know what you need to do to adjust while on the course

Also going back to dave's comment in relation to my last 3 months. I changed because when I started playing I picked up a tour cast set with a CB not knowing they would not be forgiving. I became a pretty good ball striker, pretty fast though. I then went to the the i3+ with the knowledge of a "better more forgiving club", and really lost all feel for where I hit the ball. Kinda hard to adjust when you have no easy access to a range and need impact tape to know where you are striking the ball. Went to the MP60's. I did loose about 15 yards, I did hit the ball less consistently. I really thought I made a mistake for a few weeks. Then that feel for where you are striking the ball started to lock in. I have a tendency, likely because of an minor ongoing swing flaw, to hit the ball more off the toe. It is something that creeps in a little, and when it shows up on certain days it is very consistent. Just my swing for that day,. It is easily fixed for me by putting the ball in towards the hosel at setup. With the i3+, I was usually oblivious to where I was striking the ball. Didn't think much about it, and just continued to hit poor shots. So the adage, what does it matter if you know where you hit the ball once it is to late and the ball is veering off towards the woods? It is instant feedback and constant reminder the second you hit the ball, and before you even see the ball. I instantly know when it will be short, left, right, before I see the result. When I step over the ball the next time, it is something I remember well and know why it happened.

Personally just the knowledge of knowing where my ball is going the second I strike it, in itself is a very exiting addition to the game of golf for me.

I still hit the ball 10 yards shorter, and certainly less consistent a larger part of the time. But in just a few months my ball striking is getting much better and what used to be just so~so shots that other part of the time, are now guided missiles that hit greens and give me a chance at birdie. I hit far more greens than I did 3 months ago, and the scores are dropping regardless of the poor shots being a little poorer and shorter than before. The difference being I just have a longer chip from the front of the green as opposed to a pin high chip from out of the woods. Personally the way most golf courses and greens set up, I would rather be chipping from short of the green than chipping sideways and pin high anyways.

So while I agree you give up distance and forgiveness, I would gladly do so again for the constant reminder of what I did wrong that stays in my head. For the 3 years I played the more forgiving club, I lost all feel for where I was striking the ball and my scores reflected that lack of knowledge. You also have to be able to adjust to the numberitis concept that many golfers play. "Yeah, I know that 3 months ago I hit my 9i into this green (or more likely woods), and now I am hitting the 7i" Can always blame it on getting older. A year ago I was likely the longest with my irons off the tee, and now I am likely the shortest, but man do I like looking at that scorecard at the end of the round. While I am still not the best, I am moving in closer to who I viewed as better, who in the case of my group, are usually shorter but more consistent hitters.

 

[dave.]

Blades have smaller sweet spot so yes,you know you are swinging well when you crucnh everyone from the middle,but that is no different to a CB,the ball will be close to the hole and your scores at the end of the day will still reflect the ball stiking.

People can convince themeselves all they like and in your case PA it seems mind over matter has indeed worked,and thats all that matters,golf is a game of confidence.But blades do not make you a better player,not in the slightest,instant feedabck is an utter irrelevance to your scores.

Blades lower ball flight,they have a higher cog
Blades are easier on links due to lower bounce and smaller sole
Blades tend to have less offset so suit certain players

But things like instant feedback,knowing where the ball is going blah blah blah is just myth and legend but if it helps you then fine.

All it is is a tool to do the job,and there will be tehcnical reasons why the MP60s worked so well,most likely the shaft,offset,lie angle or just plain confidence.The fact its a blade is an irrelevance

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

But things like instant feedback,knowing where the ball is going blah blah blah is just myth and legend but if it helps you then fine.

Although less offset was in fact my main reason for switching, I just in no way can agree with feedback not being important with an iron, wood or putter. What you say would make more sense to me only if you are of the opinion that people cannot learn from their mistakes or more importantly, analyzing their game. I don't see how this is any different than any other club. It would be like saying that if you constantly hit off the toe of a putter and the ball always goes right of the hole, if you can't feel it off the toe then the best solution is just to aim left. Do that and you will never be a good putter. I don't see an iron as any different. Sound rediculous? That was about what I did with my irons for the last 3 years. Do that and you will never be a good ball striker with you irons. It added 7 strokes to my game. Any feedback you receive from your clubs can be valuable if you can take the time to analyze the feedback. This would be further like saying there is no value to taking a lesson, because you will never make an identical mistake again, so how could any instructor possibly help you with your swing.

At least in my experience with my swing and trying achieve a repeatable swing, I also have very repeated flaws. If a club can tell me that information, or an instructor can, I can try and fix it. Kinda like hitting fat shots 90% of the time. You know what it feels like, you know how to correct for it. If you didn't feel the shot or see the dirt fly up, and not feel the lack of contact with the ball you may try and correct the fact that the ball went nowhere. Without that information you would be just as likely to assume you need to go from 9i to a 5i to reach the green, and assume your 9i is really your 50 yard club. At what expense to your game?

Ignoring that feedback to me is ignoring the cheapest tool I have for improving my game. I don't need to pay an instructor to put impact tape on my club and tell me I am hitting the ball off the toe, my club does the same just fine. Although in this scenario, you would be saying even the impact tape really would serve no purpose, because the shot is already over and done and would never happen again. Until you notice the big ink blob impression from repeated shots out on the toe of the clubface, and nowhere else on the face.

edit 1 - To make it real simple. If I told you that your last 15 shots where off the toe of your club and came with poor results, and you were absolutely convinced that was correct, would you do nothing to try and hit the ball more towards the center of the face?

 

[twofast2s]

lots of good comments here.

i too agree w/ jeff about the hndcp vs. playing blades. i bought my blades last fall when my handicap was over 25. when i first got my hibore, almost same time as my blades, the ball marks are every where on the club face after a range session. troughout this year though, i started to noticed that the ball marks on the club face were getting smaller and smaller right on the sweet spot. even my 54* wedge has a triangle mark in the middle of the club face where it started to rust out. so i think i'm pretty good ball striker. pretty much hit my irons very close proximity of sweet spots throughout the set. now i wonder, was it because i'm playing blades? or because i worked hard to get to where i am?is it the chicken or the egg? hahaha.. however i still have lot to improve hitting 3i 4i because i do not flush it all the time, but because of this i will keep trying to improve my swing.

i also love how the blades look, and little to none offset suit me better (although i can get them in CB now days). as long as i don't hit the hibore irons, i don't mind CB irons. so it's not a "macho man" club. the asthetic had big part of my purchasing decision.

i had 9 GIR's today and lot of non GIR approach shots were pretty close. such as hitting in the rough where i'm only about 15 ft away from a tightly placed pin (and then i thin my pitch shot 20ft past the hole )

just my thought and experience.