Its funny when chops play blades.

[Jakester23]

Would you say they are more workable then my g15's are? Basically I'm wondering if they would be a lot different then what i have now.

[solarbear]

Wish Bridgestone still made the GC mids.  They were a great club for the guys who needed forgiveness but 'wanted' to play a blade.  Hard to believe that there is nothing quite like them on the market.

[ayysolapsu09]

I guess that I'm one of those "chops" who shouldn't be playing with blades, but I still want to.

At the end of last year, I got a hole in one with my old set (9 iron, perfect shot, should've been there).  Not even two weeks later, I put $150 down on a used set of Mizuno MP-33's that I found on Craigslist.  Why, you ask?  Because I've been thinking about doing this forever, and I decided to pull the trigger, sell my old irons, and make the switch permanent.

What happened?  Long story short, there was a considerable time when I hit the ball horribly (surprise, I still have those days).  And, every single bad shot that I hit, I felt it in my bones.  It definitely sucked for a good while, and even my best friend (a PGA pro in the Phoenixville area), said that those irons aren't right for my game.

I have to agree with him, but I also hit a pretty decent 85 last week with a couple of iron shots that simply cracked off the face (if you know the sound, you know what I'm talking about, it just oozes compression).

I'm not saying that just because I hit an 85 one week I'm going to stick with irons that aren't necessarily the best for me.  But I agree with most of the people on this thread, in that GI irons aren't necessarily game improvement, but rather game masking.  I know that if I hit a bad shot, I will be penalized for it.  Also, it's humbling to hit to the true loft of an iron, rather than the strengthened lofts of cavity backs sold today.  My old set, my 150 club was my 8 iron.  That has effectively dropped to my 7 iron, and sometimes I'm hitting a 6 based on pin placement, wind, conditions, etc.

In the end, I really love my irons.  I love the way they look (clean lines, but a weathered look to them, like they've been through battle).  I love that I will get the feedback that I need to improve.  And, I'm not a pro, I don't do this with the intent of making money.  I can afford to put in some time to get better with these irons.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by solarbear

Wish Bridgestone still made the GC mids.  They were a great club for the guys who needed forgiveness but 'wanted' to play a blade.  Hard to believe that there is nothing quite like them on the market.

They are about as far away from "blades" as it's possible to get.  And they felt vile, and were huge, like a clown's shoes.

[Valleygolfer]

Originally Posted by ayysolapsu09

I guess that I'm one of those "chops" who shouldn't be playing with blades, but I still want to.

At the end of last year, I got a hole in one with my old set (9 iron, perfect shot, should've been there).  Not even two weeks later, I put $150 down on a used set of Mizuno MP-33's that I found on Craigslist.  Why, you ask?  Because I've been thinking about doing this forever, and I decided to pull the trigger, sell my old irons, and make the switch permanent.

What happened?  Long story short, there was a considerable time when I hit the ball horribly (surprise, I still have those days).  And, every single bad shot that I hit, I felt it in my bones.  It definitely sucked for a good while, and even my best friend (a PGA pro in the Phoenixville area), said that those irons aren't right for my game.

I have to agree with him, but I also hit a pretty decent 85 last week with a couple of iron shots that simply cracked off the face (if you know the sound, you know what I'm talking about, it just oozes compression).

I'm not saying that just because I hit an 85 one week I'm going to stick with irons that aren't necessarily the best for me.  But I agree with most of the people on this thread, in that GI irons aren't necessarily game improvement, but rather game masking.  I know that if I hit a bad shot, I will be penalized for it.  Also, it's humbling to hit to the true loft of an iron, rather than the strengthened lofts of cavity backs sold today.  My old set, my 150 club was my 8 iron.  That has effectively dropped to my 7 iron, and sometimes I'm hitting a 6 based on pin placement, wind, conditions, etc.

In the end, I really love my irons.  I love the way they look (clean lines, but a weathered look to them, like they've been through battle).  I love that I will get the feedback that I need to improve.  And, I'm not a pro, I don't do this with the intent of making money.  I can afford to put in some time to get better with these irons.

Ha I am doing the same thing. There is a a lot of feed back from these irons and you lose a considerable amount of distance when not hit on the small sweet spot. I have still matched some of the lower scores from my old irons and the problems I have had this year would affect the performance of any iron. I have not lost distance in any club except maybe the PW but it could be my fault. At times these will go longer than my old ones. My old irons actually had MPF pretty close to the MP-33s anyway....  I10=560 vs MP-33=419

[Jakester23]

So what is a good affordable blade for me to try out to see if I could hit them?

[BostonBrew]

Just go to a demo-day or a golf course that has a demo club you could hit on the range. Titleist MB, Mizuno MP-69, Cobra AMP Cell Pro are all modern blades. And there are other manufacturers as well, but those are just the ones that come to mind immediately.

[ckermes]

Is the biggest advantage to playing blades the ability to work the ball?

[BostonBrew]

Originally Posted by ckermes

Is the biggest advantage to playing blades the ability to work the ball?

Yes and no. Blades are more workable than cavitybacks. But cavitybacks are also capable of working the ball. I would bet that, other than Tour Pros, most people play blades because they prefer the look and feel of a blade over a cavityback.

[Dave40]

Originally Posted by ckermes

Is the biggest advantage to playing blades the ability to work the ball?

Originally Posted by BostonBrew

Yes and no. Blades are more workable than cavitybacks. But cavitybacks are also capable of working the ball. I would bet that, other than Tour Pros, most people play blades because they prefer the look and feel of a blade over a cavityback.

I agree...A blade or a tour cavity back has a different feel than a GI iron.  Part of it is, i think, because the head is smaller and the center of gravity is much closer to the hosel than GI irons.  It gives you the feeling of having much more control of the clubhead.  Swing both and you will feel the difference.  Then decide which you prefer.  Or just keep both around and play whichever ones you feel like that day.

[BugDude]

I started out with Ping Eye 2s "back in the day".  After 10 years or so I bought a set of blades off of ebay for $50 (Golden Ram 2i - pw) and my intent was to just use them on the range and practice rounds to improve my ball striking.  After about a year, they went into my back full-time and the Pings never again.  I've been playing those same Ram irons for 15 years now and would never consider anything else.

[solarbear]

They are about as far away from "blades" as it's possible to get.  And they felt vile, and were huge, like a clown's shoes. [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/76656/] [/URL]

They were a small cavity iron. Looked a lot loke a mb iron from address. Lots of love from other players on their feel. Maybe you didn't like the shaft - different strokes as they say. The small headed cavity is what I felt might suit a lot of people wanting a balance between control and forgiveness. I wonder how many pro's and players play blades because they can get them flatter. Older models coming flatter than more modern clubs. Most good players slot the club in a position where a flat club would be preferable.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iacas

None

I started with blades. MacGregor/Nicklaus blades. I consider it one of the best things I could have done. I take no credit, because I did it unknowingly, but I'm glad those were the clubs I got.

I learned quickly that striking the center of the clubface was important. And I'd played all of one or two rounds of golf prior to getting them, so I was about as "noob" as it gets.

That's a very good point. I am a relatively new golfer (

BTW, I have never had issues with getting them up in the air.

[VinnieL]

I think that playing blades is fine even for a newbie his frustration level might be much higher for a while but if the newbie sticks to it and gets some instruction he will probably end up a better bal striker in the end. If I have the extra money I would probably shell out the money for a set of blades in addition to the GI I play now. I would start get used to them. Golf clubs are golf clubs I don't look up or down at anybody or laugh at what they play. Hopefully the guy seeks out instruction. I happen to hit blades pretty decently it's my driver and 3 wood that kill me.

[Lihu]

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]You are so right about the professional instruction. However, I think you need that regardless of if you are using a blade or a GI club. Btw, I am sure your handicap is exaggerated. However, I am thinking at if you hit your 7 or 8 iron off the tee, and hit them a couple more shots you should be on the green in 3 on any par 4 hole. This means that if you putt 2 that should be bogie. Unless you are hitting over water, you can layup for a forced carry, and add one more stroke? I also found that a 3 and 4 hybrid hit way more reliably than a wood.

[dak4n6]

This is one of those ageless endless debates. But it stays interesting no matter how much it is discussed.

Just wanted to add one more little morsel of observation - when I got my first set of blades 15 yrs ago (Ram FX Tour), the one aspect of the swing they really helped me find was tempo. I noticed that I just could not hit them right with anything except a nice smooth unrushed tempo. Who knows, without making the switch I might still be jerking and rushing from the top...

[VinnieL]

Originally Posted by Lihu

You are so right about the professional instruction.

However, I think you need that regardless of if you are using a blade or a GI club.

Btw, I am sure your handicap is exaggerated. However, I am thinking at if you hit your 7 or 8 iron off the tee, and hit them a couple more shots you should be on the green in 3 on any par 4 hole. This means that if you putt 2 that should be bogie. Unless you are hitting over water, you can layup for a forced carry, and add one more stroke? I also found that a 3 and 4 hybrid hit way more reliably than a wood.

funny thing is for the most part my irons even the 4 iron are very straight for me so it's something I always consider off the tee. My hybrids are nice I hit them well for the most part. I'm in the process of going from Taylormade Burner 2.0  irons to a set of G20's I got today. The Ping's just feel better to me and I was actually measured etc for the Ping's the TM irons were right off the rack I'm becoming a Ping fan. As you can see I play GI irons and my Handicap though not official is probably around 18 I can hit 90 sometimes break it pretty consistently but again not official.