Anyone else find it easier to hit blades?

[saevel25]

Sorry, im a little confused here. So basically a miss hit on a blade will generally go straightish but short and with a GI or SGI you would get decent distcance but more curve?

Blade style irons have lower MOI. So this means that the ball speed on miss-hits will be reduced more than on a GI/SGI club. I think the gap is getting closer that it use to be.

In terms of curve, you can slice and hook a GI iron just as easy as a blade style iron.

[RussUK]

Blade style irons have lower MOI. So this means that the ball speed on miss-hits will be reduced more than on a GI/SGI club. I think the gap is getting closer that it use to be.

In terms of curve, you can slice and hook a GI iron just as easy as a blade style iron.

Thanks for that, makes sense. So my crap shots with the Di9's will just end up further down the hole than thecrap shots with the 695's and my hands will also  hurt less

[Avalanche]

If you hit fairly close to the sweet spot, I suspect the difference between blades and cavity backed clubs isn't as great as equipment manufacturers would have us believe.  Sure, there may be a small difference—especially for long irons.  But I suspect there are other factors that weigh much more heavily.  Like having the right shaft for your swing.  Or making sure your clubs are fitted to you, length and lie.

Blades do seem to have a smaller sweet spot than cavity back irons.  So there is a bit of a distance penalty for shots hit outside the sweet spot.  But that's a good thing right?

/JMHO

[Lihu]

Sorry, im a little confused here. So basically a miss hit on a blade will generally go straightish but short and with a GI or SGI you would get decent distcance but more curve?

I took the 8 iron from my Titleist 695MB's to the range on sunday and hit it for the 1st time and i was suprised. I was hitting straight and it felt nice but it was a bit shorter than the Wilsin Staff Di9s i used (obviouslt stronger lofts). It felt softer as well and being half an inch or so shorter seemed to fit me better.

I am now left with a dilemma. Stay with the Di9's or swith to the 695's and take the hit on scores. Also has the added expense of having to get a PW as set is 4-9 irons

Blade style irons have lower MOI. So this means that the ball speed on miss-hits will be reduced more than on a GI/SGI club. I think the gap is getting closer that it use to be.

In terms of curve, you can slice and hook a GI iron just as easy as a blade style iron.

This^^^

The reasons are above.

A blade mishits by 20 yards or more if the mishit is severe enough to cause an unwanted slice or hook.

This is not really desirable, it just means your misses are a little straighter but far short of where you want to be. Take your pick on the miss you prefer. . .

[Golfingdad]

My mishits with my i20s do not curve a considerable amount due to the club.  They don't really do anything except lose a tiny bit of distance.

If I hit a really poor shot that pushes then cuts or pulls then hooks, it's because of my shitty swing, not my club.  My club does nothing but help minimize the damage that my swing tends to cause.

You guys are over-thinking this.  It's the Native American, not the bow.

[Lihu]

My mishits with my i20s do not curve a considerable amount due to the club.  They don't really do anything except lose a tiny bit of distance.

If I hit a really poor shot that pushes then cuts or pulls then hooks, it's because of my shitty swing, not my club.  My club does nothing but help minimize the damage that my swing tends to cause.

You guys are over-thinking this.  It's the Native American, not the bow.

Not enough, really. There's a lot of technology in your ping i20s.

I took mine out this morning, and they hit pretty straight.

[Mahonie]

Blade style irons have lower MOI. So this means that the ball speed on miss-hits will be reduced more than on a GI/SGI club. I think the gap is getting closer that it use to be.  In terms of curve, you can slice and hook a GI iron just as easy as a blade style iron.

Not according to Mr Faldo: From his book 'Faldo - In Search Of Perfection' published in 1996: "With my golf equipment, it is more complicated, as I can only use clubs and balls that suit my game. At various times I have played with Wilson, Spalding and MacGregor clubs; now I use Mizuno. Usually the deals have been put in place before I have a set that I am completely happy with." "In 1986, after a couple of years out of the limelight and a previous club deal having gone by the board, Karsten Solheim's Ping company was looking to get me interested in playing with their clubs. A set was sent over in the summer of that year and I tried them out in the European Open at Sunningdale - and went round in 62. After the way I had played, John Simpson from IMG came down eager to make the deal, but I don't know what he must have thought when I said, 'I'm sorry, John, these just won't do, the ball goes too straight !' "I have always been a worker of the ball: I like to shape it left to right or right to left, never straight. The Ping's are fine clubs, but I just couldn't manoeuvre the ball in the way I wanted. Ping's are the frontrunners in perimeter weighted clubs, in which a much higher percentage of the weight is located at the heel and toe of the clubhead, giving a much wider 'sweetspot' than a traditional blade and are more forgiving to the handicap golfer. Their hooks and slices don't go as wide, but it was that very concept that made them unsuitable for me." "I would advise any youngster aspiring to be a great player to learn the game using blades rather than the 'game-improvement' type clubs. That is the only way to develop a quality strike to see him or her through to the very top. Some of the top players now play with hollow-backed clubs, but learnt their trade with the blade. It is a bit like learning to drive with a gear shift before moving onto automatic transmission."

[Lihu]

Not according to Mr Faldo:

From his book 'Faldo - In Search Of Perfection' published in 1996:

"I would advise any youngster aspiring to be a great player to learn the game using blades rather than the 'game-improvement' type clubs. That is the only way to develop a quality strike to see him or her through to the very top. Some of the top players now play with hollow-backed clubs, but learnt their trade with the blade. It is a bit like learning to drive with a gear shift before moving onto automatic transmission."

Not that he is aspiring to be a "great player", but my son likes to play blades now. His ball striking is starting to get pretty decent playing blades.

[Golfingdad]

Not according to Mr Faldo:

From his book 'Faldo - In Search Of Perfection' published in 1996:

"With my golf equipment, it is more complicated, as I can only use clubs and balls that suit my game. At various times I have played with Wilson, Spalding and MacGregor clubs; now I use Mizuno. Usually the deals have been put in place before I have a set that I am completely happy with."

"In 1986, after a couple of years out of the limelight and a previous club deal having gone by the board, Karsten Solheim's Ping company was looking to get me interested in playing with their clubs. A set was sent over in the summer of that year and I tried them out in the European Open at Sunningdale - and went round in 62. After the way I had played, John Simpson from IMG came down eager to make the deal, but I don't know what he must have thought when I said, 'I'm sorry, John, these just won't do, the ball goes too straight !'

"I have always been a worker of the ball: I like to shape it left to right or right to left, never straight. The Ping's are fine clubs, but I just couldn't manoeuvre the ball in the way I wanted. Ping's are the frontrunners in perimeter weighted clubs, in which a much higher percentage of the weight is located at the heel and toe of the clubhead, giving a much wider 'sweetspot' than a traditional blade and are more forgiving to the handicap golfer. Their hooks and slices don't go as wide, but it was that very concept that made them unsuitable for me."

"I would advise any youngster aspiring to be a great player to learn the game using blades rather than the 'game-improvement' type clubs. That is the only way to develop a quality strike to see him or her through to the very top. Some of the top players now play with hollow-backed clubs, but learnt their trade with the blade. It is a bit like learning to drive with a gear shift before moving onto automatic transmission."

Maybe that is true for somebody at that level of precision, but 99.999999999 percent of the world isn't, so its not really relevant.  Second, as recently as about 2011, Nick Faldo thought that the ball started in the direction of the path of the swing, so I'm not so sure he's the one you want to be listening to in regards to mechanics and equipment.

[Lihu]

Maybe that is true for somebody at that level of precision, but 99.999999999 percent of the world isn't, so its not really relevant.  Second, as recently as about 2011, Nick Faldo thought that the ball started in the direction of the path of the swing, so I'm not so sure he's the one you want to be listening to in regards to mechanics and equipment.

Everyone is prone to making incorrect statements, including and especially many of us.

Although, I would tend to trust things that @saevel25 states pretty well. . .

[saevel25]

Not according to Mr Faldo:

"I have always been a worker of the ball: I like to shape it left to right or right to left, never straight. The Ping's are fine clubs, but I just couldn't manoeuvre the ball in the way I wanted. Ping's are the frontrunners in perimeter weighted clubs, in which a much higher percentage of the weight is located at the heel and toe of the clubhead, giving a much wider 'sweetspot' than a traditional blade and are more forgiving to the handicap golfer. Their hooks and slices don't go as wide, but it was that very concept that made them unsuitable for me."

"I would advise any youngster aspiring to be a great player to learn the game using blades rather than the 'game-improvement' type clubs. That is the only way to develop a quality strike to see him or her through to the very top. Some of the top players now play with hollow-backed clubs, but learnt their trade with the blade. It is a bit like learning to drive with a gear shift before moving onto automatic transmission."

Problem with that statement is, what is his definition of to straight? How much curve was he looking for? If you take a blade iron and a GI club and try to hit a standard small draw they both curve the same. Also you are not going to be curving a short iron as much as a long iron because of the loft higher loft. If you are hitting the center of the club face and if you present similar launch conditions then the ball will curve just as much with a GI as it does with a blade iron.

With out knowing Faldo's exact game, and what type of shots he would hit it is impossible to clarify if his statement of them going to straight is true. As a person who's played golf with both blade irons (my current MP-59's) and GI clubs (ping eye 2's) I can say that it is just as easy to curve one as much as another. Again I am not looking to hit 20 yard draws with a 7 iron. I tend to hit small draws or fades.

Believe me when I say that a 4 iron from a Taylormade GI club hooks OB just as easy as a 4 blade style iron from Mizuno .

[Lihu]

Believe me when I say that a 4 iron from a Taylormade GI club hooks OB just as easy as a 4 blade style iron from Mizuno .

Yup, they sure do.

[Mahonie]

I think what Faldo was getting at is that he found it easier to shape the ball with his blades...at his peak he had the ball on string. I know Faldo's comments can often be taken with a pinch of salt but Tom Watson has also said much the same thing about honing a swing with blades. Btw that round at Sunningdale is still the course record.

[saevel25]

I think what Faldo was getting at is that he found it easier to shape the ball with his blades...at his peak he had the ball on string. I know Faldo's comments can often be taken with a pinch of salt but Tom Watson has also said much the same thing about honing a swing with blades.

Btw that round at Sunningdale is still the course record.

Again they played in a different era with different equipment. Heck GI clubs back then were just starting out. Ping basically created the GI market with the Ping Eye 2 irons in 1982. Really the market didn't explode until the early 2000's.

In terms of ability to learn the swing using blades over GI clubs. I have no clue. I don't know if the sweet spot muddles the feel of what a true perfect strike is or not. If I take the typical graphic of an enlarged sweetspot on the iron. Does that area feel the same and if so does that mean that a slightly off center hit feel the same as a perfectly struck shot? I have no clue if playing blades will intuitively force a player to seek a smaller more precise point on the club head at impact. I think it is possible. To the what advantage, I am not sure. I don't think it is as much as Faldo says it is. I think they are just talking more on their personal preference and experience. When you have two of the better ball strikers of their time, it's hard not to say that their opinions are skewed based on that personal experience.

I believe Jack Nicklaus said that equipment today doesn't make the best ball strikers better but elevates the abilities of those who struggle with ball striking. It wouldn't help Rory or Tiger. It would help a bottom tier PGA Tour player who might not have that elite ball striking ability.

[billchao]

Sorry, im a little confused here. So basically a miss hit on a blade will generally go straightish but short and with a GI or SGI you would get decent distcance but more curve?

I only had my blades for a few range sessions and a 9-hole round, but I'll share what I've observed, so far:

My misses with the blades can be straighter than the GI irons. I don't think it's because blades are "straighter" than GI irons. What I believe happens is that the mis-hit on the blade transfers less energy to the ball and causes it to travel less distance off line than a similar mis-hit with the GI club because it doesn't go as far. Simply put, if your 150yd GI shot was going to miss 5° to the right, your 135yd blade shot that misses the same 5° to the right is going to be closer to your original target line. It will also be farther away from the green.

This may or may not be a good thing, and that all depends on the state of your individual game, as well as the types of courses you typically play. For myself, losing distance on a mis-hit can actually be advantageous, as I tend to hit the ball so far off line that I'll put the ball into trouble. YMMV.

[trickyputt]

My blade iron set doesnt have a gap wedge. I grew away from the idea of using a 9 iron perimeter weight vs a 8 iron blade because I have wedges that fill the gaps. Right or wrong? I dont really know because they are really just different designs and I have grown to favor the higher ball flight of the more modern designs. A really stiff blade iron is too harsh for me but it is probably more accurate in the sense that I play it as one club shorter.

[InTheRough]

I only had my blades for a few range sessions and a 9-hole round, but I'll share what I've observed, so far:

My misses with the blades can be straighter than the GI irons. I don't think it's because blades are "straighter" than GI irons. What I believe happens is that the mis-hit on the blade transfers less energy to the ball and causes it to travel less distance off line than a similar mis-hit with the GI club because it doesn't go as far. Simply put, if your 150yd GI shot was going to miss 5° to the right, your 135yd blade shot that misses the same 5° to the right is going to be closer to your original target line. It will also be farther away from the green.

This may or may not be a good thing, and that all depends on the state of your individual game, as well as the types of courses you typically play. For myself, losing distance on a mis-hit can actually be advantageous, as I tend to hit the ball so far off line that I'll put the ball into trouble. YMMV.

this is the exact reason I've been thinking of picking up a (very) cheap used set of blade-like clubs and giving then a try.  I've noticed that on a lot of holes the safest place to miss is short, even if you are off line,  since you will still be playable.  Also one of my points of focus for this year is ball striking and having the extra feedback mishits could be useful

[Jakester23]

this is the exact reason I've been thinking of picking up a (very) cheap used set of blade-like clubs and giving then a try.  I've noticed that on a lot of holes the safest place to miss is short, even if you are off line,  since you will still be playable.  Also one of my points of focus for this year is ball striking and having the extra feedback mishits could be useful

If you have read lowest score wins closer is always better (ngir).  Also if you have your shot zones mapped out you should still be playable with your misses.

Originally Posted by trickyputt

My blade iron set doesnt have a gap wedge. I grew away from the idea of using a 9 iron perimeter weight vs a 8 iron blade because I have wedges that fill the gaps. Right or wrong? I dont really know because they are really just different designs and I have grown to favor the higher ball flight of the more modern designs. A really stiff blade iron is too harsh for me but it is probably more accurate in the sense that I play it as one club shorter.

How does it matter if you hitting a 7i 150 with a GI and miss hit it or if your hitting a 6i blade 150 and miss hit it?