Blades... no not for me!

My question to fellow TST members,

Why are all of people that want blades on this site mid-high handicappers?

Let me explain myself, everytime on this site when i see a new thread entitled "blades" or "looking for new irons, want some blade" (made up names) the poster is a mid handicapper. Most of the low handicappers have clubs like AP 2s or MP 57s, or at least suggest them to others. There are many a thread when the person wants to be backed up on their purchase or blades, and people do back them up, but it seems to me that they just do that to build confidence.

Let me say, a better golfer blades do not make. They have a very small sweet spot, and lack the forgiveness that most golfers need. Anyone can hit blades off the turf at their local Golfsmith, but they are much harder to hit during a real round.

The general response the buyer gives is "well, i want to train myself to be a better player, to be able to hit the sweet spot."

And to that my response is, MP57s (I exclude AP2s hear because they are a little different) will do that to. They tell you when you hit the ball wrong, but they do not penalize mis-hits as much as a blade would.

Another point, blades do not offer better feel that "slight" cavity back. In fact, the average golfer will never notice any enhanced feel, because the sweet spot will not be hit as much.

Let me add, i dont think even the highest handicappers should be subjected to clubs like the Nike Slingshots and the TM CGB max. The soles are WAY to big, and they dont prevent chunking the ball, they just make hitting the ball awkward. I think high handicappers should pick a club they can grow into, not a club they can show off with when they get on tour. I dont think anyone really needs any more game improvement than a Mizuno MX 200, a forged club that offers a lot of feel and forgiveness. As they get better, they can advance towards the MP, and then they can get blades.

Now, im not here to say no one should play blades, plenty of people do just fine with them, but they are mostly accomplished players who make solid contact.

So I ask you why do so many high handicappers long for blades, while plenty of low handicappers (me included) seem content with their slight cavity backs?

I will always need my 460cc driver heads, cavity back irons, and my huge grooves.

I think its the look of blades and the feeling of accomplishment.... I was there once

But wow I agree with every single point you have made.

I don't want blades for at least 10 more years, if ever, and I agree 100% on your stance with the MP 57's.....

I think the 57's are my final destination for irons when I get good enough..

And your comment of MX200's couldnt be more spot on man, I HATE the look of those slingshots, I could eat breakfast off those soles!

But seriously though, I think that's why everyone wants blades, they look so damn cool at address. Doesnt matter if you cant hit em, as long as you look cool

Jim

i feel i am a pretty good player.. and i have the 67's in the bag right now, coming off having R7TP's in the bag... honeslty wiht the r7's, my swing felt just loose.. i would try to smash an 8 iron to 175 because if knew i could mishit them... i would never try that with my 67's, they make me think and i like that. i like working the ball with ease, something my r7's dont allow, i like the feel of em, and the look of em. and damnit if i mishit it, i dont care. I didnt make a good swing, i dont want my club to hide that. I messed up, in any other sport everyone would know i messed up. If i mis a shot in lax, everyone sees, if i mishit a shot in golf, i want to be penalized, otherwise why practice if there is no embarresment and penalty?

I play blades for these reason.

1) reasonable price
2) I love the feel
3) Improvement club
4) balance club
5) I hit them well
6) three sub par round playing blades
7) more rounds in the 70s playing blades
8) I play at least once or twice a week
9) I agree the look for blades in the bag are an ego thing
10) I can play with them and nothing feel better than a solid hit blade
11) easier to hit then most people think

saying the above, I played with mp30 irons and they are like blades with a small cavity.

I think the best iron set would be a combo set of blades PW - 8 iron and 7 - 5 iron of semi cavity back irons.

Practicing with blades will give you the most feedback with miss hit shots and you can quickly make any adjustments to your swing.

just my two cents worth.

I've played GI, then SGI, then blades, and have now settled on players cavity or mixed cavity/blade sets. You know what? Blades never hurt my scores. In fact, I recently shot a new PB (by several strokes) playing my "vacation set" which are 20 year old Ram Axial Tour Grind blades. I do think that blades can make you a better ballstriker, and smaller clubs make me concentrate more. Oh, and they are beautiful.

Im going out on a limb here...but maybe it's because mid to high handicappers are not as well educated about golf equipment, and what will suit them best. Ovbiously this is not the case for every mid to high handicapper, but i think this is the general case. Blades do not offer any advantage over a players cb, and i have said this over and over again. My 695 cb's are basically the same as the 57's and they are great irons that are more forgiving than blades. Which helps me when i mis hit the ball. Not only are they more forgiving, but they also provide great feedback that can easily be recognized...Maybe its me that doesn't get IT, but i seem to be a very practical person, and the idea of anyone over a 5 handicap using blades seems very dumb.

See...i just dont get this argument. No person can tell the difference from my 695 cb compared to the 695 mb when at address.

i agree that one of the BEST ideas are the combo sets, hense why I use the Nike Pro Forged Combo's
it really is the best of all worlds

3-4 full cavaity
5-7 muscle back
8-PW blades

i really enjoy this set and cant see myself changing out anytime soon, other than some new shafts
i like to think im a decent player, so these fit me best

why do higher cappers feel they "need" blades?

1. to fill the ego - to say they have/play blades
2. more $$ than brains
3. to play "what the pro's play"
4. to match them to their FW metals/wedges etc..

I like playing my X Prototypes with my 30+ handicap because it has truly and honestly made me a better ball striker. Toe it with my X18's, not TERRIBLE results. Toe it with the X Prototypes and there's no doubt in your mind you've made poor contact. Good hits feel like butter and I LOVE the look of the clubs both in the bag and from address.

I agree mainly, and yes I play blades. If I didn't care about money, I would buy the exact forged slight cavity type of club that you are describing (MP62, J36 CB, or the upcoming 710 CB). But I got my MP33s used for a great deal 4 years ago when I started playing, and I still think they are awesome clubs. For me, since I don't want to fork over the money for new irons right now, it comes down to the choice between blades or X20 Tours that I also own, and I choose the blades.

My reason in one sentence is that I would rather improve faster in the long run than enjoy slightly better scores in the short run.

I choose to play blades because a large part of the joy of playing golf for me comes from continuing to improve. I bought the MP33s way back in the day following the advice that blades will force you to learn to make a proper swing. At the time, and still currently, I fully intended to devote a lot of time to golf and to become a good player. I realized that I would only be playing competitive team sports for four more years, and I figured that golf would be a great new form of ongoing sports competition for the rest of my life (I'm 22 now). Simply put, I love golf and I want to continue to get better.

With that in mind, I simply don't mind that a mishit off the toe dies off a good 20 yards shorter than it otherwise might, and I don't mind that my score is potentially a few shots higher than it would be with other clubs. When I hit a good shot with my blades to exactly hole high and on a good line, I know for sure that I really made a good swing. I enjoy to compete mainly against myself and my own best scores (or for some money with friends, of course), and I know that I still have a long way to go before I'm really a good player. I realize that I have plenty left to learn about my golf swing, and, like I said, I would rather improve faster in the long run than enjoy slightly better scores in the short run. And in the meantime, I am getting around the course just fine with blades. And if you give me a bad lie, where I need to get through some thick grass or curve the ball around some trees, then I think I am better off with blades, anyway.

Another reason is just that I think it's more fun to play with blades. They have a nicer feel, they look nicer, and you can experiment with any type of shot in the world and at least know that it's possible to pull it off with the club in your hands.

But back to your point, like I said, I would truly prefer slight cavity backs that are still forged with minimal offset. And I'll probably buy a set before too long. I realize that they offer similar playing characteristics with a touch of forgiveness, and my MP33s are pretty beat up at this point.

And I fully admit that I care a lot about how my clubs look, and nothing beats the look of a nice blade (although the 710 CBs do seem to pull off a nice traditional look quite nicely).

One last thing: offset really screws me up and I can't stand it. Even the little bit more offset that slight CBs typically have compared to blades bothers me a little bit.

Some people like the feedback they get from blades, other like the looks, others feel that blades force them to make a better swing and will in time make them a better ballstriker.
To each their own, if someone wants to hit blades, I say more power to 'em. As long as they dont preach to you and insist that you should be hitting blades, I dont see what the big deal is.

I have tried all kinds of clubs and I really think it depends on the differnet club itself. I played Cleveland TA-7 Tours for a long time and loved them. I was recently playing with Callaway X 18R's because I was hitting them really straight. But then I tried the Nike Victory Red Blades and was like dude... I can work the crap out of those clubs and the feel is great... I all depends, I would get asked by a lot of people why I play with such "clunky clubs" because I am a good ball striker. I just would ignore them as I would take their money with clunky clubs... Whatever works is what it should be...

On another note, I think people do not put enough thought into the shaft that is in their irons... That is where most people go wrong...

Actually I don't care for the look of either of those clubs at address.

I just thought of one other reason: When I buy a new set of clubs, I don't want them to feel outdated within one or two or even five years. It seems like there's a never-ending cycle with the latest and greatest iron technology, and I just don't want to get caught up in it. It seems to me that blades, and even the upcoming 710 CBs that I have my eye on, will hold up nicely into the future as long as I take care of them. They also have a more appealing look in my opinion and are easier to clean. It's just one more bonus that makes me lean towards more traditional irons.

Thoughtful thread. I'm not sure about the "anyone can hit them at Golfsmith but it's not so easy on the course" though.

GI/SGI clubs don't help that much; in, out. I'd rather use some nice, clean clubs but that could just be me. Blades are not that hard to hit either; especially the modern style of blade/muscle-back. One problem I have with some of the modern clubs, although it's more their marketing, is that to use some of these high tech irons (or woods) will turn you into Sam Snead or Mr. Hogan. It won't but people typically seem to think they can buy a good game these days; it's not an easy game and it takes a lot of practice to groove a decent swing. If you have a good, grooved swing based on sound fundamentals you could hit a ball with any club. For me, I've learnt the game with blades and they're what I'm most comfortable with. However, as I get less time to practice I may well move to something like the AP2s or Cobra's forged Pro CBs. Ideally, I'd like the (2), 3, 4 and 5 irons as perimeter weighted and the rest as full blades so I may have to investigate a custom set.

Good comment about shaft choice; too often over-looked.

At the end of the day it's each to their own, for their own reasons. One thing's for sure, this thread won't stop similar discussion in the future!

I play blades for a specific purpose. Your great shots come out great. With cavity's, yes, the forgiveness is great, but my great shots never showed as much. The sweet spot isn't as percise as on a muscleback. I never get those shots where I'm knocking down pins, playing cavities where as I can drop them in on the pin when I'm playing a blade. Thats why I went with a blade.

I think you long for the blades, like you long to be an accomplished player, and see them as one in the same. However, I don't see blades as a sign of an accomplished player any more then GI clubs are a sign of a high handicapper. Good ball strikers can play blades, not all good ball strikers carry a low handicap.

I am not a low handicap, but I do have a set of Wilson FG-51 blades. This summer I was on a hot ball striking streak and took them out and played a round. Shot an 80, nothing like puring an iron shot with a blade. However, with some quick math I figured I only hit about 24 or 25 full shots with the irons, so they don't play as much as a factor as you might think.