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Advantages of bladed irons?


Liam97
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I understand that 'better players' and tour players tend to opt for bladed irons over cavity back equivalents. I just wondered what is the distinct advantage of bladed irons? Most people say how theta heads are smaller, have a smaller sweet spot and are harder to hit/less forgiving.
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I have a set of 09 TM TP cavity back irons and my buddy plays nike pro combo and another buddy plays the razr gi clubs. what I have noticed from the 3 of us and our different skill levels is I tend to keep the ball straight, I really don't know how to work a ball from side to side but I am happy keeping it straight and in play. I am also the least skilled of the 3 of us. I also had a set of AP2's and paid the price for miss hits! My buddy with the pro combo set can work the ball a little not always but a bit, and notices it when he miss hits the ball. Punishment is noticeable. My other buddy with the g.i clubs can really work the ball and hits his irons pure. He also gets maximum forgiveness if he does miss hit. he is by far the better golfer out of us 3 and is also looking to demo a set of blades to see really how well he hits. From the little that I know with blades you will get the 2 extremes of each side. maximum workability and maximum punishment in distance loss with off centre hits and loss of control. Now there is no doubt in my mind that my irons will probably always be a touch too good for my skill level but I notice that at approach I like the set up and the look. I am able to keep the ball straight and if iI had the talent would be able to work the ball. But as far as just blades go, when you hit them pure you will know, when you don't...you will also know.

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I just wondered what is the distinct advantage of bladed irons?

They look great in the bag ;-)

Seriously though the "advantages" are that they typically launch the ball lower than game improvement/cavity back irons and provide better feedback.

Blade irons aren't any easier to "shape" when hit on the sweet spot than GI/cavity back irons. It's just physics. All the ball cares about at impact is clubhead mass (can easily be the same on a GI iron and a blade), the direction of the center of mass, the location of the center of mass, and the angle of the face.

Mike McLoughlin

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They look great in the bag

Seriously though the "advantages" are that they typically launch the ball lower than game improvement/cavity back irons and provide better feedback.

Blade irons aren't any easier to "shape" when hit on the sweet spot than GI/cavity back irons. It's just physics. All the ball cares about at impact is clubhead mass (can easily be the same on a GI iron and a blade), the direction of the center of mass, the location of the center of mass, and the angle of the face.

Pretty much. I do think someone posted before that better player irons do have a tighter dispersion. I think it has to do with a more focal sweet spot. Of course this might vary with players.

I recommend people try out better player clubs. I think there is a bad stigma on them. There are plenty of better player irons with a lot of good game improvement ideas. Some might have the blade-ish look but larger head. They might use different materials to promote some form of perimeter weighting.

Best thing, go hit the clubs and go get fitted!

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This is a good thread especially when you read the answers from players with ranging handicaps. Like saevel25 said, best bet hit a bunch for yourself to see what fits your game and get fitted. As I told my one friend sometimes we don't get to choose our clubs, sometimes our clubs choose us. I never thought I would be hitting TM irons, turns out they felt better then other clubs I "wanted" to own. My buddy was set on buying cobra amp irons and ended up with the razr ones instead.

Hope you find something that works good for you. If you currently own a g.i set and really want the next level maybe a combo set would be a good transition into that. cavity back irons 3 and 4, muscle combo 5,6 and 7 and muscle back/ blade 8, 9 and pw. Just an idea to look into.

in my :tmade: 25th anniversary r7 bag,

Driver: :tmade: r7 superquad,

Fairway metal: :tmade: rbz stage 2 15*,

Hybrid: :tmade: rbz 3 hybrid,

Irons: 3-pw :tmade: tour preferred,

Wedges: :tmade: atv 54* 58*,

Putter: :odyssey: white ice #9 custom painted

Balls: :tmade: rocketballz urethane

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More control over distance and shape. They look nice too.

Once again, this myth raises its head.

In the race of life, always back self-interest. At least you know it's trying.

 

 

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Quote:

Originally Posted by BENtSwing

More control over distance and shape. They look nice too.

Once again, this myth raises its head.

Yeah, I don't really give a shit...that's just what people say. Probably all mental.

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I understand that 'better players' and tour players tend to opt for bladed irons over cavity back equivalents. I just wondered what is the distinct advantage of bladed irons? Most people say how theta heads are smaller, have a smaller sweet spot and are harder to hit/less forgiving.

Most tour players, from the stats I've seen, do not use blades. A significant minority do, but still.

The advantage may be accuracy.

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I have some forged blades. Some Wilson Staff muscle backs. When it pure, they feel great. That's probably one shot per round. The others feel like crap. I can shape the hell out of them even when trying to hit them straight.
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Most tour players, from the stats I've seen, do not use blades. A significant minority do, but still.

The advantage may be accuracy.

Yes most tour players use some kind of a player's cavity back iron. Like a Titleist CB/AP2, S55, Apex Pro, TaylorMade MC.

Mike McLoughlin

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I play a better player iron of Endo forged Yamaha irons. There is a tour version out there. My set is designed for the better player up to let's say 22 hcp Max. Mine is 17.4. The buttery feel of the set is unmatched, the US gear do not come even close. That is no myth. I used to have a set of Ping G10. cast irons. Very happy when I bought them, but when I compare them with my current set, it hurts my eyes. A more forgiving set would probably lower ky hcp with a point or 2. I couldn't care less about those 2 extra strokes. I deeply love my irons every time I take them out. Shaping the ball? The scratch player can share it, I sometimes do.
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I find the looks, specifically the top line, you can aim better and consequently hit the ball more accurately. No you say? Well I think the thin top line acts much like the cross hairs on a rifle scope. the lack of offset also assists in aim and framing the ball. I love the feel of a forged bade and the ball exploding off the face of the club. Do I play golf with blades, I used to but now I play golf for the lowest score on the hole, I don't give a crap how I get it in the hole. I play with a TM CB , slight offset, slight cavity....super forgiving compared to a blade, high and penetrating ball flight.......a small percentage of pros use pure blades.
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Until I was 40 I played blades, specifically Ben Hogan Apex with Cleveland 588 sand wedge.

After 40 I changed to perimeter weighted clubs: first, Ben Hogan Edge and then Ping i3+, with a Ping Eye 2+ BeCu lob wedge.

My findings:

Reflecting back on my 50+ years of golf, I would say that blades have an advantage, ONLY when you have sufficient time to practice and hit a lot of balls. I grew up with blades and until the Eye2 irons came out in the mid 80's, didn't have an option. My initial reaction to the Eye2's were that their soles were far too wide, but when Ben Hogan came out with the forged Edge irons, they actually set up much like a blade.

As I got older and had more family responsibilities, my practice time was cut in half, so I tried Ben Hogan perimeter weighted clubs, but only mid and long irons. Initially, I played perimeter weighted 3-6 irons, and blades for the 7 iron through sand wedge. I felt the blades afforded me more accuracy and, contrary to some sentiment, allowed me to shape my shots to a higher degree. The perimeter weighted long irons felt better and distances were more consistent.

As my practice time diminished and the aging process continued, I went to the 4-lob wedge, all perimeter weighted.  The blades no longer felt like solid shots, unless I hit them on the middle of the club face, so the forgiveness of the perimeter weighted club definitely lowered my scores as I approached 50.

As a young player, I loved the accuracy of blade wedges, specifically Cleveland sand wedges. I bought a Ping Eye 2+ BeCu lob wedge in 1989, but for at least 5 years only used it from sand traps and trouble lies. However, as I began to get used to perimeter weighted clubs, I started playing the lob wedge from the fairway, then traded the Cleveland sand wedge for a perimeter weighted gap wedge and took the three iron out of my bag.

Summary: If you have the time and can hit a lot of balls, blade irons and wedges provide a feel that is special unto itself. To me , I had more accuracy and ball shapeability when there was ample practice sessions. However, with age and fewer session at the range, perimeter weighted clubs improve your distance consistency and accuracy.

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I find the looks, specifically the top line, you can aim better and consequently hit the ball more accurately.

No you say? Well I think the thin top line acts much like the cross hairs on a rifle scope. the lack of offset also assists in aim and framing the ball. I love the feel of a forged bade and the ball exploding off the face of the club.

But you don't aim using the top line, if you did the club face would be pointing well to the left ;-)

Mike McLoughlin

Check out my friends on Evolvr!
Follow The Sand Trap on Twitter!  and on Facebook
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Note: This thread is 3493 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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