Master "Forged vs. Cast" or "Blade vs. Game-Improvement" Iron Thread

[allin]

iacas,

Some good points, after all the shaft has a tremendous impact on feel as well. Even the type of grip and glove you choose. It has been proven with putters that sound has a large impact on perceived feel. I concede that the style of clubhead MB or clubs with smaller CB have more of the mass near the center of the club, also forged clubs tend to have narrower soles, and less offset, cleaner looks. Since these are factors better players tend to prefer they may prefer forged clubs. I play a cast club that migrates somewhat towards that end of the spectrum, and I do notice increased feel and workability compared to my previous super game improvement set. It would be interesting to compare cast and forged clubs with identical shapes made from material as similar as possible. Especially two muscle back clubs?

[CG031]

I use cavity backs. Once I get down to a 10-15 handicap I'm going to get some real nice blades or more workable irons when I don't need the forgiveness as much.

[shinujk1]

now using the R7 TPs and do not miss hitting the blades (MP32s before)....actually there's a heated discussion in another topic about whether bogey golfers in general should be playing blades.....what are all your thoughts given a lot of the people here that have replied seem to be single digit handicap.... check out topic MP60s vs R7 TPs

[asianpsuation]

dont worry shinujk1 i was only angry on the Mp-60 R7-TP thread cuz i thought u were off topic, no hard feelings. anyways i think that blades should be reserved for stronger players who have no problems with pure ball striking. Blades do not go farther, its that they're more workable. Thats not something i think a 12+ handicapper needs in general.

[fusioncal]

You know, if in doubt you could always choose cavity blade, which I did when I bought Mizuno MP-60 last week. Could've chosen MP-32 or MP-67, but I didn't because I like MP-60 model better, literally. Yeap, I bought MP-60 only as a collection, but perhaps someday I'll use them.

now using the R7 TPs and do not miss hitting the blades (MP32s before)....actually there's a heated discussion in another topic about whether bogey golfers in general should be playing blades.....what are all your thoughts given a lot of the people here that have replied seem to be single digit handicap.... check out topic MP60s vs R7 TPs

Technically, MP-60 is better used by player with 10 handicap or less. But if a bogey golfer choose to use it, well it's their choice, their clubs, their game and their money. Hope this will cool down the heat

[lamebums]

I like the look of blades, too - but after playing with my buddy's blades and hitting a 1 iron seriously on the toe (a painful experience), I was pretty much sold on cavity backs. Unless you have an excellent tempo, swing path, and can consistently deliver the ball to the same spot on the clubface each time, there's little to no point in getting a less forgiving club. You're just setting yourself up for more shots left short and off-line.

I myself probably have the iron play of a 5, rather than the 15-20 I am (putting really sucks), but there's no way I would go to blades. What's the point of deliberately hitting the club on the toe and watch it only travel 120 yards? There's also the factor that a toe hit will go much less offline with a cavity back than a blade.

[mybloodinvt]

i play cavity backs. blades require a level of ball striking precision that i do not possess. i would consider a set of blended irons, ie, cavity back long and mid-irons, and blades in the short irons, 735 cm's for instance.

[outrider2288]

i hit the G5s and love them, but then again i have always hit a cavity back. i like mybloodinvt's idea of using the cavtiy backs in the long irons and blades in the shorter irons

[Guest]

Hi there
Just joined...interesting question. I've played for thirty-five years, and probably play to about ten. I use blades, Mizuno TP9 and Wilson FG49. I love the look and the feel. I was forced to use a set of Callaway's once. They look like spades, and feel like nothing, but boy are they easy to use. If I had the money, I suppose I'd go for a set of game-improvement forgings by Titleist or Mizuno, but I just can't imagine becoming the owner of a set of irons as ugly as Callaway's...even if they do make golf simple. Give me a ball that spins, and a club that transmits something to you when you swing. And if you want to strike the ball in the centre more frequently, get lessons and practice! But I do use a hybrid...replaces the four/five wood...love it.

[The Bogey Man]

I've played blades since I was in high school, and I was about a 18 handicap then. Now just getting back into the game more, I still prefer my blades over cavity backs. I really think it is just a preference of opinion. My father who is a PGA Golf Pro has said blades aren't as tough as people make them to be. Yes cavity backs are more forgiving, but I find really no difference between the two. I personally like the feel of the blades better... Just my 2 cents.

[solid_ONE]

blades are supposed to give you "controll," but if you can't controll the ball using blade, why use them? Your obviously playing with the wrong set in the blades if you are having trouble with getting GIR, but have no trouble with cavity-backs.

Go with the cavity-backs.

[tigerwoo]

I have played with blades for past 8 years with a model that has been copied by other golf brands out there because it was truly the benchmark club when it first came out. The Mizuno MP29 was what I had in my bag up until about a month ago. Tiger Woods used these clubs all throughout his Stanford days when he was not paid to play certain brand names. When he joined Nike after he turned pro he made Nike make a set of irons for him that was essentially a copy of the Mizuno MP29's he was so use to hitting.

Anyways, I'm no Tiger Woods... though I do call myself 'Tigerwoo' (a joke on my ethnicity more than my golf game) and so I made the decision to go cavity back recently because technology has improved so much in recent times and has allowed companies to make cavity backs that are of forged nature or allow the use mixed metals soft enough to 'feel' forged. Add to that the forgiveness of the perimeter weighting and a larger sweet spot with cavity backs and all you have to do is swing without feeling like you have to be so dead on precise with a blade in your hand.

I was also not posting scores in the 70's like I use to... and I was slowly replacing my 2, 3 and 4 irons with hybrids that were easier to hit but not necessarily easier to control. My accuracy with these hybrids weren't really what I liked over traditional irons. So there was definitely a compromise. So I wasn't losing any distance for missing the sweet spot but I was missing a little left or right of the green.

So I did some research and found myself what I think is a very good blade replacement... Cleveland CG4's. Been out on the range a few times and just took them out for the real test drive yesterday on a course. I have to say that the feel of these clubs are almost blade-like to the point that I really can't notice the difference or perhaps I don't notice because I am so impressed with how the ball flies after being hit. I didn't miss once with these clubs distance wise... and accuracy was very good if not equal with my Mizuno's. Mind you this is only after 1 round on the course. But besides that, I have also gained 5 to 10 yards with these clubs most likely due to their stronger lofts and of course hitting them more on the sweet spot which is larger to begin with. I recall a shot that I hit yesterday from 195 yards out. A slight tail wind behind me that was maybe 5 yards... I hit my new CG4 6 iron on the green to within 15 feet for a very good birdie opp. Made the putt...

Anyways, I could go on and on about these 'cavity back' clubs as I hit them solid all day yesterday.

All I can say is that I am looking forward to hitting in the 70's again, real soon!

My beloved Mizuno's served me well... but it's time to move on.

[sandtrap]

So I did some research and found myself what I think is a true gem in some Cleveland CG4's. Been out on the range a few times and just took them out for the real test drive yesterday on a course. The feel of these clubs are almost blade-like to the point that I really can't notice or don't because I am so impressed with how they strike the ball. I didn't miss with these clubs distance wise... and accuracy was very good if not better than my Mizuno's. Mind you this is only after 1 round on the course. But besides that, I have also gained 5 to 10 yards with these clubs most likely due to their stronger lofts and of course hitting them more on the sweet spot which is larger to begin with. I recall a shot that I hit yesterday from 195 yards out. A slight tail wind behind me that was maybe 5 yards... I hit my new CG4 6 iron on the green to within 15 feet for a very good birdie opp. Made the putt...

The cg4's seem to be doing better after they were discontinued than they did when they were the current model.
I just put 2 of my beginning golfer coworkers into them. After they hit them against almost every other brand golf galaxy had. Nice stix and at $400 or less they are a steal.

[tigerwoo]

Talk about a steal... I got my CG4's for under $300 on eBay. Brand new and shrink wrapped!

I cannot say enough about them right now... perhaps they are more popular now after the Golf Digest Hotlist gave them a Silver medal. That's how I decided on purchasing them.

With so many clubs out there... I can see how many good clubs go unnoticed.

[TheSuperCaddy]

i use cleveland cg2 which have a blade like profile but are still cavity backs. Forged and cast cavity backs are what the pros are using, becasue I did see Sean O'hare last Week at Winged Foot and im pretty sure he uses the r7 tp irons, which are cavity back. Oh and for the person up above me, i got my cg2 irons for 290 at rockbottomgolf Brand new in box.

[AndrewM]

As I was coming up through the golf world in HS and through college... My goal was to play blades. I thought just having them in my bag would make me a better player. I went from Ping ISI-k's to a Mizuno progressive set, and was I ever happy, great feel, especially around the green and much more pleasing to the eye... I was about a 4 at that point.

Fast forward 3 years and I was trying my hand at mini tours... I noticed that A LOT of players were hitting callaway irons... so i tried a set... less than a week later I swapped out my mizunos for callaways... I was carrying a "handicap" of +4 at that point. I immediately noticed a difference in ball flight (higher) and forgiveness... and since my main goal is to hit the damn thing straight, those were exactly the things I needed. And since working the ball is a function of the blade being open or closed, you can work the ball just as much with a cavity back as a blade.

IMHO, anyone that isnt making millions playing the game is doing themselves a disservice playing blades if their goal is to play their best. If there goal is to play with challenging equipment that is more traditional, with the understanding that their equipment could cost them strokes, then blades it is :)

btw: slightly off topic, but I also believe most players shouldnt carry over a 6 iron. Hybrids these days are so easy to hit and effective from different lies, that they make long irons obsolete. Personally, I carry the original Taylor Made Rescue mids (circa 2002), i use my 21* for 220 and my 25* at around 205.... Could I hit a long iron that far, probably not, and surely not as consistently as I hit those hybrids, especially with the spin and height I get out of them.

[TheSuperCaddy]

In my opinion, I dont think that Cast or Forged is better. It all depends on how you hit the ball. But, i do hit cleveland cg2 irons, which i am almost positive that cleveland only uses cast. Its really the only way they make the metal i think, and imo there is no better. You can still work the ball with cast irons. Pros would not be using the cg1s or the r7 tp irons if they couldnt work the ball. Its all preference. My Cg2s are extremely soft feeling even though they are cast, but cleveland are kind of almost in the forged zone of irons.

[iacas]

In my opinion, I dont think that Cast or Forged is better. It all depends on how you hit the ball. But, i do hit cleveland cg2 irons, which i am almost positive that cleveland only uses cast. Its really the only way they make the metal i think, and imo there is no better. You can still work the ball with cast irons. Pros would not be using the cg1s or the r7 tp irons if they couldnt work the ball. Its all preference. My Cg2s are extremely soft feeling even though they are cast, but cleveland are kind of almost in the forged zone of irons.

The discussion of "cast versus forged" is often better phrased as "cavity back versus muscleback." That's what people typically mean.

Yes, cast versus forged is just how the clubs are formed.