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

[1par2win]

There is no law that states you have to go to a forged club. One of the reasons I play the AP1 is a buddy of mine who is a 8 hdcp plays the AP1's and obviously he is a pretty solid ball striker. I'm not saying forged clubs don't offer much more feel and control but if your a mid hdcp it's isn't a given that the only way to get into the single digits is by way of forged clubs. With that said if you feel switching up your irons is the way to go then by all means do it. Lord knows there is enough out there to fit your needs.

[bIGwIRE]

IMO if you are a decent ball striker who does not suffer from slices then blades are not a problem to hit.

I have the opposite view... I think if you are a horrible ball striker you should play blades, at least for a couple seasons, provided you have time to practice and patience. Attack the weaknesses of your game and you will be better in the end, imo.

The proto's will frustrate and punish a poor striker. They will not improve your game. You will then be on here asking why your new clubs are 15 yards shorter than your current clubs.

Again, I hold a different view. I guess it depends on what your golf goals are. Take my game for an example. I know for a fact I would shoot lower scores if I played a CB, but I also know that my ballstriking (one of my former weak points) is getting better each day. Blades make you focus on this part of the game, and let you know when you screwed it up, and I believe by playing them I do lose a few strokes per round, but I'm improving the final product.

I guess what you call "frustrating" I would call "great feedback".

[pinhigh27]

If I was you, I would spend the money on lessons instead of new clubs. When you get down to a 20hc, then look into your blades. With a hc of 40, you are a poor ball striker. The proto's will frustrate and punish a poor striker. They will not improve your game. You will then be on here asking why your new clubs are 15 yards shorter than your current clubs.

I agree, even at 20, unless the person was the best 20 I've ever seen, I wouldn't even think of recommending blades, maybe like low teens 13,14,15 from above, your probably doing more harm then help.

[pinhigh27]

IMO if you are a decent ball striker who does not suffer from slices then blades are not a problem to hit. Its when you are a slicer you need the offset etc that GI irons will give you. I have Mx900 set but i also have mp32 6iron and an mp67 6iron which i got just to practice with and i don't have problems with either of them.

Offest has nothing to do with hitting a straight shot. It does however with hitting a high shot, so if you hit a low ball offset is good.

[bIGwIRE]

I will never understand golfers. The object of the game is to be as good as you can be, why make the game harder than it needs to be? I love the look of blades as much as anybody, but I'm certainly not going to play them -- and I have a single digit index right now.

"Being as good as you can be" really doesn't have much to do with the kind of clubs you are playing.

It will probbalby make the game easier for most to play a CB, maybe leading to lower scores, but they won't make you a better ballstriker, they will just hide your mistakes a little more, while sacraficing a little workablility. Out of the rough and in many other situations I accually find blades easier to play. And some like to challenge themselves as much as possible. I supose some higher hcps play blades for the same reason I hunt whitetail deer and black bear with a traditional longbow, for the love of the sport, not the score at the end.

[shades9323]

I have the opposite view... I think if you are a horrible ball striker you should play blades, at least for a couple seasons, provided you have time to practice and patience. Attack the weaknesses of your game and you will be better in the end, imo.

You don't think it would be frustrating for a

40 handicapper to try to hit blades? He can barely hit his CB's. The club itself will not improve your game. The only thing that will improve your game is practice practice practice.

[clubchamp]

My views on this are simple 1. If you start out on blades once you get everything put togther you will be able to hit anything. 2 A 15 hdcp shouldn't have blades until your game reaches a point where your iron play is automatic then get blades. Theres def nothing saying that you ever need to have blades but people get the idea that they will only become a good player if they own blades.

[RocketSauce]

Are Callaway prototype blades available for public purchase?

yep. they sell them on ebay all the time

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mint-Tour-Issue-...3%3A1|294%3A25 i too feel that blades are not as hard to hit as a lot of people claim they are. hell, i played a few rounds with the Nickent Arc Blades and i honestly thought they felt more forgiving than my players cavity irons. plus, if you are like me and only use a 4 iron thru PW, that makes it even easier since you arent hitting 2 and 3 irons. todays blades are not nearly as hard to hit as the blades from the 60's, 70's and 80's were...

[bIGwIRE]

You don't think it would be frustrating for a

A 40 hcp will struggle and get frustrated, blades or CB. And practice

is the only way to get better, I agree. Blades, imo, will improve your practice through more dramatic feedback, both in your shot result and feel on a mishit. I think that, in the end, a player who learned on blades will be a better golfer, weather he plays blades, CBs, or SGI's or whatever later on.

My views on this are simple 1. If you start out on blades once you get everything put togther you will be able to hit anything.

I agree. I have my kids and my little brother all starting out on blades. I feel it builds a good foundation for later on, no matter what they plaay with.

2 A 15 hdcp shouldn't have blades until your game reaches a point where your iron play is automatic then get blades. Theres def nothing saying that you ever need to have blades but people get the idea that they will only become a good player if they own blades.

Most "blades" today are accually quite easy to hit, even at a 15 hcp. A 15 hcp generally plays out of the rough more often, and blades are even easier than a CB out of the rough, imo. For some they are even easier to hit all the way around.

[whip_it_out]

they are not as hard to hit as everyone thinks they are, you just have to be prepared to lose half a club if distance if you toe it a smidge.

[alf174]

And that might be the catalyst I needed to pull the trigger on a set of X Prototypes!

you realize they are cast, right?

[FFemt5287]

I'm with most of you with the learn on the more advanced clubs and when you finally master that, there's not another style of club to learn. I just ordered the x prototypes from golfsmith. I'll let you know how they are when i get them!

[FFemt5287]

I didnt notice that before I ordered them. I was looking more for when to go to "blades" but somehow grouped all blades as being forged.

[shades9323]

I'm with most of you with the learn on the more advanced clubs and when you finally master that, there's not another style of club to learn. I just ordered the x prototypes from golfsmith. I'll let you know how they are when i get them!

Congrats on the purchase. We do require pictures of said clubs when you get them. I hope you improve tremendously.

[shades9323]

you realize they are cast, right?

You realize you don't know what you are talking about, right?

[RocketSauce]

you realize they are cast, right?

huh??? they're forged out of 1020 carbon steel

Product Description • The Tour Authentic X-Prototype irons feature tour inspired clubhead styling forged from 1020 Carbon Steel , Flighted CG (Center of Gravity) Design, and X-Muscle Back Design • Forged 1020 Carbon Steel for unmatched feel, soft and responsive feedback at impact for performance that elite players demand • Flighted CG (Center of Gravity) Design optimizes ball flight and distance control for seamless performance throughout the entire set • X-Muscle Design results in consistent trajectories in a blade designed for maximum playability • Tour inspired blade with a very thin top line, narrow sole, minimal offset, shorter blade length and white chrome finish provide aesthetics and performance from various turf conditions

[DavidFehertysBike]

I dunno, i feel as if youre not at least a +2 handi that perfers to shape approach shots, youre giving yourself a 2 stroke penalty before you even tee off by using blades. Im not knockin anyone that does - suit yourself- but its just how i feel about it. If youre not a precise iron striker who needs to push the ball around, a cavity back is probably a better suit for most of us.

[clubchamp]

A 40 hcp will struggle and get frustrated, blades or CB. And practice

blades today are easier to hit but a 15 to 20 obviously has some improvement areas in their game. If you toe or heel a blade you're going to lose half a club which is the difference of being on or off the green. That could easily add a minimum of one stroke to that hole. My point is I just don't see where the hole I need blades so I can be a good golfer started because its just not true.