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

[iammpspeer]

From what I hear about the TM's (my local Golf Galaxy doesn't have them), they have a very small sole, so in soggy weather I hear you can dig a rather large trench swinging these clubs.

Is the only thing different between the smoke's and the satin's the finish? Or was there a design change? The people I talked to didn't know for sure, but they thought the satin's had a sharper leading edge.

--You wouldn't happen to have some 68's in your arsenal collecting dust for me would you

[Jay-Bird]

If a metalsmith forms his signature from steel is it forged?

[tweaky]

Wishon 770CFEs are the most forgiving, bestest feeling, most workable irons on the planet and probably in the whole universe. BAR NONE.
...except maybe the 870ti

[sean_miller]

Wishon 770CFEs are the most forgiving, bestest feeling, most workable irons on the planet and probably in the whole universe. BAR NONE.

Wow, they sound dreamy. So how high would your handicap be with my 1985 Hogan Apex PCs?

[j_moo]

Just a couple of things I'm not clear on and hope you can clarify. Please don't be offended if they sound stupid:

If one of the advantages of forged irons is the feedback, knowing where on the club face you've the ball, wouldn't checking the club face for the ball mark be the same?
If golf is a game of misses, why don't you want to minimize the effects of the misses by playing a more forgiving club?
The guy at Golfsmith said forged irons are easier to control because it is softer. Does that sound right?

[James_Black]

Just a couple of things I'm not clear on and hope you can clarify. Please don't be offended if they sound stupid:

1. Not really

2. More forgiving clubs are harder to work through the air so better players choose less forgiving clubs so they can fade or draw them easier. 3. Don't know about that.

[tweaky]

Wow, they sound dreamy. So how high would your handicap be with my 1985 Hogan Apex PCs?

About the same, once I got them fitted for me.

Just a couple of things I'm not clear on and hope you can clarify. Please don't be offended if they sound stupid:

1. Don't quite understand the question.

2. You do . 3. It's not the material it's the design of the club that produces more forgiveness. Cast material can be made to feel like forged, it's just too expensive a process to bother with.

[Gioguy21]

Wishon 770CFEs are the

I can't believe other companies even try with other clubs then...seems useless after those clubs were made...

lol...oh my

[Wahoo]

I agree with them. The less forgiving the club, the more consistently it behaves and the easier it is to truly dial in a shot.

That is an interesting article. I wonder if the difference could be due to ball flight. I would think that the cavity back would have a higher trajectory, which would bring the wind into play. I also wonder if the two models tested had the same shaft. Obviously, shaft flex and kick point would also affect the results.

[ScottyCameron]

Has anyone tried out practicing with blades and playing the course with cavity backs?

[luckyluke699]

Im still a beginner and I know Im not good enough to be using a blade, but something about them is just sexy to me! I want some blades really bad.

1 - What I did, was purchase a used demo iron (a MP-67 with S300 stiff shaft in my case) off ebay (yes, you heard right!!). The intention here was for me to use it as a yardstick of how much better i was getting. I got the hang of that club much sooner than I was expecting and switched from my MP-57s early as possible.

2 - Personally I like the look of the Wilson FG59s... Second choice (from looks alone) is the MP-67s I currently play with. In a nutshell, here is my belief... golf is a game of consistency. It is the Indian and not the Arrow. Blades are harder to hit sweet every time... when you first use them! But you soon get used to them, and they show you how consistent your swing is, they don't mask a slight slice from in to out swing path for example which I have worked through recently. They don't mask the inconsistencies that will stop you bringing your handicap down. That is why I play blades. If you are serious about learning to play, get a demo iron off ebay (that way you don't have to dive 2 footed in!) and spend a month of hard practise and lessons down the range. You will be surprised, and if you get on with them, you will never want to go back to cavities... :P

[Kcas77]

I am seriously considering switching to blades so, I have a question for those of you who made the switch to blades and was wondering about if you experienced a distance loss. A small distance loss isnt a big deal for me but if im gonna lose 10 or more yards I gonna have to give more thought in making the switch.

[lumpuckeroo]

As long as the lofts are the same you should not see a difference. The biggest difference you will see when comparing blades to GI is lofts, which can be up to one club different, I have a set of Wilson FG-51 that has a 50 degree PW. You will not find a set today with a 50 degree PW!

Actually I have seen a report that if you hit a forged blade and a GI club, with identical setup, in the sweet spot, you will hit the blade further, for what it is worth!

[Yukari]

lumpuckeroo is right. When you hit the sweet spot with the blade, everything else being equal, you'll hit the ball further. I switched from cavity back to blade, and I notice about 1/2 to 1 club more distance with the blade even though the lofts are the same. However, if you do not hit the sweet spot with the blade, you'll see a significant drop in distance.

I've gotten use to playing with blades, so my misses are few and far in between. But once in a blue moon, it creeps up.

In general though, I think the blades help you become a better ball striker as you really have to hit the sweet spot to get the proper distance. At least for me it was.

[peter draggin]

I just recently switched for my beloved Mizuno MP37 to the Nakashima NX-1 ....So I am doing the exact opposite of what you are thinking of but to answer you question in a backwards fashion I did not pick up any significant yardage in my change. Good luck

[luckyluke699]

In general though, I think the blades help you become a better ball striker as you really have to hit the sweet spot to get the proper distance. At least for me it was.

+1 to this comment!

I switched from MP-57s to MP-67s and experienced no major loss in distance so I wouldn't worry too much about that side of things.

[Randy4h]

Hey Luke - No disrespect, but did you enter your age where your handicap index should be in your profile? If not, why would a 28.0 handicap switch from a modified blade MP-57 to a true blade MP-67? For that matter, why would a 28.0 play either of those clubs?

[dbuck]

I think if you, well lets say, if I took 2 five irons, one cavity and one forged blade, both 28*, same shaft, length, etc. and hit 15 balls with each, the 15 with the cavity would be about 30-50% tighter in dispersion and the CENTER of the group would be a little longer. But the best balls hit with the blade would be longer and closer to the target line. For me, this one be 2 or 3 of the shots; for a better player than me, more better shots with the blade. Years ago Titleist I believe introduced a new line of blades and the point of their advertising was they help your best shots be better. I think this is still true today.

I am glad they make both kinds and I own both kinds. There are two schools of thought, not just on blades vs cavity, but which is better to learn with. Some say use blades and it will make you better, which is true, if you can stand the frustration of learning. I know when I got my cavity backs, I put the blades away for a while, and when I got them out, I couldn't hit them. Then I started practicing with them more and using them in play occasionally. Others say use cavity backs until you get more consistent and learn to play the game. Then you will have a little less frustration while trying to learn strategy, rules, putting, chipping, and all the other wonderful things that make this game so interesting. This is probably the majority.

I play for enjoyment and I enjoy my old blades. They are unforgiving and show you instantly if you make a bad swing. When playing casual rounds they are usually what I play. Sometimes if I haven't been playing much and get to play in a team tournament where I feel I need to be more consistent, I will break out the cavity backs.

Ha ha, being my usual wordy self, but on good shots there is little difference. On the best shots, the blades are more pure.