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


muskegman
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That would make you #1 in GIR on tour.  [URL=http://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.103.html]http://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.103.html[/URL] Maybe you're not sure of what green in regulation means?

actually I made a huge mistake there, I apologize. for some reason I thought you asked for fairways hit not greens. the course I play at has mostly par 4s with wide fairways that almost force you to hit irons off the tee box because of the placement of hazards. GIR is probably closer to 5 for me. again I apologize for the mistake. No my driver is not properly fit but every other club in my bag is. my 3 wood carries 275 on a solid swing and can push 315 if I really try to hit it. I know it's idiotic but I use my driver more than my 3 wood because I'm trying to learn with it. I have a hard time drawing the ball when I switch to the driver because I have to swing upwards.

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  • 8 months later...

Very interesting.  

I wonder, though, for a person at a skill level to shoot in the mid-80s, would he notice the difference, or does it require a higher level of skill and consistency to get the benefit of forged irons. 

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There are probably forty something threads on this topic already.  Here's the main one.

 

Kevin

Titleist 910 D3 9.5* with ahina 72 X flex
Titleist 910F 13.5* with ahina 72 X flex
Adams Idea A12 Pro hybrid 18*; 23* with RIP S flex
Titleist 712 AP2 4-9 iron with KBS C-Taper, S+ flex
Titleist Vokey SM wedges 48*, 52*, 58*
Odyssey White Hot 2-ball mallet, center shaft, 34"

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12 minutes ago, Marty2019 said:

Very interesting.  

I wonder, though, for a person at a skill level to shoot in the mid-80s, would he notice the difference, or does it require a higher level of skill and consistency to get the benefit of forged irons. 

From my experience they make you play your best golf and when your on they perform for you. It really depends on what your after in your game if it's just hit the green then big and chunky might be right for you. It goes from there players irons allow you to get it closer while bladed allow to do whatever you want whenever you want such as low,cut draw and the distance control is perfect. The downside it misses they aren't forgiving enough and when you miss they come up short but still on target.

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For me everyone should hit forged blades if you can devote the time to practice.  What you do is practice regularly and with the blades you will eventually start hitting well and groove your swing.  If, like me (one round a week) you can't find the time, this is a bad idea

What's in the bag

  • Taylor Made r5 dual Draw 9.5* (stiff)
  • Cobra Baffler 4H (stiff)
  • Taylor Made RAC OS 6-9,P,S (regular)
  • Golden Bear LD5.0 60* (regular)
  • Aidia Z-009 Putter
  • Inesis Soft 500 golf ball
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  • 1 year later...

Yes, another one of those posts. In the beginning of the summer, I switched to Blades from very forgiving irons and I will not look back. I'm making this thread so that anyone who is considering making the switch can hear from me and be able to use the information I am going to present to make their choice.

Before I get started, I want to say this: I recommend anyone with a high handicap find clubs that offer forgiveness, but don't hide the true quality of their shots. I do not recommend just anyone playing blades.

That being said, lets get in to why I switched to blades. At one point when I started playing, I was well above the average ability of a starting golfer. My father and I played a round at a course nearby and I didn't have a set of clubs so I borrowed his. I ended up shooting 77 but I know I cheated, I took mulligans on a couple drives that went OB, so that's not truly what I shot. I was probably closer to 85 or 86. This was the first time I had ever played a legit round of golf. I had gone to the range with my dad and my friends before, but really all the time was used to warm up with a couple crappy iron shots, then see who could 'Happy Gilmore' the best. After the round I played with my dad, I was hooked. I got my own set of clubs, big and forgiving. The guys I talked to about fitting irons recommended that I get the forgiving ones to give me the best results and best experience. Shortly after getting them I started to really prepare to play golf the best way I could. I started mapping distances and working with instructors to improve my swing. However, I noticed that because the clubs were 'forgiving' my bad shots tended to be 'extra bad'. If I missed right, I'd miss miles right instead of just a little right. On top of that, I also noticed that distance control was very difficult because sometimes I would hit a few pitching wedges and 3/4 would go around 130 but the last one would rocket past the 150 mark. Of course, these aren't legitimate statistics of how often it would happen, and probably an exaggeration of how far past target they would go. But it was noticeable. Then, when looking through the same golf shop I always go to now that golfsmith is closed, I found a pair of blades that were the exact same specs as the irons I was using at the time, for around $150. So I splurged and bought them.

The first thing I noticed was just how bad my shots really were. And that is when I decided I didn't want to go back to forgiving irons. I didn't want to make a bad swing just to see a decent result. That's not a good way for me to improve. The other thing I noticed, was just how much I could control the ball's height. Just by changing a few things about my setup, I was hitting balls high & low with ease. Fast forward to now, my last round of golf was a 79 and my last tournament was an 81. I am happier with my iron shots than I ever have been and haven't looked back to my old irons since I switched.

To be clear, Bladed Irons are not some magical cure all to your golf swing. The reason I improved was because my practice was higher quality, and I practiced more often. The irons allowed me to see the true quality of my shots, and because of that, I wasn't getting frustrated and asking "what am I doing wrong" . Instead, I was telling myself "that ball ended up starting left, that means you didn't let the club shallow so your arms flipped to compensate, slow it down and try again". 

And one more time, to clarify for everyone: My hard work and practice allowed me to improve, not the clubs. I just enjoyed hitting blades and seeing what my shots are actually doing instead of the iron forcing a worse shot due to trampoline-like faces.

Does anyone have any questions?

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No questions, but I'd bet that if you improved your practice in the same manner with a bit more forgiving iron, your scoring would improve even more...

 

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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  • Administrator

We have a pretty long discussion here:

I don't have any questions either.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

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In the beginning of the summer, I switched to Blades from very forgiving irons and I will not look back. I'm making this thread so that anyone who is considering making the switch can hear from me and be able to use the information I am going to present to make their choice.

Before I get started, I want to say this: I recommend anyone with a high handicap find clubs that offer forgiveness, but don't hide the true quality of their shots. I do not recommend just anyone playing blades.

That being said, lets get in to why I switched to blades. At one point when I started playing, I was well above the average ability of a starting golfer. My father and I played a round at a course nearby and I didn't have a set of clubs so I borrowed his. I ended up shooting 77 but I know I cheated, I took mulligans on a couple drives that went OB, so that's not truly what I shot. I was probably closer to 85 or 86. This was the first time I had ever played a legit round of golf. I had gone to the range with my dad and my friends before, but really all the time was used to warm up with a couple crappy iron shots, then see who could 'Happy Gilmore' the best. After the round I played with my dad, I was hooked. I got my own set of clubs, big and forgiving. The guys I talked to about fitting irons recommended that I get the forgiving ones to give me the best results and best experience. Shortly after getting them I started to really prepare to play golf the best way I could. I started mapping distances and working with instructors to improve my swing. However, I noticed that because the clubs were 'forgiving' my bad shots tended to be 'extra bad'. If I missed right, I'd miss miles right instead of just a little right. On top of that, I also noticed that distance control was very difficult because sometimes I would hit a few pitching wedges and 3/4 would go around 130 but the last one would rocket past the 150 mark. Of course, these aren't legitimate statistics of how often it would happen, and probably an exaggeration of how far past target they would go. But it was noticeable. Then, when looking through the same golf shop I always go to now that golfsmith is closed, I found a pair of blades that were the exact same specs as the irons I was using at the time, for around $150. So I splurged and bought them.

The first thing I noticed was just how bad my shots really were. And that is when I decided I didn't want to go back to forgiving irons. I didn't want to make a bad swing just to see a decent result. That's not a good way for me to improve. The other thing I noticed, was just how much I could control the ball's height. Just by changing a few things about my setup, I was hitting balls high & low with ease. Fast forward to now, my last round of golf was a 79 and my last tournament was an 81. I am happier with my iron shots than I ever have been and haven't looked back to my old irons since I switched.

To be clear, Bladed Irons are not some magical cure all to your golf swing. The reason I improved was because my practice was higher quality, and I practiced more often. The irons allowed me to see the true quality of my shots, and because of that, I wasn't getting frustrated and asking "what am I doing wrong" . Instead, I was telling myself "that ball ended up starting left, that means you didn't let the club shallow so your arms flipped to compensate, slow it down and try again". 

And one more time, to clarify for everyone: My hard work and practice allowed me to improve, not the clubs. I just enjoyed hitting blades and seeing what my shots are actually doing instead of the iron forcing a worse shot due to trampoline-like faces.

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12 minutes ago, iacas said:

We have a pretty long discussion here:

I don't have any questions either.

Thanks, I posted this in that thread. I remembered reading a thread like this but couldn't find it after a few searches so I posted this. 

 

15 minutes ago, David in FL said:

No questions, but I'd bet that if you improved your practice in the same manner with a bit more forgiving iron, your scoring would improve even more...

 

A very solid point, I'm actually planning a fitting session to see what players cavity I like the best. I can't be clear enough though that seeing how poorly I was actually hitting was what really kept me hooked with the blades.

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  • 4 months later...

I'm wondering if anyone has switched from GI or SGI irons to playing the new blades, and if they see a difference in scores, or playability.  These days blades are not about 3-PW because many folks play a mixed set with 3,4,5 and even 6 hybrids.   Plus the new blades are sneaking in GI-Type improvement technology.

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I have requested the Moderators merge this with the Master Thread on Forged vs. GI/Cavity/Cast/SGI

https://thesandtrap.com/forums/topic/1358-master-forged-vs-cast-or-blade-vs-game-improvement-iron-thread/?page=80&searchlight=1&tab=comments#comment-1352293

 

Brian Kuehn

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  • 2 years later...

After a 10 year layoff, and retirement, I'm now in a good area for golf and have restarted.  I bought a used set of Ping irons last year, just to see if I could still hit a ball.  Now I'm thinking about different irons.  These clubs seem to hit the ball very high.  Is that me or the club?  Does the perimeter weighting make the ball go higher.  I apologize, but I am way behind on the technology aspect of clubs.  I grew up with only forged irons and persimmon woods were the best you could get.  Haven't kept up at all.  My last set was Mizumo forged irons and a Ping I15 driver, I think?  I used to be able to break 80 regularly, but that was 30 years ago.  I've lost swing speed for sure.  I don't want to spend money on a fitting.  Any suggestions. Should I go back to the Mizumo's?  What is similar today to a Ping I15.

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  • iacas changed the title to Perimeter Weighted Irons vs. Forged

Hello and welcome to TST @HermanSell. . What Ping irons did you buy? Basically today there are Game improvement irons ( GI ) Super Game Improvement ( SGI ) and what’s called ‘ Players Distance’ irons. Now most companies still have what you would call ‘blades’ which will have little offset and thinner top lines as well. Ping has had many models come out since you’ve been away from golf. The ‘ G ‘ series...Ping G25, G30, G, the ‘i’ series with Ping iblades, i200, i210, i500. I believe the newest is G410 and G700. 
Most irons today are made to encourage higher launch and less spin so in order to keep the expected ball flight characteristics they had to adjust the lofts. You’ll see irons today with ‘ stronger’ lofts than your earlier days. But a 7i should still behave as a 7i but you may find you gain a little more distance ...which is a good thing.

If you’re not keen on GI irons you may like the Players Distance type irons such as Callaway Apex, Callaway Mavrik Pro, Ping i200/500. Lots of options. If you’re not going to get fitted it would still be a good idea to at least hit some of these irons and see what you like. Cheers.

Oh...regarding drivers...the Ping G400 and G410 I believe are excellent selling drivers and very well liked.

Edited by Vinsk
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:ping: G25 Driver Stiff :ping: G20 3W, 5W :ping: S55 4-W (aerotech steel fiber 110g shafts) :ping: Tour Wedges 50*, 54*, 58* :nike: Method Putter Floating clubs: :edel: 54* trapper wedge

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2 hours ago, HermanSell said:

After a 10 year layoff, and retirement, I'm now in a good area for golf and have restarted.  I bought a used set of Ping irons last year, just to see if I could still hit a ball.  Now I'm thinking about different irons.  These clubs seem to hit the ball very high.  Is that me or the club?  Does the perimeter weighting make the ball go higher.  I apologize, but I am way behind on the technology aspect of clubs.  I grew up with only forged irons and persimmon woods were the best you could get.  Haven't kept up at all.  My last set was Mizumo forged irons and a Ping I15 driver, I think?  I used to be able to break 80 regularly, but that was 30 years ago.  I've lost swing speed for sure.  I don't want to spend money on a fitting.  Any suggestions. Should I go back to the Mizumo's?  What is similar today to a Ping I15.

How old are you?....unless you are still very strong generating great club head speed or a really skilled golfer...just learn to appreciate the high trajectory and forgiveness of newer technology....maybe the shafts are too whippy and high launch shafts in your used Pings.

If your used set is the PING i15's?....then these are still quite old technology ...there are so many superior clubs/irons from all the major OEM's launched within the past few years that...IMO...will make your game so much more enjoyable...even back as far as 2013 to 2015 for a used set of irons too....learn to appreciate and embrace the technology.

I just bought a used/mint set of 2013 Rocketbladez Tours last Nov/2019....that I quite enjoy.

Edited by Mr22putt
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