why blades?

[Eeryck]

For what it is worth when I was out cruising my local golf galaxy the other day I was quite suprised at the lower price point for blades than a lot of the game improvement irons. So it seems that the quality of the club for the cost would be greater for a blade than a GI or SGI club.

The other thought I had about this topic is with regards to average male golfer score. I forget the exact number but 80% of golfers hit in the xyz score range. This has to be regardless of equipment, meaning some of that 80% is playing blades, some GI and some SGI.

Personally, as many others have stated the asthetics of the blade apeal to me over the cavity back or muscle back.

On the course it is also nice to have the same feedback from shot to shot as when you practice. So it does not make sense to me to practice with blades and play with GI or SGI irons. "Practice how you play" and the opposite should also be said "Play how you practice" to many folks fail to bring what they have learned on the practice range to the course. I know I am often guilty of that myself.

-E

[tjy355]

If you think it's absurd because it sounded like i think 100 is a good score, you misunderstood/I wasn't clear. I guess I should have said I want a low score

No, the statement I thought was absurd was italicized and bolded.

"When I screw up I know it. For now I'd rather have a club that tells me when I do something wrong than one that hides my faults and helps me get a lower score. I want a low score because I'm that good, not because my clubs do a lot of the work for me."

[Shindig]

In reference to my comment that a majority of professionals don't use blades:

Where, on Earth, did you get this statistic from??

Golf Digest, in their hot list issue, frequently talks about what types of irons the reader should consider. The 2007 hot list is more readily available to me, so I'll use that: From Feb 2007, p.156:

Eight of the top 10 money-winners on the LPGA Tour play what our magazine designates as game-improvement sets

OK, so that's not a majority of professionals. I guess it's possible that the 11-100 on their tour play blades.

Same magazine, p.162:

(W)e cannot, in good conscience, recommend muscle-back blades when only half of the 22 players on the PGA Tour who earned at least $2.5 million used true blades. Overall, less than 25 percent of players on the big tour carry muscle-back irons.

It then goes into some detail on what Tiger, Vijay, and Adam Scott played.

So, I guess I should have said touring professionals on the PGA Tour, since I only have statistics for the top of the LPGA Tour and the PGA Tour. I guess it's possible that blades make a majority of the Nationwide Tour and the Hooters/Gateway/Pepsi/etc tours and among club professionals. But I doubt it. I also guess it's possible that these players who are using non-blades have since switched to blades for whatever reason.

[zeg]

On the course it is also nice to have the same feedback from shot to shot as when you practice. So it does not make sense to me to practice with blades and play with GI or SGI irons. "Practice how you play" and the opposite should also be said "Play how you practice" to many folks fail to bring what they have learned on the practice range to the course. I know I am often guilty of that myself.

I understand what you're saying, but I think there are plenty of times you practice things that will never get near the course. Lots of drills are half-swings, standing on one foot, going to an extreme position, etc, in order to focus on one particular aspect of the golf swing. I can imagine using a blade to practice the striking component with maximum feedback. It'd just be another drill, and I don't think it'll necessarily screw you up any more than any other drill. Obviously I'd say the majority or at least the most significant chunk of your practice should be with the equipment you use...

[i-Guy]

No, the statement I thought was absurd was italicized and bolded.

Also in reference to the bold statement...you do not need to be hitting a blade to know you screwed up (duff, slice, hook, etc...)...the difference is with blades if you do not hit it on the sweet spot it just doesn't feel the same...you may still hit it sort of at the target, you may loose only a few yards of distance but

it just doesn't feel right ...that is what people who play blades are referring to when they talk about feedback...clear as mud?

[smith5606]

Is it possible that club manufacturers put significant pressure on the non-elite pros to use the equipment that they (the manufacturers) wish to promote? In my view, this would be the equipment with the highest margins - the game improvement irons. I would also speculate that young players, even touring pros, would prefer the type of equipment they grew up hitting - again predominately game improvement irons.

The question isn't what equipment is most popular, easiest to hit, or any of the other points that could be made in favor of GIs and the other products of the technologically driven golf industry. The real issue is, in my view, what is in the long term best interests of the game; should the game be the product of the arrow or the archer?

I fear goflfers are becoming obsessed with idea that there is a box, somewhere, that we can buy, if we spend enough, that will provide what we are not willing to work for. I wonder, if there had been paint-by-the-numbers or Microsoft Paint during the Renaissance, how would da Vinci have chosen to paint the Mona Lisa? Would we care?

[tjy355]

Also in reference to the bold statement...you do not need to be hitting a blade to know you screwed up (duff, slice, hook, etc...)...the difference is with blades if you do not hit it on the sweet spot it just doesn't feel the same...you may still hit it sort of at the target, you may loose only a few yards of distance but

That feedback is present even with GI clubs. Yes, you can feel mishits with GI clubs. The difference is the penalty is not so severe.

[Laxplayer201092]

Heres the facts.

Some people wil play blades, some wont. Why? who cares. decide what you like, and play the hell out of them,

I like blades. Why? I hit them better then my MP60's. Why do you care? Why do i hit more GIR with my MP32 then with the Burner XD? Dunno. But you dont mess with results.

[anthonykim3]

just try to strike up some opions but your right i don't give a shit what you play i would just like to no why thanks








jp

[Laxplayer201092]

Heres the facts.

AK3.

Sorry if that came out the wrong way, thesres just always someone who asks lol i like blades cuz they work. well. In my opinion, they look better, feel better, perform beter, and are. better, than any gi iron i have ever seen.

[McGolf-Doggie]

I was fortunate enough to be given a handful of different irons from a variety of makers to try out over the course of several weeks by my buddy. After a great deal of time at the range, I picked the one that I consistently hit the best and felt the best.

It happened to be a TaylorMade Rac MB, not that i knew much about the difference between the various clubs at the time.

The irons, PW thru 5, are the most reliable part of my game. And they are the most unbelievably gratifying clubs to hit. That right there, is the big part of the "why."

My work with the driver on the other hand is currently very problematic, and the short game is right behind that.

[Righty to Lefty]

• Feel - When stuck well, nothing quite feels like a blade. On the flip side, when struck poorly, nothing let's you know about it quite like a blade (which, if you ask me, is a good thing).
• Workability - Sure you can make the ball do a lot with a quality CB, but the options that you have with a quality blade are nothing sort of phenomenal (if you're game is up to the task that is).
• Size - I simply can not get over how BIG irons are these days. I'm not just talking about the SGI or GI irons either, there are a number of "players" CB's that have just gotten astronomical in size. I like the small, traditional size of most blades. I feel that a smaller iron gives me a lot more options, especially from out of the thick rough.
• Consistency - Shot to shot, I find blades are generally more consistent. The behavior of the ball is more predictable, especially when trying to work the ball.
• Trajectory - Design differences club to club, shaft to shaft, etc make major differences here but in most cases, I find that a quality blade will have a lower, more penetrating, trajectory than the majority of CB's (all other things being equal). This gives me more options during my shaft selection since I can concentrate on more than just trying to get the ball flight down.
• Looks - The majority of blades look fantastic. Nice clean top lines and a traditional look do a lot to inspire confidence when you're standing over the ball.
• Ego - There are some who stick w/blades to prove that they're man enough to play with them. Although I personally disagree with this philosophy, there are a quite a few who don't.
• Preference - This is my biggest reason right here. In the end, I bag blades because I want to. Options are abundant these days and there are a lot of quality choices out there. At the end of the day however, I've either got a set of Titleist ZM's or 695MB's in my bag.

This is a good answer for sure because you hit on just about everything. I put together a set of blades for a company called raven for less than 230 bucks and they are great. I had all these thoughts runniing through my head before I hit them because I'm looking down at this tiny club head that looks paper thin. After I hit my first shot I was shocked. These are great and why haven't I tried these before. First off I noticed that looking down at the clubhead that it demands your complete attention and I was more focused on the shot. I know how to work the ball and I just noticed that it was easier with these clubs and the trajectory control was much better. Next was the feel of the clubs. The clubheads feel dense and well weighted due to their small size which adds to the more intuned senses. You have no clue what true feedback is until you hit them. At impact you can feel, sweetspot, half a ball left or right of center, or toe or heel. The two most glaring ones are toe which provide the nice nasty "clack" and nearly spin the club right out of your hands! The next one is thin becasue you feel it in your spine because of the vibration! But what I found is that the all of them were playable except for the toe shot. Now for the forgiveness issue. To me blades are like good parents that when you make a mistake they tell you what you did wrong and then help you correct it so that it never happens again. Most all other clubs are like bad parents, when you make a mistake they walk up to you and beat you with a switch and then just walk away. You are left a confused child and then you do the same thing over again because you didn't know you were doing something wrong to begin with! If you hit or practice with blades you will never say to yourself " what am I doing wrong" as far as your iron play because you will know from the feedback and this is worth it in my opinion because it makes you learn to be in tune with your swing. Also you don't have to hit the sweetspot everytime to play blades. They allow for some inaccuracy in all directions in relation to the sweetspot. But why would you want to be forgiven for missing the sweetspot by 2 or three golf balls and the shot coming up only 5 yards short of where it would when struck inthe sweetspot? That will lead you to think that you have a good swing when you don't. So your clubs are lying to you! If you are only a weekend player then sure roll with SGI or GI clubs but if you really want to learn to golf your ball then in my opinion at least practice with blades. I tell the people tell me that I'm not good enough to play blades because I play off of 17 that " You don't have to BE good to play blades, you have to WANT to be good to play blades."

[misty_mountainhop]

In reference to my comment that a majority of professionals don't use blades:

Thanks for the figures. Thanks for the sarcasm as well. Useful, in general, if people back up statements with some hard numbers. By the way, just because it's Golf Digest

doesn't necessarily make their numbers correct; I'm not sure I'd call them "independent". I'd be curious to know how many Pros use cavity-backs in the long irons (say, 3, 4 and maybe 5) but blades in the shorter irons; quite a lot I would think. Does this qualify them as using "game improvement" irons in Golf Digest's opinion?

[Stuart]

I've been playing blades for the last few months because they feel so much better than anything else. I was reluctant to even try them at all, given how much bad press they receive, which I think is a little bit unfair. They are not as hard as people make out, and they feel even better than people say. I can understand if you are not a good iron player or if hundreds of thousands of dollars is on the line for every shot, but if you play golf for the love of the game and you are a decent iron striker, then i can't think of a reason not to play them. :)

[Big Will]

blades arent great the long irons are very very hard to hit..from 7iron down they are pretty good ...i play a set of mizuno blends i got made for me

the 4-6iron are the Mizuno MP 57
the 7-9iron are the Mizuno MP 67

carry a pw but its a cg 10 46*

[i-Guy]

That feedback is present even with GI clubs. Yes, you can feel mishits with GI clubs. The difference is the penalty is not so severe.

True...True...but it is not quite the same feedback...I do not ever remember missing a shot (really bad) with a GI club and it stinging my hands where it hurt..

I will admit you can feel misses with a GI iron but I have hit many shots with GI irons where I thought "crap" that was a bad swing just to look up and see the ball going right at the target and then looked down and see the mark on the club way out on the toe or heel...if you do that with a blade...you won't have to think you made a bad swing...the club will tell you, however, today's blades will not punish the ultimate goal of your swing (going toward the target) as much as old blades...this is a tolerable thing in my opinion...

[lumpuckeroo]

If you are a ball striker, there is nothing sweeter than a blade, but not all golfers are, pros included. Ball striking is an art, much like playing a musical instrument, a lot of people can play the guitar but not everyone can play like Eric Clapton.

The look of the clubs and sound plays such an important part of the game that for some, only a blade will do.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I've been playing blades for the last few months because they feel so much better than anything else. I was reluctant to even try them at all, given how much bad press they receive, which I think is a little bit unfair. They are not as hard as people make out, and they feel even better than people say. I can understand if you are not a good iron player or if hundreds of thousands of dollars is on the line for every shot, but if you play golf for the love of the game and you are a decent iron striker, then i can't think of a reason not to play them. :)

I agree. I have never played blades on a regular basis but they do get a bad wrap. They are not any less forgiving than any other players style iron with minimal offset. It is a little harder to get them into the air than a cavity, though. So your ballstriking fundementals must be sound, as others have said.