Interesting experience at the range...

[CrazyHorsePete]

A different thread already exists that debates this topic ad nauseam. I will say to the dude that posted that nasty picture, wow that was unnecessary. I think I will go brush my teeth now.

No intent whatsoever to start a debate. Just sharing an experience.

[FortAsel]

If you mess up with a Blade your in trouble, you'll be 10-20 yards short.

That's exactly why I play blades. When I tend to miss it usually goes anywhere. Therefore, if missing with a blabe means less distance forward, it also means missing less to the sides. So, instead of hitting a 5i on the toe into the water because it didn't carry the hazard, I hit a blade 5i in the toe and I'm still 10 meters short of that hazard and with a good chance for an up and down, where the oposite would mean atleast 1 more shot due to the penalty of hitting it in the hazard

[Shanks A Million]

I would try out the blades on a course or at least a grass driving range before making any decisions.

A lot of people are silly enough to play blades. These people fall into one of two categories: Elite golfers who actually benefit from them And High handicappers who are fooling themselves It's fun to believe our scores don't suffer from using blades, but who are we kidding? If we're anything worse than scratch, we aren't yet even... well, even. We can talk all day about how blades feel better, or this or that, but most of the guys who are a 10 handicap playing blades are just fools. I learned to play with blades, but that doesn't mean I'm dumb enough to give up forgiveness for ego. If you hit the center of the face every time you need to have a damn good swing. And if you're a 15 handicap, odds are you don't have that swing. I certainly don't have that good of a swing. There's a lot of rationalization going on here. "Oh, if I mishit it, it won't go into the hazard!" Yeah, maybe not, and maybe your seatbelt will strangle you in an accident, but it's not likely. I play forged players clubs that are every bit as good as the best blades out there, but they have some forgiveness. I can miss a shot a bit and get away with it. Think how many balls may just miss the water or OB if you just had a little forgiveness? The #3 player on the face of the planet plays cavity backs, you want me to try and say I'm better than Steve Stricker? That's bordering on insanity. This is golf, check your ego at the door!

[James_Black]

Why do people play blades in the first place?

A lower flight and you can hit more of a draw/fade? is that all?

[iacas]

It's fun to believe our scores don't suffer from using blades, but who are we kidding? If we're anything worse than scratch, we aren't yet even... well, even.

The difference in forgiveness between the most forgiving clubs a person can tolerate looking at (i.e. I'm excluding those complete hybrid sets where the pitching wedge has a 3" wide sole) and the "toughest" modern blade is a whole heckuva lot smaller than you think.

[sean_miller]

Why do people play blades in the first place?

Turf interaction, ball flight, aesthetics, cost.

I like the way they mesh together tightly in a carry bag.

[goblue107501]

Why make things harder for yourself?

Who says its harder? If you hit in the center they all feel the same. Different clubs won't make it easier, a better swing will. If I hit 18 iron shots in a round, maybe I hit 4-5 bad ones. I can live with that, because the good ones will be good and I know the bad ones won't be really bad. If it was 12-13 bad shots, I might rethink things.

If you mess up with a Blade your in trouble, you'll be 10-20 yards short. With a CB you'll hardly notice most mis-hits.

Thing is, I want to be 10-20 yards short if I mishit. Most of my iron game is feel and distance control. I know how far I hit my clubs, and I know how to swing and grip to adjust the yardages up and down. So if I come up 15 yards short with an 8-iron, I have to be able to process what caused it. Did I hit the ball thin? Off the toe? Off the heel? Did I misjudge the elevation or wind? Or did I just not have the right grip/swing combination dialed up for the shot? Thanks to the rangefinder, I know how far I was from the hole. If I make a swing and come up short, I don't want to second guess myself later in the round. I want to know exactly why I came up short, and by how much.

[James_Black]

Who says its harder? If you hit in the center they all feel the same. Different clubs won't make it easier, a better swing will. If I hit 18 iron shots in a round, maybe I hit 4-5 bad ones. I can live with that, because the good ones will be good and I know the bad ones won't be really bad. If it was 12-13 bad shots, I might rethink things.

but why bother hitting the ball short?

Don't you want to have that bit of forgiveness, if you don't hit the centre of the face 90% of the time why make life difficult?

[colin007]

iacas posted a graphic the other month on how blades will be more accurate than the CBs on an off center hit, and they arent as short as you might think.

[westcyderydin]

yea....i guess this issue is full game improvement irons vs. blades. so its pretty much black and white. remember that there are clubs in the middle.

but if your reason to not upgrading from the more game improvement side is so that you get the same results on off center hits, you are thinking backwards.

if you have muscle backs or blades, you will know when you dont hit the sweet spot. then you will have to adjust and start hitting the sweet spot more often. along with that you get better feel, feedback, the ability to work the ball, and a better understanding of your swing. this will make you a better player.

[Shanks A Million]

The difference in forgiveness between the most forgiving clubs a person can tolerate looking at (i.e. I'm excluding those complete hybrid sets where the pitching wedge has a 3" wide sole) and the "toughest" modern blade is a whole heckuva lot smaller than you think.

True, but compared to some of the older blades, it's a huge difference.

But still, why punish yourself? How many students do you see each day that can hit the ball high enough as it is? In a game of milimeters, we might as well have all the help we can get. Heck, all three irons you use have some forgiveness built in. It really doesn't matter in the short irons, but when you get to the 1, 2, 3, and even 4 and 5, you're starting to really push it. That's why I like combo sets.

[Deryck Griffith]

I think there is a HUGE amount of over exaggeration on how difficult blades are to hit. While they are certainly more difficult to hit vs. GI irons, they are in now way impossible to hit. I am a big believer that if you are a 10-15 HC or lower, playing a more difficult iron will benefit you because 1. you are hitting the ball decently to be a 10-15 or lower and 2, the feel of a miss hit will instantly tell you want you did to miss hit in the first place. GI irons sometimes mask a bad swing or a bad hit. Personally, I want to be punished for a bad hit so I can go over what I did wrong. Conversely, there are irons like mine, the MP-57's that are the best of both worlds...small head, thin topline with a bit of cavity. But even with my irons, if I miss hit, I get punished which has improved my game tremendously since the first day I purchased the irons. I am now forced to hit a clean shot and after some tough punishment now know what it takes within my SWING to accomplish the clean shot.