Why "not" use game improvement clubs?

[Camo]

So this thread got me thinking about what I play ( TM burners ) and what kind of feed back they were giving me and if I could be improving or at least perfect my swing with a club with more feed back. So today I stopped by the golf shop and picked up a used 6 iron titleist 690 mb forged blade. After hitting about a 100 balls off my backyard mat into the net I think the question was asked incorrectly..... It should be ..... Why play a blade....lol Yes of course the blade provides much more feed back and your mis hits FEEL much worse and that is cool, but here is the kicker for me. My well stuck shots are no better then with the GI I will admit, the blades definitely look better, and I don't mean mean in a fashion sense, I mean they are more pleasing design at ball address. I think I will keep practicing with this club and see if I can improve my swing accuracy and consistency. edit for update.. After hitting another couple hundred shots with my test iron and finding the sweet spot it has become clear to me where the term sweet spot came from. until you hit a blade on that spot you just have not felt the pureness of a golf shot. it is truly sweet. like the ball was made from warm butter....... headed off to bay to find a full set of 690MB to practice with...LMAO

[Easy]

Richie3jack posted an interesting article about GI's vs Blades.

http://3jack.blogspot.com/2010/02/blades-vs-game-improvement-irons.html

Personally I'm all for game improvement irons, especially for the weekend golfer who just wants to have some fun.

I got a set myself but I want to get good at this game and as I improve I intend on getting better clubs tailored to my handicap. GIs can make the game easier but I think it shouldn't be at the expense of masking bad habits in your swing.

[jmanbooyaa]

Really enjoying this thread. As someone new to the game and already developed an addiction towards golf gear, I will say I chose the X-20's because I was told they are GI clubs and I could grow with them. To me they do not look like how some of you say shovels.

[596]

interesting article.  Small sample but interesting.  It will almost tempt me to try a blade at the range.

[sean_miller]

To me a shovel is what a club looks like at address. There's just too much club face there. Too long and/or too tall with likely too much offset. Just way more metal than should be required to make a good shot.

It's not limited to GI and SGI irons either. As beautiful as the Ben Hogan Apex iron series is, the wedges (Es) are often shovels. My 1994 version is virtually unhittable around the greens. 3/4 shots are almost impossible to judge contact and weight - it's just gross. My Tommy Armours have shovels for the 3 and 4 iron. You can actually see the sole sticking back past the topline - I want to take a grinder to them every time I pick them up.

From a distance some SGI irons are just plain ugly, but when seen at address, they set up with little to no offset, straightish soles, and nothing protruding past the topline. A SGI iron like that, I could see putting in the bag.

Originally Posted by jmanbooyaa

Really enjoying this thread. As someone new to the game and already developed an addiction towards golf gear, I will say I chose the X-20's because I was told they are GI clubs and I could grow with them. To me they do not look like how some of you say shovels.

[max power]

Originally Posted by Easy

Richie3jack posted an interesting article about GI's vs Blades.

http://3jack.blogspot.com/2010/02/blades-vs-game-improvement-irons.html

Personally I'm all for game improvement irons, especially for the weekend golfer who just wants to have some fun.

I got a set myself but I want to get good at this game and as I improve I intend on getting better clubs tailored to my handicap. GIs can make the game easier but I think it shouldn't be at the expense of masking bad habits in your swing.

I usually play a blade/cb combo set, but I think the idea that GI irons completely mask bad habits or ingrain them into your swing is a product of internet/golf forum pontificating.  When I was young I used a set of small player's cavity backs from the early 1980's because that's what my Dad gave me.  Then I played a set of Big Bertha (GI) clones for nearly 10 years.  I traded those in for a set of pure blades (MacGregor MT Pro-M).  And since then I've alternated between multiple sets of GI and player's clubs.  I made/make the same swing with every iron set, and while GI irons are more forgiving of slight mishits than blades-they aren't magic sticks that cancel out mistakes.  I can hit a very crappy shot with my MX-200s, and I can tell the difference between a decent shot that's slightly off the toe and a perfect shot off the sweet spot.

My dad is about the same handicap as me, and I will admit that he can no longer play blades.  But it's because he's a picker, and the vibration from blades hurts his arthritic hands.  So he uses PING Zings/G5s, and hits fantastic shots with them (draws and fades included).

[Camo]

Originally Posted by 596

interesting article.  Small sample but interesting.  It will almost tempt me to try a blade at the range.

not sure if you read my post or not....but anyhow... because of this thread I picked one up used for $10 to try out.  I would recommend it to you as well.

it is definitely worth a little bit of effort for the experience.  then you will know for yourself.  I am certainly glad I did.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

In another thread there was mention of Roger Maltby's website.  So I use what Roger Maltby says are "super game improvement clubs".  I'm thinking why "not" use these clubs? ...

I'm a decent player, 5.5 handicapp and I'm using Ping G10's.  The only disadvantage I can find, maybe, is the ability to work the ball more then say 15 yards left or right when needed to get to a hidden pin position. ...

I'm not sure working the ball will lower my handicapp?

SGI clubs have certain limitations - as you said, you can't do severe work-the-ball shots. Also, depending on the kickpoint of  your shaft, SGIs might be somewhat more difficult to keep low when you want to.

If you're a 5.5 HDCP, you evidently get a lot out of your current arrangement of clubs.  And, lots of players are deciding to "keep it straight" rather than trying for magic tricks with their irons - your final statement - which I bolded - says a lot.

A couple of years ago, I played in a scramble with a former small-college golfer who once played to about a 1 HDCP. Now in his late 20s, he was playing AP1 irons and had about an 8 HDCP. He also had a wife, two pre-school kids, and a job that kept him busy.

He said the switched from blades to AP1 irons for reliability. Anything he lost on precision darts from the blades was more than made up by the reliability of the AP1s. With limited practice time, he said blades were a bad bet for him.

So, why worry about it. Keep the G10s. You can captain my scramble team any time! (P.S. I just turned 60 in November, so I like to give encouragement to you youngsters. )

[westcyderydin]

Here is the best way i can explain it... in an iron i want control.  with my dci 990s (old, i know) i have control over the ball.  when i (used to) hit my adams gt2 super game improvement clubs, the club had more of the control.  when i hit my old irons it was a crap shoot whether or not i hit a good shot, but now i know how im missing.  that is a good way to get better contact with the middle of the club.

with the muscle back irons if i hit it bad i deserve it, but i know when i miss...with the huge soled cavity backs i really couldnt feel anything,  and i hit a natural draw, so my club face is a little open when i hit the ball....so my miss is a push, but it was a lot worse with my SGI clubs...i pushed the ball constantly.

at least how its been for me, its a lot easier to improve while hitting players clubs than GIs.

[Tnice2u]

I use to play the Cleveland HB3 hybrid irons and could bomb them. I went to the blade style irons and had some success but could not hit them as far or as high. I also found that you have to practice a lot more with player irons. With hybrid irons all you have to do is sweep the club. I don't have as much time as I use to have to play and practice so I went with the new Cleveland 588 hybrid irons. You don't have to pinch the ball or be so precise.  Just swing the club and let them do the work.

[Shortylook]

Ha ha OMG, I had to google SGI and GI, now I understand what you are talking about,3rd month playing and I found I could hit my irons(got in a package) about 3 in 10 shots not too bad.just for fun went and got fitted and found I needed a different angle( because I consistently hit my irons on the heel). Now I'm no brilliant golfer but I'm prepared to do what I can equipment wise to help my game, the rest is up to me eg practice practice and maybe some more practice.

[dak4n6]

This is a centuries old debate, and it most obviously comes down to what suites each individual golfer, but I want to simply add one observation here. It may be just me, but when I switched to forged blades about 12 years ago, my cap went down by about 8 over a 1 yr period. I'm not going to go into why (even though I know why), but it is what it is.

[GaijinGolfer]

For me, I dont find a player's CB to be any harder to hit than a SGI iron because I hit the center of the clubface most of the time.  I personally love the soft feel and the smaller head size because it causes me to be more focused than a bigger head would cause me to be.

I also find that with SGI irons that my draw turns into a hook.  Perhaps its because of the offset.

[BuckeyeNut]

It always crack me up when a 2yr old thread gets revived. Hehe

[ghalfaire]

I believe there are game improvement clubs and then there are game improvement clubs.  Some of the GI clubs are even forged and feel as pure as any blade I have ever hit when you catch the sweet spot.  There are also some cast GI irons that feel pretty good and give feedback on off "center" hits.  It would appear to me that GI is an adjective that isn't very specific as related to feel and performance.  It is my opinion that you need hit some different clubs before buying and decide for yourself but there is not reason to pre-assume that one type of club is "better" than the other.

[bs798]

Anyone who says you'll play better with a blade > a GI iron has lost their mind, or is so full of themselves and their ego won't let them give you a straight answer. I'd be willing to bet most of the people telling you that you'll play better with a players club are a 10 handicap or more. I played in college and used Titleist AP2's which are pretty forgiving compared to the Titleist MB or CB.

I then read that KJ Choi was using Ping G15's in the Masters, and had used them quite a bit for almost a full season. Also I read Lee Westwood used PING g15's in a Masters one year as well. I'm not 100% on Westy using them but I've seen pictures of KJ Choi's bag with the G15's in there.

At this time I was about to buy some Mizuno's and was looking at the players clubs, made the choice of buying G15's and I could not be happier. Instantly I started to hit more GIR. You have to remember that if you mishit the ball by a mm on a blade that could mean you miss the green, end up in the sand...etc etc. Sure they are ugly, they are not a nice chrome finish and they are insanely offset and they are fat and I never once liked the look of any PING iron in my life, not even the S56. But I play better with them than any other irons I've had in my life.

I have KBS tour shafts in my G15's and hit the 45 degree W about 145, plenty of distance.

I can move the ball easily, If I want to hit a 30 yard cut or draw I can do it easily.

The only single flaw I have ever experienced with owning G15's is if you need to punch out, I have 4-pw and if you're around a lot of low branch trees its tough to keep the 4i down low enough.

It comes down to 100% ego, just because Tiger Woods hits blades and an 8.5 degree driver doesn't mean you can or ever should. PING was notorious for selling drivers 1.5 to 2 degrees higher than the driver listed because they knew people didn't know how to pick a loft correctly, if you bought a 9 degree ping G2 it was 11 degrees.

You're going to mishit shots, unless you're a pro you're not hitting thousand of balls a week on the range with a coach watching your swing constantly. Unless you can afford to hire Butch Harmon to watch you hit balls 12 hours a week there isn't a point for anyone who's not a legitimate scratch golfer to use blades. This doesn't mean your local pub links that's 5800 yards, go play a 7500 yard course where you're hitting a 6 or 7 iron into the green and still shoot 72 or better.

Not many people can consistently take a 4 iron on a 200 yard par 3 and stick it within 10 feet repeatedly, if you could then you'd be on the PGA Tour.

[bs798]

For me, I dont find a player's CB to be any harder to hit than a SGI iron because I hit the center of the clubface most of the time.  I personally love the soft feel and the smaller head size because it causes me to be more focused than a bigger head would cause me to be.

I also find that with SGI irons that my draw turns into a hook.  Perhaps its because of the offset.

"because it causes me to be more focused than a bigger head would case me to be"

Literally, some things that come out of peoples mouths is beyond belief.

[bs798]

Also, I have a Titeist 905 R with a Graff Red shaft in it and also a PING G30 with an Oban Kiyoshi Purple, on average I would say I hit the old Titelist 30 yard further, maybe even more but I don't hit it as straight and as consistent. This could save me anywhere between 1-5 strokes a round depending on the course, one bad hit on the Titelist vs the G30 is the diference between hitting 1 off the tee or hitting 3 off the tee.

The point of golf is to score the lowest score not play the best looking gear