switching from x-22 tour irons to nike vr forged blades....good move?

[ARodgers TD]

first of all, i got a deal for a 300 dollar set of brand new vr blades so i had to take the deal.....however, i had been looking at moving into a muscle back or pro combo set for quite a while....one reason why the blade set is so tempting to me is because i hit my cavity backs so high that any shot i try to play into even a slight headwind is just ballooned and short, so hopefully the blades will give me a more penetrating ball flight...i realize the blades will have a small sweet spot, but my ball striking is pretty good, worst round of the year is an 83 on a par 72 so ive been playin pretty well...ive just got a few questions...

how much yardage should i expect to gain/lose?

say i hit a shot dead off the toe, with my x22s i lose about 25 yards when that happens, can it get much worse with the blades?

a shank with a cavity back would be a shank regardless right? in other words, a bad shot is a bad shot regardless of the iron type?

[arogolf]

That is a good deal, those vrs look sweet. Also consider the shafts, they can be a factor with regards to ball flight. A shank is a shank, agreed.

[shades9323]

What shafts are in each set of irons?

Originally Posted by ARodgers TD

first of all, i got a deal for a 300 dollar set of brand new vr blades so i had to take the deal.....however, i had been looking at moving into a muscle back or pro combo set for quite a while....one reason why the blade set is so tempting to me is because i hit my cavity backs so high that any shot i try to play into even a slight headwind is just ballooned and short, so hopefully the blades will give me a more penetrating ball flight...i realize the blades will have a small sweet spot, but my ball striking is pretty good, worst round of the year is an 83 on a par 72 so ive been playin pretty well...ive just got a few questions...

how much yardage should i expect to gain/lose?

say i hit a shot dead off the toe, with my x22s i lose about 25 yards when that happens, can it get much worse with the blades?

a shank with a cavity back would be a shank regardless right? in other words, a bad shot is a bad shot regardless of the iron type?

[JlawTitleist]

My buddy got VR Blades and they're sweet. Hes not even that good of a striker, and he still hits them pretty far. If your of capable ability then they sould be a huge upgrade.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

say i hit a shot dead off the toe, with my x22s i lose about 25 yards when that happens, can it get much worse with the blades?

.. in other words, a bad shot is a bad shot regardless of the iron type?

X22 Tours proved to be a rather challenging club, compared to an earlier version. Earlier X20 Tours had a MPF = 716, putting it in the Super GI category. The X22 Tours had MPF = 594, down in the GI category. (MPF ratings are from Maltby's six-category system.) Reviews were mixed comparing the two. Maltby spoke highly of the playability of the X20 Tours, while Golf Digest Hot List retroactively snubbed the X20 Tours as a "wannabe player's club" once the X22 Tours came out.

And yes, a bad shot is a bad shot. For two years I played regular X20s - up in the Ultra GI realm. But when I made a crazy swing, I got terrible trajectory. You have to smack the ball with central 2" of the clubface to capitalize on playability.

[ARodgers TD]

project x rifle 5.5 on the x22's

dynamic gold s300 steel step

how much smaller is the sweet spot on the blades vs. the x22 tours? any ideas?

[dbuck]

I have never hit X-22 tours but I have hit regular X-22's and they felt very forgiving. The "sweet spot" on a true muscle back blade--that is the area around the sweet spot where you can hit and feel limited to no loss of distance/performance is about like a dime. Real toe hits on a blade can be ugly; shanks are the same with either, LOL.  At 9 you shouldn't experience much trouble; I am a 16 and can get around with them about the same as my cavity backs, just not quite as consistent.

[broombroom]

your x 22s are most likely going to go lower with those shafts in them than the vrs.  Did you not try them before you bought them.Although that is an exceptionally good price a bad fitting will mean they will hurt your game more than help. Anyway, I was in your shoes about a year ago I think it was. I had the taylormades LT2 racs and started playing to single figures and wanted more distance control, workable irons and was growing out of my R flex.  I knew I needed a new set but wanted my next set to be blades but didnt feel I was quite ready for them yet but then I was offered to get the mizuno mp 68s with the precision rifle shafts for cheap at a discounted price when I went to look for irons. At first I thought that they would be too much club but he let me try them at the driving range.  I took the 6 iron and I hit it perfectly it was however the dynamic gold s 300 and it did start too baloon at the end a bit and go high which I didnt like but knew the rifle shafts in the ones I were getting would lower the flight which they do giving them a perfect low mid ball flight.  Now they are diffinitely not forgiving if you want to hit straight shots however as long as you dont miss far from the middle i.e. a ball mark or so you wont lose much distance anywhere else about 5-10 yards.

Thing is I spent about a week testing them making sure they were right for me and eventually bought them with no regrets what so ever they are amazing golf clubs and I can easily see the massive potential they will bring my game to. I thought blades were going to be near impossible to hit like I would have no chance but they were more forgiving than I thought they would be.Overall when you get used to them you will generally hit the ball a lot purer and so much more control over your shots.  You will definately notice a difference in forgiveness at the start and they will be harder to hit but  when you tame them you will def hit better shots.  I do think though the vrs will go higher than your x 22s but it will be easier to control them and hit lower shots. my handicap was 11 a few years ago and dont get to play in comps to cut it down but realisticly it would be single figures now. You should get on fine with the blades after a bit but dont think they will go lower with that shaft.

[ARodgers TD]

i have hit the vrs in the past but not right before i bought them, however ive been hitting my buddy's taylormade mb irons pretty regularly and ive been striking them within half a ball mark of center pretty consistently, so i know i can hit a blade...what if i switched my project x shafts on my callaways to my nikes? what kind of a difference would that make?

[shades9323]

Originally Posted by broombroom

your x 22s are most likely going to go lower with those shafts in them than the vrs.  Did you not try them before you bought them.Although that is an exceptionally good price a bad fitting will mean they will hurt your game more than help. Anyway, I was in your shoes about a year ago I think it was. I had the taylormades LT2 racs and started playing to single figures and wanted more distance control, workable irons and was growing out of my R flex.  I knew I needed a new set but wanted my next set to be blades but didnt feel I was quite ready for them yet but then I was offered to get the mizuno mp 68s with the precision rifle shafts for cheap at a discounted price when I went to look for irons. At first I thought that they would be too much club but he let me try them at the driving range.  I took the 6 iron and I hit it perfectly it was however the dynamic gold s 300 and it did start too baloon at the end a bit and go high which I didnt like but knew the rifle shafts in the ones I were getting would lower the flight which they do giving them a perfect low mid ball flight.  Now they are diffinitely not forgiving if you want to hit straight shots however as long as you dont miss far from the middle i.e. a ball mark or so you wont lose much distance anywhere else about 5-10 yards.

Thing is I spent about a week testing them making sure they were right for me and eventually bought them with no regrets what so ever they are amazing golf clubs and I can easily see the massive potential they will bring my game to. I thought blades were going to be near impossible to hit like I would have no chance but they were more forgiving than I thought they would be.Overall when you get used to them you will generally hit the ball a lot purer and so much more control over your shots.  You will definately notice a difference in forgiveness at the start and they will be harder to hit but  when you tame them you will def hit better shots.  I do think though the vrs will go higher than your x 22s but it will be easier to control them and hit lower shots. my handicap was 11 a few years ago and dont get to play in comps to cut it down but realisticly it would be single figures now. You should get on fine with the blades after a bit but dont think they will go lower with that shaft.

I think you have this backwards.  The PX shafts are higher launching than the DG's. Not to mention that the COG will be lower in the x22 tours causing the ball to get up faster and higher.  VR blades will definately have a lower trajectory.