Ready for blades?

[Loud7273]

Right now I'm playing Mizuno JPX 800's. my reasoning is that I can hit my Vokey wedges really well and they are essentially Blades so would the transition be that difficult? I'm also working on hitting fades and draws at the range. I haven't brought it to the course yet. Would Blades help that much with that? Thanks Lou

[geauxforbroke]

Originally Posted by Loud7273

Right now I'm playing Mizuno JPX 800's. my reasoning is that I can hit my Vokey wedges really well and they are essentially Blades so would the transition be that difficult? I'm also working on hitting fades and draws at the range. I haven't brought it to the course yet. Would Blades help that much with that?

Thanks

Lou

Only you can answer that question. But I wouldn't base my ability to play blades on how well I hit a wedge. The sweet spot on any wedge is going to be much larger than, say, a 4 iron. Demo as many clubs as you can and go with what gives you the best opportunity to score.

On a side note, I've noticed a trend lately in mid-handicappers that really want to make the switch to blades and seem to think that such a switch would help their game. Pros and low handicappers play blades because they are good ball-strikers. They aren't good ball-strikers because they play blades. The whole chicken vs. egg thing, you know.

[Shorty]

Why do you want to hit blades?

Why make the game harder than it is already?

Most pros don't use blades.

Wedges don't need cavities because they are shorter and easier to hit.

You can hit fades and draws with any club.

[delav]

How many greens in regulation do you hit per round?

There is a reason that many pros and top amateurs play do not bag blades.  I am certainly neither... and I'd rather be putting for birdie than chipping.

[Loud7273]

I definitely do not want to make the game harder. I think I'll stay with what's working and concentrate on the archer not the arrow, Thanks Lou

[kcarile]

I thought I would get some blades this year becuase I hit the ball pretty well an love the classic look.. But I only hit them well 4/5 or 8/10 times.. And when you miss hit them you lose about 5-10 yards.. Now that can be the difference of being in the hazard or on the green

[GaijinGolfer]

Id pass on the blades.  Theres really no reason for anyone to play blades anymore.  You cant really use your Vokeys as a comparison because the shaft is shorter and they have so much loft.

Ive got an old set of Mizuno blades that I keep around just because I think theyre beautiful irons and I take them to the range sometimes but all it takes are a few mishits to remind me why I play SGI irons and not blades.

[Artimas]

Which will go further, a well struck blade or an equally well struck game improvement iron?

[Jakester23]

I was wondering that as well I know that blades typically have higher lofts but I didn't know if they were longer because the ball flight is lower or so I've read.

[newtogolf]

Originally Posted by Artimas

Which will go further, a well struck blade or an equally well struck game improvement iron?

It's a hard comparison to make, you have to factor in lofts of each iron, proper shafts, etc.  I don't know the answer with 100% certainty but I'm pretty confident if there is any difference in distance between a blade and cavity back set of irons that are properly fit for you, it's a negligible amount.  I've seen reviews where the sweet spot on a blade is about the size of a dime where as the sweet spot on a GI is about the size of a golf ball.

All that said, the blades they make today aren't are difficult to hit as the ones Hogan played.  Even the MP-69's and Titleist 712 MB have some forgiveness built in.  If you really want to put some blades in your bag and not kill your scores, consider a combo set 3 - 7 CB & 8-P MB.  Some wedge companies like SCOR offer lower lofts that allow you to replace your 8-Lob with blades while keeping your current lower lofted irons to create your own combo set.

[dbuck]

I am a mid-capper and I often play blades. I don't think I play better or score better, I just like them because I like them, one set has sentimental value, and I started out playing with blades. Blades will not make you better or worse. Blades can lead to frustration if your focus is on scoring, because a marginal strike can cost a lot versus a more forgiving club. I have mentioned this before on other similar threads, but it bears repeating here. I did an experiment once with a Wilson Staff Tour Blade and a Titleist DCI Gold. I had the Staff bent, so the distance for a pure strike was similar. The Staff is a pure forged blade, the Titleist would today be considered GI, but probably not SGI. They were one of the first to have a progressive cavity and progressive offset. I hit 10 balls with each club. The dispersion of the DCI was about half the Staff, and the center of the "group" was about a half club longer. Now the very best blade was maybe a little longer than the very best cavity, but that was 1 out of ten. The sweet spot on a cavity is not larger; the distance from that spot that will produce a playable shot is greater. That is what is meant by forgiveness. There is more to GI than just forgiveness, though. Shafts, weight distribution, materials, etc. are designed to help get the ball in the air. As others have said, wedges aren't a good indicator of difficulty because the shaft is short, they have a lot of weight in the bottom, and the loft is high, all of which make them fairly easy to hit.

[dbuck]

Lou, to your original question, "am I ready for blades?", in the context from which I think you asked, no, you are not. IMHO, no one over a single digit handicap really gets any benefit from a blade, and even pros will play cavities and some even SGI type clubs, especially in the longer clubs. Hybrids are also very prevalent. These are people whose livelihood depends on scoring., and they use what they think helps them score the best, within what is offered from the manufacturers who pay them to bag their clubs. Most of these pros can move the ball right or left with most any club. I think the main benefit from a blade to the better golfers is in a more boring trajectory in the middle-short irons, and this is a function of the shaft as well as head design. Now this is coming from a 15 handicap who this afternoon plans to play with forged blades and persimmon woods, and who has those Titleist DCI's in the closet at home. If you have never played blades before, there are a couple of things you can do. Pick up a good quality (Titleist, Cleveland, older Wilson or Hogan, Nike, Mizuno) forged blade 5 or 6 iron with a Dynamic Gold S300 or R300 shaft, and take it to the range when you go. After you have warmed up with your Mizzie 800's, try a few with the blade. Don't try to rip it, just make good smooth solid swings. You might have to adjust your ball position a little forward or back in your stance. Another thing you can do is pick up a good set of 3 or 4-PW blades off Ebay--usually around $150 or less for a playable set--and play a couple of rounds with them. If you find you enjoy this and are not worried about your score, then in this context you may be ready for them.

[Hacker James]

My clubs are not really blades but forged cavity backs. I like them for the feedback they give me and I have always played with older clubs some of which were true blades. I have only owned one set of "forgiving" irons and did not really like them, probably because they were not fit to me. They were Adams Tight Lies.  I do not think using these older clubs has hurt me at all and my scores would be just as shitty with newer game improvement irons. Lately, I have been striking them pretty well since I got back into playing after years of not playing much at all.  I had a tough time adjusting to the 460 degree drivers as I had been using standard heads, persimmon e.t.c.   I do think however, that if I had a set of newer irons with fresh grooves, I could tell the difference around the greens. My short game is decent, but would probably be better with a little more bite.   I wish I could afford a set of Mizuno Blades. I am still looking for some older Hogan's in good condition, but most are pretty worn. I really want a set of Apex's or even Apex II. I might settle for a set of Directors. I currently game Hogan Edge.  My son is supposed to return a set of graphite Hogan's that I gave him several years ago. He says they have been well taken care of.  We will see.

[dbuck]

I apologize to the group for my multiple posts, but I can't figure out how to make the paragraphs work, and my, er uh, discertations are sometimes better in small bites anyway, LOL!. There is a small but growing group of us out there, who enjoy playing at least from time to time, with the more traditional equipment. We have various reasons, and for most of us, none of those reasons have to do with score. Nostalgia is a part of it, some of us started out with blades and lumber, and some younger enthusiasts have just read about it and want to experience it. Some of us can play to our handicaps with the old stuff, and some can't. Some can score almost as well because hitting a little shorter is a good thing--we are not as far in the woods! There is a growing group of folks who play hickory shafts, and again few if any of those actually started out playing hickory.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by Artimas

Which will go further, a well struck blade or an equally well struck game improvement iron?

If the specs are the same, they will be equal.  Theres this old myth that blades hit the ball farther but thats never been proven to be true.

[Hacker James]

Originally Posted by dbuck

I apologize to the group for my multiple posts, but I can't figure out how to make the paragraphs work, and my, er uh, discertations are sometimes better in small bites anyway, LOL!. There is a small but growing group of us out there, who enjoy playing at least from time to time, with the more traditional equipment. We have various reasons, and for most of us, none of those reasons have to do with score. Nostalgia is a part of it, some of us started out with blades and lumber, and some younger enthusiasts have just read about it and want to experience it. Some of us can play to our handicaps with the old stuff, and some can't. Some can score almost as well because hitting a little shorter is a good thing--we are not as far in the woods! There is a growing group of folks who play hickory shafts, and again few if any of those actually started out playing hickory.

I like that!  Pretty good analogy as to the "who" and "why". Same could be said regarding the technical aspects. I could care less about A-1, A2, A-6, Launch Angle,. MOI.  Just tell me how to swing the club, make shoulder turns, keep hands inside, e.t.c.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by Hacker James

I like that!  Pretty good analogy as to the "who" and "why". Same could be said regarding the technical aspects. I could care less about A-1, A2, A-6, Launch Angle,. MOI.  Just tell me how to swing the club, make shoulder turns, keep hands inside, e.t.c.

Maybe you should be worried about those things.

[PirateJim]

Originally Posted by Artimas

Which will go further, a well struck blade or an equally well struck game improvement iron?

While most of the magazine ads would seem to suggest this is the only criteria one should use in deciding if they need new sticks, I would propose that a more appropriate criteria would be which clubs you, the individual golfer involved, can repeatedly hit the same distance very consistently!  For me, knowing which club to pull for a 150 yard shot, and having confidence that I am picking the right club, is much more important than whether it turns out to be a 5, 6, 7 or 8 iron.  And I believe that the "game improvement" clubs will give most people more consistency.

For the OP; if you're wanting some new sticks keep in mind that within the broad category of "game improvement" there are clubs aimed at different levels of players.  Titleist AP2, Ping i20 and Mizuno JPX 825 Pro come immediately to mind as "players GI" clubs. One of these days, maybe I'll get my game together to the point of wanting some of those.  Right now, I still want all the forgiveness I can get.