Drop Off Distance Blade v Cavity Back

[Jeremie Boop]

Just watched a video from Mark Crossfield that was pretty interesting about this topic. Kind of flies in the face of what I've thought for a long time. I wonder how accurate his data is for the average golfer or if it's only really applicable to higher level golfers. *edit* I also wonder if this is something that carries across other manufacturers...

 

Edited April 20, 2016 by Jeremie Boop

[sirhacksalot]

I've seen him in other videos and he can change path, strike , to a predetermined number, I would guess my numbers would differ. Even at a 20 handicap I was on a blade kick for a bit because I liked the look but I seemed to spray them a bit 

[natureboy]

Better golfers are closer to the sweet spot on more / most of their strikes. Until he intentionally hit shots off the toe, he was basically hitting out of the middle of both clubs. For him it was a negligible distance, because he expected to lose those 6 yards very rarely. If you have a grooved swing and hit out of (very close to) the center almost every time then the GI irons will tend to do very little for you unless maybe you want some extra height with long irons.

Less skilled / higher HCP golfers have larger variances / errors in their swings so they will have more impacts farther from the sweet spot and those example 6 yards can add up fairly significantly with multiple poor strikes through the bag in the course of a round, particularly if one or more of those errors leaves you in a hazard.

Edited April 20, 2016 by natureboy

[bm85]

I'm not sure if he's marketing blades or cavity backs here. I'm smart enough to know it's an unremarkable evaluation.

 

[freshmanUTA]

It's just something to note. People often use the "Distance Dropoff" to market cbs over mbs. He's showing that the distance Dropoff isn't really all that much, and that CB/SGI clubs are better for reasons that aren't based around distance. Ex: Higher Launch.

[saevel25]

Doesn't matter. If you compare a 7 iron versus a 7 iron then yea the number would be off a lot. Also GI clubs produce less spin and higher launch. 

In the end you are putting together a set to fill in the gaps between two numbers. Find the clubs that fit that the best with your golfing ability. 

In my personal opinion most golfers need a bit more game improvement in the longer irons. 

[DaveP043]

2 hours ago, saevel25 said:

In my personal opinion most golfers need a bit more game improvement in the longer irons. 

Another thing to note, many of the best players are using irons with some game improvement features.  One in particular is the Titleist AP2, used by Jordan Spieth, among others, as opposed to the Titleist MB line, which is a pure forged blade.  I'm sure there are other manufactures for whom this holds true as well.  

[Jeremie Boop]

I wouldn't mind augmenting my set to use more bladed type in the lower irons transitioning into the more GI style that I currently use in the mid-long irons. Probably not until I get to be more consistent with my striking though.

[Chilli Dipper]

38 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Another thing to note, many of the best players are using irons with some game improvement features.  One in particular is the Titleist AP2, used by Jordan Spieth, among others, as opposed to the Titleist MB line, which is a pure forged blade.  I'm sure there are other manufactures for whom this holds true as well.  

That's nothing new; it's been the trend for many years now. If you go back fifteen years or so, the only pros who weren't playing blades, or at least irons with a minimal cavity back, were PING staffers, who were playing evolutions of the old Eye 2s. The big change since then is advances in computer-aided manufacturing technology; clubhead design is a very precise science now, and equipment companies can produce irons with features that distribute weight, but preserve the look and feel of the old players' irons. The AP2 has been the most-bagged iron model on the professional tours since Titleist introduced them.

[colin007]

if you hit the sweet spot, a blade/muscleback will be both more accurate and slightly longer than an SGI.

[Lihu]

9 minutes ago, colin007 said:

if you hit the sweet spot, a blade/muscleback will be both more accurate and slightly longer than an SGI.

That's a 1/4" big "if". Most people can't hit accurate enough to take advantage of that.

Basically, my MP-32 do go farther than my MP-52, but only because they are a little bit longer. They have the same lofts and same lie, but I think it's the lengths that make them a bit longer. Still, I feel way more confident with the MP-52 4i in my hand looking down a 192 yard shot than with my MP-32 4i, mainly because I know there is a higher chance of making the shot.

[Dave2512]

Yeah big if. Can't remember who it was but a year ago or so in one of the I'm high handicapper but a great ball striker threads a mid single digit member here posted a pic of the face of his SW during a range session, there were impact marks all over it from the hosel to the toe.

[freshmanUTA]

8 minutes ago, Dave2512 said:

Yeah big if. Can't remember who it was but a year ago or so in one of the I'm high handicapper but a great ball striker threads a mid single digit member here posted a pic of the face of his SW during a range session, there were impact marks all over it from the hosel to the toe.

Serious question, do you think there's a difference between consistent ball striking and good ball striking? On one of Peter finch's videos the tour pro had a wedge that had a good size wear mark from the ball, but really close to the toe of the club. I would say that that classifies as consistent, but not good ball striking.

[Dave2512]

4 minutes ago, freshmanUTA said:

Serious question, do you think there's a difference between consistent ball striking and good ball striking? On one of Peter finch's videos the tour pro had a wedge that had a good size wear mark from the ball, but really close to the toe of the club. I would say that that classifies as consistent, but not good ball striking.

Some wedges have the center of percussion out towards the toe.