jdumoit

Titleist 990's are cavity backs in my opinion. They do have that muscle back-like crease, but MB is synonymous with blade in my vocabulary. The first is a type of the latter. The 990's, mp-57's/60's, Tommy SS Forged CBs, cleveland cg reds, cobra pro cb's, etc are all forged, but I wouldn't call them MBs.

I hit a cleveland cd red 6-iron at golf galaxy today and was really impressed... anyone play these?

That fat top-line sure does.

I've never been a pro, but I'm pretty sure 'ego' isn't the reason a lot of tour players use blades... It's a hell of a lot easier to shape your shots with a blade than with a CB. In return you give up some forgiveness. That being said; there are some excellent forged CB's these days that might be a good compromise.

http://www.pecangrovecc.com

Those sure look like cavity back rather than muscle backs to me. :)

Out of curiosity: what blades did you end up getting? x-forged has a good point about the sole width. To offer a personal example: I bought my wife a set of Wilson hope CB irons. I hit them just for fun last time we were at the range. While I only hit them 85% as far as I hit my blades, I hit 9 out of 10 what I'd describe as perfect. With my blades, I hit 1 of 10 maybe 'perfect', but the less-than perfectly struck shots generally don't differ in ball flight that much from the perfectly hit ones. If I happen to catch on perfectly on the course, it will go 5-10 yards further than a 'normal' one and feel extra-crisp. Since I've played for a month consistantly in the last 11 years; I expect my 'perfect' percentage to improve over the next several months. In short: there's definately a 'sweet-spot' difference between CB's and your typical blade I think.

I'm far from a teaching pro, so I just know what works for me. There are only a couple things I do to stop casting. One is to consciously keep my right upper arm close to my body during my downswing. Another is to try to keep the butt of the club facing the ground as long as I can. If neither of these do the trick, I'll resort to the old "Hit 10 balls in a row with my feet together' drill. I don't know why, but for some reason hitting shots with my feet together fixes all kinds of problems for me on the fly. If I'm hitting the ball ok, then I won't think about anything when I swing -- only the target.

If I'm slicing my driver, there's a 99% chance I'm casting (starting down with my hands/not keeping the wrist angle). I can fix it immediately by holding that angle longer. That's more of an outside in problem than hands too far ahead problem. Actually; I don't know if I've ever seen a 'hands too far ahead of impact' problem.

I got up to 130 in my Kia because I was late for my own wedding. ^_^

2007 Kia Optima... nice looking, great gas mileage, great warranty. I don't buy into the anthropogenic global warming scam for a second... but I drive 40 miles each way to work, so gas mileage is an economic decision for me.

I've been using a nike glove since starting golf again (~1 month) and like it for play and practice. I have yet to see a titleist glove pricier than the $24 I paid for my current nike though. Can't remember the model.

I want to see how far I can take my golf game. Last time I played seriously; 10 or 12 years ago; I was a low single digit handicap. Back then I hated practicing my short game; so now I want to see how far I can take it... get my pro card if possible. I'll never do it for a living, just want to push my game.

Technically it's up to you... but probably 99.9% of everyone would tee it up. There's no better lie than on a tee.

How true!

I have a job offer in wilmington, DE and am wondering how the golf is there?. Anyone happen to know?

This brings up a good point someone will surely mention, but I had forgotten. Try and hit the irons before you buy them if possible. Maybe since you're just starting it isn't as important, I'm not sure. For example: I just can't stand the way ping irons feel. It's a personal thing because there are a huge number of people that love them. Not to digress; the point is different brand irons can feel completely different when you hit them.

How do you like the Bobby Jones' hybrids? I heard they're excellent out of the rough; true?

I got my set of Tommy Armour forged Silver Scot Tour irons for $125 new and love them. The shafts are rifle flighted, and have a little higher launch than I'd like, but the irons feel great and perform the same. Highly recommended.

I bought my Odyssey Black Series i #1, 2008 model, for $139 new still in plastic on ebay.

Let me offer some encouragement: this is one of the easiest shots you can hit. In fact -- I'd almost rather be in the greenside bunker than facing a 50+ft. put. I definately rather be 20yds from the pin in the bunker, than 20yds away in the rough. What's the bounce on your 56* nike?

I don't know what I'm talking about, but from personal experience, I agree. When I try to keep a rigid left arm, it's disasterous. When I watch my swing videotaped, my left arm is already straight without thinking about it. I think it's most important to relax during your swing... I can't imagine striking the ball consistantly well with a non-relaxed swing.

I haven't read the rest of the posts, but if your head is moving during your backswing, you're probably sliding on the way back. I think the remedy is turning your left should downward more on the way back? I'm no pro, or teacher, but if I catch myself sliding, thinking of the shoulder turn helps me

My 2cents: I remember switching to blades as a 14 or 15 yr old because that's what the pros used. It was before I struck the ball consistantly enough to be ready for blades. It's hard to express how frustrating that was... to go from hitting the ball well to feeling like you're hitting a brick every time. I quickly switched back to my parallax irons. I love my forged blades now later in life... when you strike a shot well, it feels so good. (I think of the famous Arnold quote in Pumping Iron)... but if you skull one, it feels like hitting a brick wall. Personally, I'd wait until you strike the ball very consistantly before considering blades... maybe try some blades before you buy a set?

I'm no pro by any means, but I find that I'll always shoot better if I don't care. In fact, if I don't take a practice swing; just aim with the club behind the ball and hit it immediately; I have better results. That being said... I've got a high-stress personality and tend to overthink/choke if I give myself time to consider things.