Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “Main reason to play blades?”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from randywall and delves into discovering why those who play blades choose to do so. With many WRXers currently playing blades, our members explain just what they find advantageous about blade irons, with a variety of reasons mentioned in the thread.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- MadGolfer76: “For me, they are just more maneuverable. Better distance control too.”
- RobotDoctor: “I game a set of ’99 Ben Hogan Apex blades (3-PW). Not only do these blades look outstanding, but they are relatively easy to hit. These are definitely not game improvement clubs but are not clubs reserved for a tour quality swing. I prefer blades because of great feel and the ability to better control the shape and trajectory of shots. The ’99 Ben Hogan Apex blades are among the best blades I have ever played, and I have gamed a lot of different blades from several manufacturers.”
- GolfManCollin: “The feel. Many have said that if more people played blades there would be a lot more good ball strikers.”
- mizuno player: “For me a few reasons. They spin rate is where I need it. I don’t always release the club. The smaller size of blade helps that. Less offset helps with my big left miss. I will be buying the new MP20 MMC. See how that goes.”
- Redjeep83: “Blades have a nice clean look and turf interaction, pretty consistent between different blades. It’s the old saying a blade is a blade, they aren’t really that different. I haven’t played a blade set for years, and I kind of want to go back, but I’ve been spoiled by players irons, so it’s been a hard choice to switch. I don’t want to lose distance and I think I probably would overall. I have a 6 iron blade in my bag that I hit on the range every once in a while with my other clubs and I find that I tend to gravitate back towards my players 6 iron instead because it gives a little more confidence and stronger flight.”
- Warrior42111: “For the average Joe, blades are like a supermodel; fun to look at, but you have no chance in real life.”
Entire Thread: “Main reason to play blades?”
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Whats in the Bag
Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)
- Chesson Hadley what’s in the bag accurate as of the Texas Children’s Houston Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.
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Whats in the Bag
Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)
Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5
- The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!
3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype
7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype
Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X
Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron
As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)
What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!
View this post on Instagram
I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…
To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”
On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.
Here’s what he had to say:
You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?
MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.
And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.
When did it come back in the bag?
MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.
What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?
MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?
Do you remember how much you paid for it?
MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.
The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?
MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.
It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?
MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.
What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?
MT: Like high 170’s.
Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.
MT: Yeah. The butter knife.
Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons?
MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.
How far do you carry that?
MT: Like 235.
A good little wind club, I’m sure.
MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.
I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man.
MT: Absolutely.
To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.
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Brandon
Oct 11, 2019 at 11:52 am
Because they are cool and the irons you carry have very little effect on your score compared to penalty strokes from ob drives or chunky chips.
Greg
Oct 11, 2019 at 2:03 am
Great post. I have been with the Ben Hogan Ft Worth 15s the past 3 years.
It reminds of the early 70s when blades were like all there was.
Ditto james, “because I can”
Rich Douglas
Oct 11, 2019 at 12:34 am
“Because I have the self-delusion of a lunatic and think that playing clubs I can’t hit somehow make me a better player. I secretly know it isn’t true, but I like to brag about my sticks–which is a good thing, because my game is certainly nothing to brag about. I carry a vanity handicap and lie like mad on Golf WRX whenever possible.” — Typical Golf WRX poster
James
Oct 10, 2019 at 6:15 pm
Why play blades? Because I can.
Alex Gasper
Oct 10, 2019 at 11:31 am
If golf is your job aka you play on a tour from PGA all the way down to a mini tour or high level collegiate golf then have at it.
Fay Kanews
Oct 10, 2019 at 4:38 pm
But what if golf is not your job and you wanna play golf without training wheels???