Equipment
Why a blade isn’t “just a blade”
Saying “a blade is just a blade,” is like equating all coupes to just two-door cars because of their similar design characteristics, when in fact, just like cars, every line and transition along the body is as important as what’s under the hood.
To define a “blade,” it is a club design that features a solid mass behind the hitting area, with a thinner sole and higher center of gravity to create greater workability. Blades are less forgiving than cavity backs and were given their name thanks to their thin look resembling knives.
Blades are easy to recognize even from a distance, although there are irons on the market that resemble blades by appearance but offer a lot of technology and forgiveness.
If we’re going to stick with the car analogy, it’s the equivalent of rolling up to a red light with a “sleeper”—it looks docile but is packed with horsepower.
Most OEMs do not replace blades in their lineups as frequently as other models because of the lack of technological advancement compared to game-improvement clubs. Instead, blade models are generally replaced as player preferences change and are a reflection more of playing conditions than technology.
If we compare older blade irons to modern ones, for example, the easiest difference to spot is the sole profile. Older clubs have flatter, less cambered (radius from the leading edge to the back of the head) soles compared to modern clubs that are much more rounded to help improve turf interaction. These are the other key design elements that make up the profile of an iron.
- Topline: The topline of a club plays one of the biggest factors on how the club looks from address. The general rule of thumb is thick toplines inspire confidence since there is more “mass” behind the ball, but in some cases—like Rickie Fowler’s new irons, thinner is the winner.
- Sole: Over time, sole profiles have become more homogeneous compared to other design elements because they have evolved as turf conditions have improved. As mentioned earlier, modern blades with more bounce and camber are much easier to hit in varying conditions.
- Toe profile: Similar to the topline, the toe profile will drastically change the look of a club. Although each one of slightly different they generally fall into three categories; square, rounded, and teardrop. Square toe irons are less common and the result in a sharper angle where the toe meets the topline. Round is the most modern style that you see on most irons today, and two of the best examples are the Mizuno MP20, and the Titleist 620 Blade. The teardrop profile is more commonly found in JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) clubs but a good representation of this would be the Ping BluePrint.
The toe profile also plays a big part in how long the blade length appears from the address position, with the square toe making the club look the shortest.
So next time you are looking at a set of blades, pay close attention to the small details around the head to help you figure out the ideal clubs for you.
You can also find discussions on blades, among many other topics in our GolfWRX General Equipment Forum
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Whats in the Bag
Jimmy Walker WITB 2024 (March)
- Jimmy Walker what’s in the bag accurate as of the Texas Children’s Houston Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (9 degrees @8)
Shaft: AutoFlex SF505 XX
3-wood: Callaway Paradym (15 degrees @14)
Shaft: AutoFlex SF505 XX
5-wood: Callaway Paradym (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (3, 4), Titleist 620 MB (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 54-08M), WedgeWorks (60-L)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Putter: Scotty Cameron GSS prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Jimmy Walker’s clubs in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Thorbjørn Olesen WITB 2024 (March)
- Thorbjorn Olesen what’s in the bag accurate as of the Texas Children’s Houston Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 65 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 High Launch (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 85 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (3), TaylorMade P7MC (4-6), TaylorMade P7MB (7-9)
Shafts: Project X 125 6.5
Wedges: TaylorMade Hi-Toe (56-10, 60-10)
Shafts: Project X 125 6.5
Putter: TaylorMade TP Reserve B11
Grips: Lamkin
Check out more in-hand photos of Olesen’s clubs in the forums.
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Equipment
From the Forums: How are you liking TaylorMade’s Qi10 fairway woods?
In our forums, our members have been discussing TaylorMade’s new Qi10 fairway woods. WRXer ‘ace036’ plans on testing them in the next few weeks, saying: “from how they look from address and frame the ball is much more appealing to my eye versus my current Paradym fairway woods.” And our members have been sharing their positive feedback in our forum.
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.
- Edwardsr: “I got fit into the Qi10 core model with Ventus TR Black 8X and it’s absolutely amazing for me.During the fitting with my 12-15 swings with it, it was the most efficient combo I’ve ever tested, tons of 1.48 smash and 3 or 4 1.49 smash (which I don’t think I’ve ever gotten on 3 wood on a launch monitor).”
- MiloMalt: “No complaints and so far only high praise for my Qi10 Tour 3 and 5 wood. I’m getting great numbers and a nice penetrating ball flight with great height whereas with my old TSi2 4 wood it was spinny and ballooning and short because of that.”
- courcy75: “The Qi10 Tour 3 wood I just put in play has been outstanding for me. Finally found something I like as much as the 07 burner tp.”
Entire Thread: “From the Forums: How are you liking TaylorMade’s Qi10 fairway woods?”
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Beak
Jun 10, 2020 at 12:13 pm
Thick toplines inspire confidence?
s
Jun 16, 2020 at 11:44 pm
To some people maybe. I can’t stand looking at it. I sometimes wish Vokey made a full set of irons…
Tom54
Jan 7, 2021 at 5:43 pm
I have also wondered how a set of Vokey irons would look as well