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Forum Thread of the Day: “My experience gaming blades as a mid-high handicapper…”

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Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from Andus, who shared his interesting experience gaming blades as a mid/high handicapper…

“A few months ago, I decided to buy a Mizuno combo set. I’m gaming 4-6 MP-18 SC, and 7-PW MP-18 MB. All of them have Modus 3 120 X flex shafts. To be honest, I almost wish I went 4-PW in the MB because I don’t find the SC to be any more forgiving than the MB; however, the feel is on par I’d say. My swing speed with driver is about 110MPH and with a seven iron is around 93MPH.

I was a pretty decent ball striker, but my handicap was awfully high due to my short game (putting & within 50 yards). I am a complete sucker for looks & feel, and those two attributes are probably most important to me when choosing clubs to play. With that said, the switch from GI irons to blades has been amazing for me. I personally don’t buy into the whole “forgiveness” thing too much. Sure, a big fat hunk of metal with much more toe weighting might help you pull a few more yards out of a mishit, but the reality is, regardless of the iron you’re playing the shot is going to be a bad shot whether you get five extra yards or not. Nevertheless, these irons have helped me find the middle of the club more often than not, and best of all have inspired me to play golf even more. Every time I see these irons in my golf bag, I can’t help myself put to go pull one out and just admire the beauty (I know, I’m a loser). Anyway, my point in writing this is to hopefully inspire somebody else on the fence about blades to give them a try. If you have any other specific questions, ask away!”

The post has garnered plenty of reaction from our members, who have been giving their advice and opinions to those mid/high handicappers out there who have been considering a switch to blades.

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.

  • bub72ck: “We get this topic frequently, and I have to say I disagree. “Good” ball striking is a very relative term depending on what you are looking to get out of your game. If you find enjoyment out of that perfectly struck shot from a blade that’s awesome, but to sluff off forgiveness between MBs and CBs is really painting with a broad brush. I don’t know what your handicap is (you only said mid-high), but I am not sure you know what consistently finding the center of the club is. I don’t think I do either. A round of golf for most anyone, save the top players in the world, is about consistency and quality of mis-hits. Losing 5 yards on a mis-hit shot is the difference between being on the green and off, or in a bunker, or in a water hazard. You said that your short game was weak. That weakness is going to be magnified by missed greens and further distance from the hole. The bottom line is you can do whatever you wish with your game, but more than likely playing blades is costing you strokes.”
  • Bimmer1: “I think about this topic often. Back in the early 80’s blades were pretty much all we had. As a 10-year-old in 1980, I started with blades and played my best golf a few years later as the high school team captain shooting in the mid-’70s with Wilson FG-17’s. A lot of great golfers started out as beginners using blades. There were no alternatives until Ping, Daiwa, and some others started making cavity backs.”
  • Lefty96: “There is nothing wrong with playing blades if they simply bring more enjoyment to your game. Whether that’s because you like the way the feel/look at address, or because you just like being “able” to play blades. But, if you get more enjoyment out of shooting your best score, then you may want to consider making a change. Like people above have pointed out, you’ll just hit more greens with a GI or players GI club then you will with blades. If score isn’t really important to you, by all means, keep playing the blades. They will give you a hell of a lot of feedback about your strike and maybe you’ll even learn to find the middle of the face more often because of it. Most importantly enjoy golf! They are a pretty set of sticks!”

Entire Thread: “My experience gaming blades as a mid-high handicapper…”

 

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

22 Comments

22 Comments

  1. Brad

    Apr 3, 2019 at 8:09 am

    “Forgiveness” in irons is only relevant to a point. The blades of today are nearly as “forgiving” as many cavity backs from decades past. Besides, this guy has a swing speed of 110mph. He is probably hitting a wedge into most par 4s and no more than an 8 iron into most par 5’s after bombing it off of the tee.

    The best sort of forgiveness comes from hitting clubs with more loft into greens from shorter distance. I’d say this guy has that covered. That’s why tour pros can kick your @r$e up and down the course, not because of their accuracy with mid or long irons, but their distance off the tee and wedge play for approach shots. They are simply hitting less club than you ALL of the time. That makes it much easier to have a much higher GIR than the average joe and putting it close to the pin makes putting easier too. Pretty simple.

    Yeah, if you can barely hit the ball 200 yards off of the tee, then blades are probably not for you. No doubt about that. If you are hitting it 330 yards over the back of the green off of the tee and are chipping when everyone else is hitting 7 iron into the green – then you can probably play with a LITERAL butterknife and still score well.

  2. Dan

    Mar 29, 2019 at 12:54 am

    Ok folks here’s the skinny on all iron styles to clear up all the confusion. I’m a +2 and been fitting clubs since the mid 90’s. The sweet spot on every iron ever sold is the size of a dime(called the center of percussion) blade or GI iron. Forged clubs being of a softer metal spin the ball more due to the ball being griped by the grooves longer, so stopping spin and workability is high. Due to their high CG they rotate a lot on off center hits producing inaccuracies and distance loss. Pro’s play forged due to the amazing distance control of high spin reducing distance ( like a bag of wedges). Cast clubs are harder metal with spring like faces. The balls on the face a shorter time due to added velocity and so they spin less and go farther. The low CG rotates the club less when miss hit producing less inaccuracies and less distance loss. For forged the cb or blade option it’s purely a trajectory preference. Blade goes the lowest, cb a bit higher and so on towards hybrids. All irons are designed to fly properly as well so low trajectory blades have weak lofts and GI irons that go high have strong lofts. A 43 deg M6 pw still hits it higher than a forged mb 47 deg pw. Lofts aren’t strong for distance it’s for trajectory and distance is a welcomed secondary affect. Look at pro’s bags where it’s common to up the forgiveness of long irons due to tour green firmness. Go ahead and pick the weapon that fits your need and throw out your reservations. I play a rogue pro cast iron. Looks like an apex pro. Hits it like an M6 and reduces the high spin I have, their cheaper than forged and go easily a club + longer. That’s a win,win,win for me. If you don’t hit 7/10 balls solid don’t play forged, blade or not. Your welcome

  3. sal

    Mar 28, 2019 at 9:50 am

    To each his own. But I will say that when I have played cast cavity back irons, my game goes south after a few weeks because I’m not as precise, especially in the short irons.

    FG-17 irons. Back in the 80s, wow! Caddy Shack and big hair golf. Thanks for the article.

  4. Michael Alonso

    Mar 18, 2019 at 11:17 am

    I’m a 19hdcp and play Mizuno MP-59s. My iron play has never been my issue. I hit the ball high and long and straight. Clubhead speed with a driver is 110 and with a 6i is 98. What’s keeping me from lowering my handicap is my driver and my putter. My putter’s been hot lately, so hopefully that will stay. I got fitted for a driver and will be receiving it next month. Hopefully, staying in the fairway will allow me to score better. As far as playing better/nicer looking/ player’s irons, I can’t see where I would gain anything from playing a GI iron. I recently hit my dad’s new set of Callaway Rogues with Catalyst shafts. Yeah, I can hit his 6i 210, but do I really need that? No. My gapping is fine with my set. Play what you like looking at or you’re not gonna wanna play.

  5. pelling

    Mar 15, 2019 at 5:22 pm

    Here’s the thing. If you took 4 clubs, say a 3 wood, a 6 iron, a wedge, and a putter out for 9 holes, your score would be about the same as if you had 14 clubs fitted with the the latest shafts and technology. So don’t sweat it.

    • Leftshot

      Mar 16, 2019 at 12:13 pm

      Just because you said it doesn’t make it true. You provided nothing to back up your opinion.

      Having played in dozens of 5-club and similar format tournaments and analyzed the results I think you are wrong. Here is what I conclude from this data.

      A mid to high handicapper’s scores does on average suffer more than a scratch or low single handicap. However, in a net score tournament, the winner is still most likely a mid to high handicap player. This IMO is due to the wild variations in scoring day to day of such players. The same thing happens in net score tournaments with 14-clubs.

      Scratch players generally have skills in this format that most mid to high handicappers do not. The ability to execute half and three quarter swings, knockdowns, vary ball height and sometimes shot shape, just to name a few.

  6. Tim

    Mar 15, 2019 at 2:41 pm

    My issue with blades has always been the stock shafts that most blades come with. I’m not that strong and have always hated Dynamic Gold shafts, they’re totally wrong for me. Now that fitting is so widely available, I’d like to try a Mizuno blade with lightweight steel shafts. Currently I use a Nippon Zelos shaft in my Titleist AP1 irons, but based on my results. I know I could play fairly well with those shafts in a blade. It’s a very girly shaft, but who cares; it works for me.

  7. Mike Cleland

    Mar 15, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    Whatever works. Both blades & game improvement clubs have positives & negatives. Most golfers, not scratch players, should be playing woods & hybrids down to a 7 iron anyway.

  8. Mike Cleland

    Mar 15, 2019 at 1:07 pm

    Whatever works.

  9. Under the roof

    Mar 15, 2019 at 7:19 am

    I really love the feeling of a well struck shot using a traditional blade, it is that “feeling” which is one of the reasons that I play the game. For me the issue with a full set of blades was at the long end of the irons; as the carry distances between clubs started to get compressed, thus leaving a large gap from my 4-I to hybrid.
    -My solution to this gaping problem has been playing 7-pw cb as a degree strong, then 6/5 ap2 and a 4- as an ap3 into a hybrid keeping a 4 degree loft gap between clubs and letting the “more forgiving” faces of the longer irons keep better gaping.
    I know it’s not the same as a pure set, but I’m not 32 anymore either.

  10. Brandon

    Mar 14, 2019 at 9:22 pm

    I’ve played every style of irons over the last 10 or so years and my scores have remained fairly consistently in the low 80’s with the occasional round in the 70’s or 90’s. A chunk is a chunk and a skull is a skull regardless of that club is in your hand. Hitting drives OB and duffing chips is where doubles or worse come from.

  11. Swirley

    Mar 14, 2019 at 4:47 pm

    Guys, thank you for not making fun of Gianni. I can’t stand all the Gianni bashing. He is a good person.

  12. drew

    Mar 14, 2019 at 1:54 pm

    i’d love real strokes gained proof either way. Prove to me GI work to actually improve my game. Prove to me that blades hurt my game. I really don’t know, especially if you are comparing a well fit set of players clubs vs. a well fit set of game improvers. Until there’s good data, I really don’t care what irons any cap picks up as long as they pay out their bets after the round.

    • Straight

      Mar 14, 2019 at 5:45 pm

      Have you ever been on TrackMan? What a moron…

      • Raj lp

        Mar 15, 2019 at 2:56 am

        Not a great comment “straight.” Makes you look more like what you’re calling someone who stated an opinion.

      • Tom Zanarini

        Mar 15, 2019 at 10:15 am

        Hey Straight, take a 7i AP1 and a 6i MB on Trackman. Check the lofts. Don’t go by the number stamped on the sole. Get back to us.

      • Brad

        Apr 3, 2019 at 8:19 am

        Ever heard of D-plane? Hitting a 7 iron with the loft of a 5 iron is NOT going to improve your scores. Yes, you will hit it further than the 7 iron with a more sensible loft, but that GI club with a 5 iron loft is also going to be as hard to hit consistently as a – 5 iron. Because fo D-plane.

        You’re only fooling yourself if you are playing Trackman golf aka “look how far I can hit this 7 iron, dudes!” If GI clubs improved scores so dramatically, then it would be expected that the guys depending on playing well for their livelihood (PGA Pros) would be playing the $h1t out of those GI irons all around the world. Funny though, because they don’t – at least not until you get down to low lofted long irons where even some of them can apparently use the help as well because of – D-plane.

  13. Sean

    Mar 14, 2019 at 1:25 pm

    I play Srixon 785s and 13hcp I love them. Recently went for a shaft fitting an he gave me jpx919 hotmetal and ap2 I struck them very badly compared to my own. My theory is you won’t improve strike unless you get feed back and you can’t get feed back from GI irons.

  14. TR1PTIK

    Mar 14, 2019 at 1:16 pm

    Play whatever you want to play/makes you happy. Enough said.

  15. P

    Mar 14, 2019 at 11:22 am

    This dude had 110 mph swing speed. Duh.
    Most mid-high handicaps that the retail fronts sell those giant tech clubs are for the weekend hacks who swing at 90mph.

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Equipment

What’s the perfect Mini-Driver/Shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, our members have been discussing Mini-Drivers and accompanying shafts. WRXer ‘JamesFisher1990’ is about to purchase a BRNR Mini and is torn on what shaft weight to use, and our members have been sharing their thoughts and set ups 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.

  • PARETO: “New BRNR at 13.5. Took it over to TXG (Club Champ but TXG will always rule) in Calgary for a fit. Took the head down to 12, stuck in a Graphite Design AD at 3 wood length and 60g. Presto- numbers that rivaled my G430Max but with waaaaay tighter dispersion. Win.”
  • driveandputtmachine: “Still playing a MIni 300.  The head was only 208, so I ordered a heavier weight and play it at 3 wood length.  I am playing a Ventus Red 70.   I play 70 grams in my fairways.  I use it mainly to hit draws off the tee.  When I combine me, a driver, and trying to hit a draw it does not work out well most of the time.  So the MIni is for that. As an aside, I have not hit the newest BRNR, but the previous model wasn’t great off the deck.  The 300 Mini is very good off the deck.”
  • JAM01: “Ok, just put the BRNR in the bag along side a QI10 max and a QI10 3 wood. A load of top end redundancy. But, I have several holes at my two home courses where the flight and accuracy of the mini driver helps immensely. Mine is stock Proforce 65 at 13.5, I could see a heavier shaft, but to normal flex, as a nice alternative.”

Entire Thread: “What’s the perfect Mini-Driver/Shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/26/24): Artisan 0521 custom putter

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for an Artisan 0521 custom putter

From the seller: (@Nobody2): “$775 -Artisan 0521 custom putter PVD (black finish) with sweep neck hosel.  There are no personal stampings other than my player # in very small print on the side of the hosel (all Artisan products have this along with the date it was made). This putter looks absolutely amazing and has only been used for 3 rounds. It has a black steel shaft and has a very Cam Smith look to it.  The putter looks new and has no wear marks anywhere on the putter.  It comes with extra weights (one set of of 5 gram weights and one set of 15 gram weights). The head cover is a a navy blue ‘quilted blade putter cover.’  If you are wondering why I am selling…I flat out have the yips and the only thing saving me is a broomstick.  New, this putter is $1085, so if the specs work for you (grip, length and lie can certainly be tweaked) it will save you some good money and 2 month wait time.

Specs:

Loft               2.75  degrees
Lie                  69  degrees
Length           35.25″
offset             .300 slightly less than full shaft offset
head weight     350 grams
Toe Hang          20 degrees
Grip                   Ionic Classic Pistol”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Artisan 0521 custom putter

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

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Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

 

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

 

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

 

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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