Equipment

Forum Thread of the Day: “Hitting blades better than game improvement irons?”

Published

4 years ago

Dec 27, 2019

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from BobaDefett who has found that he is hitting his friend’s blade irons better than he is his own game improvement irons. Perplexed by the situation, BobaDefett asks WRXers for some answers, who as always, shine some light on the issue.

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.

Z1ggy16: “IMO forgiveness is overrated. Learn how to play golf instead. I’m not saying total hacks should play blades but if you’ve got a pretty decent swing, but maybe your short game suffers, or you can tend to stall the hips and hit hooks sometimes… it’s no reason to force yourself into playing big old shovels.”
Sean2: “I have a friend who went from the M2’s to the MP-20s. He hits the MP-20s much better. Handicap dropped quite a bit too.”
BB28403: “I think learning to play with blades with cure more faults that are covered up by cavity back super game improvers. An iron that causes the ball to go straight even on a mishit is a false sense of security. Like learning how to bowl with the bumpers on.”
Captain_Black: “I think a lot of it is to do with the clubhead offset. A GI iron will typically have twice as much (or more) offset than a players iron, couple this with a strong grip (like I have) produces all manner of weird shots with a GI iron (usually a hook).”
GWfool: “For me, mentally looking at a larger head makes me feel like I have too much real estate. I had this problem with a set of Epon 703s. Thin top-line and everything but the blade length was long and made the face seem huge. I also don’t like a large sole. Whether any of that is scientific, I have no idea, but confidence goes a long way in this game.”

Entire Thread: “Hitting blades better than game improvement irons?”

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Gianni Magliocco

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

20 Comments

joro

Jan 29, 2020 at 4:47 pm

No way a Blade is better than a cavity back. Take the CB with the weight around the perimeter and you have a more playable Iron, no matter who you are, from Tour Pro to hacker the CB will be more consistent. Sure blades can be beautiful and they inflate the ego but they are used only by a small number of Players compared to CBs. Some say you cannot work the CBs,, that is not right and Ping proved it when a lot of Stars played with and loved the Eye series which are offset and a thick toppling. They could work it very well and the same with the early Callaway BBs. Fact is most of the ego satisfying people can”t work the ball with anything. But, that is life, just don’t tell me CBs ae only for hacks. So there!!!!

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Rich Douglas

Jan 13, 2020 at 5:51 pm

Blades aren’t over-rated; working the ball is.

With clubs that hit it higher, but with less spin, it’s easier to attack pins more directly and harder to shape the shot.

You don’t learn to hit the sweet spot with a smaller sweet spot. That’s like putting a kid on a bike for the first time, but without training wheels or a parent running along side. Oh, and the bike is a performance model with ultra-thin tires and touchy brakes. You’ll be digging that kid out of the pavement every 20 feet or so.

You learn from your successes. You can only learn from your failures if you know why you failed. But pounding shots with blades–or any other time–alone doesn’t do that. In fact, it could cause you to be ultra-careful and not learn to hit with power.

I don’t care what anyone plays. But to suggest that performance irons are better for high-handicap players than game-improvement irons is just ridiculous. In fact, they’re really not better for anyone–unless you want to bring back wound balls with balata covers.

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Rascal

Jan 13, 2020 at 3:25 pm

Instead of taco Tuesdays, can we have another blade thread wednesdays?

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Rich Douglas

Dec 29, 2019 at 10:56 am

First, I really don’t care what someone else plays.

Second, I see a lot of people playing clubs that have, clearly, not been fitted for them. So it really doesn’t matter what those people play.

Third, playing a blade doesn’t make you a better ball-striker. It can make your misses worse, but it won’t make you put it on the sweet spot more often. That’s not how people learn.

Fourth, the only advantage of blades is the purposeful miss, the desire to curve the ball left or right. The vast majority of players have no business doing this, and they do not need the unintended consequences that come with it.

Fifth, if you think you play better with blades, fine. But that’s in your head. And if you can’t get that out of your head, you’ve probably got a lot of other nonsense locked up in there, too.

Finally, did I mention that I don’t really care what others play? Go have fun already.

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ActualFacts

Dec 28, 2019 at 10:27 am

Buy what you want. Play what you want. Enjoy…

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- A. Commoner
  
  Jan 14, 2020 at 9:03 am
  
  AcFac……Great post! Says it all. My life is not effected by what clubs my neighbor plays. Let dreamers and pretenders freely choose. Let the equipment curious and experimenters have their fun.
  
  Reply Report comment
Jim A

Dec 28, 2019 at 9:18 am

My MP68s were finally on my last Grove, so I replaced them with 0311Ts (looking to regain some distance lost over the past 30 years). Watched my handicap balloon from 4 to 7. Switched to P790s, but my handicap continued to climb (to a 9). I then dug out an old set of MP33s, played them for two months and my handicap dropped to a 6.

I have a few theories for this. But the biggest reason is that with blades, I always know where the center of the face is. And every time I hit the center of the face, they carry the exact same distance. Blades never surprise me, so I can feel confident being aggressive or taking calculated risks when I need to.

My new set for next season is the 620MB/CB blended.

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Joshua Martin

Dec 28, 2019 at 5:42 am

When i golfed 4 times a week I could hit any shot with any club and played blades. Now 15 years of marriage and 3 kids later I have Cobra One Length irons… Its always the Indian not the Arrows but an old Indian, out of his prime as a hunter, with a 30/30, has a better chance at getting dinner.

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Daniel Whitehurst

Dec 28, 2019 at 4:46 am

Ok, I’ll settle this for you all. If you can’t break 80 every time, playing blades is totally pointless. About 1/2 the tour plays them. They also don’t make a bad player better by forcing them to hit it solid. Most average players have no idea what to do to get better no matter what club you give them to hit. Trust me, I’m a fitter, instructor and a +2 index. High MOI clubs only improve accuracy slightly. What they do do is make miss hits not go as short as blades by having a larger max speed area, large sole for height and reduced effect of hitting it fat. Forged clubs have huge distance control due to slower ball speeds and high spin, like a wedge. Look at that you can hit a bad shot solid with any club and can hit a straight miss hit with anything. Most players don’t practice and just want to have fun, with immediate preformance returns with more forgiveness. If this theory of playing blades when not ideal teaches you how to be better then why are these proponents of this playing a high MOI , 460cc driver? You always will need to work shorts, change trajectory, distance and spin as an advanced player. But the AP2 is the most used iron on tour for a reason and it’s not a blade.

Reply Report comment
- Richo
  
  Dec 28, 2019 at 6:52 pm
  
  This sort of response from someone who says they’re a fitter is irritating. People who go to you for advice are going to hear rubbish like “pros don’t use blades so you shouldn’t”. It’s such a narrow minded OEM driven load of rubbish. Everyone is different and deserve to be treated as such. I’ve tried GI irons on so many occasions and I do NOT score better with them over blades and I am not a regular sub 80’s golfer. I hit blades MUCH better than GI or SGI irons and they are far more reliable and confidence building because I know how far they are going to go and I can allow for miss hits if needed. Pro’s use GI or non bladed irons because they need to hit exact numbers too. They want to hit it 164 but I don’t need to. I need to hit it 164 +/- 5m and I hit that window with blades MUCH more often than with GI irons. GI also don’t help if you have bad face to path control so if that’s your problem, GI irons will offer you nothing over blades. Bad advice in the industry is everywhere and unless you think about the detail, you’re just on the train with everyone else that’s just average.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - gwelfgulfer
    
    Dec 28, 2019 at 8:36 pm
    
    Pro’s can play anything under the sun and still hit the numbers needed, because they are that good, have a consistent, REPEATABLE swing. The vast, VAST majority of golfers do not have this, and honestly can’t even dream about it. WRX is a community of golfers who are above average in their interest and ‘wokeness’ about the industry and equipment. The total members on this site is like 4% of the golfers in NA alone. So as much as each is an ‘individual’, blanket statements can and will be made because there is strong merit behind them. Bad advice is in the industry, just like telling a 20+ capper to play blades because he/she likes the looks, but in 5 swings will hit the ball on 6 different places on the club face…
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Kourt
    
    Dec 28, 2019 at 10:33 pm
    
    If you are inferring that blades somehow hit a ball more consistently than a GI iron then you are mistaken. Either club when hit perfect every time will fly the exact same distance. Mis hits will fly further with GI than with a blade, but in my studies with trackman and gc quad and a swing robot, once you get above 42 degrees in loft perimeter weighting doesn’t hardly give you any better performance than a blade does on mis hits because it’s such a glancing blow at that loft you don’t lose much distance. But the lower the loft the more important forgiveness becomes. I’ve seen as much as a 20 yard difference in 5 iron carry distance between a miss hit with a blade vs an identical lofted blade.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Shallowbutdeadly
      
      Jan 16, 2020 at 2:49 am
      
      Tell that to my CBX2 wedges!
      
      Reply Report comment
  - BuntFiletsAllDay
    
    Jan 5, 2020 at 11:46 am
    
    ????????????????
    
    Reply Report comment
robert

Dec 27, 2019 at 6:29 pm

You might focus more with such a small sweet spot. You’ll spin the ball more that could add stopping power on the green. Chip and runs would probably be easier and they’ll look better in your hands and in your bag. You should also be able to work the ball more too. The flip side is slight misses will be penalized with greater distance loss and more spin means less distance overall. If you don’t need the extra distance and you consistently hit the center of the face than it’s a winner. IMHO you should be able to break 80 more often than not if you’re considering playing blades. The majority of tour pros aren’t playing blades. That should tell you something…

Reply Report comment
Matt

Dec 27, 2019 at 4:08 pm

This is my situation to a tee! Switched to MP-20’s and dropped so many strokes that i went from mid/upper 90’s to consistent 80’s since their release!

Reply Report comment
Jeremy

Dec 27, 2019 at 3:05 pm

It’s usually because the blades have heavier shafts in them which helps low-point control.

Reply Report comment
- geohogan
  
  Dec 30, 2019 at 9:36 pm
  
  @jeremy, agree that the shaft is much more important than the head.
  
  Bigger or smaller, this shape or that, iron heads are a mass of metal.
  
  IMO, it is the shaft that will make the difference in consistency, shot shaping,
  ball control and ability to groove a swing.
  
  Reply Report comment
Max R.

Dec 27, 2019 at 12:45 pm

Ten years ago when I got fitted for my Titlist irons and after back-and-forth switching of shafts and heads, the Titlist fitter told me that my making much better solid and consistent contact with the AP2s than the AP1s. He agreed that the differing offset and head size may have contributed to my eventual choice to AP2. Love them.

Reply Report comment
- Richo
  
  Dec 28, 2019 at 6:06 pm
  
  AP2’s are not blades
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

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

Published

8 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

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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