Opinion & Analysis
The Wedge Guy: In defense of blade irons
I ran across an article this past weekend from March of 2020, which identified the irons used by the top ten players in greens in regulation on the PGA Tour (at the time). What I have always found interesting and enlightening is that the best players in the world overwhelmingly choose to play mostly traditional forged blade irons, while it is estimated less than two percent of recreational players choose them.
So, do these elite players choose blades because they are the best players in the world—or could it possibly be that they are the best players partly because they choose blade irons? I believe it is both. Playing blades somewhat “guides” you to more precise ball-striking because of the improved feedback–you can feel the slightest of mis-hits so you always know how you’re doing. But, blade irons also allow you to shape shots and be more precise in your distance control–in other words, they allow you to optimize your skills because of their design.
I’ve long believed that many more players could benefit from blades than are willing to play them–especially in the higher lofts. I’ll qualify that statement by sharing that I’ve seen robotic testing prove that the higher the loft of the club, the less perimeter weighting or a cavity back design will improve ball flight performance and forgiveness. In fact, the nod to trajectory consistency and distance control may well go to the blade design in the higher lofts.
While technology has allowed all iron designs to be better today than ever before, perimeter weighting in irons allows many more visual variations than are possible with a traditional one-piece forged design. Take a look at today’s offerings from major brands in the blade category and you’ll see striking similarities to blades from past decades. But in the “game improvement” categories, you’ll see a vast variety of cosmetic looks, though many of those design intricacies are no more than that and don’t affect performance all that much. This is a competitive industry and the big brands need to be able to repeatedly deliver something that looks different from the previous model so they can claim to have created something better.
But let me get back to the notion that blade-style irons can be “defended” for many more golfers than the number that choose to game that kind of design.
As a club designer, I’ve long admitted that there is only so much I can do for you by the way a club is designed. For example, I cannot help the shot hit fat. Or the one that is thinned/bladed. I can’t correct an over-the-top move through impact, a shut-down face angle or a face delivered to the ball laid wide open. I cannot affect your swing path nor your thought processes before you even hit the shot.
No, as a club designer, I cannot help anything but the quality of impact if, and only if, the ball is contacted somewhere reasonably close to the desired impact area of the face, and the face is delivered pretty square to the intended line.
Understand that with any golf club, there is only one true “sweet spot”–the exact pinpoint where the transfer of clubhead speed to ball speed is optimized. And, with any club, impact efficiency or “smash factor” begins to be compromised as impact moves away from that tiny pinpoint location. What perimeter weighting aspires to do is to mitigate that energy loss. While there is no question that a half-inch miss with a cavity-back 7-iron will likely go longer than the same miss with a forged blade 7-iron, the actual difference is smaller than you might believe.
I will share that the difference between that miss with those two different styles of irons is increasingly larger as the loft decreases. In other words, the difference you’ll experience with a quarter-inch miss with a 40-degree 9-iron is less than you will see with a 30-degree 6- or 7-iron. But there is another anomaly of your actual misses of which you should be aware.
For most golfers I’ve measured, misses with longer irons tend to range more from heel to toe, and with shorter irons those misses tend to range from low to high in the face. Because of the more consistent blade thickness from top to bottom, true blade-style short irons quite often deliver more consistent distance and ball flight than their perimeter-weighted counterparts, both with real golfers and on robotic testing.
Having written weekly posts as The Wedge Guy for nearly 20 years, I have addressed this subject numerous times, and again offer the following challenge to conduct your own experiments. Talk to one of your golf professionals or a buddy who plays pretty traditional forged blade irons and ask to borrow their 8, 9 and PW for a few rounds. Even though the shafts might be stiffer and heavier than you are used to playing, I think you will still be surprised at how good your shotmaking consistency is with those, as opposed to the cavity back irons that you’ve been gaming.
I’ll close today’s post by also asking a question you probably haven’t pondered at all: If you think you are not “good enough” to play a traditional forged blade iron favored by the world’s best players, why would you think you can meet your expectations with the same wedges they play? Robotic testing has continually proven to me that even modern “tour design” wedges are much less forgiving of mis-hits than the most traditional forged blade 9-iron or pitching wedge.
In my 40 years in this industry, it is one of those things that make me go “hmm…”
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again
After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.
Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.
Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”
Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.
“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.
Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.
“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”
“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”
As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.
In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.
“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”
Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.
Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:
Fairways Hit
1.) Louis Oosthuizen
2.) Anirban Lahiri
3.) Jon Rahm
4.) Brendan Steele
5.) Cameron Tringale
Greens in Regulation
1.) Brooks Koepka
2.) Brendan Steele
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Cameron Tringale
5.) Anirban Lahiri
Birdies Made
1.) Brendan Steele
2.) Dean Burmester
3.) Thomas Pieters
4.) Patrick Reed
5.) Carlos Ortiz
LIV Golf Individual Standings:
1.) Joaquin Niemann
2.) Jon Rahm
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Louis Oosthuizen
5.) Abraham Ancer
LIV Golf Team Standings:
1.) Crushers
2.) Legion XIII
3.) Torque
4.) Stinger GC
5.) Ripper GC
LIV Golf Singapore Picks
Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)
Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.
This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.
Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)
Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.
This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.
It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.
Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)
Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.
Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.
Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.
Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)
Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.
Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.
If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.
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In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.
While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.
Here are some of my key takeaways.
Method Teacher
It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.
Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.
The Cult of Stack and Jilt
The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”
Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.
These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.
Fooled by Randomness
In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.
Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.
Practice
One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”
Sunk Cost
The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.
Cliches
Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.
The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.
This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…
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The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
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Donn Rutkoff
Mar 10, 2021 at 7:50 pm
Ain’t nothing in the world like Mizuno GFF wedges. I’m a hi handicap, now 66 yrs old, but I rarely miss hitting the green with a 52 degree killer Mizuno.
Now here’s a question. I got fitted for 8-9-W. Looking to replace Nike Vapor Fly irons up top. Very nice irons but I wanted more precision, narrower sole. I hoped the fitter would put me into Mizunos but he said I did best with Ping I 500. So I got ’em and I like them a lot. They have a forged face. Question is how much of the overall club is forged and do any of y’all think they give the same feedback as a 100% forged Mizuno? I also have an old Mizuno Fli-hi GFF 24 degree hybrid, nice feel, and went to add an 18 deg. But no GFF. I got a new Mizuno MMC 18. Feels very similar to the GFF 24 deg. Comments???
Sean Foster-Nolan
Feb 19, 2021 at 9:20 am
I always thought the concept was a bit overrated, and the “mystique” surrounding blades a bit overblown.
MJD
Feb 19, 2021 at 9:01 am
The feel, feedback and flight of a decent bladed iron vs a cavity iron is like comparing The Beatles to Milli Vanilli!
Once you play bladed irons you NEVER go back for reasons of forgiveness or playbility. As Terry says, a bad swing will end up with a bad shot; doesn’t matter what you play…just embrace it.
Delbert
Feb 18, 2021 at 4:11 pm
The PGA and LPGA tours should go to a standard club and ball spec like major league baseball. Then we would see who has the game. Interesting that we don’t see Vokey introducing a cavity back wedge. Great article.
Ron Snyder
Feb 18, 2021 at 11:53 am
Years ago a monthly golf mag published an article on the results of they acquired after observing several strikes with a cavity back and a blade iron. Using Iron Byron set up to repeat strikes high toe, low heel and point of percussion. The blade was more accurate (20-30%) on heel toe strikes! CG strikes were equal as expected. I don’t remember the loft used but either 5 or 7 iron. Of the robot offered no feedback but had it been a cool autumn day it would have said ouch on those toe hits. Producing positive accurate feedback which is what thousands of golf facilitators look for. Now that pros are hitting thousand mile 8 irons(yipper I’m jealous) and their 8 irons are like my old Wilson staff 5 iron, there iirons are more consistent. Seems to me, merely observed, that most consistent winners are blade players. Feedback is so important for players, golfers not so much. Looks good feels good so must be good for golfers is a necessity. Here’s to blades and I like the fact that designers are bringing back the design of the Sting blades of long ago (tungsten can work wonders put in the right place)
Thx for the great articles
Bob Pegram
Feb 18, 2021 at 4:18 am
Terry’s explanation makes sense. I have RAZR X Forged irons (2011) which are cavity back one piece forged. The long and middle irons are very easy to hit and get up in the air, but I have to make sure I hit the short irons low on the face or they come up short. Now I understand why.
Kourt
Feb 18, 2021 at 12:17 am
Correction, a lot of the best male players in the world choose blade irons, but not all. But most of the LPGA players choose cavity irons. I’d argue that most amateur golfers resemble the swing speed of an lpga player not a pga player. An interesting question is why do most of the lpga choose to not play blades?
Lefthack
Feb 17, 2021 at 6:53 pm
My combo irons are blades from 8 to PW. I could likely play a full set, but my game wouldn’t be as pretty and I would have to work harder.
I would love to rock a set of Nike VR Pro blades, those look awesome.
delbert
Feb 18, 2021 at 4:08 pm
I picked up a used set of VRII Pro blades a few years ago for $129. They were barely used and very easy to hit. The combo sets are great, too.
Theoxii
Feb 17, 2021 at 6:34 pm
I am a recovering club junkie. I have 6 sets ranging from exotics game improvement, TM 790s, maxfli A10 combos to Reid Lockhart blades. Not a whole lot of difference in scoring average. I’ve shot at least 78 with each set; I’ve also been on the wrong side of 90 with each. I found that your course management adjusts to your capability with the set ie choking up on a fairway or hybrid rather than a full 3/4/5 blade. From 7i up- 165yds in I dont have a problem with blades.
Terry Koehler
Feb 17, 2021 at 10:54 pm
I gamed the Reid Lockhart RL Blades for 20 years, until I designed the Ben Hogan FT. Worth 15s, which I have had in the bag since the first prototype set in 2014. That said, I always thought the RL blades were close to the ultimate blade — precision + forgiveness of the toe miss, which is the most penalizing on blades.
Have to admit I’ve been toying with a reprise of that RL Blade with some updating . . . Hmmmmmm, maybe there is an “ultimate” blade in Edison’s future . . . .
G
Feb 18, 2021 at 4:49 am
Hi Terry,
The RL blades are a great looking iron.
I used them for years and would be more than willing to try a newer version of them.
Looks like you’ve got something to do in 2021?
Frank Walley
Feb 20, 2021 at 4:51 pm
I’d love to see the Edison update to the RL.
SV677
Feb 17, 2021 at 4:13 pm
I started with blades because that was all that was available. I have a blade to practice with and find that after just a few swings I find the sweet spot more consistently. I would think ideally a split set might be the answer. The problem would be synching lofts. With today’s stronger lofts at around a 6 or 7 iron you would end up with two of the “same” clubs to keep consistent gapping.
MarkM
Feb 17, 2021 at 4:07 pm
Terry, you have a very good way of frequently hitting the nail on the head. I’ve always thought “forgiveness” in irons was overrated and agree with your stance. I still want a 460 driver though so I can bash it as hard as possible and still find the course though.
I’ve always preferred the look of a blade at address. Like Mr. Walsh, it’s probably because I grew up playing them. At different times in my golfing life I’ve gone to “more forgiving” irons and eventually made my way back to blades.
I’m at that crossroads again. After playing a variety of cavity backs over the past 9 years I am back to playing a blade – the Honma Rose-Proto MBs, superb! This was after I experimented with a set of Hogan Grind blades after club season was over. In 3 months the ball striking improved enough with my irons to make my playing partners wonder if they were legal or not when I kept taking their money 🙂 As other say, to each his own but I’m pretty sure I’ll be playing blades for as long as I can get the ball in the air.
Current hcp 7.0
Robert Healey
Feb 17, 2021 at 2:41 pm
In an industry obsessing about COR,MOI and performance data lets not forget the most important metric of all, enjoyment.! Play what you like the look of, sound and feel of. For 99% or recreational gofers it doesn’t really matter if its a blade, game improvement or a combination.
Go and enjoy whatever kit you have chosen.
B_of_H
Feb 17, 2021 at 12:43 pm
Thank you. I have always thought that from 7 iron down blades are actually more accurate for me as I tend to miss a little high in the face at times and perhaps a bit on the heel. i’ve done a bunch of 7 iron fittings and blades had the most consistent distance and tightest dispersion each time.
Michael Welsh
Feb 17, 2021 at 12:35 pm
I have found that my scores with blade irons are the same or better as cavity backs. Could be because I learned to play with blades nearly 60 years ago because that was my only option. Could be that they just plain look better to my eye because of that old historical tie. Or it could be because I get sloppy with a cavity back relying on that supposed forgiveness. So at this point I simply select a blade because it makes me happy. It makes me think about all the things I need to do to hit a pure shot, and when I don’t I only blame myself. Handicap 9.
Bob Jones
Feb 19, 2021 at 12:40 pm
I was going to write a response, but I don’t have to. You just wrote it for me. Every word, and I mean EVERY WORD, is my story, too.
EDWARD JOHNSON
Feb 19, 2021 at 4:55 pm
Exactly!