Equipment
Does ‘blade shaming’ exist? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing “blade shaming” in golf. WRXer ‘Fairway14’ kicks off the thread, asking whether fellow members agree that blade shaming exists, saying in part
“A few months ago, longtime blade user Ricky Fowler put in his bag a set of cavity back irons. My guess is that he was tired of the eye rolls from people who looked in his bag after he missed a cut.
Have you or someone you know been shamed out of playing muscle back blade irons? Do you agree that blade shaming is a real thing?”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts in our forum, with plenty of different opinions being held.
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.
- ohioglfr: “I don’t have enough ego to be “club shamed”, and I feel sorry for anyone that would feel that way, regardless of handicap. Hit what works best for you and critics be damned . . . real or imagined.”
- Pepperturbo: “Blade shaming exists, unfortunately for Golf, weasels that can’t hit the ball, lead the pack, and some of them exist on Golfwrx. Though recently NOT as vocal. I wouldn’t give a plugged nickel for any of them.”
- craz-e: “Far from it in my opinion…..Everyone who I play with loves to see a set of blades in the bag, and after offering them the option of hitting them, most are surprised how they really aren’t any harder to hit than what they are possibly gaming, but everyone always comments on wow don’t they feel good.”
- NHenson815: “I could be wrong, but the “shaming” is probably just a forums/social media thing. As a bad golfer, I’ve certainly received my share of suggestions that I should try something a bit more forgiving than my iblades or Miura MC-501s, but nothing I would consider “shaming”. For whatever reason, the game improvement irons just don’t seem to agree with me, but maybe anything takes time to get used to, so I am giving the Apex DCB a shot.”
- Golfjack: “I think I’m more likely to joke about playing with shovels than blades. But then again, if said friend with the MBs is hitting worm burners with a 9 iron blade, I’d shame him into changing for sure. A stranger, he can do whatever the heck he pleases. As long as he doesn’t slow us down too much.”
Entire Thread: “Does ‘blade shaming’ exist?”
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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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EastTNGolfer
Jul 18, 2021 at 7:43 pm
Hot take….you will get better performance and scores from a non bladed iron. You are not special and you do not hit blades better.
Davys Doobies
Jul 17, 2021 at 9:58 am
“Blade shamers” are usually the “latest and greatest” guys trying to justify their yearly attempt at buying a game.