Equipment

2 veteran blade-iron users shockingly switch to cavity-back irons at the Wyndham Championship

Published

4 months ago

Aug 4, 2023

Andrew Tursky

Remember when the majority of PGA Tour players used a full set of blade irons?

Those were the days.

Unfortunately for fans of blade irons, those are days are quickly fading. Many of the top golfers in the world – even veterans who have played blade irons throughout their career – are switching into more forgiving options either through the set…or, at least, they’re using combo sets featuring blade short irons and cavityback long irons (such as Rory McIlroy).

More now than ever, golf equipment manufacturers are designing smaller, more compact cavityback iron heads that combine blade-style looks with cavity-back forgiveness.

Rickie Fowler, for example, used blade irons in college, and for more than a decade as a PGA Tour player. He even collaborated with Cobra on an ultra-custom set of shockingly small-and-thin Rev33 blade irons.

Now, in 2023, Fowler uses a full set of CB’s by way of the Cobra King Tour irons. And he’s arguably playing the best golf he has in the last five years.

This week at the 2023 Wyndham Championship, two longtime blade users have also switched into full sets of cavityback irons: Webb Simpson and Adam Scott.

Just recently, back in November 2022, Simpson switched into an ultra-custom set of Titleist 682.WS blade irons. And for years he relied on Titleist’s classic 680 models. This week, however, Simpson changed into Titleist’s new 2023 T100 irons, which are made with a dual-cavity construction.

Simpson spoke with GolfWRX.com briefly about the switch on Wednesday at the Wyndham Championship:

“I’ve been practicing with [the new T100’s] at home and I feel like, out of the rough, they’re a little better. Mishits are a little better. Just a little bit. I’m still getting used to them.”

We spotted Simpson on Wednesday with a full set of T100’s in the bag, but since he’s “still getting used to them,” the situation may remain fluid during the transition process. On Thursday during competition, though, Simpson was photographed using at least one T100 long iron.

Like Simpson, Scott used the Titleist 680 blade irons for years. He’s also recently used custom Titleist 681.MB irons, and, most recently, Miura’s custom AS-1 blades.

Ahead of the 2023 Wyndham Championship, however, Scott conducted extensive iron testing that included various head models from different brands. On Thursday, it was confirmed that Scott used a set of Titleist 620 CB irons to grab the first round lead.

Adam Scott has been a blade guy for most of his career, but you can’t really blame him trying @Titleist CB’s. Same irons Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman used to win majors this year. pic.twitter.com/DHKT9SGjgo

— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) August 3, 2023

Even Adam Scott – who is known to use the bladiest of blade irons – switched into cavitybacks.

That leaves me with just one question for amateur golfers who still use a full set of blade irons: Why?

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

14 Comments

Eimert

Aug 24, 2023 at 4:09 pm

Because i play golf for fun. I grew up playing blades. Playing anything else feels like cheating.

Reply Report comment
- Mike
  
  Aug 25, 2023 at 10:17 am
  
  Still playing persimmon woods? How about those (old) balata balls? If you’re gonna “not cheat”, you might as well go all the way.
  
  Reply Report comment
Jc

Aug 6, 2023 at 8:12 pm

Because I can, and you can’t… and that’s cool.

Reply Report comment
- BladesfortheEgo
  
  Aug 21, 2023 at 3:57 pm
  
  Doubtful, more like your ego writing checks your swing can’t cash.
  
  Reply Report comment
Steve

Aug 6, 2023 at 10:41 am

New irons are a trivial purchase

Reply Report comment
R

Aug 5, 2023 at 9:37 pm

Getting paid to play, so they’re walking adverts

Reply Report comment
- D
  
  Aug 6, 2023 at 9:43 am
  
  Adam Scotty is not on staff with any company right now.
  
  Reply Report comment
Rich

Aug 5, 2023 at 3:01 pm

Webb and Adam both major disappointments this year. Just entirely unable to put 4 good rounds together.

Reply Report comment
Devlin

Aug 5, 2023 at 12:46 pm

Because I can still hit the sweet spot and new fancy clubs make my swing worse.

Reply Report comment
C

Aug 5, 2023 at 11:46 am

Must be nice to be walking advertisement billboard with a nice cheque

Reply Report comment
Ya

Aug 5, 2023 at 11:45 am

Getting paid to play. Must be nice to be a walking advertisement billboard lol

Reply Report comment
Paulo

Aug 5, 2023 at 1:20 am

It’s not my fault those hackers on the pga tour need cavities

Reply Report comment
- PJ
  
  Aug 5, 2023 at 7:36 pm
  
  Haha good one
  
  Reply Report comment
Rascal

Aug 4, 2023 at 9:08 pm

Cause

Reply Report comment

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Whats in the Bag

Tiger Woods WITB 2023 (November)

Published

11 hours ago

Nov 28, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

Tiger Woods what’s in the bag accurate as of the Hero World Challenge.

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 6 TX

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3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Titanium (15 degrees @14.25)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade M3 (19 degrees @18.25)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX

Irons: 2023 TaylorMade P770 (3-iron), TaylorMade P7TW (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 Raw (56-12TW, 60-11TW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype
Grip: Ping PP58

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord 58R

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Whats in the Bag

WITB Time Machine: Rickie Fowler’s winning WITB, 2017 Hero World Challenge

Published

17 hours ago

Nov 28, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

We’re jumping in the WITB Time Machine and heading back to 2017 when Rickie Fowler was head of the class at Albany. The patron saint of orange finished with an 18-under tally, four strokes ahead of Charley Hoffman, thanks to a scorching final-round 11-under 61.

Let’s take a look at what Rickie had in play that Sunday in the Bahamas.

Driver: Cobra King F8+ Nardo (8 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila 2KXV NV Blue 70 X (43.35 inches)

3-wood: Cobra King F8+ (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Synergy 70 X

5-wood: Cobra F8+ Baffler (18.5 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Synergy 70 X

Irons: Cobra King Forged MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper S+ 125

Wedges: Cobra King V-Grind (52, 56, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

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Equipment

Trending @ 2nd Swing Golf: Do-it-all driver + the beanie you need for winter weather

Published

19 hours ago

Nov 28, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is proud to partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you this bi-monthly series “Trending @ Swing Golf.” 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online.

We’ll continue to bring you a roundup of some exciting finds from the golf equipment retailer — and these aren’t your standard bestsellers!

Let’s dig in to this edition of Trending @ 2nd Swing Golf.

Ping G430 HL Max Driver

2nd Swing says: The Ping G430 HL Max driver contains all of the key technology that has made the G430 Max a fan favorite in 2023. However, the G430 HL includes slight design tweaks that have been a huge benefit to players with moderate swing speeds in the fitting bays.

Buy here.

Datrek 2020 Lite Rider Pro Cart Bag

2nd Swing says: There’s a large contingent of golfers who prefer to ride a cart or use a push cart. And for those golfers, the Datrek 2020 Lite Rider Pro cart bag offers a superb blend of storage, durability, and functionality now at a lower price.

Buy here.

Titleist Vokey SM9 Wedges

2nd Swing says: When you think of short game, Bob Vokey is on the short list of club designers that come to mind. His SM9 wedge designs for Titleist are just another on the long list of wedges that deliver superb feel and control.

Buy here.

Waggle Beanie

2nd Swing says: Perfect for golf in chilly temperatures, these colorful beanies from Waggle provide a combination of personality and comfort. Choose the one from a wide variety of models that best suits your golf persona.

Buy here.

Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons

2nd Swing says: Callaway’s Rogue ST Max irons are among the longest on the market, thanks to a face that was designed with the help of AI. Nearly two years after its release, golfers are still enjoying huge distance gains with the Rogue ST Max irons.

Buy here.