Change from forged/blade to big game improvers ... Did it improve your handicap?

Any low, scratch or single figures players out there change from forged/blade/tour irons to a game improver?

I am considering stylish looks in a 718mb or mp18 (or mp20!) blade ... But when I try jpx919 hmp clubs they just go for miles ...

I figure that it is just one extra club, the loft/shaft length ... But is it?

So, long term reviews sought ... By changing from a classy blade or forged look to the big game improvers, did your game improve? Handicap come down? Or not?

Help? I am struggling with the decision ...

Miles?? Michael Newton hits a 7 HMP iron 181 and a MP-18 6 iron 181. What distance gap are you seeing between clubs ?

Whether its an MB , or a SGI style of iron alone, will not

Improve your handicap. Getting the popcorn ready for another

Round of Blades vs. GI irons. I have lost count on how many of these topics

There are.

I've hit SGIs before but don't care for the typical wider soles. Owned a set of 790s briefly though I didn't considered them SGIs, I dumped them because of the soles.

Well, so far it seems folk are more excited about the debate than the question: did your handicap improve?

I have been out today and been trying 7i jpx919 hmp versus my 7i and 6i mizuno mp15. I would say jpx hmp is a few yards longer, and somewhat higher flying, than my 6i mp15.

But when I hit bad shots they still were bad, and I think if I know my yardages, and I'm shooting at 150yd then I will be as likely to miss it by 10yd with my own 7i or the 8i hmp ...

Maybe more likely left or right miss with 718mb.

So, question again, if you changed to game improvers, did your handicap subsequently come down?

Thanks :)

> @Buzzkill said:

> I've hit SGIs before but don't care for the typical wider soles. Owned a set of 790s briefly though I didn't considered them SGIs, I dumped them because of the soles.

No scoring difference for me when using other more forgiving models than blades.

I play hybrids through the 7, to a 5 hdcp. Have they helped? Yes. Are they ugly? Yes. Do I care? No.

> @farmer said:

> I play hybrids through the 7, to a 5 hdcp. Have they helped? Yes. Are they ugly? Yes. Do I care? No.

Thanks, did you change from "better looking" clubs to that mix and see your game improve, or it has been at that level a while?

Thanks.

Waste of $$$$$$

> @18thbunker said:

> Waste of $$$$$$

What is?

Blade vs CB thread #2037

Waste of $$$$$$> @mattd1 said:

> > @18thbunker said:

> > Waste of $$$$$$

>

> What is?

Ah, investing in clubs golf store’s version of game improvement irons - Titleist 718 AP1.

Some typical characteristics of gi irons are, wider sole, more bounce, and more offset. The Wider sole & bounce prevent a golfer from digging into the ground and hitting the ball fat, but don't allow the better golfer 2 put the action on the ball that they like. Of the three characteristics I mentioned, offset seems to bother me the most as with too much offset they become hooking machines.

Not again... Just no.

Played Eye2+ for a year. Was a 7 at start, was a 7 at the end of that calendar year.

The only thing that really came of it was a trajectory change; I hit the Eye2+ quite a bit higher than my previous irons, and was playing low loft drivers. In bringing down the Ping trajectory, i found I subsequently hit everything lower, and could largely not play my old drivers. LOL

I have generally played blades for over a decade, and every few months tinker with the idea of added forgiveness. In the last year, I've tried Players distance irons (i500), players CBs (iblade, z785, 716cb), and pure blades (mp18). I even reshafted my wife's Ping G5 irons to try some GI clubs.

Here's my take:

I am competent enough to play blades, but find added distance with the irons like the i500 throughout the bag, and with players CBs at the high end of the bag. Extra distance is nice, and I presume forgiveness is, as well, but I typically feel that a miss hit is a miss hit. But, regardless of what you put in your bag, you still have to manage your game.

Find a club that suits your eye and feels, and gives you confidence. If your miss is fat, get some wide sole GIs. If you struggle with distance, get some distance irons. If you like blades and feel confident with them in your hands, then game some!!

There will always be a club that gives you something that your chosen set doesn't give you. But, even if you get that newfound __________ that the new club gives you, you still have to manage it.

Choose your equipment, then manage your game.

Now, I'm off to the golf shop to replace my perfectly good blades with some GI irons, so I can swap them back out again next month!!!!?

... I doubt many single digit index players switch from MB's to SGI's. Just way too big of a jump and they usually have attributes the better players do not need or want. I have played with quite a few Club Pros, mini tour players and college players that have switched from MB's to Players CB's.

> @mattd1 said:

> > @farmer said:

> > I play hybrids through the 7, to a 5 hdcp. Have they helped? Yes. Are they ugly? Yes. Do I care? No.

>

> Thanks, did you change from "better looking" clubs to that mix and see your game improve, or it has been at that level a while?

> Thanks.

>

I have played for about 50 years. Started with blades and wood. Have been from near scratch to about 5. I have played everything. As I've gotten older (69), my body will not consistently make a good swing. As my ss decreased, it became harder and harder to get 3-4 irons up in the air, so I tried some hybrids. Liked the results, and as age continues to steal speed, I have added others for ease of use. The 5, 6 and 7 were surprises as I thought I was still getting what I want. My game has definitely improved. I get the ball in the air, they're easy to play, and I'm way more interested in results than looks.

I went from Srixon Z765 shovels to Mizzy MP4 two months ago and my handicap has dropped from 9 to 7 in startling fashion.

So to answer your question..........no.

My handicap will very depending on my driving and short game. My iron game has little effect on my handicap.

For the love of.....

> @nichho said:

> I went from Srixon Z765 shovels to Mizzy MP4 two months ago and my handicap has dropped from 9 to 7 in startling fashion.

> So to answer your question..........no.

Lol the 765 are not shovels. Not the smallest players CB by a long stretch but still. Also, completely ridiculous posts like this make the hackers think they should play blades. Attributing your handicap drop to switching irons while arguing irons don’t affect handicap. There’s some logic for ya.

Nope. I balance between the blades of blades to Cleveland CBX irons and see no change. Like others, I see a difference in ball flight, and I will grab one club stronger when using MB's. Other than that, its pretty straight forward.

> @balls_deep said:

> > @nichho said:

> > I went from Srixon Z765 shovels to Mizzy MP4 two months ago and my handicap has dropped from 9 to 7 in startling fashion.

> > So to answer your question..........no.

>

> Lol the 765 are not shovels. Not the smallest players CB by a long stretch but still. Also, completely ridiculous posts like this make the hackers think they should play blades. Attributing your handicap drop to switching irons while arguing irons don’t affect handicap. There’s some logic for ya.

>

I am a 14 handicap, some could refer to me as a hacker, but I like mid or high handicap golfer better than hacker. Also, I probably would not play blades at my skill level.

> @hybrid25 said:

> > @balls_deep said:

> > > @nichho said:

> > > I went from Srixon Z765 shovels to Mizzy MP4 two months ago and my handicap has dropped from 9 to 7 in startling fashion.

> > > So to answer your question..........no.

> >

> > Lol the 765 are not shovels. Not the smallest players CB by a long stretch but still. Also, completely ridiculous posts like this make the hackers think they should play blades. Attributing your handicap drop to switching irons while arguing irons don’t affect handicap. There’s some logic for ya.

> >

>

> I am a 14 handicap, some could refer to me as a hacker, but I like mid or high handicap golfer better than hacker. Also, I probably would not play blades at my skill level.

You're not a hacker. You're in a development stage.

I hit the new 790s vs all the blades (mentioned here as well) yesterday and the difference I saw was a touch higher launch and lower spin, something to keep in mind when you are hitting into greens.

Or if you play windy days, the lower spin will be an advantage.

Surprisingly, the new 790s felt really good.

I never played "blade" irons but by today's standards the TaylorMade Rac irons from about 2002 were relatively small compared to the Ping G15's I replaced them with. While I felt like the G15's were more forgiving, and in general I hit them straighter, I didn't improve my handicap.

There are really only 2 things I've found that have lowered my handicap: practicing more and playing more rounds of golf. The secret to lower scores is in the dirt.

> @Kale_m said:

> My handicap will very depending on my driving and short game. My iron game has little effect on my handicap.

^^^ This!

I've played everything from pure blades to chunky game improvement irons like the Ping G series and the irons have no effect whatsoever on score. Keeping your drives in play and chipping and putting are the keys to scoring. The same swing with a blade or SGI iron will still get you on or up around the green. Then it comes down to your short game, chipping and putting.

Conversely a lousy swing that misses the green by a mile will still miss by a mile with a SGI or a blade. Just play whichever works best for you.

> @balls_deep said:

> > @nichho said:

> > I went from Srixon Z765 shovels to Mizzy MP4 two months ago and my handicap has dropped from 9 to 7 in startling fashion.

> > So to answer your question..........no.

>

> Lol the 765 are not shovels. Not the smallest players CB by a long stretch but still. Also, completely ridiculous posts like this make the hackers think they should play blades. Attributing your handicap drop to switching irons while arguing irons don’t affect handicap. There’s some logic for ya.

>

The first part of the sentence was somewhat tongue in cheek however the other bit was completely true.

> @Kale_m said:

> My handicap will very depending on my driving and short game. My iron game has little effect on my handicap.

I completely agree with this, so why shouldn't anyone play blades.

I feel like I can answer this question accurately as I have a friend that lent me his set of New Level 623 blades with Modus 105 shafts. I play the New Level 1031 (the GI version of their lineup before the 1126 came along) with Dynamic Gold 105s. The lofts are the same, the shafts are virtually the same. I hit them on the range for a couple of sessions side by side and came to the following conclusion as a person who typically shoots 80-84 during a round.

1) There was no difference in the Pitching wedge. Both flew the same trajectory, had roughly the same apex, travelled the same distance, and had the same overall fade. Mishits fell about 5 yards short on the blades vs. the CB, flew lower, and had more pronounced tails compared to the GI irons.

2) The 8i I found flew about 4-6 yards longer on the GI club vs. the blade. The accuracy was roughly similar but there was a noticeable improvement in the dispersion of the GI vs. the blade when a mishit was introduced, both side to side and in carry distance.

3) At the 6i was where things really started to show. My own 6i was consistently carrying around the 165 mark while the blade had to be absolutely flushed to get the same out of it. The dispersion was significantly better on mishits on the 6i of the GI vs. blade to the point where maybe only 3-4/10 were struck well with the blade/landed where I had intended even on what felt like good swings vs. 6-7 with the GI iron. I stopped the test after this as I knew there was going to be little point in even pulling the 4i of the blade out of the blade.

4) Just for fun I also took out an old range club I have, an Epon AF303 with an s300 in it. Those in the know would likely agree with me that this is a pretty small iron overall akin to the 919 Tour/MP-18 SC, 718 CB, or P750, so definitely not a true blade but for sure small enough to past the player's CB poser test on here (thin top line, little offset, great feel, compact shape with nice blade length). The first two were flushed and landed almost on top of one another, the 3rd, 4th, 5th I should have just put the club away. Left-right-left-low, and it continued. I think the slightly weaker loft of this club helped at the onset but after that it's true nature stuck out, this is a ball striker's club and I am certainly not one.

Overall, I think you should play what you think is going to help you play your best. However, the club snobbery that is rampant on here and other similar sites needs to stop as well. There are plenty of good examples of really darn good players using clubs on either spectrum. Brooks and Xander going the CB route while Thomas and McIlroy going the blade route. There are arguments on either side for sure. However, a lot of us should probably look at the LPGA or Champions Tour for our club advice due to similar swing speeds as the guys on the PGA Tour are just getting to almost immortal ball striking status of late. On the LPGA and Champions Tour it is not unheard of to play hybrids down to a 5 or even 6 iron and to play some irons with a little more help. I don't care how long you are, you can't say at a 3 handicap or worse that you are a better ball striker than even a sort-of mid tier LPGA pro. Look at this video from TXG fitting Na Yeon Choi who plays Apex Pros (snubbed by many here because of the thicker top line and offset) who also plays a 5 hybrid. If her dispersion was more than about 4 feet per iron I would be surprised.