Transition to blades

[DeNinny]

Congrats on the new clubs! The new Titleist blades are things of beauty! Personally I think the less offset, smaller flange, and more weight make blades easier to hit well. One can mishit any club, throw in lighter weight, large flange, and offset and mishits are even more frequent...

 

Thinking I "needed" more "forgiveness" than my mp60s had to offer, I bought mpFliHi 3i and 4i hybrid irons and played them for over a season, again with same specs and Rifle 5.0 shafts as their mp60 and mp67 counterparts, and I absolutely hit them the worst. Their wide soles were just garbage. A wide sole exposes more surface area of clubhead to the ground and (all other things equal) increases the chances of hitting the ground before the face contacts the ball. This is the opposite of forgiving in terms of clean ball contact. Both my mp60s and mp67s were much easier to hit and make clean ball contact precisely because they have much smaller soles. (And now I have the most forgiving soles ever with my baby blades.)

 

And yes offset is just unnecessary complication and FUGLY AF to look at - neither of which ever helped my swings.

[craz-e]

Congrats on the new clubs! The new Titleist blades are things of beauty! Personally I think the less offset, smaller flange, and more weight make blades easier to hit well. One can mishit any club, throw in lighter weight, large flange, and offset and mishits are even more frequent...

 

Thinking I "needed" more "forgiveness" than my mp60s had to offer, I bought mpFliHi 3i and 4i hybrid irons and played them for over a season, again with same specs and Rifle 5.0 shafts as their mp60 and mp67 counterparts, and I absolutely hit them the worst. Their wide soles were just garbage. A wide sole exposes more surface area of clubhead to the ground and (all other things equal) increases the chances of hitting the ground before the face contacts the ball. This is the opposite of forgiving in terms of clean ball contact. Both my mp60s and mp67s were much easier to hit and make clean ball contact precisely because they have much smaller soles. (And now I have the most forgiving soles ever with my baby blades.)

 

And yes offset is just unnecessary complication and FUGLY AF to look at - neither of which ever helped my swings.

 

One of the reasons I bagged the blades in the first place was better turf inetraction

[DeNinny]

Congrats on the new clubs! The new Titleist blades are things of beauty! Personally I think the less offset, smaller flange, and more weight make blades easier to hit well. One can mishit any club, throw in lighter weight, large flange, and offset and mishits are even more frequent...

 

Thinking I "needed" more "forgiveness" than my mp60s had to offer, I bought mpFliHi 3i and 4i hybrid irons and played them for over a season, again with same specs and Rifle 5.0 shafts as their mp60 and mp67 counterparts, and I absolutely hit them the worst. Their wide soles were just garbage. A wide sole exposes more surface area of clubhead to the ground and (all other things equal) increases the chances of hitting the ground before the face contacts the ball. This is the opposite of forgiving in terms of clean ball contact. Both my mp60s and mp67s were much easier to hit and make clean ball contact precisely because they have much smaller soles. (And now I have the most forgiving soles ever with my baby blades.)

 

And yes offset is just unnecessary complication and FUGLY AF to look at - neither of which ever helped my swings.

 

One of the reasons I bagged the blades in the first place was better turf inetraction

 

In order from biggest to smallest, here are the soles of my mpFliHi, mp60, mp67, and baby blade 3is:

 

It is clear as day how ginormous the mpFliHi sole is compared to all the others. All that surface area just has more chances of ground interference before the face contacts the ball.

 

And the irony to all of this is that the mpFliHi was supposed to be the most "forgiving" out of all those heads.

[MarkFromTheUK]

I really don't think the transition is that difficult. Assuming you keep the same shafts, and overall specs, the only real difference will be the distances. I've recently moved from iBlades to apex MB, and through the irons my carry distances have shortened by approx. 4 yards. Distance doesn't really matter with irons, but the benefits you get with blades (such as increased ability to shape shots, and the lovely feel) far outweigh the drawback of lost distance. Of course, if you hit the ball all over the face then blades won't be for you, but if you hit the centre with any degree of consistency you'll be fine.

[tatertot]

Congrats on the new clubs! The new Titleist blades are things of beauty! Personally I think the less offset, smaller flange, and more weight make blades easier to hit well. One can mishit any club, throw in lighter weight, large flange, and offset and mishits are even more frequent...

 

Thinking I "needed" more "forgiveness" than my mp60s had to offer, I bought mpFliHi 3i and 4i hybrid irons and played them for over a season, again with same specs and Rifle 5.0 shafts as their mp60 and mp67 counterparts, and I absolutely hit them the worst. Their wide soles were just garbage. A wide sole exposes more surface area of clubhead to the ground and (all other things equal) increases the chances of hitting the ground before the face contacts the ball. This is the opposite of forgiving in terms of clean ball contact. Both my mp60s and mp67s were much easier to hit and make clean ball contact precisely because they have much smaller soles. (And now I have the most forgiving soles ever with my baby blades.)

 

And yes offset is just unnecessary complication and FUGLY AF to look at - neither of which ever helped my swings.

 

One of the reasons I bagged the blades in the first place was better turf inetraction

 

In order from biggest to smallest, here are the soles of my mpFliHi, mp60, mp67, and baby blade 3is:

 

It is clear as day how ginormous the mpFliHi sole is compared to all the others. All that surface area just has more chances of ground interference before the face contacts the ball.

 

And the irony to all of this is that the mpFliHi was supposed to be the most "forgiving" out of all those heads.

 

I don't think you understand "forgiving".

[DeNinny]

Congrats on the new clubs! The new Titleist blades are things of beauty! Personally I think the less offset, smaller flange, and more weight make blades easier to hit well. One can mishit any club, throw in lighter weight, large flange, and offset and mishits are even more frequent...

 

Thinking I "needed" more "forgiveness" than my mp60s had to offer, I bought mpFliHi 3i and 4i hybrid irons and played them for over a season, again with same specs and Rifle 5.0 shafts as their mp60 and mp67 counterparts, and I absolutely hit them the worst. Their wide soles were just garbage. A wide sole exposes more surface area of clubhead to the ground and (all other things equal) increases the chances of hitting the ground before the face contacts the ball. This is the opposite of forgiving in terms of clean ball contact. Both my mp60s and mp67s were much easier to hit and make clean ball contact precisely because they have much smaller soles. (And now I have the most forgiving soles ever with my baby blades.)

 

And yes offset is just unnecessary complication and FUGLY AF to look at - neither of which ever helped my swings.

 

One of the reasons I bagged the blades in the first place was better turf inetraction

 

In order from biggest to smallest, here are the soles of my mpFliHi, mp60, mp67, and baby blade 3is:

 

It is clear as day how ginormous the mpFliHi sole is compared to all the others. All that surface area just has more chances of ground interference before the face contacts the ball.

 

And the irony to all of this is that the mpFliHi was supposed to be the most "forgiving" out of all those heads.

 

I don't think you understand "forgiving".

I don't think you really understood my point.

 

I think golf club manufacturers aren't recognizing that their supposed "forgiving" designs are flawed and have unforgiving elements or features that don't actually help a golfer strike the ball better. This was exactly my experience with my "forgiving" mpFliHis. Their wide soles were horrible and also the club did not provide the "forgiveness" intended in the design. They were absolutely and hands down the worst clubs out of the others mentioned.

 

"Forgiving" to me is a design that actually has a tangible benefit in real life that results in a better ball flight on all types of shots and swing qualities and in my experience it is the blade design that best does this. Hence, I play blades and my transition to them from CBs has been an overall improvement to my game in real life.

 

If you don't agree with this that's your perogative. Not trying to make you have the same experience in real life like I did. I'm just sharing my experience per the subject.

[dunn]

I put the blades back in the bag a couple times a year, and quickly realize on the course that I shouldn't play blades. My performance is noticably better with my player CB MP 54's.

 

good luck.

yes I have set of mb too..

 

Hitting em on monitor and playing them on course is whole different ballgame...

 

I don't use mine much, every once in a great while....on certain days they're great but on avg same boat I just don't have game for em even tho I shoot mid 70's usually

[BiggErn]

Blades are far better than cavity backs for learning the game. You know where you went wrong...and you are also most interested in swing dynamics. 718's are tops.

 

You should start a blade vs. cavity back topic....gets all the club mavens into a frenzy.

 

Be sure to tell 80% of the pga tour they’re doing it wrong.

[BleederFade]

Blades are far better than cavity backs for learning the game. You know where you went wrong...and you are also most interested in swing dynamics. 718's are tops.

 

You should start a blade vs. cavity back topic....gets all the club mavens into a frenzy.

 

Be sure to tell 80% of the pga tour they’re doing it wrong.

I see it as the pros are playing for hundreds of thousands of dollars each week. So a slight miss hit would potentially result in a significantly smaller pay check. I bet they want as much help as they need while still playing something as playable as what is required for the tour.

 

I'm playing the game for my own enjoyment not for a paycheck (maybe a few wagers here and there). I have gotten so much more enjoyment from striking the ball with a blade iron over the past few years. Although I've never used them as a full set in a round or competitive match, but we will see how she goes.

[DeNinny]

Blades are far better than cavity backs for learning the game. You know where you went wrong...and you are also most interested in swing dynamics. 718's are tops.

 

You should start a blade vs. cavity back topic....gets all the club mavens into a frenzy.

 

Be sure to tell 80% of the pga tour they’re doing it wrong.

I see it as the pros are playing for hundreds of thousands of dollars each week. So a slight miss hit would potentially result in a significantly smaller pay check. I bet they want as much help as they need while still playing something as playable as what is required for the tour.

 

I'm playing the game for my own enjoyment not for a paycheck (maybe a few wagers here and there). I have gotten so much more enjoyment from striking the ball with a blade iron over the past few years. Although I've never used them as a full set in a round or competitive match, but we will see how she goes.

I see it as the pros are paid to play what their sponsors want to market and now finally there are some CB designs that are "on par" with the performance of blades. It's not that the CB design is "better" it's just finally equal so pros can play virtually any design and not pay a scoring price for it.

 

In my transition to full blades I started by using my CBs in competition but after two years of it not helping, I switched to my blades. My career lowest scores have always happened when I had blades in my bag. Knowing that going into competition with them is a confidence builder.

[Kingcat990]

I put the blades back in the bag a couple times a year, and quickly realize on the course that I shouldn't play blades. My performance is noticably better with my player CB MP 54's.

 

good luck.

yes I have set of mb too..

 

Hitting em on monitor and playing them on course is whole different ballgame...

 

I don't use mine much, every once in a great while....on certain days they're great but on avg same boat I just don't have game for em even tho I shoot mid 70's usually

 

Very true. The monitors and a mat will make you believe that blades are very easy to elevate like any other iron. On a course when you have imperfections, offlies, resting in a huge divot, or on a sidehill, the blades can open more challenges. Definitely makes the game more interesting.

[DeNinny]

I put the blades back in the bag a couple times a year, and quickly realize on the course that I shouldn't play blades. My performance is noticably better with my player CB MP 54's.

 

good luck.

yes I have set of mb too..

 

Hitting em on monitor and playing them on course is whole different ballgame...

 

I don't use mine much, every once in a great while....on certain days they're great but on avg same boat I just don't have game for em even tho I shoot mid 70's usually

 

Very true. The monitors and a mat will make you believe that blades are very easy to elevate like any other iron. On a course when you have imperfections, offlies, resting in a huge divot, or on a sidehill, the blades can open more challenges. Definitely makes the game more interesting.

 

And on the course in real life where the lies are not perfect is why the smaller soled blade outperforms a bigger soled CB in my experience. It's simple physics: a bigger soled club will interfere with the imperfect ground more so than a smaller one. Clean ball contact is the first step to a good strike and a bigger soled club doesn't help this on any type of lie. All other things equal, of course.

[Kale_m]

Blades are far better than cavity backs for learning the game. You know where you went wrong...and you are also most interested in swing dynamics. 718's are tops.

 

You should start a blade vs. cavity back topic....gets all the club mavens into a frenzy.

 

Be sure to tell 80% of the pga tour they’re doing it wrong.

 

If this was the case they all would be playing M4 or ap3 style irons.

 

Guys willl play what they grew up playing. With more. And more players CB being on the market the younger guys will gravitate towards those. Others grew up playing blades so that is what they like looking down at

[BiggErn]

I put the blades back in the bag a couple times a year, and quickly realize on the course that I shouldn't play blades. My performance is noticably better with my player CB MP 54's.

 

good luck.

yes I have set of mb too..

 

Hitting em on monitor and playing them on course is whole different ballgame...

 

I don't use mine much, every once in a great while....on certain days they're great but on avg same boat I just don't have game for em even tho I shoot mid 70's usually

 

Very true. The monitors and a mat will make you believe that blades are very easy to elevate like any other iron. On a course when you have imperfections, offlies, resting in a huge divot, or on a sidehill, the blades can open more challenges. Definitely makes the game more interesting.

 

And on the course in real life where the lies are not perfect is why the smaller soled blade outperforms a bigger soled CB in my experience. It's simple physics: a bigger soled club will interfere with the imperfect ground more so than a smaller one. Clean ball contact is the first step to a good strike and a bigger soled club doesn't help this on any type of lie. All other things equal, of course.

 

Fred Couple plays Bridgestone J40 DPCs. They’re as long heel to toe as just about any GI/SGI iron. He plays just fine. Nobody cares what people play even if it’s about looks, ego, or just because that’s what they want to. It’s when people try to make the irrational rational that these things go south. If a guy saying his best rounds have been with blades vs CBs that’s fine but also subjective. Is his best round an 82 vs an 85 or a 66 vs a 69? A bad golfer is gonna play bad no matter what club he uses and the same can be said for a good golfer.

[gbartko]

I switched to blades. The next morning my wallet was gone from my night stand and my daughter turned up pregnant. YMMV.

[CaseyDan]

I moved to blades 2 months ago after playing players irons for 4 years. Couldn't be happier.

 

You know what they say, "golf is a game of opposites". Think about it....

[DeNinny]

I put the blades back in the bag a couple times a year, and quickly realize on the course that I shouldn't play blades. My performance is noticably better with my player CB MP 54's.

 

good luck.

yes I have set of mb too..

 

Hitting em on monitor and playing them on course is whole different ballgame...

 

I don't use mine much, every once in a great while....on certain days they're great but on avg same boat I just don't have game for em even tho I shoot mid 70's usually

 

Very true. The monitors and a mat will make you believe that blades are very easy to elevate like any other iron. On a course when you have imperfections, offlies, resting in a huge divot, or on a sidehill, the blades can open more challenges. Definitely makes the game more interesting.

 

And on the course in real life where the lies are not perfect is why the smaller soled blade outperforms a bigger soled CB in my experience. It's simple physics: a bigger soled club will interfere with the imperfect ground more so than a smaller one. Clean ball contact is the first step to a good strike and a bigger soled club doesn't help this on any type of lie. All other things equal, of course.

 

Fred Couple plays Bridgestone J40 DPCs. They’re as long heel to toe as just about any GI/SGI iron. He plays just fine. Nobody cares what people play even if it’s about looks, ego, or just because that’s what they want to. It’s when people try to make the irrational rational that these things go south. If a guy saying his best rounds have been with blades vs CBs that’s fine but also subjective. Is his best round an 82 vs an 85 or a 66 vs a 69? A bad golfer is gonna play bad no matter what club he uses and the same can be said for a good golfer.

 

I don't see what is irrational about saying a bigger soled club will have a higher chance of interfering with the ground than a smaller one. But I have no issue if others apply their own different experience.

 

And I stated "in my experience" because I understood others may make the same point you did. I am only speaking for myself and I provided my logic or rationale for others to have the context of my viewpoint.

 

That Freddy has no issues with his CBs is just a testament that his ball striking is so consistent that it doesn't matter if his longer CBs *could* hit the ground more. It's a negligible issue for him. For me a wider sole makes a difference even between my mp60s and mp67s precisely because I'm not as consistent as Freddy.

[Donno]

You should start a blade vs. cavity back topic....gets all the club mavens into a frenzy.

 

 

LMAO!! Ya it sure does drive them crazy :-)

 

Should I start one? Whack the hornet's nest? LOL!

[Donno]

Congrats on the new clubs! The new Titleist blades are things of beauty! Personally I think the less offset, smaller flange, and more weight make blades easier to hit well. One can mishit any club, throw in lighter weight, large flange, and offset and mishits are even more frequent...

 

Thinking I "needed" more "forgiveness" than my mp60s had to offer, I bought mpFliHi 3i and 4i hybrid irons and played them for over a season, again with same specs and Rifle 5.0 shafts as their mp60 and mp67 counterparts, and I absolutely hit them the worst. Their wide soles were just garbage. A wide sole exposes more surface area of clubhead to the ground and (all other things equal) increases the chances of hitting the ground before the face contacts the ball. This is the opposite of forgiving in terms of clean ball contact. Both my mp60s and mp67s were much easier to hit and make clean ball contact precisely because they have much smaller soles. (And now I have the most forgiving soles ever with my baby blades.)

 

And yes offset is just unnecessary complication and FUGLY AF to look at - neither of which ever helped my swings.

 

One of the reasons I bagged the blades in the first place was better turf inetraction

 

In order from biggest to smallest, here are the soles of my mpFliHi, mp60, mp67, and baby blade 3is:

 

It is clear as day how ginormous the mpFliHi sole is compared to all the others. All that surface area just has more chances of ground interference before the face contacts the ball.

 

And the irony to all of this is that the mpFliHi was supposed to be the most "forgiving" out of all those heads.

 

Great post! Have you noticed the new irons are all morphing into hybrid sole sizes? At least Adams was honest when they put out their Idea Iron set where the wedge looked like a small 3W.

[Donno]

I switched to blades. The next morning my wallet was gone from my night stand and my daughter turned up pregnant. YMMV.

 

LOL!

[DeNinny]

Congrats on the new clubs! The new Titleist blades are things of beauty! Personally I think the less offset, smaller flange, and more weight make blades easier to hit well. One can mishit any club, throw in lighter weight, large flange, and offset and mishits are even more frequent...

 

Thinking I "needed" more "forgiveness" than my mp60s had to offer, I bought mpFliHi 3i and 4i hybrid irons and played them for over a season, again with same specs and Rifle 5.0 shafts as their mp60 and mp67 counterparts, and I absolutely hit them the worst. Their wide soles were just garbage. A wide sole exposes more surface area of clubhead to the ground and (all other things equal) increases the chances of hitting the ground before the face contacts the ball. This is the opposite of forgiving in terms of clean ball contact. Both my mp60s and mp67s were much easier to hit and make clean ball contact precisely because they have much smaller soles. (And now I have the most forgiving soles ever with my baby blades.)

 

And yes offset is just unnecessary complication and FUGLY AF to look at - neither of which ever helped my swings.

 

One of the reasons I bagged the blades in the first place was better turf inetraction

 

In order from biggest to smallest, here are the soles of my mpFliHi, mp60, mp67, and baby blade 3is:

 

It is clear as day how ginormous the mpFliHi sole is compared to all the others. All that surface area just has more chances of ground interference before the face contacts the ball.

 

And the irony to all of this is that the mpFliHi was supposed to be the most "forgiving" out of all those heads.

 

Great post! Have you noticed the new irons are all morphing into hybrid sole sizes? At least Adams was honest when they put out their Idea Iron set where the wedge looked like a small 3W.

 

I don't pay attention to what "forgiving" iron manufacturers are doing lately. They convolute the "science" so much and make key false assumptions (like ignoring the fact that a wide sole promotes more ground interference just so they can market a lower CG for the clubhead) time and again that it is just sad for me to see so I ignore it all now.

 

"Forgiving" club manufacturers would have the ignorant golfer believe that there is an ideal design with just the right amount of "forgiveness" suited for a specific handicap or ball striking skill level. Once I learned to evaluate the bigger picture of all the physics beyond just what was marketed in front of me, I stopped paying attention to any latest design craze on the market.

[craz-e]

I think if you are possibly thinking of going over to a set of blades you should have an open mind.

We are all different and our swings are as unique as ourselves. Different designs, weights, feels etc work better for some than others.

The only way to work out what works for ones self is to test and make sure its testing from grass and ideally course conditions that you normally play. Then you can get a feel for subtle differences in sole designs and widths.

[Big Ben]

I always have a muscle back in the rotation. Biggest difference for me is this style of iron likes to be worked, knockdowns, half shots, etc. These are all about controlling the ball by shaping shots. When I try to be to point and shot they can get a little loose. I really enjoy using my MB's but they simply are not for everyone's game. BB

[Donno]

I always have a muscle back in the rotation. Biggest difference for me is this style of iron likes to be worked, knockdowns, half shots, etc. These are all about controlling the ball by shaping shots. When I try to be to point and shot I can struggle with missing greens. I really enjoy using my MB's but they really are not for everyone's game. BB

 

Isn't golf really all about physics? Aren't clubs all the same face width? Not directed at you...but one of the reason blades are "harder to hit" is because they don't have most of the weight at the toe. Besides, the blades provide feedback..."hey....TOE SHOT"...where other clubs provide little feedback...which leads to enabling more swing flaws. Just IMO.

[Big Ben]

I respect that opinion, I just feel this style of iron lends itself to the confident ball strikers with a creative mind. They simply are not as forgiving so you need to find ways to gain control. You need to be honest with your ability and playing style to enjoy the many benefits a smaller, thinner less offset iron provides.

[dciccoritti]

How I would have worded it :-)

 

I respect that opinion, I just feel this style of iron lends itself to the a creative mind that is determined to become a better and more confident ball striker. They are just as forgiving and easier to control once you learn to become a better ball striker. You need to be honest with your ability and playing style so you can determine what to work on in order to enjoy the many benefits a smaller, thinner less offset iron provides.

[Donno]

I respect that opinion, I just feel this style of iron lends itself to the confident ball strikers with a creative mind. They simply are not as forgiving so you need to find ways to control them. You need to be honest with your ability and playing style to enjoy the many benefits a smaller, thinner less offset iron provides.

 

What are the constants and variables in a swing? The club is a constant. The swing is variable...even from hour to hour. Clubs don't change. Hitting a good 7 iron pin high on #4, then from the same lie hitting it OB has nothing to do with the club. Accepting blame is the path to improvement in golf. New clubs are fine, but they are marketed to blame the clubs....not the swing.

 

However, golf is about fun...so pick the clubs you like and have fun.

[BiggErn]

I respect that opinion, I just feel this style of iron lends itself to the confident ball strikers with a creative mind. They simply are not as forgiving so you need to find ways to gain control. You need to be honest with your ability and playing style to enjoy the many benefits a smaller, thinner less offset iron provides.

 

This is rational

[BiggErn]

I respect that opinion, I just feel this style of iron lends itself to the confident ball strikers with a creative mind. They simply are not as forgiving so you need to find ways to control them. You need to be honest with your ability and playing style to enjoy the many benefits a smaller, thinner less offset iron provides.

 

What are the constants and variables in a swing? The club is a constant. The swing is variable...even from hour to hour. Clubs don't change. Hitting a good 7 iron pin high on #4, then from the same lie hitting it OB has nothing to do with the club. Accepting blame is the path to improvement in golf. New clubs are fine, but they are marketed to blame the clubs....not the swing.

 

However, golf is about fun...so pick the clubs you like and have fun.

 

 

Your view is one sided. Some simply want the best result without their best swing. Not all misses are extreme but end results can be. Being around the sweet spot is good but isn’t the same as hitting it every time.

[jslane57]

I respect that opinion, I just feel this style of iron lends itself to the confident ball strikers with a creative mind. They simply are not as forgiving so you need to find ways to control them. You need to be honest with your ability and playing style to enjoy the many benefits a smaller, thinner less offset iron provides.

 

What are the constants and variables in a swing? The club is a constant. The swing is variable...even from hour to hour. Clubs don't change. Hitting a good 7 iron pin high on #4, then from the same lie hitting it OB has nothing to do with the club. Accepting blame is the path to improvement in golf. New clubs are fine, but they are marketed to blame the clubs....not the swing.

 

However, golf is about fun...so pick the clubs you like and have fun.

 

 

Your view is one sided. Some simply want the best result without their best swing. Not all misses are extreme but end results can be. Being around the sweet spot is good but isn’t the same as hitting it every time.

Of course it is. As is yours. And clearly manufacturers make both types of club. Here is where my opinion takes shape: I want the best results when I play my best, and generally my mishits are still center hits. Folks who prefer blades simply don't miss the center that often because if they did, well you know the story. Some folks who do hit the center consistently find it even easier to find the center using blades thanks to less offset, smaller head, and smaller flange.