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Blade users thread (NO DEBATING CLUBHEADS! NO Buy Sell Trade!)


Bigmean

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I've experienced much the same thing. One other difference is that when I played SGI mp-FliHis they were the absolute worst clubs to hit relative to both a blade (mp67) and players CB (mp60) equivalent clubs. Also when my game is absolutely on fire and I want and need to trust that the club will do exactly what I want, there's no question that a blade, a baby blade at that, is the absolute best. My most memorable and crunch time shots have almost always been performed with a blade in my hands. And lately with my baby blades I have a few more of them. ?

TEE CB2 13* 3w, 43.5", 57g Fujikura Motore F1 X-flex
TEE CB2 15* 3w, 43" 65g Fujikura Motore F1 S-flex
Miura Black Boron 1957 Small Blades 2i-PW, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
Miura Black Wedges 53* and 60*, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
GripMaster Club Maker's Stitchback Grips
34" Piretti Bosa, GripMaster Pistol Grip

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That was rather well put. If we could tee up every shot, even on the fairway and in the rough, then some massive SGi head might be beneficial, but once we bring ground interference (that's a good way of putting it) into the equation, the larger head becomes more of a disadvantage than advantage. That's certainly the case for me, anyway. I hate fairway woods with deep faces and large footprints because they make me worry about hitting fattoo much ground interference. Same goes with irons. I don't like wide soles, except on my sand iron, because they make me think too much about hitting fatground interference.

So, yeah, my most common bad shot, especially with irons, is ground-before-ball, in other words hitting fat. Ground interference. I read somewhere that Jack Nicklaus himself preferred smaller heads because they were better on fat shot. That is,: less club surface contacting the earth = less loss of club speed. I can generally accept that.

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I'd say 150 yards in, but otherwise, exactly my thoughts. For the last year and a bit, I've been battling a smothered hook. I've actually managed to sort it out this last month and am now back to hitting the ball properly now, but during that time, I did in fact consider a club change. Then I realised that wouldn't help me at all. The clubs weren't the problem, I was. And a smothered hook with an SGi iron is going to be no different from a smothered hook with a blade.

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The only reason I said 100 is because I'm 68 years old playing blades with stiff shafts. 150 yards is longer than it used to be!

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From left to right below are my BB, mp67, and mpFliHi 3i's.

img-20200717-174329598.jpgObserve the ginormous sole of the "forgiving" mpFliHi. Now imagine all of those heads coming into impact, where the goal of a good shot is to ensure the leading edge of the club comes into impact as low as possible (to avoid a thin shot) while also the literal bottom and lowest point of the club stays above the ground. Without taking any other physics, good or bad, into account, the mpFliHi is clearly the club that is going to be the most difficult to achieve a good strike. That ginormous sole has more potential for ground interference than the other two as much as it is bigger (and deeper with more bounce) than them. And this is an issue regardless of golfer skill level. It's an issue that applies to Jack Nicklaus (by his own admission), you, me, and ALL golfers. Bottom line is that it is universally the most UNFORGIVING with respect to making clean ball contact. Even if they add some camber towards the trailing edge of the club it may be less of an issue but it's still worse than the blade design because their soles are absent of the wide surface area to begin with.

But yet that mpFliHi is marketed as the most "forgiving" out of all three of the clubs and the blades are supposedly "demanding" to hit. Technical HOGWASH.

#forgivenessisacarneysham(e)

TEE CB2 13* 3w, 43.5", 57g Fujikura Motore F1 X-flex
TEE CB2 15* 3w, 43" 65g Fujikura Motore F1 S-flex
Miura Black Boron 1957 Small Blades 2i-PW, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
Miura Black Wedges 53* and 60*, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
GripMaster Club Maker's Stitchback Grips
34" Piretti Bosa, GripMaster Pistol Grip

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I would agree with this too in my experience and with respect to the true physics as well. With a CB/perimeter weighted/flexing face design, (all other things being equal) it will definitely launch the ball higher relative to its equivalent blade. The reason is because the flexing trampoline like face creates a dynamic loft at impact with the ball. And because contact with the ball is almost always low on that face, the dynamic loft created by the curvature of the ball is weaker. As such, the ball is launched off the face higher relative to a blade.

For me personally, I'll take the lower launching blade long irons over higher launching CBs. The way I play is that I simply account for just a little bit longer roll out from one blade to the next as I go to the longer ones. Starting with PW and not counting my wedges I get the highest launch with it and the best checkspin on the greens with it. The ball usually stops consistently within 1-2 yards of landing on a flat green with a good PW strike. The 9i goes longer but lower and also rolls out slightly longer. And then the same exact physics plays out on up the bag - the next club goes even lower and longer and with more roll out than the last one. At the 3i the roll out is longest next to my 2i but it is also a consistent roll out and I can still manage to keep a lot of good shots on the greens with it. So I don't care for higher launch with the longer irons because it doesn't benefit me when I also account for the other technical issues (wider sole, more bounce, less workable) with perimeter weighted clubs. Also I personally don't care for higher ball flights. I think it can be detrimental in the wind.

TEE CB2 13* 3w, 43.5", 57g Fujikura Motore F1 X-flex
TEE CB2 15* 3w, 43" 65g Fujikura Motore F1 S-flex
Miura Black Boron 1957 Small Blades 2i-PW, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
Miura Black Wedges 53* and 60*, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
GripMaster Club Maker's Stitchback Grips
34" Piretti Bosa, GripMaster Pistol Grip

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I'm officially on my 1i blades journey for the foreseeable future. Here's my P*rn Stars lounging on the back deck. "Excalibur" (1i) is hanging out in the back. My only wood is my driver strong 3w. I'm going to see if I can play a 1i as well as my normal 3w. We shall see. I just got them back from my fitter. He removed all the head weights so now the swingweight progresses from D7 PW to D1.5 1i. If I can't get the 1i out to 210yds I will go back to 3w.

img-20200719-174840193.jpg

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TEE CB2 13* 3w, 43.5", 57g Fujikura Motore F1 X-flex
TEE CB2 15* 3w, 43" 65g Fujikura Motore F1 S-flex
Miura Black Boron 1957 Small Blades 2i-PW, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
Miura Black Wedges 53* and 60*, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
GripMaster Club Maker's Stitchback Grips
34" Piretti Bosa, GripMaster Pistol Grip

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I want to get a round in this year playing my Muirfields from 1i to SW, driver, 4w, and putter. Probably persimmon driver and putter.

I hit the 1i and 2i in a nine-hole round a few months ago when my swing was still in bad shape, and I found I could nuke the one iron of the tee. I actually blew it yards past an OK tee shot with my 2w. Also got a surprisingly high ball flight, but I doubt I'd get that hitting it off the deck.

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I bought the 1i (thanks @kaaayelll) I think over a year ago. I took it to the range several times and once on the course. My problems with it were I could not hit it a full club length father than my 185-195 2i and hit a lot of low slices. It also seemed head heavy relative to the shaft. Around 6 months ago I had my fitter put a new ferrule on it and was able to notice that he had added weight in the hosel to get the SW to D3 and match my longer irons. Since a heavier head takes more energy to swing and bend the shaft more during the swing (all other things equal) I *think* this has been the problem with it. So I had my fitter remove the weight from it and all my other heads where applicable. If this doesn't fix it then it will likely just be a practice club. I'll have found my personal limit on bagging the longest iron I can handle too.

TEE CB2 13* 3w, 43.5", 57g Fujikura Motore F1 X-flex
TEE CB2 15* 3w, 43" 65g Fujikura Motore F1 S-flex
Miura Black Boron 1957 Small Blades 2i-PW, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
Miura Black Wedges 53* and 60*, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
GripMaster Club Maker's Stitchback Grips
34" Piretti Bosa, GripMaster Pistol Grip

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I'd be surprised if you could effectively hit a 1 iron in that set. 1 irons have largely gone away due to the loft creep that's seen the PW get to 48* or 47*. In their day, a 1 iron was 17* or 18*, but with the 47/48 lofted PW, 17* or 18* tends to be a 2 iron.

John Daly's 0 iron was 14* or 15*.

The Ever Changing Bag!  A lot of mixing and matching
Driver: TM 300 Mini 11.5*, 43.5", Phenom NL 60X -or- Cobra SpeedZone, ProtoPype 80S, 43.5"

Fwy woods: King LTD 3/4, Rogue Black 75X -or- TM Stage 2 Tour 3w, NV105 X -or- TEE E8 Beta 12*, Rogue Silver 70X
Hybrid:  Cobra King Tec 2h, MMT 80 S -or- TEE CBX 17*, HZRDUS 85 6.0

2 iron:  Arias D-23, Modus3 120 S; Mizuno MP-20 HMB, NS Pro 950 R

Irons grab bag:  1-PW Golden Ram TW276, NV105 S; 1-PW Golden Ram TW282, RIP Tour 115 R; 2-PW Golden Ram Vibration Matched, NS Pro 950WF S; testing: Arias D-23 5i w/Modus 120 S
Wedges:  Dynacraft Dual Millled 52*, SteelFiber i125 S -or- Scratch 8620 DD 53*, SteelFiber i125 S; Cobra Snakebite 56* -or- Wilson Staff PMP 58*, Dynamic S -or- Ram TW282 SW -or- Ram TW276 SW
Putter:  Snake Eyes Viper Tour Sv1, 34" -or- Cleveland Huntington Beach #1, 34.5" -or- Golden Ram TW Custom, 34" -or- Rife Bimini, 34" -or- Maxfli TM-2, 35"
Balls: Chrome Soft, Kirkland Signature 3pc (v3), Wilson Triad

Grip preference: various GripMaster leather options or Star Grip Sidewinders of assorted colors

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I agree on the loft jack issue, but...It's 15* and FYI the 2i is 18*. I can hit a 15* 3w off the deck so that's why I don't see what the issue is with the 1i. The 3w is longer and the shaft is lighter so that is why it goes farther. As mentioned, we shall see...

TEE CB2 13* 3w, 43.5", 57g Fujikura Motore F1 X-flex
TEE CB2 15* 3w, 43" 65g Fujikura Motore F1 S-flex
Miura Black Boron 1957 Small Blades 2i-PW, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
Miura Black Wedges 53* and 60*, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
GripMaster Club Maker's Stitchback Grips
34" Piretti Bosa, GripMaster Pistol Grip

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Shaft length and trajectory production. Fairway woods hit the ball higher

The Ever Changing Bag!  A lot of mixing and matching
Driver: TM 300 Mini 11.5*, 43.5", Phenom NL 60X -or- Cobra SpeedZone, ProtoPype 80S, 43.5"

Fwy woods: King LTD 3/4, Rogue Black 75X -or- TM Stage 2 Tour 3w, NV105 X -or- TEE E8 Beta 12*, Rogue Silver 70X
Hybrid:  Cobra King Tec 2h, MMT 80 S -or- TEE CBX 17*, HZRDUS 85 6.0

2 iron:  Arias D-23, Modus3 120 S; Mizuno MP-20 HMB, NS Pro 950 R

Irons grab bag:  1-PW Golden Ram TW276, NV105 S; 1-PW Golden Ram TW282, RIP Tour 115 R; 2-PW Golden Ram Vibration Matched, NS Pro 950WF S; testing: Arias D-23 5i w/Modus 120 S
Wedges:  Dynacraft Dual Millled 52*, SteelFiber i125 S -or- Scratch 8620 DD 53*, SteelFiber i125 S; Cobra Snakebite 56* -or- Wilson Staff PMP 58*, Dynamic S -or- Ram TW282 SW -or- Ram TW276 SW
Putter:  Snake Eyes Viper Tour Sv1, 34" -or- Cleveland Huntington Beach #1, 34.5" -or- Golden Ram TW Custom, 34" -or- Rife Bimini, 34" -or- Maxfli TM-2, 35"
Balls: Chrome Soft, Kirkland Signature 3pc (v3), Wilson Triad

Grip preference: various GripMaster leather options or Star Grip Sidewinders of assorted colors

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Agreed but it doesn't mean I can't accept a lower ball flight from the 1i. My "driver" is a 43.5" long 13* 3W and if needed I can hit that off the deck.

My only concern is that I won't get a full 10yds longer than my 2i with it because the ball flight is too low.

TEE CB2 13* 3w, 43.5", 57g Fujikura Motore F1 X-flex
TEE CB2 15* 3w, 43" 65g Fujikura Motore F1 S-flex
Miura Black Boron 1957 Small Blades 2i-PW, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
Miura Black Wedges 53* and 60*, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
GripMaster Club Maker's Stitchback Grips
34" Piretti Bosa, GripMaster Pistol Grip

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I think with a 15* 1i, the player is expecting to produce distance from run out rather than carry alone. But the amount of run out on any given shot has more variables than carry, such as softness of ground where the ball landed, undulations on the fairway, and thickness of grass (I'm thinking dried out British fairways here with odd patches of thicker green grass in them). This makes me wonder how many top pros back in the days of blades and persimmon carried a 1i AND a 2i? When I was junior, I added a 1i and 2i to my set of heel-toe weighted Daiwa irons, but I decided that I only needed one or the other, and the 2i was a bit easier of the deck. Now, off the tee, there was usually a noticeable difference between the distance on solid 1i strikes and solid 2i strikes, but even then, in summer on baked fairways, the 2i could run out as far as the 1i.

Incidentally, I would venture to say that there are few golfers around who could consistently carry a 15* 1i blade 10~12 yards past a 18* 2i blade when hitting off the deck. Doesn't even have to be a blade, but I think the modern driving irons have more weight in the (larger) soles to raise trajectory, which could help make the carry gaps more defined.

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Did someone say 1i?

I've been resting mine while I work on solidifying my 2i/3i spot. It's down to a Hagen deuce or a 2016 TMB. I am leaning toward the Hagen. They both have the same loft.

hagendeuce.jpgPretty forgiving bladed two iron. Still flew it 216 with this one.

 

toptrace2i3hy3tmb.jpgI think the balls are short about 10%. I've been striking it so good recently. Had it to -8 off the blacks at St. Andrews until I hit it OB (right) on 14. Apparently there is OB on 14. Fuck! I thought I hit it slightly right if anything. And it was OB. The heat index was 40 degrees today too. Just watched a huge thunderstorm after coming home.

 

 

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In my experience wind can affect distance as much as roll on the ground. I think high ball flight has issues as well as advantages.

Also I'm counting on more run out with the 1i as opposed to carrying it past the 2i. And if I want to get height and distance I'll simply go back to my 3w. I don't care for "forgiving" and high launching long irons or hybrids. I much prefer woods over both of them.

TEE CB2 13* 3w, 43.5", 57g Fujikura Motore F1 X-flex
TEE CB2 15* 3w, 43" 65g Fujikura Motore F1 S-flex
Miura Black Boron 1957 Small Blades 2i-PW, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
Miura Black Wedges 53* and 60*, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
GripMaster Club Maker's Stitchback Grips
34" Piretti Bosa, GripMaster Pistol Grip

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Wind was certainly a factor for deciding when to take the 1i or 2i. The roll-out with either the 1i or 2i is one of the main reasons for carrying either club. I never saw either as precision distance clubs, especially off the tee, but the 2i I had some idea of how far it would go. With the 1i, I didn't, especially on baked fairways.

Incidentally, I've never found a modern hollow driving iron that I really get on with. I just sold my last one, and I shall avoid buying another, perhaps with the exception of the Honma Tour-U Forged.

I rarely like the feel of them, find I don't hit them any further than a blade, and bad shots are as bad with either.

That reminds me, I need to have my (not very) big bad 2i Battle Royale between my seven 2-irons (2 CBs, 5 blades). Curious to see which goes the furthest, which is the easiest to hit, and which I feel most comfortable hitting.

 

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I kind of did a fiver iron battle royal today - Macgregor Pro82, Founders Club 200 series, WH Crenshaw and my Tourstage CB. Founders club and the MacPro82 had the best dispersion, but the founders was 8-9 yards short of the others. These are basically the 4 sets I've narrowed down my focus to. I've got a few I need to sell now - then I might think about something newer.

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How come the Founders is so much shorter? Loft-wise, it should be about the same, if not a touch stronger, than the Pro82s and Crenshaws, no? Is the shaft noticeably shorter? I was comparing the lengths of my 2-irons, and they are all pretty much the same except for the VIP 2i and MP14 2i, which are both about 1/4"+ shorter than the longest 2i. Not that much in it.

I'd like to get down to 10 sets ideally, but probably end up closer to 15. As long as most of those are old sets that I picked up cheap, I'm not too bothered.

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Yeah you might have already paved the way for things to come with me. I appreciate you sharing your actual experiences with 1i and 2i. I've already proven that I can game the 2i instead of a 5w but I have to accept lower ball flight and around 5 yards average distance loss with it. That said, it also is better out of the rough, I can work it easier, I can hit more creative out of trouble shots with it, and I've hit some really great pure shots with it. I've had it in the gamer bag for over two years and frankly I could go either way between it and 5w. With this 2i experience I've pretty much debunked my own assumption that I "need" a higher ball flight in the longest iron. So now with the 1i I want to keep going with this experience and find out if there's really a limit on when I should stop playing a blade as opposed to an alternative club design. Per their true science and my own experiences they are clearly superior to other irons of different design. So now I'm seeing with hands on experience whether or not this applies to all the woods as well.

And I'm ? with you on "forgiving" hollow driving irons as completely unnecessary as compared to a blade. My purchase of the mp-FliHis in 3i and 4i was a complete waste of time and money. The hollow head makes the face super thin which damps feedback, feels horrible, makes distance control less predictable, and makes them harder to work and control the ball spin. Plus the fat sole makes them horrible to hit well off the turf. I hit more bad shots with them as compared to a blade myself. They are junk clubs.

TEE CB2 13* 3w, 43.5", 57g Fujikura Motore F1 X-flex
TEE CB2 15* 3w, 43" 65g Fujikura Motore F1 S-flex
Miura Black Boron 1957 Small Blades 2i-PW, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
Miura Black Wedges 53* and 60*, Nippon NS Pro 850 GH S-flex
GripMaster Club Maker's Stitchback Grips
34" Piretti Bosa, GripMaster Pistol Grip

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Bit of irony.... I recently put together a Bridgestone AirMuscle driving iron, a 2i that I believe is 19*. I've had this thing for 12-13 years or so. Used it briefly with a steel iron shaft, took it apart and its lain dormant for 10 years. Recently got the brilliant idea recently of reassembling it with a graphite iron shaft in order to use it with my Golden Rams with NV105 graphite, trying it in place of the TM 3h I've been using in this slot. A test of sorts.

It's been hit or miss. Hit it less straight than I hit my irons, or the 3h. It *does* have a different shaft (RIP Tour), while the 3h has the same NV105, but I didn't think it was wildly different.

Hence the personal irony in reading your post, DeNinny. LOL

I've put the 3h back in the bag for now.

The graphites are in the bag because my elbows, wrists, and hands are showing signs of irritation from playing golf, similar to what I noticed being absent when I started the NV105 experiment a couple years ago. I'm thinking it's time to put my money whereis my mouth with respect to reshafting one of my sets with the RIP Tour 115 set I've got lying around. I'm playing more this year compared with last year, which could explain why I'm noticing the vibration-irritation this year, when I largely didn't last year.

The joys of getting older, both on the calendar and in golf-years.

 

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The Ever Changing Bag!  A lot of mixing and matching
Driver: TM 300 Mini 11.5*, 43.5", Phenom NL 60X -or- Cobra SpeedZone, ProtoPype 80S, 43.5"

Fwy woods: King LTD 3/4, Rogue Black 75X -or- TM Stage 2 Tour 3w, NV105 X -or- TEE E8 Beta 12*, Rogue Silver 70X
Hybrid:  Cobra King Tec 2h, MMT 80 S -or- TEE CBX 17*, HZRDUS 85 6.0

2 iron:  Arias D-23, Modus3 120 S; Mizuno MP-20 HMB, NS Pro 950 R

Irons grab bag:  1-PW Golden Ram TW276, NV105 S; 1-PW Golden Ram TW282, RIP Tour 115 R; 2-PW Golden Ram Vibration Matched, NS Pro 950WF S; testing: Arias D-23 5i w/Modus 120 S
Wedges:  Dynacraft Dual Millled 52*, SteelFiber i125 S -or- Scratch 8620 DD 53*, SteelFiber i125 S; Cobra Snakebite 56* -or- Wilson Staff PMP 58*, Dynamic S -or- Ram TW282 SW -or- Ram TW276 SW
Putter:  Snake Eyes Viper Tour Sv1, 34" -or- Cleveland Huntington Beach #1, 34.5" -or- Golden Ram TW Custom, 34" -or- Rife Bimini, 34" -or- Maxfli TM-2, 35"
Balls: Chrome Soft, Kirkland Signature 3pc (v3), Wilson Triad

Grip preference: various GripMaster leather options or Star Grip Sidewinders of assorted colors

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I've got graphite in my Mizuno MP4s (Attas 115X...that's about all they say on them), and I'm quite enjoying them. Definitely easier on the wrists and elbows. I get a much higher ball flight with them than my Wilson fg62s, which are shafted with DGS300s, so as long as there's not too much wind, the MP4s are good to go. I think the Wilsons are some of the lowest hitting irons I have, but not in a bad way.

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So I went to a range with decent balls today and did my (not very) Big Bad 2i Battle Royale.The clubs:

big-2i-test-irons-backs-2.jpgFrom top to bottom:

1972~3 Wilson X31, extra stiff shaft

2005? Tourstage X-Blade CB, DGS200

Mizuno MP14 with DGS300

Mizuno MS-7 with DGS300 (US model)

Macgregor Muirfield with what I think is a DGS300

Macgregor VIP with what I think is a DGS300 (club is probably an Eighties re-issue)

Macgregor VIP TOUR CB-92 with what I think is a DGS300

 

Shaft lengths are similar, but not identical (from L→R: VIP TOUR, VIP, Muirfield, MS-7, MP-14, X-Blade, X-31):

big-2i-test-lineup-showing-length-differences.jpgAs you can see, the Muirfield and MP14 are slightly shorter, and the MS-7 and X-31 are the longest. I'm not sure of all their lofts, but the VIP, VIP TOUR, Muirfield, and MP14 should be 20* because that's what I set it to. I think the X-Blade is 19*. The X-31 and MS-7 I have no idea on as I've not checked them. I can say the lie of the MS-7 is noticeably flatter than the others.At the range:

big-2i-test-a-bit-of-extra-lumber.jpg

big-2i-test-irons-in-hand.jpg

big-2i-test-the-iron-lineup.jpg

Here's a picture of the range. The oval shows you my target area. I think my best hits off the tee *might* have just about carried to the far edge of the oval, but my goal was to carry over the near edge from off the deck. For reference, a good shot with my MP4 4i carries into the oval (24* and shaft is the same length as the MP14 2i).

big-2i-test-target-area.jpgMethod: I hit 3 shots off the deck with each in order, then 3 shots off the tee. Then I hit more randomly while sifting out the irons I didn't like until one remained.Results:The best: The Muirfield, closely followed by the VIP. They are both pretty similar, so that I got the same sort of results with them shouldn't be a surprise. I hit both off the deck well, and off the tee they were actually easy to hit. The VIP is softer, but I prefer the look of the Muirfield at address. The top line is slightly thinner (shown below, VIP top, Muirfield bottom).

big-2i-test-vip-address.jpg

big-2i-test-muirfield-address.jpgThe Pleasant Surprise:

The VIP TOUR was better than expected. I've never really taken to this particular set, but it was pretty nice to hit. Nice low ball flight off deck (which should get some nice runout), and a high but penetrating one off the tee.The Not So Pleasant Surprise:

The MP14 was fine to hit both off the deck and tee, and felt beautiful, but it was noticeably shorter than all the others (bar one, but I'll get to that later). I struggled to reach the oval target area, even off the tee. If it gaps well with the MP14 3i, then that's fine, but, for example, I won't be bagging this as a lone 2i with my MP4s, as my MP4 4i is about as long or longer.The Completely Expected Results:

The Wilson X-31 was impossible to hit off the deck. The shaft is too much for me. Old school extra-stiff, so it's heavy and like swinging rebar. Surprisingly, though, I got good results off the tee with it, and a surprisingly high ball flight.

I couldn't hit the MS-7 off the deck well at all, though it was OK off the tee. I put this down to the flat lie. The toe was noticeably hitting the mat first. The MS-7 wasn't that long, even though it has one of the longest shaft lengths. Not sure of loft though.The Disappointment:

The X-Blade was no longer than my Muirfield. I was sort of hoping that the Tourstage could be added to my modern set as a tee shot club on tight holes, but it wasn't that much longer than my MP4 4i. It does feel nice, and is easy off the tee, with good height and carry, but off the deck I didn't care for it, getting better results with the Muirfield, VIP, VIP TOUR, and MP-14.

Not sure what I'm going to do with this club. I might strengthen the loft a degree if I am going to use it solely as a tee club.

The Conclusions:

I don't really need a 2i in my modern set. The courses around here have soft fairways that don't produce much runout even with a driver. Distance comes from carry, and there are other clubs better suited to that purpose. However, as I play golf for fun, I will occasionally bag a 2i, especially when playing with my persimmons. Smiting a pure long iron blade or CB off the tee or deck is mightily gratifying

Think that's about it...

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The TMB is still in the bag. I like the flight (medium) and it doesn't seem to spin all that much. It basically swings itself and I get 220 carry out of it, rolling up to 260. So, those medium length par 4s we play a lot of in Japan are made a helluva lot easier. I just have to remember to make a descending pass at it. When I sweep at the longer clubs I hit them left.

Loft for loft, I get about 10-15 more yards out of it than a 20' blade. Is that worth the loss of feel? Does a pitching wedge feel nicer than a 9-iron? When you get good, everything comes in fractions, I guess (I'm kidding).

As for the 5W vs 2i debate. It all really comes down to the course. Wind = iron.

Catchy - Nice write up with the deuces! I'll do something similar with the 5s tonight! Just got to cycle back home from work 10k. It's super hot, so I am really excited and not being sarcastic at all.

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Thanks!

We've got rain here...record long rainy season, apparently.

The TMBs are actually one of the best hollow irons out there in my opinion. I had forgotten about them when I was writing my earlier post, but I would consider a TMB 3i or 2i. Not sure if there's much difference between the 2016 and 2018 model, but I remember hitting a 2018 5i at a demo day at the local range and being blown away the distance.

The thing I noticed today was my 2i shots were not carrying as far as my 7w. Now I wasn't seeing run out because the balls were landing on the net, but as I said, the fairways don't run out much here. Probably it does nothing but bloody rain all the time...

But I do want a reliable club for those tight, medium length par 4s you mentioned. The 7w is OK, but it isn't great into the wind. At the moment, my "safe" option is the hybrid, but it carries 215 and stops.

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Hybrids are a bloody enigma. I think you can see on the last page I was striping my 22 degree. When I'm on with that thing the game is truly easy. I went a stretch last year, but then it probably cost me in my last couple games. With a 3-iron I tend to be just a little more consistent. I only have a one way miss (left). With the hybrid it's both. Two=no.

If I can get a level of consistency out of the 2 / 3 spot. I don't tend to need anything else between that and driver. I keep a fw wood, so the big dog doesn't feel so lonely.

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A big "AMEN" to that, C_T_S! When the hybrid is good, it makes the game so much easier. But then all of a sudden, I start hitting it really thin, like almost a cold top. At least with the hybrid I have now it doesn't wildly hook left on me. I had one previously that was a menace for that, and was the reason I got rid of all my hybrids for a while.

I actually have a 9w that I hit straighter and goes the same distance as my hybrid, but like the 7w, it's not a club for windy conditions. Great for hitting high over a tree stand to get back on the right fairway, though...

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For page 695 I want to give a shoutout to my Titleist 695mb's that I bought on a whim two years ago, in great shape, at a used sporting goods store in my town. Best $250 I ever spent. At the time I was really down on my golf game but these irons made the game fun again. I owe these clubs a lot. What a joy to hit. I recently ordered new Mizuno MP-20mb blades that I haven't received yet. I am second guessing this purchase because I hit the 695's so well.

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