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

[DeNinny]

The crack like the snapping of a young tree branch is actually a pretty good description of the Miura feel.

 

As for the RACs, they are a bit tough to properly describe as a muscle back, given that the muscle is sort of split to form two pocket cavities. I thought they were OK, though I was more focussed on the 2i than anything else. Not in the same league as the Miura MB5003s or MP-4s, but properly up there with the MP-33s (though not at all similar).

I'm also quite tempted to go for the MOZ irons (4-PW with Modus 120TX), but I can't test them as they are new so I would be buying blind. I hit a 60* MOZ wedge today, and was pretty impressed. May well end up being that as well.

There is also a third option of not buying another iron set as I have 5 in play and one set of heads waiting for shafts.

 

That snap feel with a Miura is just the truth of a pure strike to me. Attaining it is the sole focus and goal of my inner hedonist golfer. Tied to it is the ability to really be the golfer that I want to be and pull off shots exactly as I envisioned. It may very well be the #1 reason that I play this carney game too. I love a driver piped right up the middle and watching the ball go into the hole for birdie or better a lot also, but if I had to choose the #1 hedonistic thing that gets me out on the course and reminiscing about afterwards, I would say it is hitting a pure shot exactly as I envisioned with a BB in my hand. Whether it be from out of trouble or a tight lie in the middle of the fairway, hitting shots is what this game is about to me and so I want the best feeling experience with the best designed club for the job in the process of it all.

 

Along my quest to get my Retro TBs, I considered the MB5003s, but I liked the look of the MB5002s better. I'm jealous that you get to come across Miura-Giken blades at random over there. I do hope you come across some Y-Grind series blades and hit them too. LOL you are our JDM blade man on the street and I live vicariously through your posts!

[Nard_S]

I carried the RAC MB 's for 6 years and feel they are really decent sticks They play like a players' CB, have good forgiveness on toe and thin shots but when flushed feel like a quality forging. Flight is mid trajectory, distance is good, ball wants to go straight, The only drawback to them like all players' CB is increased MOI makes working shots more work.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

DeNinny

The MB5003s, which came into the shop a few weeks ago, are actually the first set of Miura blades I've seen in the wild. There are quite a lot of Miura CBs, in fact there is a pretty recent model on sale at the moment, but no blades until now. I have seen two or three sets of Epon blades (Personals, I think, with the groove like a Nike Swoosh on the back), but I wasn't overly impressed with them. Not like the Miuras. But that Moz set really does intrigue me...

[bodhi555]

Our season in the UK has finally begun in earnest, and after a winter on the range, I really am rediscovering how awesome a bladed long iron feels when played off turf - I still don't think there is a better feeling in golf. What's more, the work I did over winter is paying off, and I am catching more and more long irons out the middle with a square clubhead resulting in some absolute bombs, still need to work on my short irons, but overall I'm hitting it really well for this stage of the season. I've even got the 1 iron out already, and am striping it off the turf - less successful off a tee, strangely. It's staying in the bag until I figure it out.

 

Been having a lot of fun with the VR Tour 6 iron I bought too. Same feel as the original Blades, but more forgiving on toe end strikes, I can definitely see a set of these in my future. Say what you will about Nike's other clubs, they got their blades pretty much spot on imo.

[NRJyzr]

I carried the RAC MB 's for 6 years and feel they are really decent sticks They play like a players' CB, have good forgiveness on toe and thin shots but when flushed feel like a quality forging. Flight is mid trajectory, distance is good, ball wants to go straight, The only drawback to them like all players' CB is increased MOI makes working shots more work.

 

Reminds me of Faldo's comments when trying Pings back in the day. :)

[mahonie]

I carried the RAC MB 's for 6 years and feel they are really decent sticks They play like a players' CB, have good forgiveness on toe and thin shots but when flushed feel like a quality forging. Flight is mid trajectory, distance is good, ball wants to go straight, The only drawback to them like all players' CB is increased MOI makes working shots more work.

 

Reminds me of Faldo's comments when trying Pings back in the day. :)

 

This is taken from his book 'Faldo - In Search Of Perfection' published in 1996:

 

"With my golf equipment, it is more complicated, as I can only use clubs and balls that suit my game. At various times I have played with Wilson, Spalding and MacGregor clubs; now I use Mizuno. Usually the deals have been put in place before I have a set that I am completely happy with."

 

"In 1986, after a couple of years out of the limelight and a previous club deal having gone by the board, Karsten Solheim's Ping company was looking to get me interested in playing with their clubs. A set was sent over in the summer of that year and I tried them out in the European Open at Sunningdale - and went round in 62. After the way I had played, John Simpson from IMG came down eager to make the deal, but I don't know what he must have thought when I said, 'I'm sorry, John, these just won't do, the ball goes too straight !'

 

"I have always been a worker of the ball: I like to shape it left to right or right to left, never straight. The Ping's are fine clubs, but I just couldn't manoeuvre the ball in the way I wanted. Ping's are the frontrunners in perimeter weighted clubs, in which a much higher percentage of the weight is located at the heel and toe of the clubhead, giving a much wider 'sweetspot' than a traditional blade and are more forgiving to the handicap golfer. Their hooks and slices don't go as wide, but it was that very concept that made them unsuitable for me."

 

"I would advise any youngster aspiring to be a great player to learn the game using blades rather than the 'game-improvement' type clubs. That is the only way to develop a quality strike to see him or her through to the very top. Some of the top players now play with hollow-backed clubs, but learnt their trade with the blade. It is a bit like learning to drive with a gear shift before moving onto automatic transmission."

 

[Nard_S]

I carried the RAC MB 's for 6 years and feel they are really decent sticks They play like a players' CB, have good forgiveness on toe and thin shots but when flushed feel like a quality forging. Flight is mid trajectory, distance is good, ball wants to go straight, The only drawback to them like all players' CB is increased MOI makes working shots more work.

 

Reminds me of Faldo's comments when trying Pings back in the day. :)

 

Yeah, to some extent I guess but these are far more conducive to working the ball and feel much softer than Ping eye2's (played them for 4 seasons).

 

I've owned forged progressive CB & several cast players' CB and these by far bridge the divide better than all of them. Many feel this is one of TM's best offering in irons ever, I cannot really speak to that but they served me well (still have them). Sergio and Stenson played them for many years.

 

"Rational" golfers who desire some help on miss hits can do far worse than using these. Newcomers to "blades" would do well. The Hogan's kicked mine out of the bag because knock downs and maneuvering is much easier. So I accepted less forgiveness on miss hits but I can bend the ball and hit any trajectory I intuitively want. Not everyone's' priority out there but it is important to me. :)

[DeNinny]

To me "forgiveness" = harder to control the ball flight and spin correctly and numb feedback and feel.

[Nard_S]

To me "forgiveness" = harder to control the ball flight and spin correctly and numb feedback and feel.

 

Yeah agree. The RAC's do offer plenty of feed back. They do not lack there. My own truth is that when MOI gets bigger, true shot control gets smaller.

That there is always a trade off, to some degree and there is no free lunch and no having it all. Sometimes it can just be the shaft that does that too..Too stiff, might tighten dispersion but softer shaft seems to offer more versatility. Again, trade offs.

[mahonie]

To me "forgiveness" = harder to control the ball flight and spin correctly and numb feedback and feel.

 

Yeah agree. The RAC's do offer plenty of feed back. They do not lack there. My own truth is that when MOI gets bigger, true shot control gets smaller.

That there is always a trade off, to some degree and there is no free lunch and no having it all. Sometimes it can just be the shaft that does that too..Too stiff, might tighten dispersion but softer shaft seems to offer more versatility. Again, trade offs.

 

I agree with your view on shafts...I like softer shafts in my wedges as I get a sense of more 'feel.'

[Nard_S]

To me "forgiveness" = harder to control the ball flight and spin correctly and numb feedback and feel.

 

Yeah agree. The RAC's do offer plenty of feed back. They do not lack there. My own truth is that when MOI gets bigger, true shot control gets smaller.

That there is always a trade off, to some degree and there is no free lunch and no having it all. Sometimes it can just be the shaft that does that too..Too stiff, might tighten dispersion but softer shaft seems to offer more versatility. Again, trade offs.

 

I agree with your view on shafts...I like softer shafts in my wedges as I get a sense of more 'feel.'

 

Funny what has stopped me from pulling the trigger on new wedges is shaft choice. Some like stiffer/heavier, some like softer. I would need to experiment to find out.

 

For irons, part of the reason I stick with Hogans is the shaft. Apex #4 is softer than DG S300 The in between shots (longer and shorter) are easier. When I have my "A" swing S300 are just as versatile and they are my preferred. But "B" swing which is too often what I show up on the course with likes the Apex better :)

[mahonie]

To me "forgiveness" = harder to control the ball flight and spin correctly and numb feedback and feel.

 

Yeah agree. The RAC's do offer plenty of feed back. They do not lack there. My own truth is that when MOI gets bigger, true shot control gets smaller.

That there is always a trade off, to some degree and there is no free lunch and no having it all. Sometimes it can just be the shaft that does that too..Too stiff, might tighten dispersion but softer shaft seems to offer more versatility. Again, trade offs.

 

I agree with your view on shafts...I like softer shafts in my wedges as I get a sense of more 'feel.'

 

Funny what has stopped me from pulling the trigger on new wedges is shaft choice. Some like stiffer/heavier, some like softer. I would need to experiment to find out.

 

For irons, part of the reason I stick with Hogans is the shaft. Apex #4 is softer than DG S300 The in between shots (longer and shorter) are easier. When I have my "A" swing S300 are just as versatile and they are my preferred. But "B" swing which is too often what I show up on the course with likes the Apex better :)

 

I've played exclusively with S300s for 6-7 years and they have suited me well but I have been contemplating going to something lighter as I get older and less flexible. Funnily enough a guy I played with last week for the first time in 4 years asked why I played with a stiff shaft with such a slow swing these days lol! I played with Rifle Flighted 5.5s before the S300s and remember them being somewhat 'smoother' although I struggled to keep the flight down.

[Nard_S]

Been using Rifles / Brunswicks for 20 years and my swing is tailored to them Oddly when I hit S300 poorly, I balloon the shot but if I work with them for a bit and flatten out my angle of attack, I get the late apex trajectory they are known for. Brunswicks tend to mitigate my faulty approach a bit more. I am interested in testing out Nippons to see if I can make out any better.

[mahonie]

Been using Rifles / Brunswicks for 20 years and my swing is tailored to them Oddly when I hit S300 poorly, I balloon the shot but if I work with them for a bit and flatten out my angle of attack, I get the late apex trajectory they are known for. Brunswicks tend to mitigate my faulty approach a bit more. I am interested in testing out Nippons to see if I can make out any better.

 

Interesting, I was all for having my MP4s re-shafted with either a Nippon or Shimada shaft around the 95-105g range back in October. Unfortunately my clubfitter had some family issues and our session got cancelled. In the interim I started playing much better and put the shaft change to the back of my mind. If my game goes south again, I will reinstigate the shaft change...I am finding that I have to work quite hard to get everything I need out of the S300s now. Similarly, poor shots tend to balloon and lose distance.

[Nard_S]

Been using Rifles / Brunswicks for 20 years and my swing is tailored to them Oddly when I hit S300 poorly, I balloon the shot but if I work with them for a bit and flatten out my angle of attack, I get the late apex trajectory they are known for. Brunswicks tend to mitigate my faulty approach a bit more. I am interested in testing out Nippons to see if I can make out any better.

 

Interesting, I was all for having my MP4s re-shafted with either a Nippon or Shimada shaft around the 95-105g range back in October. Unfortunately my clubfitter had some family issues and our session got cancelled. In the interim I started playing much better and put the shaft change to the back of my mind. If my game goes south again, I will reinstigate the shaft change...I am finding that I have to work quite hard to get everything I need out of the S300s now. Similarly, poor shots tend to balloon and lose distance.

 

Dynamic Gold's are the Chevy V8's of shafts. but they require the finesse of a NASCAR mechanic to get in top tune.

[Sir Slicealot]

Hello All,

I played 54 this weekend and had a blast! I have learned that golf is not about numbers, but good decisions. I work on clubs to make them a good decision​ to hit them. I had about 7 out of 18 holes where I made the best decisions for my ability. I almost ended up with a par today on a tough course hard fought. Blew the putt and ended up with a bogey. I got my drives scaled down and controllable. Sometimes that entailed rolling the ball across the green at 130 mph but if it's in bounds...it's great! I can make plays off the second and third shots and end up for bogey with some reliability. There is a strong push to get off the MP-4'S, but I'm not going anywhere. I may, however, begin to drink a little before my rounds because it really helps my ball go straight. Something is wrong with the main control circuit with this golfer. All in all I am really excited to be playing with 14 clubs and hitting a small ball over a big green plain. You can't have as much fun as I can!

[Bigmean]

I have x100s in my wedges anD I kinda prefer them for wedges since weight is more control in tempo and I feel like stiffer is straighter and I used to be the guy plowing a 60 degree 110, and these days while I feel good about a nice swing with a 56 to 105, I prefer to never swing more than what feels like 70% with wedges in almost a controlled swing.

 

No catchy, from the Miura I have hit (501, mb001, onoff 248 splitbacks etc) the BBs have less thwack and more firm soft. All of them have a very small sweetspot and even shots with the bb that go the right distance can let you know you didn't quite get it with that firmness. If you ever get a chance o hit the Giken y grind type F or D, I think those compare to the Bb's so hit them if they show up in a shop.

 

 

[Oldplayer]

So I spent a couple of hours in the golf shop trying out clubs. Had a good hit of Miura MB5003 (DGX100) irons against MP-4s (Modus 120X), as well as Titleist 716s (DGX100), MP-68s (DGS200), and MP-33s (Modus 120X). The 716s were pretty nice, but priced higher than I was willing to go, so I soon put them back. The MP-68s did not feel as satisfying as the MP-4s, so I counted them out early on. The 33s were like a less refined version of the MP-4s, plus the short irons have a bit too much offset so I counted them out. Actually, it may be an acoustic thing, but the 33s really did feel harsher compared to the MP-4s. Nice, but not quite in harmony.

So the Miuras against the MP-4s. They are so different. Mizzens are solid but soft. I think a good strike with the MP-4s produces a satisfying "thump." The Miuras are surprisingly hard. I almost expect them to be "clicky" because they feel so hard, but they're not. A good strike gives a really satisfying feel, hard and solid. The heads are longer than the MP-4s, or at least the 9i head which I compared was. In the shop the Miuras and MP-4s are priced exactly the same.

 

Anyway, I also found a set of TM RAC forged hidden away. I am not sure if these could be classified as a blade, but what I liked about this set is that it comes with a 2i....and it's under a third the price of the MP4s and Miuras.

I am a big fan of the TM rac era. I still play the wedges. The indentations in the back of the rac blades were called "feel pockets" and I guess they were put there for forgiveness but like the mizuno t-zoid series the bar right behind the sweet spot did give the racs that solid feel at impact. Nice compact head and nice thin topline. I really feel this model/models were very worthy of being labeled high quality player irons.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I think I'd be very lucky to stumble across a set of those Given Y grinds, Biggie. They look really good, but I still need to give the BBs (or SBs I think they're called in Japan) a try. That might make me leave Mizuno for Miura.

[Nard_S]

I have x100s in my wedges anD I kinda prefer them for wedges since weight is more control in tempo and I feel like stiffer is straighter and I used to be the guy plowing a 60 degree 110, and these days while I feel good about a nice swing with a 56 to 105, I prefer to never swing more than what feels like 70% with wedges in almost a controlled swing.

 

No catchy, from the Miura I have hit (501, mb001, onoff 248 splitbacks etc) the BBs have less thwack and more firm soft. All of them have a very small sweetspot and even shots with the bb that go the right distance can let you know you didn't quite get it with that firmness. If you ever get a chance o hit the Giken y grind type F or D, I think those compare to the Bb's so hit them if they show up in a shop.

 

My favorite wedges are the Faldo grinds. The shafts are tapered S300's, swing weight is D5. It's the the heft that sells me too. I do not hit quite as hard as you but I get decent yardages out of them. Leaning to S400 in a new set. The conundrum is new forged wedges these days are sparse at retail, so I maybe forced to chance it via eBay, Best options I like are Crazy from Japan or close out on Clevelands. Both are raw.

 

Raw scares me, I like shiny chrome but some folks really love the enhanced feel.

 

Anyone use raw wedges here? If so, where do you come down.

[mahonie]

I may have to take back what I said about using softer shafts in my wedges ?. Just picked up 50/54/58* Wilson Staff PMP wedges with KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 shafts in stiff. The feel is phenomenal and dispersion on full shots is something else.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I play DGS200 in my wedges. The main reason is that it is a really common wedge shaft here, so widely available. I just got used it. I have ordered a couple of wedges in the past with X100 shafts, same as my irons, but I found that I didn't like them, particularly for 50-75% shots. I think it was because I couldn't feel any flex in the shaft, or the shaft loading.

[Kingcat990]

I play DGS200 in my wedges. The main reason is that it is a really common wedge shaft here, so widely available. I just got used it. I have ordered a couple of wedges in the past with X100 shafts, same as my irons, but I found that I didn't like them, particularly for 50-75% shots. I think it was because I couldn't feel any flex in the shaft, or the shaft loading.

 

I tried that as well and came to the same conclusion. The ½ and ¾ shots were just dead and skully.

[justasgood]

Heads up folks, I am clearing out my collection. Many sets up on da bay. I have modern Apex MB, VrPro, Nike forged originsl blades, MB2 by Adams and classic (Hogan Medallion and 1960 powerthrust) W/S.

 

Would love to see them stay in the community.

[kaaayelll]

They came. They are magnificent. Surgical. Everything I wanted in appearance. I'll report back soon enough.

 

 

 

 

 

Need address pics, N...of a few clubs please!! They look great, buddy! Congrats!

[MillerLowLife]

Golf is a crazy game. I don't know what it is but for me among my friends, we have a saying. "2nd Team All-American". Usually once or twice a round I or one of them might tee up a ball and hit one OB. In comes the re-tee that is the perfect striped ball where you originally planned on doing first. The 2nd one always feels like you're on the range, relaxed, and perfect execution. Right now I'm trying to get rid of all double bogeys off my card as I usually have at least 1 a side. I want to have that warmed up, even tempo, relaxed feeling on all shots in a round. But I always have that stretch of 2-3 holes where I wonder what I'm doing.

 

It's frustrating as 2-3 holes in my round can blow up my score by 8 strokes. Sunday was a tease for me as I opened up with a birdie on the first hole par 5. Usually takes a few holes in the morning to warm up with my driver but everything is starting to come together for my game and I know a 72 round is lurking this year. 2nd hole par 4 I walk over to the right side of the tee box and aim left for my fade again with driver. Except this time it doesnt work 10-20 yards right and end up with an unplayable lie under a tree/bush. Ended with a triple bogey on that hole after starting birdie!! What a game.

 

Can't wait to get out on the course again. Having blades in the bag really gives me confidence in my game and I can't imagine playing with anything else. I should really practice my short game chipping as it's causing what should be reasonable easy birdie looks to turn into 2 putt pars.

[kadillackountry]

Golf is a crazy game. I don't know what it is but for me among my friends, we have a saying. "2nd Team All-American". Usually once or twice a round I or one of them might tee up a ball and hit one OB. In comes the re-tee that is the perfect striped ball where you originally planned on doing first. The 2nd one always feels like you're on the range, relaxed, and perfect execution. Right now I'm trying to get rid of all double bogeys off my card as I usually have at least 1 a side. I want to have that warmed up, even tempo, relaxed feeling on all shots in a round. But I always have that stretch of 2-3 holes where I wonder what I'm doing.

 

It's frustrating as 2-3 holes in my round can blow up my score by 8 strokes. Sunday was a tease for me as I opened up with a birdie on the first hole par 5. Usually takes a few holes in the morning to warm up with my driver but everything is starting to come together for my game and I know a 72 round is lurking this year. 2nd hole par 4 I walk over to the right side of the tee box and aim left for my fade again with driver. Except this time it doesnt work 10-20 yards right and end up with an unplayable lie under a tree/bush. Ended with a triple bogey on that hole after starting birdie!! What a game.

 

Can't wait to get out on the course again. Having blades in the bag really gives me confidence in my game and I can't imagine playing with anything else. I should really practice my short game chipping as it's causing what should be reasonable easy birdie looks to turn into 2 putt pars.

We say the same thing!! Well, B-team All American, so close enough.

[kadillackountry]

So I got railroaded on Saturday. Actually thought I played to my plan. I was giving up 7 shots on the match, and it just seemed like every pop he got on me was a par for him, net birdie.

 

First three holes of the match he went Par, Birdie, Par. Two pars were pops. I was down 3 thru three holes, and had only bogeyed the par 5 1st (hit a bad chip when I probably should have just cozeyed up a putt from the front fringe). It was a battle from there until the 13th. I knocked my chip to 6 inches for a tap in Par. He then dropped a 20-25 ft downhill bender for Par with a pop on top of my par already in the hole to get me to 5 down with 5 to play. I went on to make easy pars on 14, 15, and 16 to bring the match to 17. 17 is a 240 yard par 3. Beast of a hole. I put my 3 iron into the collection bunker about 30 yards short (right on line with the flag, just caught the top edge). Hit my bunker shot to 20 ft and missed the put 1/4in on the high side because I had too much pace on the ball. Knowing I couldn't afford to leave the putt short. He ended up bogeying the hole to have it and I lost 2 and 1.

 

Tough to beat a guy giving 7 pops when he shoots 4 shots below his handicap.

 

It was fun day. And given that it was my wedding day and the now wife gave me the pass to play in the match play, it was all and all a great day. Would have loved to be in the winners bracket. Oh well, at least I still get to play round 2 in the consolation bracket in two weeks.

 

My mp4's are sooooo money. They are great!!

[Palauan Hammer]

Posted in the thread here a looooong while back. I'm a lurker here lol, I've finally been able to get out and start playing golf again. During my break I decided to upgrade my irons. Previously I was using TM 2009 TP's (players cavity) with DGS300's, they were good for what they were. However it them really really high, and with lots of draw. I now have a set of Titleist 714 Mb's which I ordered back in Feb. 2014. I got them @standard length, 1* upright, with Nippon Modus 130X's on them. I have about 19 rounds with them and I will never change. The combo of the heads and shafts are perfect for me. I can actually shape and flight the ball now, and these shafts are great. I've had a few rounds with 16 GIR's, and interestingly I hit these clubs extremely straight. Even when I miss it a little it still flies basically on line with not much distance loss. By far my favorite club is the 3 iron, I use it off the tee a lot, and it feels great. Lastly I'd say the sound and feel of a flushed iron shot with these are amazing, and addicting. I haven't hit many blade/mb's in my life. The only other MB I've hit was a Nike Vr Pro at a demo day, that club felt softer to me, however I don't mind the firmer feel of the Titleist.

 

Some other sets on my wish list to own someday are the Mizuno 68's, Staff 59's or 62's, and of course Miura MB001's. I'm a lefty, hence the selection is limited.

[MillerLowLife]

Posted in the thread here a looooong while back. I'm a lurker here lol, I've finally been able to get out and start playing golf again. During my break I decided to upgrade my irons. Previously I was using TM 2009 TP's (players cavity) with DGS300's, they were good for what they were. However it them really really high, and with lots of draw. I now have a set of Titleist 714 Mb's which I ordered back in Feb. 2014. I got them @standard length, 1* upright, with Nippon Modus 130X's on them. I have about 19 rounds with them and I will never change. The combo of the heads and shafts are perfect for me. I can actually shape and flight the ball now, and these shafts are great. I've had a few rounds with 16 GIR's, and interestingly I hit these clubs extremely straight. Even when I miss it a little it still flies basically on line with not much distance loss. By far my favorite club is the 3 iron, I use it off the tee a lot, and it feels great. Lastly I'd say the sound and feel of a flushed iron shot with these are amazing, and addicting. I haven't hit many blade/mb's in my life. The only other MB I've hit was a Nike Vr Pro at a demo day, that club felt softer to me, however I don't mind the firmer feel of the Titleist.

 

Some other sets on my wish list to own someday are the Mizuno 68's, Staff 59's or 62's, and of course Miura MB001's. I'm a lefty, hence the selection is limited.

 

It's a great change isn't it? I did the exact same thing a month ago of moving from s300 to 130x in my 2014 TM MB's and I don't think I can play another shaft again in irons.

 

And since I'm not a lefty I'd have to add the brand new Kyoei MB's that were just realeased to a wish list.