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

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

2017 iron ho'ing underway....

I made a rather unexpected change of direction in what I was going after, but still something for this thread. Actually, a set from a brand that's hard to find here.

[Kingcat990]

2017 iron ho'ing underway....

I made a rather unexpected change of direction in what I was going after, but still something for this thread. Actually, a set from a brand that's hard to find here.

 

Pins and needles here

[bobbyclampett!!]

You guys, I am loving this ISI talk.

 

Quick background: my first set of clubs ever (other than using my mom's walmart clubs (or probably Pamida, if anyone knows what that is...), when I was 13 or so, was a set of Calcuttas, which were like a Golfsmith magazine, build your own knock-off of the Ping Zing 2s. I loved those things. Learned how to play golf with them. Then, of course, when I got better and made the golf team around 16 years old, I had to get a "real set", and somehow picked out the Tommy Armour 855s Silver Scots (I have no idea what drew me to them, maybe because no one else was playing them (the seedlings of a blade user?). Played those for a couple years, until I thought I was REALLY good, and bought our pro's used set of Mizuno MP-29s (which had played at a US Open at Pebble). Had those through college and through my not playing very much period. In fact, (and this is where the ISI comes back into play), at one point I actually left my MP 29s at a friend's house and didn't have clubs for like a year. I wanted to meet up with my old golf coach from high school one day, and I had to shamefully admit that I didn't have a set of clubs, so could he please bring me one? Well he brought a set of Nickel ISIs and all I remember was thinking "This is like cheating. Just point and shoot and the club does everything for you." I had those for a couple years during which I wasn't very serious. Then of course I got back into the game and wanted "better" sticks (or actually just my own set again, lol), started spending a lot of time on this forum, and fell in love with blades all over again, and particularly my Cobra ACPs and Fly Z Pros. My best friend, who is also about a 2 handicap, has always played Ping i3 irons (and now i25s, although I think he likes the i3s better) and he laughs at me, thinking I am handicapping myself by playing blades as opposed to what he's got. I think he's wrong, and think probably the clubs you play doesn't make a huge difference, but I love the look of the blade and the feel of a blade and the workability of a blade, and it makes the game more fun, so that's what I've got.

 

But still, it's funny to hear that other blade lovers have a weird thing for the ISI. I wonder what it is about them, as the really are about as opposite a blade as it gets. I would actually like to try those out again, and see what I think now, after having put all this work into the game. It really did seem easy to hit those thing at the target, especially the 8-pw. Can't remember what the contact felt like, although I think pretty soft, on account of the nickel, or what the ball flight was like (probably not real penetrating, but at the flag I tell you). I would love to try them out again. I remember them (and the Calcuttas) quite fondly.

[bobbyclampett!!]

Oh, also wanted to say I loved Sir Slice's post about his day off the boat. How cool is it that we have a US Merchant Marine, posting from the high seas, dreaming about golf and putting and chipping on a rocking ship, who sometimes fails to break 100, but who also sometimes succeeds in roping a 1 iron off the rain-soaked deck out of the middle of his blade, and finding nothing but pure joy throughout it all? I love it.

[Kathy Marie]

+1,

 

Thank You Sir Slicealot!

 

 

Really enjoyed seeing Green Grass, it's a long time till Spring up here...

 

 

:wave:

 

 

Kathy

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

2017 iron ho'ing underway....

I made a rather unexpected change of direction in what I was going after, but still something for this thread. Actually, a set from a brand that's hard to find here.

 

Pins and needles here

 

Well, let's just say that the irons come from a US manufacturer that is no longer around (as far as I know), but had a lot of success in the Seventies and Eighties, including major victories, and there is one frequent poster on this thread who is a big fan.

I'm not sure if I've got a good model of their clubs, but the price was decent and they appear to be in reasonable quality.

[bladehunter]

Ram!!

[Kingcat990]

I wanna say MacGregor....VIP's...maybe

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Went to the range today for the first hit of the New Year. Took my regular MP-4s and the Mac VIP 9i and Mac MT 8i and 10i to play around with.

First, my swing is back. Last year I had problems with a terrible snap hook, and I tried all sorts of things to figure it out. Finally started to work it out around October/November (didn't play in December). To put it simply, my efforts to create a steeper takeaway were having the opposite effects and leading to all sorts of problems. I stopped trying to pick the club up too much and instead went back to making a nice big shoulder turn, and lo and behold, my old swing speed is back and my snap hook has now become a lovely little draw. Still can't hit a fade, but hey, baby steps, right?

 

Anyway, the beat-up Mac MTs are so much fun to hit. I haven't got the rest of the set shafted up yet, just the 8i, 9i, & 10i, but I really should get the others done. They are so rewarding when hit right. Crisper and crunchier than the Mizunos, but very satisfying in their own way. Also, at 49* or 50* (I forget which) the 10i is a proper pitching wedge; it was great fun hitting full, 3/4, and 1/2 shots all over the range at different targets, and with its sharper leading edge and pointed toe it sets up nicely for chipping.

 

The Mac VIP 9i was also a revelation with my swing back to order. I was a bit disappointed after I spent so much getting them shafted up with ProjectXs and expensive new grips as I decided I didn't like the offset. However, I got the lofts weakened--probably back to what they originally were--and that alleviated the offset somewhat. I'm still not sure about the ProjectX shafts, but they make a change from the DGs I usually use. Anyway, the 9i is deadly accurate, and very soft. I think the set I bought was a Japan reissue from the Eighties, so I am trying to convince myself that they are Endo or Kyoei forged.

I got the VIPs done in August or September of last year, but have yet to take them out for a round. They are now at the top of the list for my first round of the year, whenever that is. Now's the time to practise with them and get comfortable with their distances, which loft-for-loft appear to be a bit shorter than the MP-4s.

[NRJyzr]

Ram!!

 

 

We can hope

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Point to Bladehunter! I have the VIPs already (coincidentally mentioned in the post right after yours, Kingcat).

 

Golden Ram Vibration Matched Pro Tour Camber Sole.

 

To be honest, I don't know if that's a good purchase or not, but like I said, the price was reasonable. There seems to be a difference about being Frequency Matched and Vibration Matched, but I'm not sure of the distinction. Also, as I am buying these in Japan, it's possible they are a later issue for the Japanese market.

[Kingcat990]

Point to Bladehunter! I have the VIPs already (coincidentally mentioned in the post right after yours, Kingcat).

 

 

 

 

[bladehunter]

LOL it was a pure guess.. But the giveaway was something like this " they are loved by at least one member here" ( paraphrasing) ..lol I Knew that had to be Ram and NRJyzr....lol

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Point to Bladehunter! I have the VIPs already (coincidentally mentioned in the post right after yours, Kingcat).

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, yours was a good guess, considering I have been on a Macgregor buying frenzy recently.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

LOL it was a pure guess.. But the giveaway was something like this " they are loved by at least one member here" ( paraphrasing) ..lol I Knew that had to be Ram and NRJyzr....lol

 

When I searched online for more info on the clubs, most (perhaps "all") the useful information I found on them came from NRJyzr's posts on various GolfWRX threads.

[bladehunter]

oh i agree... i didnt mean my post as a jab at the Ram-master... more of a compliment that i pay attention ( i have a short attention span) to his posts and to his knowledge .

[bobbyclampett!!]

 

When I searched online for more info on the clubs, most (perhaps "all") the useful information I found on them came from NRJyzr's posts on various GolfWRX threads.

 

Now that is wild. We've taken over the internets...

 

Just got off the phone with my high school golf coach (who just turned 70 and winters in Tucson, where it was 70 degrees with no wind today, while Cheyenne, Wyoming was a white-out, sub-zero blizzard. I don't understand how both of these places are on the same continent, let alone the same half of the same country). Anyway, he says he still has the nickel ISIs in his basement, and he will let me use them as long as I want (he has fully committed to the Adams hybrid-type set up with the light graphite shafts, and he kicks my a** by the way (from the senior tees). And he believes there is a 2 iron. A 2 iron! Be still my beating heart. I don't care what anyone says, I am trying those out this summer. What if I end up with them in the bag? Naaahhh....

[Kingcat990]

Has anyone ever heard of a golf company by the name of Mixson Golf??

 

http://www.mixsongolf.com/

 

 

 

I'm appalled :cheesy:

[Mitchell]

Apologies for being negligent in keeping you guys apprised of the search for a bladed suitable playing replacement for my long-tenured 962b irons. That being stated, as a result of my friendship with a frequent poster here in this thread and a solid exchange of some unique resources, the highly favored and esteemed 962b set has been put out to stud for a great set of forgings that are from the earlier Hoffman branch of the bloodline. Hopefully, in near future, a custom set of forgings with the triple grind sole chromosome will make its appearance. Stay tuned ?

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

oh i agree... i didnt mean my post as a jab at the Ram-master... more of a compliment that i pay attention ( i have a short attention span) to his posts and to his knowledge .

 

Totally. My mention of "loved by a frequent poster on this thread" was also a compliment to The Ram-master (The Rammer? Perhaps not...). If it hadn't been for NRJyzr, I would have skipped over the listing for these RAMs.

Which means he will have to take full responsibility if I don't like them... :taunt:

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Has anyone ever heard of a golf company by the name of Mixson Golf??

 

http://www.mixsongolf.com/

 

 

 

I'm appalled :cheesy:

 

Ah, a commercial from the now almost defunct "Shout a lot at the Camera" school of advertising.

 

The M2 irons are nice to look at, but I can't help think I've seen that head before...

 

The same goes for the M16 Tournament Blade, but I have to be honest: the lack of any design on the back is actually pretty cool.

 

Did you notice that the 2015 Limited Edition iron set (2,100USD!) not only includes a 1 and 2 iron, but is also a reverse muscle? That's...unusual.

[Mitchell]

In related news...the Founders Club 200 series 2 iron, also known as the stingerator, has reclaimed its rightful place in the bag for windy conditions. Still find it amusing that when doing a search of Google Images for Founders Club 200 series blades- the stingerator appears as a result of posted image here a few years ago?

[bladehunter]

In related news...the Founders Club 200 series 2 iron, also known as the stingerator, has reclaimed its rightful place in the bag for windy conditions. Still find it amusing that when doing a search of Google Images for Founders Club 200 series blades- the stingerator appears as a result of posted image here a few years ago

 

 

 

it has to be your great Photography skills! the 962B set is 1st up as well when you serch i believe.... Its what is refered to as being "your basic famous".... lol

[Sir Slicealot]

Oh, also wanted to say I loved Sir Slice's post about his day off the boat. How cool is it that we have a US Merchant Marine, posting from the high seas, dreaming about golf and putting and chipping on a rocking ship, who sometimes fails to break 100, but who also sometimes succeeds in roping a 1 iron off the rain-soaked deck out of the middle of his blade, and finding nothing but pure joy throughout it all? I love it.

To be honest, I have yet to break 100. 108 is my best round so far. It's mostly due to lack of steady practice and an attitude of "Wouldn't it be awesome to try it this way!?!" decision making rationale.

 

I have the whole ship excited about my golf and even people who don't play were asking about my adventures and living vicariously hanging on every word. As far as having fun, nobody can beat me there. I have some of the most amazing clubs ever made and I have an amazing ability with them that sadly appears on a limited basis at this time.

 

The one iron requires confidence and swing speed. I think that's about it. I think it's super forgiving if you can swing hard enough to make it work. I look at the ball, laugh out loud, try to burn through it with my eyes and then swing clear out of my shoes! When it all goes right, it sounds like an egg got smashed by a Mack truck and this streak just goes and goes. Who doesn't love that? When it goes wrong...it's not as terrible as the pitching wedge.

 

Thanks for the kind words!

[Sir Slicealot]

+1,

 

Thank You Sir Slicealot!

 

 

Really enjoyed seeing Green Grass, it's a long time till Spring up here...

 

 

:wave:

 

 

Kathy

Kathy,

About the grass, it was deceptively green. There were a lot of clumps of clippings that had been washed around by what must have been a torrent a few days prior. However, I was grateful to be out in the 66 degree sunshine.

 

Speaking of deceptive I forgot about an amazing shot that I made with a seven iron from trouble. It launched beautifully from about 150 out from a gap in the trees on the right, but I lost it in the air and did not see it land. Upon a further scan I saw a ball left of the pin by about 6 feet. I'll admit to walking up with reservations about to whom it actually belonged(it was indeed mine) and to subsequently two putting it. :cheesy:

I laugh at most all of my bad shots. On one occasion, I drove the ball into the water which I subsequently discovered was casual and all I could say was WOW and chuckle as a giant splash came up from over a rise where I clearly did not expect a hazard. No need to get upset. It's a great game and it made me forget I was even on a ship for a few hours, which is priceless. I was chatting with a fellow blade player (who had MP-69's) and I was telling him how I got my MP-4's for a song down in Virginia Beach when I realized I was actually quite a long way away from there and it all came rushing back to me.

[Oldplayer]

You guys, I am loving this ISI talk.

 

Quick background: my first set of clubs ever (other than using my mom's walmart clubs (or probably Pamida, if anyone knows what that is...), when I was 13 or so, was a set of Calcuttas, which were like a Golfsmith magazine, build your own knock-off of the Ping Zing 2s. I loved those things. Learned how to play golf with them. Then, of course, when I got better and made the golf team around 16 years old, I had to get a "real set", and somehow picked out the Tommy Armour 855s Silver Scots (I have no idea what drew me to them, maybe because no one else was playing them (the seedlings of a blade user?). Played those for a couple years, until I thought I was REALLY good, and bought our pro's used set of Mizuno MP-29s (which had played at a US Open at Pebble). Had those through college and through my not playing very much period. In fact, (and this is where the ISI comes back into play), at one point I actually left my MP 29s at a friend's house and didn't have clubs for like a year. I wanted to meet up with my old golf coach from high school one day, and I had to shamefully admit that I didn't have a set of clubs, so could he please bring me one? Well he brought a set of Nickel ISIs and all I remember was thinking "This is like cheating. Just point and shoot and the club does everything for you." I had those for a couple years during which I wasn't very serious. Then of course I got back into the game and wanted "better" sticks (or actually just my own set again, lol), started spending a lot of time on this forum, and fell in love with blades all over again, and particularly my Cobra ACPs and Fly Z Pros. My best friend, who is also about a 2 handicap, has always played Ping i3 irons (and now i25s, although I think he likes the i3s better) and he laughs at me, thinking I am handicapping myself by playing blades as opposed to what he's got. I think he's wrong, and think probably the clubs you play doesn't make a huge difference, but I love the look of the blade and the feel of a blade and the workability of a blade, and it makes the game more fun, so that's what I've got.

 

But still, it's funny to hear that other blade lovers have a weird thing for the ISI. I wonder what it is about them, as the really are about as opposite a blade as it gets. I would actually like to try those out again, and see what I think now, after having put all this work into the game. It really did seem easy to hit those thing at the target, especially the 8-pw. Can't remember what the contact felt like, although I think pretty soft, on account of the nickel, or what the ball flight was like (probably not real penetrating, but at the flag I tell you). I would love to try them out again. I remember them (and the Calcuttas) quite fondly.

Perhaps not so weird when as a GI iron they have a very thin topline and sole and are very low bounce in comparison with newer shovels.

[Blade Junkie]

Has anyone ever heard of a golf company by the name of Mixson Golf??

 

http://www.mixsongolf.com/

 

 

 

I'm appalled :cheesy:

 

 

Marketing genius .. apparently his sales are up 340% since he did that 41 second video LOL.

 

I'd buy a set of blades off him - probably not the Mixson ones mind you ... I prefer my head to be shiny :)

[John L.]

You guys, I am loving this ISI talk.

 

Quick background: my first set of clubs ever (other than using my mom's walmart clubs (or probably Pamida, if anyone knows what that is...), when I was 13 or so, was a set of Calcuttas, which were like a Golfsmith magazine, build your own knock-off of the Ping Zing 2s. I loved those things. Learned how to play golf with them. Then, of course, when I got better and made the golf team around 16 years old, I had to get a "real set", and somehow picked out the Tommy Armour 855s Silver Scots (I have no idea what drew me to them, maybe because no one else was playing them (the seedlings of a blade user?). Played those for a couple years, until I thought I was REALLY good, and bought our pro's used set of Mizuno MP-29s (which had played at a US Open at Pebble). Had those through college and through my not playing very much period. In fact, (and this is where the ISI comes back into play), at one point I actually left my MP 29s at a friend's house and didn't have clubs for like a year. I wanted to meet up with my old golf coach from high school one day, and I had to shamefully admit that I didn't have a set of clubs, so could he please bring me one? Well he brought a set of Nickel ISIs and all I remember was thinking "This is like cheating. Just point and shoot and the club does everything for you." I had those for a couple years during which I wasn't very serious. Then of course I got back into the game and wanted "better" sticks (or actually just my own set again, lol), started spending a lot of time on this forum, and fell in love with blades all over again, and particularly my Cobra ACPs and Fly Z Pros. My best friend, who is also about a 2 handicap, has always played Ping i3 irons (and now i25s, although I think he likes the i3s better) and he laughs at me, thinking I am handicapping myself by playing blades as opposed to what he's got. I think he's wrong, and think probably the clubs you play doesn't make a huge difference, but I love the look of the blade and the feel of a blade and the workability of a blade, and it makes the game more fun, so that's what I've got.

 

But still, it's funny to hear that other blade lovers have a weird thing for the ISI. I wonder what it is about them, as the really are about as opposite a blade as it gets. I would actually like to try those out again, and see what I think now, after having put all this work into the game. It really did seem easy to hit those thing at the target, especially the 8-pw. Can't remember what the contact felt like, although I think pretty soft, on account of the nickel, or what the ball flight was like (probably not real penetrating, but at the flag I tell you). I would love to try them out again. I remember them (and the Calcuttas) quite fondly.

 

 

I switched back and forth between the M85's in my avatar, and Ping Zings every winter. I can go both ways playing a MB or GI club. When I put the Zings in the bag at the beginning of the colder months, it was like.........."Look at me Ma....No hands!"

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I've been tempted to try the GI route for winter, but where I play I think having slightly softer shafts is enough. Back in Britain, I think wider soled irons would be useful on the wet, muddy fairways that I recall playing on on as a kid in the colder months (which covered most of the year....).

[NRJyzr]

oh i agree... i didnt mean my post as a jab at the Ram-master... more of a compliment that i pay attention ( i have a short attention span) to his posts and to his knowledge .

 

Totally. My mention of "loved by a frequent poster on this thread" was also a compliment to The Ram-master (The Rammer? Perhaps not...). If it hadn't been for NRJyzr, I would have skipped over the listing for these RAMs.

Which means he will have to take full responsibility if I don't like them... :taunt:

 

 

It's funny how I'm getting my ID in bold font in this discussion. LOL

 

Pro Tour Camber Sole are a subset of the various Golden Rams. I first saw mention of them related to either the 80-82 Tour Grinds, or the 83-86 Vibration Matched, but had seen a set of Frequency Matched Camber Soles out on fleabay. Catchy, are those the ones you acquired, or did you run across a set in a shop?

 

The Camber Soles are essentially a specialty grind, or a limited edition, as it were. Not unlike the TW276 or TW282 in that regard. Fairly self explanatory, they'll probably have some camber in the grind, not sure if it will be a four way, just heel to toe, or just front to back. In any event, a worthy choice.

 

The differences between the various iterations of the Ram Tour Grinds, 80-82 / 83-86 Vibration Matched / 87-92 Frequency Matched / FX Forged / TG-898 are subtle. And, because Ram operated a fairly active custom shop, there's a lot of what you might call cross pollination. The Maltby Club ID Guide descriptions says each is very similar to the previous model head shape, with the soles perhaps getting a bit less flat with each generation.

 

The variable is that custom shop I mentioned. My first set of Rams were Frequency Matched (I'd traded them long ago), and I still own a set of Vibration Matched. The VMs have more heel-toe camber than the FMs did, in some cases very slight, in some cases, quite a bit. It's been quite a few years since I've looked at them, but I remember the camber becoming a bit more pronounced as you moved to the shorter clubs.

 

The Rams will be firmer feeling than the Mizunos you've been hitting. And probably even the MacGregors, as well. On the Feel Scale, they're somewhere between Hogan Apex and MacGregor/Wilson Staff.

 

Hope you enjoy them. :)