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

[Christen_The_Sloop]

While they are at it they can stamp 3 on the 4, 4 on the 5 up to PW on the GW. 

[Jonesy]

20 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

I might try the ruler. To be honest, it started due to other flaws, which I'm ironing out and getting back to better ball-striking. A big key was shoulder turn; I'm doing something like C_T_S mentioned in the post above, which is focussing on the shoulder turn. I just have to make sure the turn is on the right plane.

 

The problem with the putting the other day was more to do with misreading the putts than poor stroke. I only missed one putt because of a bad stroke, when I pulled the ball left. That said, I struggled over the first three or four holes getting adjusted to the speed of the greens. I three-putted the first from 15ft for that reason. Otherwise I was usually underestimating the break. The greens were relaid last year with a new grass, and I am wondering if that was part of the problem. Anyhow, I hit a number of putts that I thought were just right, only to see them turn more than I had estimated.

 

I hear you on the reading of putts, something I do need to practice. It's frustrating when you hit what you think is a good putt and the ball goes sailing past... 

TXG actually had a video up on alignment for reading putts, it's worth the watch, I figured out that I was seeing everything about a ball left of where it should be which explained why I was missing left the whole time. Fun game this ?

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

2 hours ago, Jonesy said:

 

I hear you on the reading of putts, something I do need to practice. It's frustrating when you hit what you think is a good putt and the ball goes sailing past... 

TXG actually had a video up on alignment for reading putts, it's worth the watch, I figured out that I was seeing everything about a ball left of where it should be which explained why I was missing left the whole time. Fun game this ?

 

I need to find that video. I found putting the ball further forward in my stance helped me align the putt on the line I wanted to hit it, but didn't help me hit the ball on the line I saw...

I've been seriously considering a putting fitting, because I give away too many shots on the greens. 

[Jonesy]

40 minutes ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

I need to find that video. I found putting the ball further forward in my stance helped me align the putt on the line I wanted to hit it, but didn't help me hit the ball on the line I saw...

I've been seriously considering a putting fitting, because I give away too many shots on the greens. 

 

I think it was their putting fundamentals video, posted about 5 months ago. I've also moved the ball position up which has definitely helped me, problem is it can sneak forward and then I end up catching it thin on the putter which I did this past weekend much to my playing partners amusement. 

 

I'd love to do a proper putter fitting, the best I've got here is taking a few putters on to the putting green to hit a few putts...

[Nard_S]

In putting, ball position obviously matters. Where my putting goes wrong is my head position over putt line. Eyeballs over putt line & posture count. If my reads, keep ending up left or right of target, sure as poo poo, setup is off.

[mahonie]

Try and find a video of Seve putting. I was struggling a while ago and just came upon a Seve video. Just watching him putt seemed to fix my problems. Nothing technical, standing over a putt I just go for the thought of ‘Putt like Seve’ and I seem to relax and get a feel for the putt. I’m averaging around 31 putts per round over the last 12 months so it seems to be working.

 

My big issue is standing on the tee and driving like Seve!! Can’t get the thought out of my tiny mind ha ha.

[Christen_The_Sloop]

7 hours ago, Nard_S said:

In putting, ball position obviously matters. Where my putting goes wrong is my head position over putt line. Eyeballs over putt line & posture count. If my reads, keep ending up left or right of target, sure as poo poo, setup is off.

 

The old stand over the ball and drop a ball from directly under your eye trick has helped me a lot. If the ball is directly under my eye or slightly outside that line I'm good. When the ball is inside my eye line I start to have problems.

 

Another is shoulder alignment. Shoulders can get too open causing the out to in stroke. Got to remember to push my right shoulder slightly back at address.

 

Keeping the right wrist bowed slightly and holding that position all the way. Some guys (DeShampoo) have the long putter locked against there forearm.

 

Also,  changing tension in hands and forearms kills feel. So holding the putter in the air and maintaining a consistent (preferably light) tension throughout the stroke is another.

 

It's a pretty simple process, rolling that rock, isn't it?

 

I haven't 'changed' putters in 20 years. I've picked up a few the last few years just because, but the Rossie White Hot is holding it's place. It rolls the ball online better than anything else and I can stand the look of it.

[Nard_S]

16 hours ago, Christen_The_Sloop said:

 

It's a pretty simple process, rolling that rock, isn't it?

 

 

Big help in making it a simple action. I use a lot more shoulder rock, more lead hand control these days. Short game is more about distance control than anything else. Have days where the art of read is well, days where it's not. I don't mind all that, but get somewhat self-peeved when posture and setup lead to push or pulls and I don't reset things right away. That's where I was for last few rounds, staring at missed putts and it was right there! "Fix the effing setup, dummy."

 

I may hit the green today to work on things, my chipping is somewhat off too. Right now, tee game is most improved aspect & need to take to take advantage of that. 

[craz-e]

Got to see the new Taylormade MB earlier, never owned or have much experience with older TM blades but lines and overall look at address look good.

[Christen_The_Sloop]

15 hours ago, Nard_S said:

 

Big help in making it a simple action. I use a lot more shoulder rock, more lead hand control these days. Short game is more about distance control than anything else. Have days where the art of read is well, days where it's not. I don't mind all that, but get somewhat self-peeved when posture and setup lead to push or pulls and I don't reset things right away. That's where I was for last few rounds, staring at missed putts and it was right there! "Fix the effing setup, dummy."

 

I may hit the green today to work on things, my chipping is somewhat off too. Right now, tee game is most improved aspect & need to take to take advantage of that. 

 

Action is such a small part of the whole process. Let's say there is a twenty foot putt. I will take a good walk up to the cup, walk back and try to visualize how the ball is going to get into the hole, as well as feel the distance or any funky gravity there might be. Then, I try to actualize the practice stroke. I want to make at least one good practice stroke that mirrors the actual stroke that I am going to make.By the time I am over the ball, there is very little to think about. I usually don't aim at the hole, but for a spot along the line I see the ball going. It really depends on the putt. Some days/times I am looking at a spot in front of the ball, others it's a spot on the green I want it to go left or right of. Combine that with what I said above about tension...

 

The Pelz book on putting really helped. Basically, what I get from that is, the stroke should be a pendulum. most putts are under-read. 

 

When I was playing tournaments I used to sink more than my fair share of putts. And, I still probably do.

[Jonesy]

16 hours ago, Nard_S said:

 

Big help in making it a simple action. I use a lot more shoulder rock, more lead hand control these days. Short game is more about distance control than anything else. Have days where the art of read is well, days where it's not. I don't mind all that, but get somewhat self-peeved when posture and setup lead to push or pulls and I don't reset things right away. That's where I was for last few rounds, staring at missed putts and it was right there! "Fix the effing setup, dummy."

 

I may hit the green today to work on things, my chipping is somewhat off too. Right now, tee game is most improved aspect & need to take to take advantage of that. 

 

I'm the exact opposite at the moment, I can't get off a tee to save my life... short-game is saving me. Obviously I need a new driver 

[bodhi555]

When putting I tend to line up with the ball directly on my left foot - seems to promote a good roll by hitting it on the up, imparting top spin - and that seems to be the point where my heavily arc'ed stroke lines the putter up when I first aim it. I've tried moving it back, but for me that has similar effects to using a putter with no toe-hang like my Scotty Newport - everything misses right.

 

Bit of a weird one though - on the green I am quite comfortable with anything over 2 - 3 feet, anything within that is where I struggle - and those struggles have got worse since it was decreed we couldn't take the flag out. I really struggle to bring the putter through straight on shorter putts - it's almost as if I get out of sync at slow speeds - especially when my brain thinks the putter is going to hit the flag if I follow through properly. According to ShotScope I'm averaging 28 putts per round this season, so not disastrous, but still get a bit annoyed leaving a couple of shots out there in the form of tap-ins I've missed.

 

Still leaving far more shots out there with my wayward driving, so I'm thinking a Driver fitting is in order. Like my 917 D3 but lose it right a lot more than my other clubs, so am very tempted to get fit for a TS4 / TS3. Prefer the smaller head of the TS4, struggle is just finding somewhere that stocks it.....

[NRJyzr]

I had a point where I experienced a marked improvement in my putting this season, somewhat odd at a surface look.  I went from putting with a Cleveland Huntington Beach putter (Anser2 style) with a Ping blackout grip to an 8802 style putter, the Snake Eyes Viper Tour Sv1, with a round, no taper, grip.  My consistency improved immediately, my speed control also improved, and I've even had a couple rounds where my putting was reminiscent of Tom Watson in the late 70s, making several putts of 10 to 20 feet in each of those rounds.

 

There appears to be something about that style of putter that has visual appeal to me.  <shrug>

[Nard_S]

9 hours ago, craz-e said:

Got to see the new Taylormade MB earlier, never owned or have much experience with older TM blades but lines and overall look at address look good.

 

I like that there is some 3-dimensional shaping on the muscle. Played RAC MB's for a number of years &  I would not hesitate to play TM irons. 

[mahonie]

4 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

I had a point where I experienced a marked improvement in my putting this season, somewhat odd at a surface look.  I went from putting with a Cleveland Huntington Beach putter (Anser2 style) with a Ping blackout grip to an 8802 style putter, the Snake Eyes Viper Tour Sv1, with a round, no taper, grip.  My consistency improved immediately, my speed control also improved, and I've even had a couple rounds where my putting was reminiscent of Tom Watson in the late 70s, making several putts of 10 to 20 feet in each of those rounds.

 

There appears to be something about that style of putter that has visual appeal to me.  <shrug>

There is something about the 8802-style shape that just fits my eye too. I used to struggle on anything less than 3 feet as I pulled them left every time with my 8813, but once I switched to my current and much heavier Radius, the issue has disappeared.

[FormerBigDaddy]

Joined the club... got my P7TW’s and it’s my first blade. Always wanted to play them but just didn’t think I was good enough. Have always played a players CB. I’m a big tiger fan and finally said screw it. Im a believer that a less forgiving club can make you a better player in the long run anyways. 
 

Took them straight to the course last night and took the plastic off the 8 iron head and flushed my first swing with them to inside 10 feet. Absolutely love the trajectory and they’re beautiful. I don’t know why but they’re not really intimidating to hit and I actually feel more confident with them than I did my p750’s or the 2005 tp cb’s I played with for 15 years. I’m about a 10 handicap and couldn’t care less if someone thinks I shouldn’t be playing them. I love them and I truly think they’ll force me to focus on my swing more and making better and more consistent contact instead of just swing away!

[Nard_S]

So I hit the green yesterday & today, (ah,  the perks of under employment, lol). Find my personal issue is more lack of lead wrist pronation and not so much posture. My stroke works best with some crowning of lead wrist and just was not doing that enough. 

 

The tee game improvement stems from an intent in the down swing where I drop & point chest at the ball. For me it was not enough to get shoulder rotated through, I also needed to crunch my body, get pec at the ball and then (and only then) unload arms. An irony of "getting shallow" is body angles need to increase or get steeper to ground while at the same time you lay off shaft angle with arms & hands.. This has been an area of focus with me for like ever and blending both moves properly has finally gelled things to the solid positive for longer clubs. 

 

 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

7 hours ago, mahonie said:

There is something about the 8802-style shape that just fits my eye too. I used to struggle on anything less than 3 feet as I pulled them left every time with my 8813, but once I switched to my current and much heavier Radius, the issue has disappeared.

 

I like the look of those Radius putters. There's a centre-shafted one in the local second-hand golf shop that I've been trying out. I've recently being thinking about a centre-shafted putter because it seems to make the stroke automatic, but I don't know if it suits my stroke. I get mixed results with it, but then I get mixed results with every putter...

The Radius 8802 also looks pretty good, but I don't think it'll improve my putting game any more than the Wilson 8802 that I already have. That said, 8802-type putters are funny beasts. Little differences can produce big changes in results.

 

@Nard_S

I may hit the green today to work on things, my chipping is somewhat off too. Right now, tee game is most improved aspect & need to take to take advantage of that. 

 

On the subject of chipping, I made a little discovery recently that has really helped me. A bit of background. I've never been a good chipper. As a junior it was about the weakest part of my game (along with putting). I'd chunk AND top. Then, coming back to the game 10 years ago, I found my chipping was still crap, but the topping had gone. I'd only chunk them. Great. 

I worked out that I was flipping, and that the reason was because I was using my hands too much. I experimented with a putting stroke for a bit, but never really got comfortable with it, and I was still chunking a lot. 

 

A couple of years ago, I found that concentrating on using my left shoulder to drag the club through the shot really helped, but I was still inconsistent. I'd have good days and bad days. A few weeks ago, I had one of the bad days, when I chunked every chip I had (about 9 chips). That got me to experimenting again. On the putting mat at home I tried an interlocking grip, instead of the Vardon grip I was previously using, and BINGO! It really takes the flip (with the right hand) out of the shot. I put it into practice in my last round and didn't chunk a single chip. Not only that, but I was hitting them close (not that I necessarily made the putts...). 

Out o curiosity, I tried the interlocking grip for pitches, but it didn't work out. Felt really weird, and I shanked the first one, and almost shanked the second. That was enough.

[mahonie]

5 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

I like the look of those Radius putters. There's a centre-shafted one in the local second-hand golf shop that I've been trying out. I've recently being thinking about a centre-shafted putter because it seems to make the stroke automatic, but I don't know if it suits my stroke. I get mixed results with it, but then I get mixed results with every putter...

The Radius 8802 also looks pretty good, but I don't think it'll improve my putting game any more than the Wilson 8802 that I already have. That said, 8802-type putters are funny beasts. Little differences can produce big changes in results.

 

@Nard_S

I may hit the green today to work on things, my chipping is somewhat off too. Right now, tee game is most improved aspect & need to take to take advantage of that. 

 

On the subject of chipping, I made a little discovery recently that has really helped me. A bit of background. I've never been a good chipper. As a junior it was about the weakest part of my game (along with putting). I'd chunk AND top. Then, coming back to the game 10 years ago, I found my chipping was still crap, but the topping had gone. I'd only chunk them. Great. 

I worked out that I was flipping, and that the reason was because I was using my hands too much. I experimented with a putting stroke for a bit, but never really got comfortable with it, and I was still chunking a lot. 

 

A couple of years ago, I found that concentrating on using my left shoulder to drag the club through the shot really helped, but I was still inconsistent. I'd have good days and bad days. A few weeks ago, I had one of the bad days, when I chunked every chip I had (about 9 chips). That got me to experimenting again. On the putting mat at home I tried an interlocking grip, instead of the Vardon grip I was previously using, and BINGO! It really takes the flip (with the right hand) out of the shot. I put it into practice in my last round and didn't chunk a single chip. Not only that, but I was hitting them close (not that I necessarily made the putts...). 

Out o curiosity, I tried the interlocking grip for pitches, but it didn't work out. Felt really weird, and I shanked the first one, and almost shanked the second. That was enough.

I’ve got an 8813 that I picked up on my one trip to the States that I ruined the weighting of by cutting 1” off the shaft. It has a ton of lead weight on the flange but it still feels too light. I’m not sure whether Radius is winding down...the website only has 2 putters on it and the price has been drastically reduced.

 

My chipping sounds a lot like yours and has always been poor. If I have to use anything more lofted than an 8-iron around the green I am asking for trouble. I’ve tried everything over the years, but my best results come when I focus on turning my shoulders back and through. My ingrained fault is being too ‘armsy’ throughout the shot. I realised that having a wristy action was leading to inconsistency, so in an effort to cure that I locked my wrists and just used an ‘arm’ swing. That has been just as inconsistent, so now I’m onto the shoulder turn. It all feels a bit stiff to be honest, but with practice a bit a feel is coming...I’m just not totally confident with it yet.

[Nard_S]

"Action is such a small part of the whole process".- @Christen_The_Sloop

 

This comment is so true of this entire game. We drudge around for 4 hours but the real "action" is literally under 2 minutes, lol. But it  is especially true with short game. 

 

@NRJyzr,  @mahonie:

What's apparent in tweaking short game is that it is a lot more than hand/eye. Want it to feel like it's all hand /eye but there is so much more to it. The hand, arm shoulder triangle plays a more significant role. There's a collective burden there. Touch is riding on the hump of that camel. Basically I have failed to get the reps in. Need to dig dirt to relegate the action to an afterthought so I can get on with art/creativity aspect, get on to where the fun is.

 

@Jonesy:

 

I have not put the DD 816 Alpha into play, yet. The shaft is not to my liking but I do like the head. Love the gravity core, it really does work. For guys who love blades, the Mizuno Type I is da bomb and I can highly recommend with the caveat that I believe the stock shaft choices for it are somewhat off. The new ST 200 from them uses same face tech (beta Ti w/ channel cut) and it ought to make it a sweet club to hit. Davis Love III uses it. Not a bad endorsement in my book.

[Kgglonghorn]

On 8/21/2020 at 1:25 PM, FormerBigDaddy said:

Joined the club... got my P7TW’s and it’s my first blade. Always wanted to play them but just didn’t think I was good enough. Have always played a players CB. I’m a big tiger fan and finally said screw it. Im a believer that a less forgiving club can make you a better player in the long run anyways. 
 

Took them straight to the course last night and took the plastic off the 8 iron head and flushed my first swing with them to inside 10 feet. Absolutely love the trajectory and they’re beautiful. I don’t know why but they’re not really intimidating to hit and I actually feel more confident with them than I did my p750’s or the 2005 tp cb’s I played with for 15 years. I’m about a 10 handicap and couldn’t care less if someone thinks I shouldn’t be playing them. I love them and I truly think they’ll force me to focus on my swing more and making better and more consistent contact instead of just swing away!

 

Congrats!  I have played blades my whole life...from the time I was a 20 to now as a scratch.  No doubt playing blades can make you a better player.  Enjoy them and the heck with what anyone says.  Inside, they are staring at the beauty of your new irons with some degree of envy.

[PorkChopExpress]

On 8/21/2020 at 7:37 AM, Nard_S said:

 

I like that there is some 3-dimensional shaping on the muscle. Played RAC MB's for a number of years &  I would not hesitate to play TM irons. 

That’s a great looking head

 

know a guy that has multiple sets of RAC mb ztp because he got them from me

but won’t sell any back lol

those are so pure 

[wkndhckr]

17 minutes ago, Kgglonghorn said:

 

Congrats!  I have played blades my whole life...from the time I was a 20 to now as a scratch.  No doubt playing blades can make you a better player.  Enjoy them and the heck with what anyone says.  Inside, they are staring at the beauty of your new irons with some degree of envy.

Agreed. I switched to blades AND began playing more and my game improved significantly. It took both, not the blades alone. But in very little time I was able to make the ball do just about whatever I need it to do. Admittedly it doesn't always land exactly where I want it to. But it does most of the time and I always get compliments on my iron play. Driver is my inconsistency. Also, the look of a blade behind the ball just inspires confidence and golf is about having fun and scoring low. There is a mental aspect to the game that some people acknowledge everywhere else on the course except when it comes to playing blades. Do what makes you feel good. Hit em straight!

[Bubbtubbs]

I want to add a photo but the forum interface isn't letting me. It goes through all the rigamarole of selecting the image, then a progress bar, then nothing shows up in the post.

 

Anybody else experienced this on Android when trying to share blade pictures?

[Mudguard]

19 hours ago, wkndhckr said:

Agreed. I switched to blades AND began playing more and my game improved significantly. It took both, not the blades alone. But in very little time I was able to make the ball do just about whatever I need it to do. Admittedly it doesn't always land exactly where I want it to. But it does most of the time and I always get compliments on my iron play. Driver is my inconsistency. Also, the look of a blade behind the ball just inspires confidence and golf is about having fun and scoring low. There is a mental aspect to the game that some people acknowledge everywhere else on the course except when it comes to playing blades. Do what makes you feel good. Hit em straight!

 

That is probably the single biggest driver of improvement. Used to see it all the time when players bought new clubs, in order to justify the new clubs, they played more, and improved. And unless they were using 40 year old Spalding Executives the improvement had more to do with the increased playing than the new clubs.

[wkndhckr]

I can't agree more. Which is why I emphasized the AND. I feel that was the most important factor. Also, early in the process, I feel strongly that the best GI club ever wouldn't have helped me. Without consistent or solid contact, no amount of tech will help. I would miss the ball completely.

[Juice1121]

So, I'm officially back on the wagon... or is it off the wagon? 

 

Either way, I picked up a set of Miura blades that are blended with the 57 cbs. I am not sure if I will keep the CB's or not, as I am not sure I like them as much as either a blade or a gi club. I have actually never really played a set of players CB. I have always went back and forth from blades to GI irons. I guess I'm more of an all or nothing person. 

 

My set came with Baby Blades in 4-Pw, but also came with the 57 CBs in 3-6. I also have the 3-5 of adjustable King Cobra utility irons that I may decide to use to fill in the gaps. I am considering actually playing the blades from 6-P then playing the 5-3 GI set to 27*, 23.5*, 18.5*. You don't have to look far into my post history to see that I have been a big believer that modern GI clubs are helpful. I won't say I have changed my mind, but the deal I got on these was just too good to pass up. Not to mention they are also some of the prettiest irons I have ever bagged. I will say that I don't think I really need the GI help until I get up into the 5-3 iron range. Those long irons are where I struggle, but the added accuracy of the blades in the scoring clubs have already been noticeable. I hit 2 iron shots form 138 and 147 respectively to within 2 feet combined last round. I also hit a couple of Word not allowed ones... but we won't talk about that here. 

 

They came shafted with KBS Tour 130Xs. While I was still able to knock it around the course decently, it was just far too much shaft for me. I pulled some Steelfiber i110s from my back up set and slapped them in there last night. Regripped them today ready to go for my tee time tomorrow at 6:24. I am very interested to see how they feel with Steelfibers. I am also interested to see, if you can even quantify how much I am being penalized by playing blades over my GIs. I think they will be penal on miss hits, but the thought is a missed green is a missed green. But, on the contrary, I feel like a pure struck blade is far more likely to have tighter dispersion and more accuracy than a pure struck GI. That is a fact, they produce more spin more consistently and we all know more spin means more control. Just hoping the positives outweighs the negatives. 

 

Will report back if anyone is interested int he combo. 

[jacincm]

Never played blades before. Having trouble with my 716 AP1s. Hard for me to take a divot with the large sole on very firm turf during these hot conditions. Decided to get a “cheap” set of 710 MBs.

 

been toying with them on the range the last few days. Maybe it’s because I’m focusing more but I sincerely don’t see a difference in “forgiveness”. The bad shots are about the same magnitude. And it’s way easier to get through the turf. It’s almost effortless. The whole “I’m not good enough to play blades” is a load of crap. More like “I don’t hit it far enough to play blades”. 

 

Found a set of 690 MB raw heads on eBay so I’ll be putting these 710s up for sale in case anybody wants (shameless plug)

[Jonesy]

3 hours ago, jacincm said:

Never played blades before. Having trouble with my 716 AP1s. Hard for me to take a divot with the large sole on very firm turf during these hot conditions. Decided to get a “cheap” set of 710 MBs.

 

been toying with them on the range the last few days. Maybe it’s because I’m focusing more but I sincerely don’t see a difference in “forgiveness”. The bad shots are about the same magnitude. And it’s way easier to get through the turf. It’s almost effortless. The whole “I’m not good enough to play blades” is a load of crap. More like “I don’t hit it far enough to play blades”. 

 

Found a set of 690 MB raw heads on eBay so I’ll be putting these 710s up for sale in case anybody wants (shameless plug)

 

Always had a soft spot for the 710MB's, When they came out they were a serious want of mine... Enjoy those 690's!

[craz-e]

I should really be on some sort of blade commission! 
Recently converted two friends to a more rewarding side of the game, playing with a set of blades that make your soul tingle. Both were eureka moments for the guys. One ended up with a set of MP20’s after watching him pure shot after shot. The other messaged me today, I let him have a taste of the blade magic last night with my own W/S’s and that was enough to get him hooked, he ended up with a set of Z-Forged, but was also tempted by the Apex MB’s. In his own words he said “he has never felt like he has had so much control over the ball and his shots”

Both have found that magic, the reason we  all game a set of blades of our choice.

It was good to share it with them!