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

[craz-e]

2 hours ago, revanant said:

Iron update -- my Apex MBs beat out the Miura CB-301s.
 

Better aesthetics, feel, and numbers. 

I have always been impressed with the Callaway MB's, great size and feel

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

So, went for round no. 2 of 2021 today. Last round I had was painful. I was lost on the golf course, struggling to break 100. Driving, fairway woods, irons, pitching, putting were all terrible. About the only thing I did well was chip, but it didn't matter because I couldn't make a putt--I even three-putted from 5ft (I miss, I miss, I make!)--and took 41 putts in all.

 

I wanted a re-do, so today I played the same course with the same clubs, only today was a bit colder and a hell of a lot windier. We reckoned it was up to 3 clubs at times, but more on that at the end.

 

Anyway, after that terrible round, I looked over my swing, specifically trying to find the cause of my flipping. It was like my downswing would stop halfway, and I'd just throw the club forward.

 

About a week ago, I picked up a club at home, and had a rare moment of lucidity. At setup, I realised my forearms were stiffened up and my wrists were almost arching because I was trying to stay too upright at address, something that probably goes back to my hernia a couple of years ago. I l adjusted to let the arms hang freer at address, and it just felt right. Went to the range, and BANG! I'm hitting the ball properly again. Now, I still need to do some work, but I can feel the swing again. Just got to work to maintain lag a fraction longer.

 

So today, the driver was pretty good, the irons good albeit a little inaccurate, the pitching great and the chipping OK. Heck even the putter was better; this time the closest I three-putted from was 8ft. Yeah, so 35 putts isn't going to win me any prizes.

 

Now, the wind. We were playing a "mountain course". Not particularly high elevation, but one carved out of the steep hills that are common here. The wind was up and swirling around making it impossible to read. It could blow from two or three different directions on one hole. For example, we arrive at one par three, downhill, 175 yards to the pin. The flag is blowing left-to-right. I throw some grass up, it goes right-to-left....Then I choose my club, tee-up, and throw some grass up again to check. It now blows back behind me. OK....

 

So after barely breaking 100 a couple of weeks ago, today I shot 84. Not exactly happy with the score, but I'm happy with how my swing is improving. Last time, I was hacking. Today I was playing golf.

[PReardon]

I’m really liking the look of the Wilson staff models but still just a tiny bit worried about the forgiveness, I know it sounds dumb asking for a forgiving blade but something where if I hit it a tiny bit out of the toe it’s still gonna go the distance, I tried the 0311t and those were too much of a rocket for me, I was hitting a 7 iron close to 190 but the head shape I really liked and if they were just a tiny bit smaller I would’ve really loved them.

[NRJyzr]

3 minutes ago, PReardon said:

I’m really liking the look of the Wilson staff models but still just a tiny bit worried about the forgiveness, I know it sounds dumb asking for a forgiving blade but something where if I hit it a tiny bit out of the toe it’s still gonna go the distance, I tried the 0311t and those were too much of a rocket for me, I was hitting a 7 iron close to 190 but the head shape I really liked and if they were just a tiny bit smaller I would’ve really loved them.

 

Look at the Moment Of Inertia (MOI) numbers in Maltby's MPF data.  That's the measurement of the resistance to twisting on off center hits.  Generally speaking, clubs with a longer heel to toe measurement will have a higher MOI, all else being equal.  

 

After poking through those, the new Wilson Staff blades have as high an MOI as any blade I've seen listed.  

 

 

[PReardon]

2 hours ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Look at the Moment Of Inertia (MOI) numbers in Maltby's MPF data.  That's the measurement of the resistance to twisting on off center hits.  Generally speaking, clubs with a longer heel to toe measurement will have a higher MOI, all else being equal.  

 

After poking through those, the new Wilson Staff blades have as high an MOI as any blade I've seen listed.  

 

 

just checked it out and thank you so much for letting me know, really helped me out, I read the chart they give you about handicaps and everything and the wilson staffs fit perfectly into the category im in, not a wicked high MOI but also not wicked low. Seriously can't thank you enough.

[Nard_S]

Cannot wait for snow to melt away. A redo on Maruman w/ S.P.B. is done. Basically it's a hard step which will lower SW and adds back the #3i. I'm also going to flatten the lie. They are too upright which makes them too left and draw biased.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Nard_S
More on topic. :)

[NRJyzr]

Got pics to share, Brother Nard?

[Pepperturbo]

1 hour ago, Nard_S said:

Cannot wait for snow to melt away. A redo on Maruman w/ S.P.B. is done. Basically it's a hard step which will lower SW and adds back the #3i. I'm also going to flatten the lie. They are too upright which makes them too left and draw biased.

Are your clubs upright lie angle set for your swing mechanics? 

 

I would think manipulating lie angle to change down range result as opposed to adjusting something in your swing, could have consequences, right?

 

If I lose a shot, it's mostly left and mostly due to my hands rolling over a bit too quick.  I need to add a few more wraps, maybe. 

[Nard_S]

22 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

Got pics to share, Brother Nard?

Can post but they look essentially the same as previously posted last year.

[Nard_S]

8 minutes ago, Pepperturbo said:

Are your clubs upright lie angle set for your swing mechanics? 

 

I would think manipulating lie angle to change down range result as opposed to adjusting something in your swing, could have consequences, right?

 

If I lose a shot, it's mostly left and mostly due to my hands rolling over a bit too quick.  I need to add a few more wraps, maybe. 

They are more upright than most all clubs I own. Suspect they are 2*up. Standard for me is okay, but 1* or 2* flat is ideal.  They are used heads, must have suited guy who had them. I blue printed every club to originally do hard step setup. Got chicken and went normal. Fixing that part but lie angle is way too upright and I already have a draw bias to swing and I'm not very tall (5'9").

[wrm2120]

Anyone seen these yet? 

 

 

https://www.pxg.com/en-us/clubs/irons/2021-0211-st

 

A new "Super Tour" blade that they put up in the last week or so. It's quite sexy in my opinion. Sorry if it has already been shared 

[NRJyzr]

This is the first I've heard of these PXG blades.  Notice they don't have specs available.  Look interesting, but similar to other blade products.

 

Curious what "increased MOI" means to them.  Would love seeing GolfWorks getting their hands on one to test using their methodology for a comparative.

 

[NixLix26]

48 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

This is the first I've heard of these PXG blades.  Notice they don't have specs available.  Look interesting, but similar to other blade products.

 

Curious what "increased MOI" means to them.  Would love seeing GolfWorks getting their hands on one to test using their methodology for a comparative.

 

Lofts look a little strong

 

[NRJyzr]

2 hours ago, NixLix26 said:

Lofts look a little strong

 

 

Looks similar to Srixon lofts.

 

I wonder if it didn't display for me due to the mobile device I was using...

 

[Nard_S]

Those PXG's remind me of Wilson Ultra's. We

5 hours ago, wrm2120 said:

Anyone seen these yet? 

 

 

https://www.pxg.com/en-us/clubs/irons/2021-0211-st

 

A new "Super Tour" blade that they put up in the last week or so. It's quite sexy in my opinion. Sorry if it has already been shared 

Not bad looking, interesting on the high toe weight, sort of like Wilson Ultra's way back when.

[Kingcat990]

Not the biggest fan of those. Looks like a Blueprint and a 730 meddled up to me. 

[Swingingk]

I'm no PXG fanboy but I will say good on them for offering a real blade.  The more the merrier.  And I'm not even going to comment on the lack of a 2 iron.  Oh wait...  I just did...  😆

[Christen_The_Sloop]

36 minutes ago, Swingingk said:

I'm no PXG fanboy but I will say good on them for offering a real blade.  The more the merrier.  And I'm not even going to comment on the lack of a 2 iron.  Oh wait...  I just did...  😆

They might need to add a 3 first.

 

Who knew a nice solid deuce would be cast aside. Nothing like flushing a deuce.

[Oh Hi Carl]

Sorry to divert attention from the sexy (or not) PXGs, but I have a question about the build on my MP32s.  Something looked strange to me about the KBS Tour 120S that I put in them, and I realized it was the step pattern.  These are tapered shafts.  

 

My understanding is that the distance from last step to tip should get longer as the shafts get longer, that is the distance from last step to tip is shorter on a PW than on a 9 iron.  

 

I measured that distance on my MP32's (actually I measured last step to ferrule) and got these numbers:

 

PW: 3.75 inches

9: 4.5

8: 7

7: 5.5

6: 5.75

 

Does that mean that the pulled shafts I bought had a seriously soft-stepped 8 iron?  Maybe a 4 iron that someone cut down to 8 iron length.  

 

I actually have launch monitor data on these clubs and the 8 iron falls pretty much between the 7 and 9 irons for the numbers I kept.  Suggests that maybe soft stepping of these shafts has little effect for me?  

 

Thanks for any feedback.    

[teude]

I'm still rocking my Nike Victory Red TW blades. I'm thinking that i need longer shafts on them though and definitely new grips.

[Nard_S]

1 hour ago, Sonja Henie said:

Sorry to divert attention from the sexy (or not) PXGs, but I have a question about the build on my MP32s.  Something looked strange to me about the KBS Tour 120S that I put in them, and I realized it was the step pattern.  These are tapered shafts.  

 

My understanding is that the distance from last step to tip should get longer as the shafts get longer, that is the distance from last step to tip is shorter on a PW than on a 9 iron.  

 

I measured that distance on my MP32's (actually I measured last step to ferrule) and got these numbers:

 

PW: 3.75 inches

9: 4.5

8: 7

7: 5.5

6: 5.75

 

Does that mean that the pulled shafts I bought had a seriously soft-stepped 8 iron?  Maybe a 4 iron that someone cut down to 8 iron length.  

 

I actually have launch monitor data on these clubs and the 8 iron falls pretty much between the 7 and 9 irons for the numbers I kept.  Suggests that maybe soft stepping of these shafts has little effect for me?  

 

Thanks for any feedback.    

If those are tapered shafts, that #8 iron is soft stepped a number of times. Buy a single from GG and replace it if you want to match to the rest. Flex is what is effected, distance is biased more by loft.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

7 hours ago, Sonja Henie said:

Sorry to divert attention from the sexy (or not) PXGs, but I have a question about the build on my MP32s.  Something looked strange to me about the KBS Tour 120S that I put in them, and I realized it was the step pattern.  These are tapered shafts.  

 

My understanding is that the distance from last step to tip should get longer as the shafts get longer, that is the distance from last step to tip is shorter on a PW than on a 9 iron.  

 

I measured that distance on my MP32's (actually I measured last step to ferrule) and got these numbers:

 

PW: 3.75 inches

9: 4.5

8: 7

7: 5.5

6: 5.75

 

Does that mean that the pulled shafts I bought had a seriously soft-stepped 8 iron?  Maybe a 4 iron that someone cut down to 8 iron length.  

 

I actually have launch monitor data on these clubs and the 8 iron falls pretty much between the 7 and 9 irons for the numbers I kept.  Suggests that maybe soft stepping of these shafts has little effect for me?  

 

Thanks for any feedback.    

 

I think Nard_S has already answered your question, but it's interesting that you haven't found any significant playing difference between the 7, 8, 9 nine. I'd have expected higher ball flight and more side spin (specifically for me, draws overdrawing or turning into late hooks).

 

I've got a set of irons soft-stepped with S300 shafts, so the PW has a 9i shaft, the 9i an 8i shaft and so on. As Nard_S said, soft-stepping changes the flex, but not very much. I think I've read in the club tech thread that one soft-step (or hard step) changes the flex by about a 1/3 to a half, and it's not very noticeable.

 

In my experience, I only start to notice it in the long irons. I barely notice in the 5i, and by the 4i I can just feel the tip is ever so slightly softer than a normal S300. I don't have the 3i in this particular set shafted up because I didn't have a 2i shaft lying about for it.

 

 

 

 

[Nard_S]

2 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

I think Nard_S has already answered your question, but it's interesting that you haven't found any significant playing difference between the 7, 8, 9 nine. I'd have expected higher ball flight and more side spin (specifically for me, draws overdrawing or turning into late hooks).

 

I've got a set of irons soft-stepped with S300 shafts, so the PW has a 9i shaft, the 9i an 8i shaft and so on. As Nard_S said, soft-stepping changes the flex, but not very much. I think I've read in the club tech thread that one soft-step (or hard step) changes the flex by about a 1/3 to a half, and it's not very noticeable.

 

In my experience, I only start to notice it in the long irons. I barely notice in the 5i, and by the 4i I can just feel the tip is ever so slightly softer than a normal S300. I don't have the 3i in this particular set shafted up because I didn't have a 2i shaft lying about for it.

 

 

 

 

I think on DG a soft step drops FCM by .3, which is not much. WRX tech section, see Howard Jones, he's the guru on shafts, For me flex is more about rhythm/tempo of swing more than anything else.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

1 hour ago, Nard_S said:

I think on DG a soft step drops FCM by .3, which is not much. WRX tech section, see Howard Jones, he's the guru on shafts, For me flex is more about rhythm/tempo of swing more than anything else.

Yes, that's what I was trying to say by a third of a flex. In other words, a soft-stepped DGX100 will not play as soft as a DGS100. 

I'm not sure how these soft-stepped irons will work out for me, because I've only just had them done. I had some old pulls, and decided to put them into a set I had instead of lengthening the existing shafts.

Here are some pictures. Srixon Pro 100 heads. Really amazing feel. Topline looks quite beefy, but it's actually not as thick as it looks. I've got most of the paint fill out, but I need to give it another go. I might paint the numbers on the sole red just to make them easier for me to distinguish.

[Christen_The_Sloop]

4 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

Yes, that's what I was trying to say by a third of a flex. In other words, a soft-stepped DGX100 will not play as soft as a DGS100. 

I'm not sure how these soft-stepped irons will work out for me, because I've only just had them done. I had some old pulls, and decided to put them into a set I had instead of lengthening the existing shafts.

Here are some pictures. Srixon Pro 100 heads. Really amazing feel. Topline looks quite beefy, but it's actually not as thick as it looks. I've got most of the paint fill out, but I need to give it another go. I might paint the numbers on the sole red just to make them easier for me to distinguish.

Those are really nice. Were they Endo forged?

 

I've got a set of Tourstage TS-201. Thinking to do what you did with them - Move the 3-iron shaft to the 4 and the 4 to the 5 on down. They are X-100 so that oughta soften them up. But, it's just a thought. Not going to do too much playing around until my right hand feels less clunky.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

1 hour ago, Christen_The_Sloop said:

Those are really nice. Were they Endo forged?

 

I've got a set of Tourstage TS-201. Thinking to do what you did with them - Move the 3-iron shaft to the 4 and the 4 to the 5 on down. They are X-100 so that oughta soften them up. But, it's just a thought. Not going to do too much playing around until my right hand feels less clunky.

 

Wouldn't surprise if they were Endo-forged, but I don't know. What I do know is that they feel fantastic.

 

The soft-stepping is quite interesting. I mainly did it so I could get longer shafts without getting them extended. The PW was 36" with a SW of D6, so I got it cut down to 35.75" to lower the SW a little. The short iron lengths in the pulls were a bit weird. There was only a few millimetres of difference between the pulled 9i (which is now in the PW) and 8i, and the 8i and 7i, but so far it seems to be working out. The one club that concerns me is the 7i. At the range, I didn't see much of a gap between the 7i and 8i, but a massive one between the 7i and 6i. Need to check it out at a better range and in better light, as I was losing sight of the ball a bit.

[SBH9458]

On 2/8/2021 at 12:54 AM, craz-e said:

I have always been impressed with the Callaway MB's, great size and feel

I’m into the Apex MBs as well, with a bit of Apex Pro 21 mixed in. Loving the setup!

[NRJyzr]

11 hours ago, Nard_S said:

I think on DG a soft step drops FCM by .3, which is not much. WRX tech section, see Howard Jones, he's the guru on shafts, For me flex is more about rhythm/tempo of swing more than anything else.

 

It depends on how you define your flexes.

 

In the Precision and Rifle world, they frequently used 10 cpm per flex.  However, in the DG world, there are four soft or hard steps between the flexes, covering approximately 16 cpm (2" difference in tip length between flexes in DG tapered, half inch difference in tip length between each shaft in the set).

 

A single step is said to be 3 or 4 cpm.  Most iron sets have 7g between the clubheads.  Frequency changes 1 cpm per swingweight point.  Also, the weight needed to change a full swingweight point varies with length; it's 2.07g at 38", 2.26g at 36", etc.  The point where 2g per swingweight is required appears to be around 38.75".

 

Great fun.  🙂

 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

13 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

 

It depends on how you define your flexes.

 

In the Precision and Rifle world, they frequently used 10 cpm per flex.  However, in the DG world, there are four soft or hard steps between the flexes, covering approximately 16 cpm (2" difference in tip length between flexes in DG tapered, half inch difference in tip length between each shaft in the set).

 

A single step is said to be 3 or 4 cpm.  Most iron sets have 7g between the clubheads.  Frequency changes 1 cpm per swingweight point.  Also, the weight needed to change a full swingweight point varies with length; it's 2.07g at 38", 2.26g at 36", etc.  The point where 2g per swingweight is required appears to be around 38.75".

 

Great fun.  🙂

 

[NRJyzr]

Sorry Catchy, I'm a rather left brain* sort.  I'm an accountant, was an advanced math student as a youngun, and have data nerd/analyst tendencies.  

 

One must follow one's nature.

 

*also play guitar and have a mild to moderate sense of rhythm, not completely talentless.   LOL

Edited February 14, 2021 by NRJyzr