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

[lefthack]

I don't gamble, but I can relate that feeling to my game. One huge aspect I love about golf is the accountability. Good or bad, that shots on me. It was one of the first things that really drew me to it. The other thing is a long the same lines, the level of creativity and skill required to play well. Some days my game is pretty, others not so much. 🤣

[subrew]

Just came in today, haven’t even washed them.  Mizuno MS-3. Should polish up decent and I’ll redo the paint infill. 

[Nard_S]

16 hours ago, lefthack said:

One huge aspect I love about golf is the accountability. Good or bad, that shots on me. It was one of the first things that really drew me to it.

Me too but I think I hold things too accountable, I don't easily drop mistakes from memory or mind set. I'm not very accepting of outcomes. Always think it should be better, though reality is, it's just fine.

 

Best run of golf I played was I knew my swing was crap and I just accepted it's awfulness. Could get around with rather low anti-cap, could play to high consistent level but not really anything exceptional. Gross 81-83 all year on tough track. Swing is much better now but have an impatience and lose interest if a double or triple shows early or I go sideways. I enjoy playing more because I have a better game and yet my scores are not peak and that's a bit confounding and maybe it's the failure to limit what the accountable things are. So let go of more but hold the fewer to higher. If that makes sense.

[NRJyzr]

A small update to share...

 

Recently put my Golden Rams back in the bag, the Vibration Matched model from the mid 80s.  I'd been playing Arias D23 irons, having been intrigued by them, including a demo.  It's become apparent that I need a reshaft for them, helping to steer me back to The Tao of Ram.

 

This past weekend, met up with a fellow WRX member from the Classic folders.  As part of the fun, I brought along the three Tommy Armour 986 Tour clubheads that I'd assembled; a 7i and 9i with Modus 105 stiff, and a 6i with DGS400, intending to hit them all at the range.

 

I was pleased with how they looked, and how I hit them.  I've lost a fair bit of speed in the last three years (7i is around 83-84 now), so I've been dropping both flex and weight.  The Modus 105 were lovely, but what really surprised me is that I was able to hit the DGS shaft moderately well.  It's not ideal, but it's actually more playable than I would have thought.

 

Decided to take the 7i & 9i in the bag, along with my Rams.  And, hit them whenever I had a shot that required the 7i or 9i.  Really quite excellent.

 

It's making me think about moving forward a bit faster on my long delayed reshaft project with this set.

 

[lefthack]

Since I have been going to the sim, I've decided to actually go through my whole bag. I know pretty much what my yardages are, but I've never actually done the numbers for everything. Having only hit my 3 iron a few times on course, I'm curious to see where all my irons are with actual numbers. 

 

That way I can redo it with the next set of blades (Takomo 301 or TourA most likely) and compare. I'm excited, this winter will be productive. 

[Bigmean]

So I have been intrigued by these and had to pull the trigger on a basically new one when the auction was ending with a 2 as the first number.  I have watched these things for years at 500-800usd, always thought there was a high chance that they were status crap and meh.   I was beyond pleasantly surprised, rolled it yesterday for first time, it has to be the best crafter cnc milled putter I have, and this group knows how I am drawn to the fabrication of these things.

 

The finish is like a black pearl, it is impossible to photo, it is anything from black to silver in light.   The shaft is also like a smoked grey silver.  It is truly disgusting, and as usual with this style putter I made some deep putts and was sketchy inside 10ft, but the weight and feel is great, and I a super pleased.  Been a while since I had such a nice surprise from throwing a dart at something. 

 

 

[craz-e]

8 hours ago, Bigmean said:

So I have been intrigued by these and had to pull the trigger on a basically new one when the auction was ending with a 2 as the first number.  I have watched these things for years at 500-800usd, always thought there was a high chance that they were status crap and meh.   I was beyond pleasantly surprised, rolled it yesterday for first time, it has to be the best crafter cnc milled putter I have, and this group knows how I am drawn to the fabrication of these things.

 

The finish is like a black pearl, it is impossible to photo, it is anything from black to silver in light.   The shaft is also like a smoked grey silver.  It is truly disgusting, and as usual with this style putter I made some deep putts and was sketchy inside 10ft, but the weight and feel is great, and I a super pleased.  Been a while since I had such a nice surprise from throwing a dart at something. 

 

 

 

 

ooh that's a pretty flat stick!

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I haven't posted in this thread in a while because I haven't been playing a lot, and my game has been in a huge slump.

 

Up to about May I was hitting the ball really well, though struggling with the putter. Then all of sudden, I couldn't hit the ball. Most of my shots turned into thin, weak hooks. Huge hooks that seemed to have topspin on them.

 

Thing was with the irons, I could feel I wasn't compressing them, but rather swiping them off the ground. With a blade--or a CB--you know when you've compressed the ball and hit it properly. I wasn't feeling that.

 

So I knew my swing was off, but I couldn't work out why. I could feel my trigger for the downswing was somehow different, but, because I wasn't playing much, couldn't remember what my usual trigger was.

 

I started to see the light in August when I went to buy a new 5w (to try and kick out my old TM R9 4w). In the bay at the shop, the monitor showed I had a 10+ degree in to out swing at impact. That's pretty impressive, and with a mostly square or closed face, that's going to produce a hook.....🤣

 

Since then, I started working on cures, grips, hips, and whatever might work.

 

Finally figured that I was trying to drive at the ball like on off-drive in cricket, which means in to out and the hips not rotating fully. Switched to an on-drive/mid-wicket swipe and suddenly I'm back to compressing the ball.

 

The irons feel good once again😄

 

Sad thing is, I think I've gone through this exact same problem about 3 years, and posted on here about it...

[JungleJimbo]

 

 

[Maine Golfer]

I have not hit my player improvement's in over a month and it helped me with club path to hit my driver again. Its cheesy on paper, but they make you feel the club path 🙂 

[Bigmean]

3 hours ago, Maine Golfer said:

I have not hit my player improvement's in over a month and it helped me with club path to hit my driver again. Its cheesy on paper, but they make you feel the club path 🙂 

Maybe this is old school thinking, but people are so scared of blades for no reason, and most amateurs could stand a few months of “learning” how to strike irons, even if for training and driving range.   To me it isn’t the “buttery soft blah blah”,  it is the feedback.  It is the misses, even if by a little bit and ball goes desired distance, but you know you were a little sloppy.

 

I’m about to play in an hour, I thought about bouncing the kyoeis for some real comparison as I haven’t hit a ball with small blades in like 3 months, but I also sorta want to give myself a shot for back to back rounds in 70s for first time since coming back so the current bag is staying for rest of the year I guess.  I’m trying to not care about score, but also not deny being score aware since that isn’t realistic.   It is a hard mental line to walk.

 

Serious question for the 0-15 caps here, how many fairways do you hit a round?  I’m going to track that today, I don’t need to, my scores go as that goes, but is it unreasonable to expect 10 fairways playing to probably 8-9 if I was keeping a GHIN?   I don’t think this is best metric for me because I didn’t mind missing fairways, I just need to eliminate misses that don’t allow even a chance at a GIR, let alone penalty.  Maybe I should track that as well?

 

 

 

[Bigmean]

Quick follow up, I hit 2 fairways and 3 GIR en route to like an 86, so you know, that is legit, I aM GoOd At GolF……..

 

I hate this game sometimes, and by sometimes I mean most of the time.   At least I got a ride from my boy and am half in the bag….which is more than I had in my bag today….

[Nard_S]

1 hour ago, Bigmean said:

, I just need to eliminate misses that don’t allow even a chance at a GIR, let alone penalty.  Maybe I should track that as well?

 PGA guys hit 9 of 14 and average 13 GIRs. 

 

Not talked about a lot but which side of FIR and those misses have meaning. Solid tee ball to positive side is when I do well.

 

[Bigmean]

Got off work early today to play, my kind of round, by myself and 3 nice IPA beers which were perfect for a 2 hour weekday round.  Grabbed cart 73 cause duh …was freaking 1 over through 16 ( I was obsessed with shooting 73 to match cart from turn) bogeyed 17 and 18 to finish 75.   I wanted the cart number sooooooo bad it was more important than the card.  
 

This round however was under protest in that i rehit a couple of drives.  Not penalty or dead, but like my driver is just not there.  Both rehits were duff Hook 175 yard type shots early in round.  I had it going at the end and those breakfast balls were only in first 5.  All in all I scored well finally and hit the ball only meh. 
 

This was the debut round of a new putter, that was not only cheap ($100), but a mallet (gasp).   I had 3 birdies on the front, none from a breakfast ball, one was a chip in (can’t remember last time I did that) but I putted lights out, had to be near 26 for the round.  The fact I didn’t get up and down on 17 and 18 was l shocking to me after the first 16.   So mallets are entering the collection next lol….#Holife

 

All in all, solid season back into it.  I don’t know why I get driver shanks, but I do, I am digging the kyoei’s, even on bad days, and I dug them out of dirt today.  My wedge play has actually been the unsung hero of my come back all season, it stayed like I was a 5 cap from almost the getgo.  The most important part is I really had fun the last 6 months.  I don’t get upset for long with bad play, a seeing the glass as half full, and I feel like I am closer to 70s golf regularly than most of my life, while at same time not caring.  I probably needed a good scoring round as I have had a lot of good hitting rounds I haven’t scored well on for 80-83 type results.

 

The mallet, is a golds factory I got cause I love that brand/dude(as some of you know by now), and only $100 so I got it with my iomic grip shipment for the kyoeis.   I just can start it on line for whatever reason.  I practiced putting with it this weekend, I made a noticeably good amount of deep putts and more important was good inside 10 ft (the closet queen putter killer).  It is a basic a** putter, and dinged up some and nothing special at all, but nothing is more special than rolling it on the line you see.  
 

Big reflection is:  It is 2023, I have quit the game of golf for over a year 2 times (maybe 3?) since I started this thread, and here we are with me playing and loving golf again.   Tech is BS, golf is mental and feel/feedback, blades for life, rates are up tomorrow for the same dogtracks not worth what we have been paying to play all summer, peace out 2023 season, on to a zen 2024 where score means less than smiles!

 

 

[Bigmean]

There are some small blades on eBay for $1100 now with 3 iron in case anyone hates money….that is close to what I paid, but hard to call $1100 for clubs a deal…

[NRJyzr]

Yesterday, decided for what I thought could be my last round of the year, I would bring out my Golden Rams.  These are the set that got the NV105 treatment a half dozen years ago.  Adding to the fun is my having awakened Friday morning with a healthy kink in my neck.  Found myself able to take only less than a full swing.

 

Amusingly, I found using that partial swing allowed me to make much better contact.  And, hit the ball straighter.  I'm sure there's a lesson there, LOL.  Birdied my first hole of the day, a par 5, and were it not for my three putting the first two par 3 holes on the front, I'd have had a legit shot at an even par nine.

 

Funny how golf can be like that.

 

What I found interesting...   I'd been worried that the stiff flex in the NV105 shafts could be a bit much for me, as I've lost a bit of speed in the last two or three years.  Was worried both about flex and weight.  Turned out not to be the case, and in fact, has me wondering if I could go heavier again.

 

Strange game, this golf.

 

[NRJyzr]

Forgot to include...

 

The weather is actually looking like it might improve over the next week or two.  Which means, I may not be done for the season.

 

All about finding a course that's open, that hasn't had the best tee times appropriated.  🙂

 

[Kingcat990]

I know that partial swing, sweet contact all too well. I'll punch out of the pines with a 4/5i and find its some of my better feeling iron shots of the round. I looked within, asked myself; how could that be? Every partial swing resulting in subjectively better contact. It was angle of attack. Took me awhile to figure it out, longer than it should have. Partial swings kept my feet planted, allowing me to move less, allowing me negative angle of attack into the ball. Ball first contact. On my full swings, I was unraveling too early, hitting weaker iron shots. I have it figured out for the most part. When I don't, and I can't get my wheels back on the rails, I play the ball further back in my stance and bandaid it. I won't be on any tour anytime soon. 

 

Anyways. Wilson Staff Model MB. I've looked those over and they never appealed to me. Never took them seriously. I had the opportunity to hit a few balls with them. What an overlooked set of blades. My only complaint with them is that glistening chrome. They seem like they have an abundance of bounce, and maybe that suits me better these days. Who knows. I'll be keeping an eye out for a set. If any of you have a set, please spill the beans.

[Kingcat990]

On 11/4/2023 at 5:36 AM, Bigmean said:

There are some small blades on eBay for $1100 now with 3 iron in case anyone hates money….that is close to what I paid, but hard to call $1100 for clubs a deal…

These just popped up as well

 

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/s1094240563#group=nogroup&photo=3

[Bigmean]

On 11/7/2023 at 9:08 AM, Kingcat990 said:

These just popped up as well

 

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/s1094240563#group=nogroup&photo=3

Yeah I was watching a set on yahoo auction a while ago, but they were not that much.  Currently watching some Y grinds at like $600 and Epon personal CBs in black for like 470 which is a pretty sweet deal.   
 

I think instead I’m going to be EBay off some things.   I want to use this winter to re organize my mess.   I’m really thinking about putting my 1957cbs up but my pause is that I have roddio i10s in them.   I have some driver shafts that didn’t make the cut as well. I’m going through my stuff today and making a small pile to list tomorrow I think.   
 

 

[AnthonyC143]

My 620 MBs are for sale here.  I love my blades but they no longer love me back.

[Bigmean]

I have no idea what these are, but I really like them.  I couldn’t find anything on internet, if anyone over in Japan has any idea or Google over there gets hits I would be curious.  I have way to many sets of blades I’m not selling, but this is setting off my good buy radar so I’m going to watch them.

 

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/l1110106764?conversionType=service_page_search

 

[Bigmean]

Also, this is about as clean a set I have seen of these OG Nike blades…….  I want to say that specific set was made by muira, I’m probably wrong but they did make the split backs, I had the onoff version

 

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/w1111699049?conversionType=search_yac_browsing_hisotry_list

[Nard_S]

41 minutes ago, Bigmean said:

Also, this is about as clean a set I have seen of these OG Nike blades…….  I want to say that specific set was made by muira, I’m probably wrong but they did make the split backs, I had the onoff version

 

https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/w1111699049?conversionType=search_yac_browsing_hisotry_list

OG nike 's are Miura made, those are a solid buy.

[RolandofGilead]

I had a great year playing the Wilson Staff FG-51 blades - you may recall I had some issues with tight hosel bores but I worked it out (shafts are DG120 X100 soft stepped twice). After a two year drought I made four eagles this year, using 4i-3i-4i-6i approach clubs into par fives. These will be my primary gamers for the foreseeable future.

 

I happened to stop in my local Play It Again Sports a day or two after they received a couple dozen vintage iron sets. My score of the year was a 3-P set of MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Muirfield 20th Anniversary irons with R400 shafts.  Bought them for $30. In the address position these are the best looking irons I have ever seen, bar non. I have a set of DG S300 shafts incoming and I can’t wait to play these this winter. My winter set is the 1987 W/S Fluid Feels, which are a birth year set. As it turns out so are these Macs, so it will be quite the duel.

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by RolandofGilead

[boggyman]

Agree with you @Bigmean that tech is BS…. Played a couple rounds with a Rogue Pro St set that are they’re now gone. Went out solo today with my FG17s, like daylight and dark. Great day of ball striking. Love me some blades. It was  in the low 70s here today. Awesome weather for this time of year!! Hit ‘em straight gents!!

[Bigmean]

Grabbed these with the last putter I impulse bought, I have a set for my small blades as well, they arrived to my door for less than golf prides are these days and I play the mcc and Z cord in my small blades, and I have to say I have had these on long enough and now a sweaty garage session to give them a full thumbs up.   Maybe not as good as perfect pro cords, but close enough for me.  Anyway, I have sweaty hands and play in 90% humidity so I’m also a closet grip connoisseur and figured I would share.

 

Regarding my garage session,  I have a lot of work to do this winter.   I almost came full circle back to unable to hit a driver, and my irons as sharp as ever.   When my driver was going well this summer my irons were not there.   Now it’s reverse.   I knocked down pins from 113-213 on sim and about wore out the mulligan button on trying to find out WTF is happening with driver.   

 

I have some ideas I have picked up as it has dropped off to work on this winter.  Unlike last time(s), I won’t be dropping it for a while because while I lost my driver in the end by the end, I found having fun playing and grinding again😎.    
 

It was really hard on me mentally to go backwords 6-7 shots and not get off the tee when I was delusionally thinking about going under 5.  That made it harder for me.  The reality is that last shot doesn’t matter and is history and I need to let that go and just focus on the shot in front of me. 

[subrew]

Starting to flush out my Mizuno MS sets, with these MS-1.  Super square toed.  One of the photos below shows an MP-14 for comparison.

 

 

[subrew]

And I wasn't sure where to post this one, but thought the blade thread might be the spot.  These started out life as a set of beat up $1 each MacGregor Tourney sorta muscle backs.  They had a weird shape, flaking off chrome, rusty chrome, and lots of nicks and chatter.  I don't think these were a particularly sought after set of Macs, so hopefully nobody gets too upset with this build.

 

I stripped them raw, then had fun doing an Itobori style grind to them.  I always wanted to do that, and these seemed like the perfect base.  I kept the sole grind more normal, with a pre-worn leading edge.  And kept the backs smooth.  But lots of grinding on the toe and heal areas. 

 

It was fun getting everything to the weight I wanted.  I play irons 1/2" over normal length, so the reduced weight from the chrome stripping and grinding has them right at D2.0.  Which is pretty light, as these old heads tend to play at much heavier D5-6 range stock.

 

The patina is starting to come in after a few rounds of early morning wet golf.

 

     

[JungleJimbo]

28 minutes ago, subrew said:

And I wasn't sure where to post this one, but thought the blade thread might be the spot.  These started out life as a set of beat up $1 each MacGregor Tourney sorta muscle backs.  They had a weird shape, flaking off chrome, rusty chrome, and lots of nicks and chatter.  I don't think these were a particularly sought after set of Macs, so hopefully nobody gets too upset with this build.

 

I stripped them raw, then had fun doing an Itobori style grind to them.  I always wanted to do that, and these seemed like the perfect base.  I kept the sole grind more normal, with a pre-worn leading edge.  And kept the backs smooth.  But lots of grinding on the toe and heal areas. 

 

It was fun getting everything to the weight I wanted.  I play irons 1/2" over normal length, so the reduced weight from the chrome stripping and grinding has them right at D2.0.  Which is pretty light, as these old heads tend to play at much heavier D5-6 range stock.

 

The patina is starting to come in after a few rounds of early morning wet golf.

 

     

@subrew Any nicknames for your home-made "Itobori Tourneys"?

...e.g. I-Tourney-Bori's? 

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by JungleJimbo