Main reason to play blades?

[Swvehaun]

I think it depends how much you can play. I was always told learning to hit a blade is the best way to become a great ball striker bc it's really hard to fake it. But if you can only get out a couple times a month and don't have time to practice I'd say go when whatever is gonna let you play the best when you do get out there

[billybaroo]

To feel superior to others.

[Itsjustagame]

Interesting that almost nobody answers because blades lowered their scores.

[justasgood]

> @Itsjustagame said:

> Interesting that almost nobody answers because blades lowered their scores.

 

Some things need not be said.......but they do.

[bladehunter]

> @MuskieCy said:

> "Working the ball" with your irons is such a hoot. The ball hasn't moved the last 25 years. "Move" in this case is a poor strike.

>

> Iron design has also minimized side spin.

>

> Vanity and comfort are the only valid reasons. And, they are valid reasons.

 

Lol

 

 

I suppose turf interaction isn’t a valid one ? Truth is most irons are made to counteract the fat shot. That works against the clean strike , especially on hard turf.

 

My answer is turf interaction and more importantly COG. Plenty of perimeter weighted irons have a higher vertical cog. This also helps the fat shot. But makes it really hard to get the Vcog to the equator of the ball for good players. You hit a lot of shots that feel thin but have good impact spots. A great example of this is the i500 iron. Works great on sloppy weather. But it’s trash on hard summer fairways in the south.

[801]

a. Turf interaction.

b. Turf interaction when hitting from the rough

c. Pitching and chipping

d. Especially chipping from right off the green

e. I can just as easily mis-hit a CB or perimeter weighted iron as I can mis-hit a MB blade

f. and finally ... the ultimate reason ... and one that is simply too controversial for even this web site ... the 'forgiveness' superiority of CB's over MB's is a myth.

 

that's why I hit MB blades. always have ... always will.

[Graymulligan]

I swapped over to a set of Hogan Ft Worths this season, and absolutely love the feel and the look. Consistent lofts help me with distance control, even if I have had to get used to different distances compared to what I was playing before. I'm not going back, I love these things. (and they're waaaay easier to hit than I expected)

 

 

[PappyVanWinkle53]

So I can tell everyone just how bad@$$ I am........

 

 

 

 

[Warrior42111]

for the average Joe, blades are like a supermodel; fun to look at but you have no chance in real life

[Sjewell94]

Never had many lessons growing up so for years my ball striking and contact were virtually non-existent. Over the past year I took some lessons and bought some blades and haven't looked back. If you want to learn to hit with zero forgiveness and see where the ball goes to know how you are missing/what to work on, there is not a better way to do it. Used to have to bail out with a hybrid in many long situations, including long par-3's, Now I am hitting longer irons off of a lot of tees into par-4's. Would recommend it for any skill level... plus they look cool in the bag

[ballpilot]

For the same reason that trees should not be allowed on a golf course.

[Jimjam651]

> @Itsjustagame said:

> Interesting that almost nobody answers because blades lowered their scores.

 

In fairness that's a bit if a wrx thing across the equipment board & not specific to blades, there would seem to be far more posts about improves launch monitor results than scorecards.

[NRJyzr]

> @Jimjam651 said:

> > @Itsjustagame said:

> > Interesting that almost nobody answers because blades lowered their scores.

>

> In fairness that's a bit if a wrx thing across the equipment board & not specific to blades, there would seem to be far more posts about improves launch monitor results than scorecards.

 

 

And, a not insignificant portion of the posts in this thread are just trolls

[boggyman]

Simply put, you like them and they work for you!

[Chazb]

So I can argue on this board that they are better than all the GI clubs made and will make any golfer better and they are very pretty.

[vman]

I love the look and have tested a lot of blades over the years but they've just never made it into the bag.

[blueshirts12]

Because I enjoy the look of blades and there isn't a noticeable correlation between scores and which irons I am using.

[wmblake2000]

I play them because they are the most fun. I’m not convinced I score better or worse but every time I hit it flush, it’s a special great feel. The one area I think blades are better for me is I chip a lot with 8, 9, pw and for whatever reason I do it much better with a thin soles blade.

[wmblake2000]

> @blueshirts12 said:

> Because I enjoy the look of blades and there isn't a noticeable correlation between scores and which irons I am using.

 

That’s the way I see it, too. I score when I play well.

[CRAFTYLEFTY20]

Distance control!! A lot of the newer blades are really not the much harder to hit than players cavity irons.

[Chuck905]

> @Itsjustagame said:

> Interesting that almost nobody answers because blades lowered their scores.

I did mention something about wedges and scoring irons having more feel and precision, that itself leads to lower scores.

 

The attacking zone and short game is where it matters to me most.

 

 

[glm]

The wider the sole the more I dig.

I don't need to hit a 7 iron 195 yards.

[BenHoganSlam1953]

They happen to fit my current bag well and I prefer the turf interaction, plus I find them better for chipping. In addition, I can get more than enough height to hold a green from even tricky lies on the fairway. However, the main reason is that they are an early warning indicator when I am getting lazy with my setup and swing, thus helping me to avoid the big misses with my long clubs. I found with my more forgiving irons that I was struggling more with my driver and woods.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

1) I like the look at address

I grew up playing blades because that's what I had. I'm used to a small profile, so I don't like heads with a big profile. Some CBs have a small profile (I've got some nice Bridgestone J36 CBs, and some Titleist 710 CBs back in the UK), and I'll play those as well.

2) I play for fun, not money.

A pured blade feels great. I may not pure it every time, but who cares except me? Do you care?

3) Distance control

This one is somewhat quantifiable. I may not hit where I want every time, but I usually miss pin-high. I will say that good CBs are not that different in this respect IMHO. However, I'd say that good CBs aren't much, if any, more forgiving than blades IMHO.

4) I prefer blades for chipping.

The smaller head is better for chipping. Again, some CBs do this as well.

5) Feel

Come on. Is this really up for debate? I've hit some CBs that feel great, but the best feeling MB is still better than the best feeling CB. Example: played the Mizuno MP-64 before going to the MP-4s. Now those MP-64 were GREAT when nutted. But the MP-4s were so sweet they sang.

 

 

Conclusion: play what you want, and don't worry about anyone else.

[bodhi555]

I've used blades for about 15 years now, for loads of reasons like

 

1) Distance Control - a well hit 7 iron will go 165 every time

2) Trajectory Control - I hit a high ball anyway, and find it much easier to flight a MB down to keep it under wind, trees etc

3) Feel - don't thin that really needs explanation

4) Long Irons - i find them easier to hit than CB's. No idea why as it makes no sense. I've tried a couple of CB 4 irons with a thought to putting them in the bag, and every time I hit the VR Pro 4 iron better / further / straighter

5) Looks - let's be honest they are purdy. Especially those models from a well know apparel company

6) Forgiveness - a very abstract term in golf, but I find them no harder to hit than a Player's CB. In fact in the long irons I find them easier (see above)

7) I learnt to play in the 80s so didn't have much choice until the mid 90's

 

tl:dr I just prefer them and think they suit my swing better. IMO YMMV etc etc.

[VNutz]

> @Itsjustagame said:

> Interesting that almost nobody answers because blades lowered their scores.

 

I switched to blades this year, and while I'll never say it was because of this or that in particular, my scores were lower than a pretty consistent stretch of golf from the past several seasons. I'm not necessarily a blade advocate, but they work for me at the moment. If I get to a point where I feel they're hurting me they'll be out of the bag.

 

To the OP's question, I play them because I like the more compact size and the minimal offset. Sure there are cavity backs out there with similar shape characteristics but the ones I tried had one or the other and not both, or something else I didn't like, but the blades I found just look right to me. I like that I have enough confidence to hit a shot, but at the same time know I have to put a swing that's within reason. I found with my cavity backs previously that at times between clubs I'd club down and overswing and get into trouble as I felt too confident in them. I know that's me and not the clubs, but clubbing up and swinging within myself on said shots has helped this year. Additionally I've found that with the blades I can flight a ball down better than with cavity backs, which has helped a lot as well. Many modern cavity backs are designed to help get the ball air more easily, and flighting down or hitting punch shots was more difficult and launched too easily for what I was trying to do. That hasn't happened with the blades.

[randywall]

Really appreciate all the feedback on the topic. I'm going to spend some time trying the blades and players irons at the next Seattle golf show, and not just quit when the first shot doesn't come off right. Last year, I hit 4 different models of Mizuno clubs at the golf show, and the JPX 919 Hot Metal had the best result, but the thought of having the feel of a blade more often is very appealing. I don't really care how far each club goes, as long as I know the gap. I'm cool with hitting driver 230, 20 yd gap with fairways, and 10 yd gap with irons. Consistency is key, and as someone said, a mishit is going to be bad regardless of the club, when it's fat.

[pingnewbie]

Confused here - why would blades offer more consistent yardages when misses on the face aren't as forgiving?

[justasgood]

 

I hate this editor. Can't delete a post?

[chisag]

... As others have said: Ego, vanity, feel and a degree of fun. I had a great ball striking day 2 days ago playing my Z Forged and pretty much hit every single shot solidly so I can honestly say no shot would have been any different playing my P760's. That said, yesterday my back was tight and my swing less than ideal and I was glad I was playing my 760's. Several mishits that turned out better than they would have been with my Z's, especially a few mid/long irons hit thin. I would also say the 1025 forged P760's feel just as good as my Z's when hit dead center. Ymmv ...