Trying Blades

[deanomag]

Hi,

Been playing just under two years now and fair to say I’m obsessed with the game !

Averarage round for me is between 85-92,shot 83 a couple of times but also shot 94 a few too.

 

got fitted for some m6 irons a while back and although I hit them very far I feel they are a bit wild ! Very strong lofts and I hit with a lot of lag and shaft lean ! Hit my 7 iron 28.5 over 185 if I lean on it. Anyway seen a few guys gaming blades and tried a coupe out down the range and felt a bit more control, so I bit the bullet and got some -

Mizuno MP-32 , 3-PW wow !

maybe it’s to early to say but after a few hits they was lovely much more control maybe the shafts are better suited ? But just felt nice, struggled to draw the ball as much but doesn’t bother me. Think I’ll keep the m6 5 and 6 irons as the 3 and 4 in mp’s are a bit too much work but the rest of the scoring irons felt good.

shaft in m6 - kbs max stiff

mp-32- s600

As a 15 handicap i know can bring it down if i practice short game but also feel if you can hit an iron well blades can be gamed by anyone and work better than a very powerful game improvement iron !?

[gandor]

i know a guy like you who just started playing too and he hits blades better than GI. everyone is different so dont pay too much attention when they say blades are only for low handicapper. i played blades in my first year of playing and i like them better in every aspect. my misses are not big compared to GI. same thing with hybrid vs driving iron for me. my dispersion is better with driving iron.

[deanomag]

Yeah glad you’ve said that, most think blades are only for low handicap! I think if you can hit out the middle of the face you can game any club. Our range balls leave a nice white mark so know I hit them out the middle.

im also useless with a hybrid ! Can hit my rsi udi 2 iron much better, although if I don’t hit it right i lose about 100 yards, rather that than a hybrid that flies wild both directions.

[NixLix26]

Well done, MP-32's are classic design that have been loved by many. I still have a set. I actually bent mine to a play two degrees stronger than the listed specs. More modern Mizuno spec. but that's because i hate the gym. i gain a few extra yards the old cheating way.

Enjoy them and hang onto them. even if just for practice.

[dubbelbogey]

You're not alone. It's an entirely appropriate and valid thing to do. Have fun, enjoy the MP-32s!

[avguy]

Miss my MP-32s now! I even played them in steel shafts for 3-4 yrs b4 elbow issues forced me into Recoil graphite with them - they still were very playable for my game, similar in scoring but not as long as you.

I toyed with some "more" GI models recently with two not as helpful as those M6 from same OEM - TM M5 and a set of TM P790. But as mentioned, desperate times for my elbow issues and those 1 yrs. old sets sell better than my old blade MBs in sig I want to keep. I decided to order TM P760 in Recoil Graphite for the injury prevention, and will never hit steel irons on the range again. I can get away with it on a course where there is lots of time between full swings in my irons.

Your blend could work out as many tour pros keep more forgiving long irons in combo sets to get their scores down - the MP-32 are great but I thought the PW was too big looking.

[chippa13]

Can't wait to see this thread go off the rails.

[chisag]

 

... This weekend when I woke up and signed in I noticed 7 of the first 20 threads were about blades. Most golf forums don't have 7 blade threads in an entire year!

[vmann]

Play what you want. I'm a 6 handicap and want to get better. I believe blades will help me get better and won't make me worse. I believe that grooving a swing to hit the sweet spot will drop my handicap and keep my handicap lower, longer than purchasing a game improvement iron. If you believe getting an iron that "forgives" is right for you have at it. It's about enjoying the game. Everyone has their own idea about what that is.

[deanomag]

Why would it go off the rails is it a problem to hit a blade unless your single digits. If anything I think it makes more sense, can feel a bad shot and can’t get away with so much...

 

[1Mordrid1]

I believe what many world renowned instructors say about blades(even 2 of the biggest names in golf instruction believe this). There is no way that playing a blade makes you a better golfer, and if you believe that you strike blades better than a cavity back club, then you are not as good a ball striker as you think. If you have the ability to hit a blade very well, then you should be able to game and hit anything well. And at that level of talent, playing blades is then just a preference. You could hand any PGA tour player a GI club with tons of offset and they would be able to make the adjustments necessary to hit the club, because they are that good, and have that much control of their golf swing. They may not like it as much as their blades or player's irons, but they could game them and likely score just as well.

Playing blades does not make you a better player and never will. Practice or natural ability is what makes someone a better golfer. That and the final score on the scorecard. And I know the old tired story....the smaller blade makes me focus more...blah blah blah. Well I hate to break it to anyone who says that, the smaller blade may just be a placebo effect to your game. Because if your focus is truly superior enough to "flush" a blade every time, then you should be able to focus on any club and hit the sweet spot. So if the placebo effect helps you then great. But a placebo effect working on one golfer does not make it the doctrine for every other golfer in the world. Personally I have no issue with anyone playing blades. I don't care if a 25 handicap golfer plays blades because he prefers them and they make him enjoy the game more. Great for him. However I would take exception if he starts saying they make him a better golfer. Or if he says he is a better golfer than a 10 handicap because he plays blades, which makes the game harder(I actually know someone who thinks this).

As for the OP, it's awesome that you are finding joy in the game. You said your M6 irons were fitted a while back and you are still fairly new to the game. It could be possible that as you have learned the game, your swing has changed and your M6 that were fit a while back, just are not as good of a fit for your current swing. As you get more years under the belt, and especially when you hit that age that many of us are in now, where age slows and changes your swing, you will find that sometimes equipment that was great a few years ago, just does not work as well for the swing you have today. Your new clubs may just be a better fit for your current swing. I would not necessarily give up on the M6's without re-evaluating them for your current swing, unless you are just enjoying the new blades that much. If so, I hope you continue to enjoy the game, and congrats on your foray into blades.

[chisag]

 

 

... As an ex full time golf instructor I completely agree with you. I said in the past it is undisciplined and mentally lazy to think that hitting a MB makes you a better ball striker because you focus more and I got a backlash from more than a few blade lovers. As I stated above, this place is a blade fest so if you wanna play a MB you certainly don't need an excuse for doing so. I have a ton of respect for those that say they know playing MB's cost them a few or more strokes but don't care, they just love playing blades. I really don't think anyone can argue with that logic. Obviously there are those the do play better with MB's but I doubt any of them will tell you it is because they focus more when using them. It is because it maximizes their ability to hit the ball closest to the pin.

... Ball striking and iron play is the cornerstone of my game and I play P790's. I also play my Z Forged sometimes and most of those rounds there is very little difference in my shots and scores, especially on my good days. But on my bad swing days I always appreciate the extra forgiveness my P790's provide. I admit hitting the Z Forged is more satisfying than hitting my P790's. But for me, the most satisfaction comes from writing the lowest number on my scorecard after 18 holes. That said, I completely understand those that are more satisfied with the sweet feel and personal satisfaction of playing MB's even if you may lose a stroke or two. I don't teach anymore so I have no personal opinion about what anyone should play and as stated over and over again, play whatever makes you happy. Clearly for many on WRX, that is MB's.

[bladehunter]

Care to name those instructors ?

 

[deanomag]

I think playing a blade can make you a better player .. just the same as playing a GI can make you better! It’s what ever suits your swing and game.

For me the m6 irons are designed for maximum distance and forgiveness, I don’t really notice much difference in forgiveness unless you hit it way off the toe anyway. where as the blades I tried wasn’t no where near as hot off the face rather more soft feel and my dispersion with misses was much better, (I know as range has Toptracer so can track all variables.)

it’s like you say might be my swing change just suits the blades currently, I certainly won’t be selling my m6 paid a lot for them when they come out and know there fairly decent my uncle plays off 4 and loves them , he is older though so think the distance thing is big.

I think people get all defensive about blades as they feel certain people have to earn them lol some people will 100 percent improve with blades especially if they can hit an iron well just as some low handicap players could do very well with a GI iron..

[Titleist_PT23]

It seems like the MP32s are similar to AS famed 680s? Relatively high offset and very low bounce. Or the opposite of more modern designs, although you could get closer by bending the newer ones strong I guess.

[jonradus]

Blades are great for mid handicappers when you’re hitting your irons flush on a good day. The bad days are very bad though. I can hit and play blades, but I don’t because of the bad days.

[deanomag]

bad days with GI irons are no fun either feel as if it’s easier to turn the ball over with them so can miss both ways, also the flight is very high and there long so bad shots put me in trouble .Might be wrong but my misses with blades was always short and right, might find few more bunkers short but I’d take the short and right.

[Titleist_PT23]

I've long believed forgiveness matters little-by-little for most players. Still probably do if you put a gun to my head.

But last year I went back to a lower MOI driver head (granted, any modern head in the 430+ range is still very easy to hit) and my fairways hit/penalty shots off the tee didn't change at all. I also tried a 25 degree hybrid and overall it wasn't much different than the corresponding iron. The hybrid was better for forced carries, shots to elevated greens, and crappy lies out of the rough. Actually worse on par 3s and for a basic shot from the middle of the fairway.

So I'm not sure anymore. I tend to think that loft vs. swingspeed (or lack of it) is the biggest problem that is hard to get around in irons (as the loft decreases).

[deanomag]

I can’t hit a hybrid to save my life mate ! Poxy things tried about 5 different ones, still no joy. That’s what again reinforces my thought that certain clubs just do or don’t suit any given player, blades included this whole thing they are harder to play etc is never going to be the same for everyone.Gi irons ballon and are hot and are more inconsistent off the face than a blade.

[Stinger83]

If you want to play blades. just buy an old beat up set and practice with them. Give it a few months at the range. After that time you may realize it's not for you. Or after a while you may realize your ballstriking has improved. Just remember the "performance" factor of an iron is NOT distance. IT's consistency, feel and accuracy.

[Golfjack]

It's not a problem. Maybe worth a stroke or two a round at most. Maybe none. You can't even really quantify the difference, which is why there is so much baseless argument over this. Truth is, you're shooting in the 80's with blades, you're not going to be all of a sudden shooting 70's with GI clubs. I don't get the point of the whole debate, but to each their own. Only nono is for guys who are short hitters and can't hit blades hard enough to spin and launch them. Unless you are on a course where you can bunt shots all over the place, you don't want that burden. Then the GI clubs are definitely better. You have enough speed to hit them so you're fine.

[nsxguy]

"Gi irons ballon and are hot and are more inconsistent off the face than a blade"

You've been playing all of 2 years and yet you've got all the "excuses" down pat. Good for you.

Enjoy your sticks !!!

[bullie76]

When I started playing golf some 50 years ago blades were about your only option with the exception of Pings. I enjoyed them fine back then. But at my age I'm all for foregiveness. Just received a set of Cobra f9's which is at the other end of the spectrum. Ha.

[Bubs23]

The wait is over

[dubbelbogey]

The wait ended before we got to 10 posts.

[hobbes928]

This has not been my experience. Last few seasons I've been gaming JPX 900 forged 120S modus and this year I got fit into MP 20 SEL 105S modus (wanted to go lighter). That said, my ball flight with blades is much higher and hitting a 5/6 irons into a green stops on a dime as a result. Conversely, my JPX 900 forged was a much lower ball flight and rolled out some.

I recognize the shaft weight probably contributes to the different ball flights but the other factor is that the lofts are different so if you're comparing your GI 7 iron vs a 7 blade with traditional loft, blades will go shorter as you mentioned because traditional lofts are weaker.

As for blades vs. GI debacle, my personal experience has been it's wayyyyyyyyy overblown. Yes, blades are more punishing on mishits and will travel less than GI clubs on mishits but I'll gladly take the trade off for the better ball flight....season just started and I've only been out a few rounds thus far but so far I'm hitting more greens with blades. Play what makes you happy. my2c.

[REJ]

Give me what the pros are using.

[nsxguy]

Would either of you gentleman care to give your definition of "off the rails" ?

TIA

 

[Tree Levino]

Easier to turn over...? Oh my. Everyone goes through this phase. Give it some time.

[Bubs23]

An idiomatic phrase meaning- away from the intended or expected path.