Any high h.c.'ers playing blades?

[chipa]

I play a small blade Acer XV Tour that I hit well when I am swinging decent. The mishits hurt me of course but when I hit them well it gives me a lot of confidence the next time around to take my time and make a disciplined swing.

 

I recently tried some GI irons because it only seemed logical that at my high h.c. (15 estimated - I'm still trying to get my equipment set) I would benefit but I hit them all over the face so bad I lost a lot of confidence in my swing and got frustrated and tried to "muscle" it, which is what my tendency always has been and always destroys my scores.

 

I wonder if there are other high or relatively high h.c'ers out there that like me prefer blades (or small) cb's even though they aren't easy to hit?

[chipa]

Ok maybe I've answered my own question. 🙂

[CROUSE99]

My guess is the specs of your blades fit you better.  By that I mean the shaft, length, lie, flex, etc.  The only way to truly find out which you hit better would to have two sets that are exactly the same specs and weight, one blade and one cb.  Then you could make a fair comparison

[chipa]

1 hour ago, CROUSE99 said:

My guess is the specs of your blades fit you better.  By that I mean the shaft, length, lie, flex, etc.  The only way to truly find out which you hit better would to have two sets that are exactly the same specs and weight, one blade and one cb.  Then you could make a fair comparison

 

I build my own clubs I think it has to do with the large size more than anything else. So far I've tried two sets of GI, one medium and one large and I hit them both worst than my blades. I wonder why I thought I would hit them better as I only really had an issue with the 3/4 iron. I did find something online a little more forgiving but not too big hopefully (when it arrives).

 

I believe my perception is based on the clubs I started playing with in 1995 which were all small. That's about all that were available at that time, but that soon changed but I never had the buck to buy them.

[FirstFlight]

I started playing in '90 with blades and still do...small, thin, literally no bounce, with heavy and stiff shafts. I've tried about 5 different sets of CB's over the years, big and small, cast and forged, while all will work they all lack the good linear feedback that blades provide me. Even if I only realized it unconciously when younger, eventually I came to terms with what I need/prefer.

If you go CB, I suggest getting the smallest club face possible, get the least amount of bounce, an no offset to have a fighting chance of liking them.

Cheers,

 

Btw, I believe it's the archer, not the arrow...by themselves, a set of irons that are agreeable with a golfer are probably worth a max of of about 3 points to a handicap. Any further improvements to one's handicap is all you and must be paid in effort.

[stoneydukes]

I play the Mizuno MP20 HMB irons and tried them against the MP20 blades and they were VERY close. I think I may have made a mistake in building the HMB set thinking they would be more forgiving, which they are on paper. I think the turf interaction of game improvement clubs help a lot of golfers but not necessarily everyone. TXG just did a great video on distance and dispersion between two clubs from the same manufacturer. One was the game improvement version and one was the players version. On paper, the game improvement club should offer more distance and more forgiveness but Ian (the tester) hit both and got much better results with the blade because of his swing's reaction to the turf. His distances were much more consistent and his strike pattern was much better with the blade. 

 

 

[FirstFlight]

For me, coincidentally, drivers with head volumes greater than about 300cc give me fits. Like small blades, small volume drivers and woods force me to focus and get better results, pretty much instantly.

Cheers,

[T Creer]

Play blades in the cold, you’ll either give-up the game or go to something forgiving 😂. I love the look and feel of a true blade but realized, I’m not consistent enough. 

[chipa]

14 hours ago, T Creer said:

Play blades in the cold, you’ll either give-up the game or go to something forgiving 😂. I love the look and feel of a true blade but realized, I’m not consistent enough. 

 

I believe this is true for forged blades based on my experience. However, I believe my cast 304 blades don't hurt near as bad on mishits in the cold.

[T Creer]

Agree—cast blades don’t hurt nearly as much in the cold. The feel/sound is not quite as crisp with cast though. 

[chipa]

1 hour ago, T Creer said:

Agree—cast blades don’t hurt nearly as much in the cold. The feel/sound is not quite as crisp with cast though. 

 

I play cheap Acer XV Tour blades and they actually feel softer than some forged one's I have played, no doubt to the very soft steel. It's worth a try if you like small, traditional looking blades with little offset. Unfortunately they apparently are running out of stock everywhere.

[pktaske]

On 11/2/2020 at 10:32 PM, FirstFlight said:

by themselves, a set of irons that are agreeable with a golfer are probably worth a max of of about 3 points to a handicap. Any further improvements to one's handicap is all you and must be paid in effort.

Truer words...

 

Grips make more of a difference in my experience. Going to Midsize improved me by 3-4 easy and immediately. Easier swing, MUCH greater confidence.

Edited December 10, 2020 by pktaske

[brew4eagle]

I'm a high single digit HC and thus 'shouldn't play blades' but the way they look behind the ball just makes things seem so much easier/intuitive vs a big ol clunker of a head sitting there.

[Putterboy68]

I'm a lower hdcper that plays a cast club. Been playing the X14s since 2000. headcovers keep them nice. Was on a par 3 the other day and hit one that felt really bad. I even turned away. I didn't say anything but I acted like I hated it. I get up to the green and it's 12 feet away on the edge of the fringe. Knocked it right in for a birdie. I want nice clubs but nothing I have hit in the last 10 years has been as good as my X14s. I even have an $1100 credit at Callaway that I would love to spend but the only thing I like are the BB B21 irons. Maybe I'll try the Apex forged when they come out in January. 

[cjrobertson]

On 10/26/2020 at 4:13 PM, chipa said:

 

I build my own clubs I think it has to do with the large size more than anything else. So far I've tried two sets of GI, one medium and one large and I hit them both worst than my blades. I wonder why I thought I would hit them better as I only really had an issue with the 3/4 iron. I did find something online a little more forgiving but not too big hopefully (when it arrives).

 

I believe my perception is based on the clubs I started playing with in 1995 which were all small. That's about all that were available at that time, but that soon changed but I never had the buck to buy them.

The sole of the club makes a huge difference with "forgiveness" as well. I find that on my mishits, I have more distance errors with blades, but more lateral issues with cavity backs. 

[cjrobertson]

On 12/9/2020 at 4:52 PM, pktaske said:

Truer words...

 

Grips make more of a difference in my experience. Going to Midsize improved me by 3-4 easy and immediately. Easier swing, MUCH greater confidence.

This is a great point. Good grips that promote a light grip with your hands. Absolute game changer 

[pktaske]

6 hours ago, cjrobertson said:

This is a great point. Good grips that promote a light grip with your hands. Absolute game changer 

 

Had the guy I purchased my used RSi1's not had midsize on the set, I would have never known. Just happenstance.

 

If grip matters, grips matter.

[FirstFlight]

On 12/17/2020 at 3:22 PM, pktaske said:

 

If grip matters, grips matter.

I'm also beginning to believe in grips...I recently found a GBB Hawkeye for $10. I replaced the worn out original wrap, cut 1" off the butt, and re-gripped with a midsize grip. Oh my...this setup rocks! Timing the release is easy and this club goes straight. I can easily put a baby draw or fade on it. 'bout time I consider midsize for most of my set too.

[idontnoh]

I’m a high handicapper (13) that plays blades because of the feedback it provides.  Someone said earlier that it’s the archer, not the arrows, and I absolutely agree. Play what you like. 

[Feelingofgreatness]

I often play with a 20 handicapper that plays mizuno blades because he loves the look... He hits them terrible. 

[2bGood]

[Skhacker]

Went back to quasi-blades(razr x mb) as I find a smaller head just so much easier to square up and get through the turf. I got caught up in the distance game with bigger cb's but really just needed to grab one club more. No big deal. Didn't see any forgiveness benefit as I've always been a good ball striker and like to manipulate and shape. Started collecting blades again. 

[pQQa]

My handicap or swing speed has never justified playing blades (actually muscle backs - Blueprints), but that hasn't bothered me.  I like the look of them - not only in my bag, but more importantly at address.  Some would suggest I play something more forgiving or something to increase my distance.  What I like about these is perhaps something that others don't like... my mishits don't go as far.  If I mishit it, I'd rather be 10 yards short rather than still getting the extra 10 yards of distance on a mishit, and be in the trees.  For me, I score well when my bad shots don't get me into too much trouble. 

 

I'd probably play mostly hybrids down to a SW if it was about distance and forgiveness.  But there isn't much money on the line when I play, so I play what I like.

[FirstFlight]

On 12/29/2020 at 11:32 AM, pQQa said:

My handicap or swing speed has never justified playing blades (actually muscle backs - Blueprints), but that hasn't bothered me.  I like the look of them - not only in my bag, but more importantly at address.  Some would suggest I play something more forgiving or something to increase my distance.  What I like about these is perhaps something that others don't like... my mishits don't go as far.  If I mishit it, I'd rather be 10 yards short rather than still getting the extra 10 yards of distance on a mishit, and be in the trees.  For me, I score well when my bad shots don't get me into too much trouble. 

 

I'd probably play mostly hybrids down to a SW if it was about distance and forgiveness.  But there isn't much money on the line when I play, so I play what I like.

Amen to the short miss, my short game is way better from the apron, than the shaggy or the trees or both!

[vtpachyderm]

Just put a set of Apex Pro 16's in the bag. Paired them with Recoil 110 F4 shafts and midsize grips, and they feel so nice. I'm hitting them decently on the sim and can't wait to try them outside when the ice thaws.

 

Thanks to the new world hcp system and 3 PB rounds this season, I'm listed as a 9.8, but normally am shooting low to mid 80's so am closer to a 12-15 hcp so on paper have no business hitting them, but they just look so nice in the bag and at address :-).

[Rotorite]

I’m a high teens handicapper and by all accounts have no business playing blades, but I prefer how the smaller soles feel when contacting through the ground, and have gotten to the point where I’m not too far behind the M3 irons I used to play in terms of distance.

 

Granted though, I only play blades until 5i and then go into hybrids and woods due to my swing speed. 

Edited January 18, 2021 by Rotorite

[mdmccaine]

IMO I think nailing the specs, shaft, and grip are most important. If you like the look at address that's what counts in the heads. All the GI irons are loft jacked anyways so are you really gaining extra distance loft for loft?

 

Echoing the short miss.

[BREWMASTER95060]

Yes

[BREWMASTER95060]

Hogan

[chipa]

I shot a 95 recently with my blades at a tough course it was really wet and my nephew who is like a 4-5 shot an 83. It was only about 6100 yards but tight and hardly and level lies plus it was pretty cold. I hit my irons very well I just couldn't get off the tee. My nephew commented more than one how well my shots sounded. I was only using up to the 5 iron at that point.