Did I just make an idiotic decision?

[MattC555]

MP20's are awesome.  I love mine!

[vman]

Just sell them after you've hit a few and stick with the ZX5.

[chipa]

I think any player who makes decent contact and plays a draw can play a small cb or a forged blade of an MPF of 400 or better. After all the misses are generally a club short and to the right a little, whereas the smaller blades and cb's help a great deal with hooks, which in my case cause me a good deal of strokes every round and I expect others too who miss it to the left - for whatever reason be it poor technique, quick hands or swing, etc. I also think the natural tendency of coming from the inside allows one to hit closer to the hosel, which is necessary for the smaller cb's and blades.

[FormerDimer]

16 hours ago, Mobert19 said:

 

I’m now thinking this is dumb. I’m playing so well with the Srixons why did I go and potentially mess this up? I guess we’ll see. What do you all think? Good decision or just immensely stupid?

 

 

I'd say do it, playing small blades definitely makes you a better ball striker. I did it for a long time, but now I feel I'm in the stage where I've lost a a lil speed and I cannot dedicate the proper practice time to maintain the sharpness that one needs to truly enjoy the experience. I have since gone to player's cavities, and now am looking at players "tech" cavities (apex, mmc, zx5).

 

We are going down different paths, my friend. Good luck and godpeed.

 

 

[BallerNate]

1 hour ago, North Butte said:

I was just thinking the other day about that phrase "turf interaction". 

 

My golf game is mediocre at best, my swing is pretty bad and my low-point control is downright awful. So for me GI/SGI irons are always the safest bet to try and salvage something out of swings where my swing is trying to bottom out maybe 4-5 grooves too low💩

 

Even with wedges I've always stuck to models with medium to wide soles and double-digit bounce angles. My natural tendency is to be a "picker" but when my swing malfunctions I get steep and deep and that leading edge can get stuck. 

 

Anyway, I was messing around on the driving range with a wedge I wouldn't normally play. Narrow sole, some bounce but a pretty sharp leading edge. It took me a long time to figure out how to hit good shots with it but when I did it was fun. I was taking pretty substantial divots but they were shallow (mostly) and the ball was flying on a very pleasing trajectory with some spin. 

 

That's when "turf interaction" popped into my head. I realized that if you're someone who has always used thin-soled, low-bounce, small-headed irons that carves out those long, smooth divots then that feeling is what you'd be used to. Trying to hit my big old fat irons, designed to skid along the ground without digging, would feel like hitting shots one-handed or something. Just no satisfaction.

 

I'll stick to my fat soles, thank you. But I think for the first time I understand why you lot go on and on about "turf interaction". Once you get used to that feeling, the impact sense that I usually get just wouldn't be good enough.

Yeah, at the end of the day it’s all about finding what’s the best fit for you and your game.

 

For me personally, I just love the feel of that pure strike on the sweet spot of my CB/blade-like Z 785’s, the ability to control distance, the smoothness of the swing, and the “turf interaction”. Do I get punished on mishits….absolutely, I get crushed. But I get punished when I tested the ZX5, P790 and P770’s on mishits too.

[North Butte]

4 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Yeah, at the end of the day it’s all about finding what’s the best fit for you and your game.

 

For me personally, I just love the feel of that pure strike on the sweet spot of my CB/blade-like Z 785’s, the ability to control distance, the smoothness of the swing, and the “turf interaction”. Do I get punished on mishits….absolutely, I get crushed. But I get punished when I tested the ZX5, P790 and P770’s on mishits too.

I don't know if you've ever hit a set of the Ping Eye2's but they're a weird combo. They actually have enough MOI, perimeter weighting and are big enough that they're not super punishing on mishits (compared to blades and stuff). But the soles and leading edges were designed back when it was assumed every player wanted to carve out big old divots and be punished if he got steep or deep.

 

I play nine holes a couple times with a set and it was so strange. Catch one out on the toe and it would catch the front of the green like a modern SGI club. Catch one a little heavy and it was as punishing as a set of Macgregor Tourney blades (or seemed so to me).

[mogc60]

Some people have tools, motorcycles, cars, utv’s, guns, etc….

I have golf clubs…they are my joy. I’m a cheating bastxxx too, I’m not loyal to any of them. I truly love trying and tinkering with equipment. It makes the game more enjoyable for me and honestly gets me to practice way more often. You made a choice, try them and if they don’t work, sell them. You’re not out anything in the end really. 

[BallerNate]

1 hour ago, North Butte said:

I don't know if you've ever hit a set of the Ping Eye2's but they're a weird combo. They actually have enough MOI, perimeter weighting and are big enough that they're not super punishing on mishits (compared to blades and stuff). But the soles and leading edges were designed back when it was assumed every player wanted to carve out big old divots and be punished if he got steep or deep.

 

I play nine holes a couple times with a set and it was so strange. Catch one out on the toe and it would catch the front of the green like a modern SGI club. Catch one a little heavy and it was as punishing as a set of Macgregor Tourney blades (or seemed so to me).

Interesting. No, I’ve never actually tried any PING or Titleist products at all for whatever reason. 
 

Neither in golf shops or in my fitting back in March have I ever swung a PING or Titleist club. Probably turned off by all the guys with the “All-PING” and “All-Titleist” bags…just not my thing.

 

Edit: that’s not fully true, I’ve waggled Vokey wedges in the store and tried to roll a few putts with Scotty’s just to see what the hype was about, but both just seemed like regular clubs.

Edited August 2, 2021 by BallerNate

[Barfolomew]

Buy Sell Buy Sell rinse and repeat as many times as you please...

[SteelieD]

I keep my MP67s around because I LOVE bringing them out now and then every though they are not the right clubs for me forshooting lower scores. 
 

have fun. That’s what it’s all about. 

Edited September 13, 2021 by SteelieD
Typo

[Fairway14]

My guess is that 50% of GI or SGI players would shoot their scoring average with a set of muscle back blade irons.

[Doaner84]

21 hours ago, Mobert19 said:

A few days ago I bought a set of MP-20 blades here on WRX. I’m playing off a 6.3 right now and just started breaking 80 in my last 10 rounds fairly consistently. I’ve been playing twice a week for the last 4 months. Prior to that probably once or twice every 2-3 months. 
I went for a fitting and ended up getting a full set of ZX5 irons with modus 120S shafts which have immensely contributed to my improved iron game (came from Ping G). I was never a consistent iron player but really have turned the corner with the help of increased practice and playing time and these clubs. 
 

Also, the MPs are coming with DG S300. Lie may have to be addressed but that’s another story. 
 

Anyways, like many others here, I get sucked into checking out gear and really liked the looks of the MP-20s. I figured life’s short and just get them and see what happens. 
 

I’m now thinking this is dumb. I’m playing so well with the Srixons why did I go and potentially mess this up? I guess we’ll see. What do you all think? Good decision or just immensely stupid?

Only thing that would be immensely stupid is if you get rid of the srixons.  Have some fun with the mp 20s. After the fun sell them. 

[chipa]

17 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

My guess is that 50% of GI or SGI players would shoot their scoring average with a set of muscle back blade irons.

 

I think its easier to play blades or small cb's if one comes from the inside and makes solid consistent contact, which the latter isn't difficult to do if one swings within their limits.

Edited August 3, 2021 by chipa

[Mobert19]

Update as I have just been able to hit these clubs at the range (off mats unfortunately as my club is under maintenance for another week). 
 

definite loss of distance by one club length which Is die to the weaker lofts. Ball flight was fine, maybe a tad lower than my modus 120S in the Srixons. I was impressed by the easiness to hit of the 3 and 4 iron which are the HMB in this set. 
 

5-PW contact was fine. I was getting more hooks as I went up in loft. I’m assuming this is a lie issue as my srixons didn’t do that when I switched between clubs. 
 

mishits we’re punished short but nothing dreadful. Feedback from club wasn’t harsh on these. 
 

they’re a beautiful set and I could totally game these but am unsure about giving up distance. I will take them on the trackman this week and compare statistically with the srixons and then really need to play a few rounds to see how tight the distances and dispersions are. 
 

Any input is accepted!

[North Butte]

Certainly not "idiotic". You'll make it the game slightly more difficult for yourself but probably only slightly. Only you can know if, on balance, you enjoy playing sleek and beautiful MP-20 style irons enough to be worth them costing you a stroke once in a while on a bad mishit. 

[puttingmatt]

Enjoy, your MP 20's are fine clubs.

Keep in mind, prior to CB's all irons were 

musclebacks. They are not that difficult to play. And with a little patience, you will get the hang of them. Have fun, blades are a blast.

[iNeedMoreGolf]

Going to be honest with you....if youve been consistent in the 80s then your just fine playing the mizuno mp 20 blades... they are more forgiving then how some make it sound. As long as your hitting your distances pretty regularly you will be fine... noo iron makes you hit straighter. Only longer. I play blades and consistently shoot in 80s... working on breaking into 70s.

If you expiernce a off round or two... dont lose hope.. keep playing with them.. at least 10 rounds.. and you will see there is virtually no difference for a decently skilled player to play blades or a gi. If anything you might realize gi irons were more of a hinderance. Also... if you expiernce any stinging... which you wont or will a little... i highly highly recommend winn dri tac 2.0 grips... 90% of stinging will be gone.

[JAMH03]

Yeah it's dumb but it's neither fatal nor tragic and a part of the hobby. Enjoy!

[NHenson815]

I still haven’t figured out how GI irons are supposed to be easier to use than blades.   The equipment reviews on all the various golf websites like to mention that blades are only for “scratch players” and “elite ball strikers”.  It seems like it takes more skill to square up and hit one of those big honking GI irons, straight with some predictable level of distance.  There is a lot more that can go wrong with those bigger club heads.

[Fairway14]

42 minutes ago, NHenson815 said:

I still haven’t figured out how GI irons are supposed to be easier to use than blades.   .

 

Current club designers/engineers use CAD systems to design clubs. The testing results reveal that larger club heads produce better results from mishit shots than do relatively small club heads. So, the companies produce large club heads and sell the story that bigger is better.

However, the reality is that for some players a larger club head actually promotes more mishit shots than a relatively small club head. Sadly, the club company designers/engineers forget that the goal of the game is to strike good shots, not mishit the ball.

[me05501]

To me the first post reads like this: 

 

"As a single guy, I've recently had a string of dates with various beautiful women who make a lot of money and treat me well. I'm thinking of moving to a smaller town where this is much less likely to happen. Good decision?"

 

🙂 

[dubbelbogey]

Go out and play golf - lots of golf.

 

Don't think about the irons at all.

 

You're playing golf, not golf clubs.

 

Come back in several months and tell us your story.

 

[Mobert19]

25 minutes ago, me05501 said:

To me the first post reads like this: 

 

"As a single guy, I've recently had a string of dates with various beautiful women who make a lot of money and treat me well. I'm thinking of moving to a smaller town where this is much less likely to happen. Good decision?"

 

🙂 

Hahaha. Thanks for the laugh. 

[rondre3000]

Were the MP20's not available at your fitting?

[Mobert19]

17 minutes ago, rondre3000 said:

Were the MP20's not available at your fitting?

I wasn't striking the ball as well as I am now. I've been playing and practicing much more than ever.

So at the time of fitting, I wasn't a good candidate for these.

Edited August 16, 2021 by Mobert19

[ShortGolfer]

Learn to play them on an Executive or Par 3 course.  Move up to closer tees to put less importance on the distance aspect of the game.

 

 

[rondre3000]

1 hour ago, Mobert19 said:

I wasn't striking the ball as well as I am now. I've been playing and practicing much more than ever.

So at the time of fitting, I wasn't a good candidate for these.

Gotcha. Sure, give it a shot. Even if they don't perform the same, you may prefer them esthetically. Just know that going into it you're likely going to be shorter w/ the MP20's unless you bend them strong or your zx5's are bent weak. But hell, tinkering with different sticks is pretty much why we're all here. Have fun!

[MountainKing]

If you can't play them, they'll look great hanging out in the room with your other clubs.  As long as you pay what you need to pay, there's nothing idiotic about spending your cash how you want!

[chipa]

I just tried out my "new" blades with a lightweight stiff taper tip shaft and I definitely hit them straighter than my other ones. I also hit them much higher and a little shorter because they are weaker lofts. My "new" 7 wood was a fantastic addition as well as I finally hit a good drive on one of my "nemesis" holes, about 230 off an elevated tee, (my ss is around 99). Also, my new 8802 putter with the crosshand grip is almost a sure thing w/in 5' as long as I get the line right (no more pulls). Finally, my "new" long driver experiment is working out as well, I cut the shaft down to 47" and hit a nice draw with an ave. ss. of 113-114 with a high of 119. I figure I get about 9 mph additional clubhead speed over my 43.75"  2 wood.

 

So definitely trying out "new" equipment has been worth it for me. In my case most of it is used (and/or off brand) and 15-20 years old but with new shafts and grips. I also put my stuff together.

Edited August 16, 2021 by chipa

[PorkChopExpress]

Remember, it's always the arrow. If the arrow doesn't fly like you want, get a new arrow