Do Blades negatively impact performance? Or is it all in our heads?

[BenSeattle]

I've always shot in the mid 70's but years ago when I switched from Spalding blades to the Ping Eye, I became a better golfer.  The mishits didn't wind up 20 yards from the green but instead, 20 feet.  Back then, nearly all cavity-backs looked like dramatically offset shovels but that's not the case any more.  Even Phil Mickelson understands the easier-to-hit features, having ditched muscle-backs in longer irons, going with hollow Callaway X Forged UT in long irons before the MB's start at his 6-iron.  When I see average players -- meaning everybody -- with a bag of blades, all I can't think is, "You really don't want to shoot lower scores, do you?"

[chrismarz]

6 minutes ago, BenSeattle said:

Phil Mickelson understands the easier-to-hit features

 

6 minutes ago, BenSeattle said:

I've always shot in the mid 70's

 

Its cool... you both shoot the same scores!

[chrismarz]

I, for one, want to take all of my advice from Phil.  Not only in what clubs to use, but life in general.  Since I can hit the ball on a simulator much like him, I'm pretty much him and should do the same.

13 minutes ago, BenSeattle said:

with a bag of blades, all I can't think is, "You really don't want to shoot lower scores, do you?"

I got 16 months of data saying this is bullcrap... but whatever.  Phil plays forged, so I probably should too.

[chisag]

1 hour ago, Makuakane_Bear said:

If I am being honest, I have no business playing blades. My golf game has taken a back seat due to work and family life. The game is really dependent on what time and effort you have put into it. 
With that said, I play what I want. Do blades make me a better player? No. Wearing Jordan’s/Kobe’s basketball shoes don’t make me a better basketball player. Just because I wear those shoes, I am not going to start dunking and hitting jump shots over everybody. I also am not going to criticize anybody who wears those shoes on a basketball court regardless of their skill level. The same goes for someone’s equipment. You like what you like, and if you can afford it, knock yourself out.

 

 

... What a great post. 👍  WRX is the only place on earth that defends MB's like someone is attacking 2nd amendment rights. Unless you have absolute rigid opinions (sadly so many do today) nobody really cares what anyone else plays and that includes MB's. I have seen a handful of posts like yours over the years and alway appreciate them. There is a reason most in the industry do not recommend playing MB's IF shooting your lowest score is the goal. And yes, I concede many here are absolute Morikowa's with MB's in their hands but turn into Larry the Cable Guy with GI's or even Players Irons.

... I play around 5 time a week and I have a set of Z Blades I love playing about once a month for 2 reasons. The first is they are just a ton of fun to play. They look good and they feel good. The second reason is they remind me why I play Cobra Tour players irons. I usually miss a few shots every round with my Z Blades and the difference is always enough to cost me at least a potential shot. Hitting a 4 iron from 200yds a little on the toe and slightly high on the face produces a shot that loses more distance and direction than my Cobra's and can mean the difference of being short and in the rough struggling to save par or on the fringe with a shot at birdie. That is enough for me to not play MB's. Honestly I have really good rounds where the Z Blades probably produce shots no worse than my Cobra's but other rounds I think there is at least a 1 or 2 stroke difference. For me that is enough and of course ymmv. 

... The Cobra's feel almost as good as my Z Blades, look almost as good at address and when I do mishit the ball they produce better results. But if I wanted to play MB's, I mean really wanted to, I could easily convince myself the Z Blades were no more penal and might even be more accurate. You see what you want to see and you hear what you want to hear is never more true than a WRX MB discussion. 

[DanGolfs86]

Single digit handicap player here…I don’t find much difference in scores when I play blades, the main difference is I spin my blades a fair amount more than my CBs. A pure shot is a pure shot though. I keep my CBs (AP2’s) in the bag mainly because I hit more neutral to light draw shots with them…but I’ve got no hesitation throwing the blades in if I wanna look cool lol. Differences in my scores usually come from how I’m putting or how windy it is…

[jsmcdon]

5 handicap here

3-4-5 hybrids

6-7 cb

8-9-pw mb's

best of all 3 worlds!

[bladehunter]

1 hour ago, Makuakane_Bear said:

If I am being honest, I have no business playing blades. My golf game has taken a back seat due to work and family life. The game is really dependent on what time and effort you have put into it. 
With that said, I play what I want. Do blades make me a better player? No. Wearing Jordan’s/Kobe’s basketball shoes don’t make me a better basketball player. Just because I wear those shoes, I am not going to start dunking and hitting jump shots over everybody. I also am not going to criticize anybody who wears those shoes on a basketball court regardless of their skill level. The same goes for someone’s equipment. You like what you like, and if you can afford it, knock yourself out.

On Trackman, my mishits are punished with blades compared to cavity backs. The feedback is also very prevalent. That said, I have hit my best shots while playing my blades. I have hit my worst shots with blades, cbs, and gi clubs. Blades taught me to react differently to the results. 
On the golf course, my scores have not changed much. I think my course strategy has changed the most while playing with blades. I have to be honest with how I am hitting it that day because the results will NOT lie. I just can’t get away with a bad swing. I found while playing them, I am more honest with myself, my club selection, and the shot I am going to hit. I have also learned to fully commit to each shot and my strategy.

Mentally, the game does take more energy. I have to have shorter memory, I have to keep my emotions more in check, and I have to be mentally agile to keep reassessing the next shot. Golf is hard. 
Since making the change, I can say that I have personally enjoyed the game a lot more. I enjoy the challenge of trying to think and golf my way around the course.  Apparently, I am also a glutton for punishment- but if you love playing golf, than I am pretty sure you are too. 

Very good point. I share that.  There is little doubt that I play a different game with one iron vs another. 
 

 

a teacher I know calls it “ big ball vs small ball”.  

[MelloYello]

The things I've witness among better players lead me to believe they're looking for:

(a) Tighter dispersion. 

When players argue for blades because they enhance misses by adding a distance penalty in addition to the lateral miss, it seems like common sense that we're talking about increasing dispersion. So that justification rings hollow to my ears. 

 

(b) Less Curvature. 

 

Pretty much every good player can create a draw/fade on command when they have to but I've never heard a good player say they want to see their standard shots curve more. So it would follow that a more stable club would be a more practical choice assuming it provides the preferred offset & turf interaction. 

 

 

In my own personal experience it's also been beneficial to have a club that feels more consistent. If there's truly only a marginal difference in outcomes, then why not take the increased consistency of a club that still feels like a solid, 1-piece design? We can do multi-objective optimization here. If two alternatives tie in one area, a benefit can still be found (and a choice made) in another area. 

 

To me, playing blades (and arguing for them) came with a host of logical inconsistencies. After awhile I realized none of it really made sense. I think there's clearly a lot of insecurity around it which is embedded within these "justifications."

After all, if it were merely about playing what most brings you joy, we wouldn't get these weird, twisted theories about how increasing dispersion is a good thing. Where's the guy saying, 'yeah, my misses are worse and that doesn't help but I'm just here to have fun?' 🙂

See, it isn't just about enjoying it. People need to feel right. I couldn't live in that headspace personally. 
.

Edited January 21, 2022 by MelloYello

[golfortennis]

44 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 

... What a great post. 👍  WRX is the only place on earth that defends MB's like someone is attacking 2nd amendment rights. Unless you have absolute rigid opinions (sadly so many do today) nobody really cares what anyone else plays and that includes MB's. I have seen a handful of posts like yours over the years and alway appreciate them. There is a reason most in the industry do not recommend playing MB's IF shooting your lowest score is the goal. And yes, I concede many here are absolute Morikowa's with MB's in their hands but turn into Larry the Cable Guy with GI's or even Players Irons.

... I play around 5 time a week and I have a set of Z Blades I love playing about once a month for 2 reasons. The first is they are just a ton of fun to play. They look good and they feel good. The second reason is they remind me why I play Cobra Tour players irons. I usually miss a few shots every round with my Z Blades and the difference is always enough to cost me at least a potential shot. Hitting a 4 iron from 200yds a little on the toe and slightly high on the face produces a shot that loses more distance and direction than my Cobra's and can mean the difference of being short and in the rough struggling to save par or on the fringe with a shot at birdie. That is enough for me to not play MB's. Honestly I have really good rounds where the Z Blades probably produce shots no worse than my Cobra's but other rounds I think there is at least a 1 or 2 stroke difference. For me that is enough and of course ymmv. 

... The Cobra's feel almost as good as my Z Blades, look almost as good at address and when I do mishit the ball they produce better results. But if I wanted to play MB's, I mean really wanted to, I could easily convince myself the Z Blades were no more penal and might even be more accurate. You see what you want to see and you hear what you want to hear is never more true than a WRX MB discussion. 

 

I can't believe you bring up something like that.  The blade discussion is much more important than that.

[Makuakane_Bear]

20 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

Very good point. I share that.  There is little doubt that I play a different game with one iron vs another. 
 

 

a teacher I know calls it “ big ball vs small ball”.  

Thank You.

Regarding your teacher’s comment, I had an old boss say something similar to me after a club tournament at his home course. One of the most constructive and impactful lessons I had learned. 

[golfortennis]

1 hour ago, nsxguy said:

 

My friend, I agree with the first (bolded) part. It's so obvious it's hardly worth discussing. But I couldn't disagree more with the 2nd part.

 

Forgetting for the moment that nobody hits it straight at the flag all the time or that the flag is centered all the time, short of the green has far more problems than long.

 

I just counted on my current home course. There are about 3 that have anything other than grass over the back of the green and 12 that have issues, either bunker(s) or water to catch the short shots.

 

That's not even counting right or left problems that, especially with the pin on the same side, are also problematic and are also short of the back of the green - i.e. IN play.

 

That's also not considering proximity to the hole which I doubt anybody would argue against, is the single largest factor in scoring.

 

Your tee ball (often) is the ONLY shot you want to hit as far as you can. EVERY other shot is primarily intended to go in, or at least as close as possible to, that 4.25" hole.

 

How may shots go past the hole rather than short of it ? Correct the first time - an awful lot of them. 60% ? 75% ? 90 % Why ? Because we all play for a "perfect" strike and we all know our distances.

 

But we often don't get a perfect strike and where are we ? Correct. SHORT(ER) of the green or short(er) of the hole.

 

Even disregarding a hazardous location, would you get it up and down more often from 5 YARDS short of the green ? Or 5 FEET short of the green ?

 

Would you sink a putt more often from 30 feet short of the pin or 15 feet short of the pin ? From 15 feet or 5 feet ?

 

Obivously, diffrences, if you could even count them, are measured in fractions of a stroke.

 

If you got up and down from that 5 YARDS off the green but didn't from 5 feet does that mean the blades are better ? After all, you made par with the blade and bogey with the GI. Of course not. You simply made a better chip (or putt) when you played the ball further away.

 

But I guarantee you would've preferred to be closer AND, in the long run, WOULD have a better stoke average from closer in.

 

Proximity to the hole is king - WHATEVER irons you play.

 

Everybody should play what they want for whatever reason(s) they want.

 

 

Oh I agree everyone should play whatever they want.  After all, nobody is paying any of us to play a certain club.  

 

My only response to what you have to say is, on a number of courses(particularly my home course), just off the green left/right/long means rough or bunkers, whereas with only a couple of exceptions, short is a fairway lie.  And for the most part, my shots do tend to reach the target, so I'm not willing to trade some of them going longer in order to reduce the short shots.  

 

You have to manage misses as well.  I just find it works better with blades.  And when I hit it well, I can do things with the blade that a CB won't allow me to do.    

 

[Toybota]

Oh right let's just all play

 

I15 Driver

1-pw Jack Nicklaus blade irons

Bullseye Putter

[bladehunter]

1 minute ago, Makuakane_Bear said:

Thank You.

Regarding your teacher’s comment, I had an old boss say something similar to me after a club tournament at his home course. One of the most constructive and impactful lessons I had learned. 

Yep.    I swapped out of a set last year when I hurt my elbow.  Played all summer in events with the t100 and graphite.  And they’re great.  But. It’s big ball. I mean I can hit the pw  146 yards on flat ground with no wind.  It becomes hard to saw 25-30 yards off that to gap with the sand wedge.    So a gap is necessary and down the slippery slope to hell we go ( joke). 
 

small ball is low , and controlled.  And not available to the mentally weak.  My opinion.  

[bladehunter]

3 minutes ago, Toybota said:

Oh right let's just all play

 

I15 Driver

1-pw Jack Nicklaus blade irons

Bullseye Putter

Would be a great world to live in.  

[Ri_Redneck]

As any WRXer, I have several sets of clubs (4-PW):

 

Model                           MOI gcm²

MP5                               2091 

MP4                               2119

MP14                             2123

MP15                             2298

MP25                             2343

Cobra ACP                    2000+/-

Titleist 695 CB              2135

 

All sets are MOI matched with comparable shafts and grips. I play just as well with any of them. The MOI of the clubheads vary by approx. 350 gcm². In 2019, after spending a day or so in one of these same threads, I decided to try an SGI clubhead. I chose the Mizuno JPX EZ with an MOI of 3448 gcm². A solid 1000 over my highest set to date. The VCoG is the same as the MP15 & MP25 and the cdim gave me a whopping .5" further from the hosel! I set these clubs up with comparable shafts and grips and balanced them to match my other sets. Dry swinging them, they felt no different from any other clubs I have. I practiced and played with these for three months keeping notes on the results. My findings were:

 

1. Shots felt VERY different (harsher) from all my other clubs. Maybe because it's a cast head.

2. Turf interaction was brutal on my wrists. I had to sweep these irons or suffer wrist pain after playing.

3. Lack of distance control. Many more long of intended distance than normal. Yes, I practiced and gapped these clubs prior to putting them in play.

4. Angular dispersion did not improve. This is where I expected to see improvement with the considerably higher MOI than my regular clubs.

5. The one good thing about these clubheads is I didn't shank a single shot when playing them!! The extra .5" cdim did what it was supposed to!

 

It was an absolutely frustrating experience trying to play well with these clubs. I would do 3-4 range sessions a week in between rounds and still couldn't get them to perform the way I expected them to. Needless to say, when I finally switched back to my regular sets, I had to spend a couple of weeks ironing out the swing changes I had to make when attempting to make the  JPX EZs work for me. Again, still anecdotal evidence, but that's all I have to go by for my game. Maybe if I had stuck it out a whole year the results may have been better. But it really shouldn't take that long if they're actually better for me.

 

BTW, I reshafted these and gave them to my son and he plays well with them!

 

BT

Edited January 21, 2022 by Ri_Redneck

[chrismarz]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

defends MB's like someone is attacking 2nd amendment rights

I only get defensive when someone tells what I shouldn't be playing (e.g. not "good enough to play). 

 

1 hour ago, MelloYello said:

a) Tighter dispersion. 

When players argue for blades because they enhance misses by adding a distance penalty in addition to the lateral miss, it seems like common sense that we're talking about increasing dispersion. So that justification rings hollow to my ears.

This assumes that we are all hitting to a flat, soft surface.  Shots landing short typically land in spots that roll out less than those missing pin high or long (I accept this means bunkers, but I'd typically prefer a ball rolling into a bunker over a funky lie in the rough). 

 

Also, I've never argued that blades "enhance" misses.  What I've noticed was that my misses typically end in more benign spots. This has helped me lower my scoring... with the side benefits of making art with my sexy Word not allowed blades.

 

Your results may differ, I get it.  Just my experience.  

 

My goal in these "tirades" is simply to dispel the idea that blades are ONLY for low handicap/professionals.  These are lies proliferated only to sell more clubs and advertising in magazines - not to help you or me have more fun.

[MelloYello]

16 minutes ago, chrismarz said:

I only get defensive when someone tells what I shouldn't be playing (e.g. not "good enough to play). 

 

This assumes that we are all hitting to a flat, soft surface.  Shots landing short typically land in spots that roll out less than those missing pin high or long (I accept this means bunkers, but I'd typically prefer a ball rolling into a bunker over a funky lie in the rough). 

 

Also, I've never argued that blades "enhance" misses.  What I've noticed was that my misses typically end in more benign spots. This has helped me lower my scoring... with the side benefits of making art with my sexy Word not allowed blades.

 

Your results may differ, I get it.  Just my experience.  

 

My goal in these "tirades" is simply to dispel the idea that blades are ONLY for low handicap/professionals.  These are lies proliferated only to sell more clubs and advertising in magazines - not to help you or me have more fun.

 

Just to continue the conversation in a friendly way, I honestly don't quite get the final point there. I never experienced anyone telling me I had to play this or that when I started out. Every ad promoted what was it in using predictable fluff...

GI ad....forgiveness, distance, higher, straighter, longer, more powerful, etc.

 

Forged player's iron....looks, purity, feel, control, precision, tour-inspired, etc. 

 

I think what you're describing is just advertising in general. Companies want to sell things. If anything, I would think there's more money to be made selling mass quantities of cheaper GI stuff. I know when I worked at Dick's for a year about 50% of the sets I retrieved out of our inventory would inevitably be Burners we had on sale for $399 - $699. I was always blown away by how quickly we'd get those things in and "burn" through them, LOL. I supposed we could've stocked higher end, forged clubs but maybe the profit margin isn't there?

 

A real DG shaft probably costs more. A real Golf Pride grip probably costs more. The tooling on the clubs costs more. And at $1,000 very few people bought stuff like that. If the profits drove companies to sell $500 blades maybe that would've been in ads but I think promoting some form of technological advantage ("forgiveness") was common sense. 

 

Now we're seeing product ranges extended to include $1,500 hollow-headed GI irons, but they aren't replacing the cheaper, more affordable $599 set on the wall. That's still there and will sell in greater numbers. I think companies make bank off the cheaper stuff but are happy to service the smaller market of $1,500 shoppers all the same. 

 

Anyhow, getting back to blades, nobody ever stopped me from buying them. I don't get this resistance people keep describing. They're all over Ebay if you want them. And quite frankly, they're pretty cheap, too. There's literally nothing stopping people. 

 

As I said before, the harsh truth is, blades are a thing of the past and the next generation isn't nearly as interested because they're not looking for workability as much as high, straight and long. The game is different now. Teachers aren't promoting their students work the ball. 

 

And what's driving that? Pure competition. As it turns out higher, straighter and longer actually is better. It's an arms race of sorts. Everyone wants straighter shots and more speed. 

 

.

Edited January 21, 2022 by MelloYello

[Makuakane_Bear]

1 hour ago, Toybota said:

Oh right let's just all play

 

I15 Driver

1-pw Jack Nicklaus blade irons

Bullseye Putter

I have played a round with grandfather’s old clubs. Old Wilson blades, Wilson persimmon woods and a bullseye putter. That round was one of the most fun rounds I have ever played. Choosing the right tees is essential.
It is a nostalgic exercise and great test of skill. I encourage a lot of people to try it.

[chrismarz]

1 minute ago, MelloYello said:

Every ad promoted what was it in using predictable fluff.

Yes - this is my vendetta.  Just search any article from Golf Magazine/Golf Digest... etc. and you see the same old crap... "Are you good enough to play blades?"  "How to know when you should consider blades?"...  Its all the same and it pushes some fallacy that a GI iron will take your (not you personally) crappy swing and turn you into a GIR machine.

 

Play what you like, and its even possible that a 20+ handicap will see improvements in ditching their GI shovels, or a single digit handicap get to a new PR. 

 

And there are several reasons for this... could be the misses are now bogeys and not double's or worse.  Could be that it helps you focus on ball striking.  Could be that holding a majestic blade fills you with new pride and confidence... it doesn't matter... but it could (and has) worked for many and these ad machines need to be understood for what they are - money making devices, not legitimate or objective evaluation sources.

[RolandofGilead]

24 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

As I said before, the harsh truth is, blades are a thing of the past and the next generation isn't nearly as interested because they're not looking for workability as much as high, straight and long. The game is different now. Teachers aren't promoting their students work the ball. 

 

And what's driving that? Pure competition. As it turns out higher, straighter and longer actually is better. It's an arms race of sorts. Everyone wants straighter shots and more speed. 

This is not at all true for those of us who play for love of the game and/or don't rely on shills to teach us the game. Just because pros and ads tell us to hit to hit it high and straight, doesn't mean it's the only way. I'm a 4 index and I'm resolved to play rounds with persimmons and blades this year to have more fun. There's literally nothing but ego to stop anyone from doing this.

 

To answer the original question: sure, scores will most likely be higher with blades. Is that the only way to define "performance"? If so, I believe that is the problem. 

Edited January 21, 2022 by RolandofGilead

[MelloYello]

12 minutes ago, chrismarz said:

Yes - this is my vendetta.  Just search any article from Golf Magazine/Golf Digest... etc. and you see the same old crap... "Are you good enough to play blades?"  "How to know when you should consider blades?"...  Its all the same and it pushes some fallacy that a GI iron will take your (not you personally) crappy swing and turn you into a GIR machine.

 

Play what you like, and its even possible that a 20+ handicap will see improvements in ditching their GI shovels, or a single digit handicap get to a new PR. 

 

And there are several reasons for this... could be the misses are now bogeys and not double's or worse.  Could be that it helps you focus on ball striking.  Could be that holding a majestic blade fills you with new pride and confidence... it doesn't matter... but it could (and has) worked for many and these ad machines need to be understood for what they are - money making devices, not legitimate or objective evaluation sources.

 

I honestly can't say I've seen that in any of the Golf Mags that show up to my house. 

 

Don't get me wrong, there are YouTubers who do the run-of-the-mill "what are blades like" video but they usually come away saying the same things:

 

- They look great.

- They feel nice.

- The long irons make me nervous. 

 

Every person who hits a blade has the same exact experience. It's not like one person hits a blade and feels some thing another person doesn't. Even the blade guys in this thread are talking about how they use CB long irons (or hybrids). 

 

I think this idea that blades are unique and special and somehow protected or not promoted is the fallacy. If they were popular, they'd be easy to promote but generally-speaking the market doesn't want them. 

 

You can't honesty think there's a conspiracy to limit to popularity of blades...think of what that sounds like. 

[chrismarz]

4 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

I honestly can't say I've seen that in any of the Golf Mags that show up to my house

Like these small publications (the most simple of google searches produced the following)?

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/golf-equipment-truths-how-to-know-when-you-should-consider-irons-geared-for-a-better-player

 

https://golf.com/gear/irons/fully-equipped-mailbag-blade-irons-improve-ball-striking/

 

https://golftips.golfweek.usatoday.com/blades-vs-cavity-back-irons-2404.html

 

[MelloYello]

5 minutes ago, RolandofGilead said:

This is not at all true for those of us who play for love of the game and/or don't rely on shills to teach us the game. Just because pros and ads tell us to hit to hit it high and straight, doesn't mean it's the only way. I'm a 4 index and I'm resolved to play rounds with persimmons and blades this year to have more fun. There's literally nothing but ego to stop anyone from doing this.

 

By your logic, ISIS doesn't exist because you personally don't follow it's teachings. 

 

Kewl beans. 

[MtlJeff]

1 hour ago, Toybota said:

Oh right let's just all play

 

I15 Driver

1-pw Jack Nicklaus blade irons

Bullseye Putter

 

There isn't a set of blades ever invented that is harder to hit than the I15 driver

[MtlJeff]

I always wondered if my views of these threads would change when I started playing blades. It really hasn't

 

Blades are harder to hit, if you are awesome you will notice this less and maybe benefit from the ballflight differences

 

If you're not awesome, play them because they look awesome and it makes you happy. All good!

 

The rest is all BS. Flyers is BS, not concentrating with GIs is BS. If you're a 20 index sure blades might make you better, a supermodel might also date you. Same percentage chance basically

 

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by MtlJeff

[chrismarz]

2 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

By your logic, ISIS doesn't exist because you personally don't follow it's teachings. 

yikes man

 

13 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

You can't honesty think there's a conspiracy to limit to popularity of blades...think of what that sounds like. 

no conspiracy... simple strategy of creating a market and demand.  OEMs need to sell new crap every tear and release "new technology" in woods/irons etc. 

They advertise on TV and in these mags.  And prey on the folks that think this tech is going to help them be better. 

Not a ton of new technology in blades... and those that have sweet, beautiful blades are more likely to see through the "technology" BS or be perfectly happy with their older mizzy MP 14s, Cally Apex '18 or P7TWs and not buy new.

Added bonus, the uninformed masses that just picked up the game and are playing their grandpa's 1960 Spauldings read this biased "analysis" and buys this technology on the promise of it making them better.

 

No conspiracy, just advertisers, OEMs working together to benefit each other and not you or I.

[PTM]

13 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

I honestly can't say I've seen that in any of the Golf Mags that show up to my house. 

 

Don't get me wrong, there are YouTubers who do the run-of-the-mill "what are blades like" video but they usually come away saying the same things:

 

- They look great.

- They feel nice.

- The long irons make me nervous. 

 

Every person who hits a blade has the same exact experience. It's not like one person hits a blade and feels some thing another person doesn't. Even the blade guys in this thread are talking about how they use CB long irons (or hybrids). 

 

I think this idea that blades are unique and special and somehow protected or not promoted is the fallacy. If they were popular, they'd be easy to promote but generally-speaking the market doesn't want them. 

 

You can't honesty think there's a conspiracy to limit to popularity of blades...think of what that sounds like. 

 

 

Do you ever tire of being very, very wrong?

 

https://golf.com/gear/irons/harry-higgs-why-he-uses-game-improvement-irons/

https://golf.com/gear/lower-handicap-game-improvement-irons-distance/

https://golf.com/gear/rickie-fowler-cobra-clubs-wall-to-wall/

https://golf.com/gear/irons/fully-equipped-mailbag-blade-irons-improve-ball-striking/

https://golf.com/gear/irons/what-you-can-learn-iron-setups-pga-tour-pros/

https://golf.com/gear/irons/kevin-na-callaway-apex-cavity-back-iron-fully-equipped/

 

Just one publication and less than 90 seconds of search. Basically if Kevin Na supports your theory, you're on the wrong side. And every single article ends with calling TRUE SPEC GOLF, the official fitter of GOLF Magazine.

[MelloYello]

3 minutes ago, chrismarz said:

Like these small publications (the most simple of google searches produced the following)?

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/golf-equipment-truths-how-to-know-when-you-should-consider-irons-geared-for-a-better-player

 

https://golf.com/gear/irons/fully-equipped-mailbag-blade-irons-improve-ball-striking/

 

https://golftips.golfweek.usatoday.com/blades-vs-cavity-back-irons-2404.html

 

 

Thanks for the links, looking at the first one I found these two statements:

Hmmm, do you have an agent yet? Is there an endorsement deal coming your way? Do you practice your long irons more than your dog sleeps? OK, in all seriousness, here are a few reasonable signs that your game is ready to move into the smallest, least forgiving, shortest-flying irons in the game. (In general terms, Players Irons are largely single-piece clubheads that are forged or cast with very narrow soles, thin toplines and the smallest of cavity backs. 

 

Those seems like tongue-in-cheek jokes. Nothing to report there. 

 

To consider players irons, first, it would be good if you’re shooting in the 60s way more than you shoot in the 80s, and the latter only happens during a Category 5 hurricane or snowpocalypse.

 

Okay, the above is false but I know what he means. If someone is constantly in the 80s they have swing issues, that sort of player probably doesn't need equipment fixes in general. But I agree, it's not a helpful statement and at it's core it's wrong. 

 

Looking at the second link here's a quote:
 

Sure, there are exceptions to every rule. But if you’re playing a set of game-improvement or player-distance irons, the move to a set of muscleback blades is going to highlight a lot of your weaknesses. You’re not only sacrificing mis-hit protection, but you’ll also notice significantly weaker lofts, which means you’ll have to adjust all the yardage gaps in your set.

 

 

None of that seems wrong to me. They will expose a player's weaknesses and they will demand re-assessing one's yardage. Keep in mind the target audience, too (13-handicappers). When was the last time you played with a 13-index? A 13-index is likely to go out and shoot 90 on an average day. 

 

Besides, the guys who take advice from Golf.com as opposed to--IDK--just hopping on Ebay and spending $300 for a trial set are not exactly the folks I'm worried about. Hate to be a callous elitist but maybe you're overly concerned about folks who don't take it that seriously anyhow? 

[chrismarz]

4 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

If you're a 20 index sure blades might make you better, a supermodel might also date you. Same percentage chance basically

20+ handicapper friend of mine switched to blades and reached his personal best handicap and score recently.  Is he full of crap, or should I tell him to ditch his wife because something better is comin' around the corner soon?

 

Please help - this is HUGE news for him potentially.

[MelloYello]

4 minutes ago, chrismarz said:

no conspiracy... simple strategy of creating a market and demand.  OEMs need to sell new crap every tear and release "new technology" in woods/irons etc. 

They advertise on TV and in these mags.  And prey on the folks that think this tech is going to help them be better. 

Not a ton of new technology in blades... and those that have sweet, beautiful blades are more likely to see through the "technology" BS or be perfectly happy with their older mizzy MP 14s, Cally Apex '18 or P7TWs and not buy new.

Added bonus, the uninformed masses that just picked up the game and are playing their grandpa's 1960 Spauldings read this biased "analysis" and buys this technology on the promise of it making them better.

 

No conspiracy, just advertisers, OEMs working together to benefit each other and not you or I.

 

I mean....who cares? 

 

We don't need new cars either? There are a million things we don't need. We have excess money to spend and so we demand products to buy. 

 

Stop billing equipment companies as evil because their supplying golf clubs. If they were selling crack, okay, I get it. But they're selling GI irons. And you're saying people are rubes and can't tell what's good for them. 

 

Maybe you're wrong about people?

 

Consumerism is bad but don't assume people are different from you and I. If we can tell what's good for us, so can everyone else. That's my attitude anyway. It's as if you believe people need to be protected from themselves. 

 

With crack? Yes!

With golf clubs? Let's chill. 🙂