Don't Buy Blade Irons Before You Read This
Using the Ask Terry button, in the right hand sidebar, Warren asks:
I've been experimenting with blades in my mixed bag, which currently has cavity back long irons and blades from 7 through the wedges. I'm tempted to move to all blades for a variety of reasons - mainly the crisp, effortless shot when I do hit it right. Looking at the 'used' market, I'm wondering about blade design and its evolution. It seems that older Arnold Palmer blades have mass concentrated near the center of the clubhead, while older Titleists have more toe weighting. Current blades on the market seem to vary linearly from heel to toe. Can you talk to these variations ? Is the industry moving towards the 'perfect blade' or is the selection ultimately just a union of club and swing - a 'whatever works best for you' sort of thing. Thanks for the insight, if you have the time to respond. Warren, There has been a considerable evolution of the designs of blades since the old Arnold Palmer's, and the result of that is that modern blades by Mizuno, Titleist and others are easier to hit than ever before. I’d like to think I started that trend with the RL Blades I designed while President of Reid Lockhart. That design was the first true blade that moved some of the mass toward the toe for superior performance on toe mis-hits, which are most common for amateur players. In the current crop of blades on the market, some rather loosely use the definition, as they have moved a considerable amount of mass from behind the sweet spot, which completely defeats the purpose of playing a blade. This line of posts, about blades, has continued to attract the most commentary of anything I’ve written this year, and shows that golfers are weary of the “you can’t play” diatribe fed to them by the manufacturers. You CAN play, and better than even you might believe. As for selecting one of the modern blades, I’d offer this guidance, but implore you to play a round or two with anything that you might consider buying. A few shots on the range will help you narrow it down, but on-the-course performance is what you are after. So, here’s some guidance: If you tend to leave the ball to the right, opt for a design with a little offset. If you tend to hook or draw the ball, stay away from offset for sure ! If you are a mid- to high-handicap, choose one of the blades with a little more perimeter mass distribution. That will help you as you improve your game. If you are older (like me) and would like a few more yards (ditto), do not be afraid to play blades with graphite shafts, but I would not recommend “off the rack” models. Graphite can be wonderful in blades, but such irons should be built by a qualified custom clubmaker/clubfitter so that you can get exact matching. This just won’t come from a major manufacturer, trust me. Good luck in your search, and let us know what you end up choosing.
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[ comments ] Stephen says:
I'd add that it's not only a good idea to look at graphite, try some lighter steel. I'd played MP-60 with DG S300 and Black Gold 1/2" long, which not only was heavy steel, over length brought up the swingweight and made them feel like a lead pipe. I'm testing Nippon NS Pro 1050 and 1150 in an MP-33 and MP-67 head (respectively) right now and I am hitting these like a dream. My standard ballflight is higher, they're easier to swing and load consistently, and I feel more in control. Too light and I lose head feel, but for me at least, 105 - 115g steel is way better than 125-130g steel. Kick point being lower helps as well. People talk all day about forgiving heads, but a "forgiving" shaft makes a world of difference. I'm amazed that DG R or S300 is the standard steel across most major OEMs now that I know a little better. Of course, different strokes for different folks, but that's my experience. 11/3/07
Jerry Greupner says:
At 62 yrs. old, I too hanker for the blades to return to my bag. Last summer I think I did second best by finding a set of small cavity backs from Infinity Golf and put them on a medium weight stiff graphite. They are wonderful and work well with my Eidolon wedges 11/26/07
mike mcf says:
This presents a golf addict like me with a whole new problem. As a single digit handicapper for 25 years (I'm now 54) I switched from Hogan Apex blades over 20 years ago. I've been through more sets of cavityback irons than I care to admit and currently own a mixed set of Ping i-10/g-10 irons and a set of Callaway X20 tours. I love the look of blades and while I appreciate the feedback (and thus, swing adjustment) I find the concept of "worse" results on center strikes almost impossible to believe. I can't wait to try out some gorgeous blades and see for myself. I'd like to know if there may be a middle ground that's truly the "best of both worlds"? Perhaps the slightly more forgiving Mizuno or Titleist irons (or top components) or possibly the "blade" offerings from Ping, Callaway or others? Also, any opinions on what effect the narrower sole and lower bounce on most blades might have? 3/16/08
 wedgeguy says:Good comments, guys, There is a world of difference in shafts, and if you get the right ones in a set of modern blades, you'll be surprised at the performance. Terry 3/16/08
wedgeguy says:Mike MCF, You can believe it, and I've seen it. Think of this comparison -- driving a nail. Which would be more efficient, a hammer or similar weight iron skillet? The weight is the same, but the hammer concentrates the weight directly behind the impact for efficiency. Golf clubs work the same way. The more mass you put directly behind the ball at impact, the more efficient transfer of energy you are going to have. Over ten years ago, I designed the RL Blades to re-allocate just a little mass toward the toe, and it produced a fabulous playing blade (they don't make them anymore), but Mizuno, Titleist and many others now offer "modern blades" with a similar conservative distribution of mass. As you shop blades, look for the thickness of the clubhead right at the impact spot, and how much has been moved to the perimeter. What you want is a balance of the two that adds a little help while not compromising that center mass. Narrower soles on irons is simply a matter of preference. If you play courses with very firm turf usually, the narrower sole is more playable. A wider sole is preferable for golfers with steeper angles of approach or who play softer turf most often. 3/18/08
albert says:
hi, i was once told by someone that nobody should be playing with blades at all. i was given a set of hogen's and i hit them pretty good but the mishits were very noticebly. i played a couple of rounds with blades and you got to play through when you mishit and take it if someones say what you playing with those for. 5/8/08
Ron Monks says:
I like that skillet analogy. Look, when I think back on the best rounds I've played, the were all back in the days of my Wilson Staff blades and Orlimar persimmon driver. I've read that with all the innovations in club technology the average golf handicap has not changed. When you're striking the ball well, that's when you want the feedback, creating increasing confidence with each successive swing. You just can't wait to hit the next shot because you know it will be pure. If you're miss-hitting the ball, the forgiveness is fine but your score will stink. Shafts are also overrated in my opinion. You're swing can adjust to just about any shaft and most guys need to slow their swing down anyway. Just my two cents worth as a single digit amateur the past, let's see... 45 years now. PS. I don't think it's a well kept secret that the club manufacturers some year back took loft of the irons and lengthened the shafts to fool the player into believing he was hitting less club than with his old blades. What they did really is took the old 5 iron and mark it today as a 6 iron, and so on down through the set. Clever, eh? 6/21/08
wedgeguy says:Ron, I have to disagree with your one comment that "shafts are overrated". Quite to the contrary, most of the time they are quite under-appreciated and neglected. The major companies use price as a major criteria for their shafts, and we can see the result of that when we put many modern clubs to the test. Any qualified independent clubmaker/fitter can tell you some real doozies of what they've seen from the major brands. The key thing is to have your shafts matched in performance profile from your driver through your wedges -- few golfers do. Our typical buying pattern is a set of irons here, driver there, fairway woods somewhere else, hybrids in there . . . you get the picture. There is little hope for consistent ball striking thoroughout your set when all your clubs perform a little differently. 6/25/08
Andrew says:
Hi, I recently bought a set of Mizuno MP 60's Regular Shaft. This is the first set of blades I have ever bought or hit. I'm a mid handicap at about 11. After playing these clubs for about 5 rounds this year I haven't seen a big difference in my scores. I do agree when I miss hit them it is much worse than when I miss hit with cavity backs. Is there any tips that you can provide when hitting blades vs cavity backs? Any input is much appreciated. Thanks, 7/24/08
Ron Monks says:
Andrew, You mishits are probably toe hits. Practice hitting the ball closer to the hosel. 7/25/08
wedgeguy says:Andrew, There is no difference in your swing or any other aspect to hitting blades vs. cavity backs. What you should experience is a better quality trajectory and accuracy to your better shots, without that much fall-off to your less-than-ideal swings. It is a great exercise to get a packet of impact tapes from your golf store and use them to find out exactly where your mishits are coming from. Only then can you make corrections. And here's a little trick from tour pros. If your mishits tend to be toward the toe, simply address the ball a little toward the heel, still assuming your comfortable set up posture. Watch the "from the rear" angle on these guys on TV and you'll see that many of them do that. 7/27/08
Andrew says:
Ok I will try that. Thanks for the tip. 7/29/08
Ron Monks says:
Terry, Bobby Jones played his best using hickory shafts. I even recall reading something about clinics he did hitting dead straight shots with an iron head attached to to a rubber hose. Players can improve their shots more by slowing down their swing than by tinkering with shafts. I've used shafts from R to X and have found if my timing is on, the shaft not a factor. Every swing regardless of shaft delivers the clubhead from an open, to square, to closed position. It is the player, not the shaft, that insures that the ball is contacted while the club is square to the target line. In 1972, I met PGA tour player and former NCAA all-American, Johnny Miller at Snoopy's Redwood Classic in Santa Rosa, California. He was still playing with McGregor irons made in the 1940s or so. The shafts were coated with some kind of green material..not chromed..not frequency matched and who know what flex. He may have still been playing them when he won the US Open the following year. I remain skecptical that techological "advances" are anything but marketing ploys. 7/29/08
wedgeguy says:Ron, You are right that timing and tempo are always important, and Bobby Jones played some awesome golf with hickory shafts, but neither negates the value of today's technology. It makes the game easier to play, for sure, though a lot of it is "marketing ploy", of course. That said, tests of the older players' equipment have found them to be surprisingly "matched" in swingweight and shaft flex/frequency. They did it by trial and error hitting dozens, if not hundreds of different clubs -- not sets, each number -- until they found the right one. They had to trust their feel since the testing equipment was not available. We can take advantage of modern technology to have a perfectly matched set with shafts that work the best for our individual swings. Don't underestimate the impact that can have on your game. 8/1/08
 The Kiwi says:I have been clubbuilding 20 yrs, spineing shafts before any one knew about it, but the inventor the late Ted Lockie of North Palm Beach Fl, who taught me. Yes, shafts do matter, and to get the best performance out of a blade, go with a lighter shaft 100-115 grams. (steelfibre: aerotech for graphite, DG super lite, or a little heavier project x). Dont make them longer to balance swingweight, just put some lead tape behind the sweet spot. Remember a shorter iron has more control, and a more upright swing plane for accuracy 12/19/08
wedgeguy says:Thanks for the input, Kiwi. As I've said, I'm a huge fan of quality graphite in blade irons. I play a set of Reid Lockhart blades with the UST ProForce V2 constant weight and love them. I'm also a fan of the aerotech SteelFiber shaft, as well as their other products. They key is to get a quality clubmaker like yourself to build your irons to exact specs. 12/23/08
johnnymac2201 says:
As far as "modern" blades go, would the 2003 vintage Hogan Apex fit that description? They are being sold new at incredible prices at the moment, and it's been very hard for me not to order a set and then install some of the UST ProForce shafts in them. 2/2/09
wedgeguy says:Those would certainly qualify. When I say "modern" blades, I'm referring to those made in the past 20 years or so, as opposed to the old blades from the 70s and earlier that had a much more rearward center of mass, and a very small clubhead. 2/8/09
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