At what handicap.....

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One Planer

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.... Should a player look into using blades rather than, say, cavity back (or any other back for that matter).

I have a friend who plays off 17 and is looking into getting some Mizuno blades (MP-52's i think).

Does handicap come into it?

or

Is it a case of how well a player consistanly strikes the ball?

Any opinions welcome.
 
There is not a lot of in built assistance with blades so the ability to have a repeatable swing with a consistent strike is needed. If you do not hit the ball pure regularly enough then you will struggle a bit with a pure blade, only your mate knows how well he hits it. Personally I'd leave the blades until into single figures.
 
If you are a good ball striker, then they are worth considering. A lot of Pro's don't use blades though, and they are pretty good at golf.

I had a set playing off 12. I now have cavity backs again. As an experiment it was fun, but it didn't help my golf any.
 
depends how he hits them...my mates got mizuno blades and hes off 12..he hits them great..ave tried a few times but they vibrate right through me and i play off 7...
 
As Murph said, if the majority of pros arent using blades, then that in itself shows that 99.99999% of amateurs shouldn't bother with them either.

To be honest, apart from the fact that they look and feel cool (and they do look VERY cool!!) I cant see why anyone would want to use blades.

Blades are supposedly better for "feel", a lower ball flight, more workability and more precise yardages on center hits, with the cons being that they are less forgiving and give less distance.

Feel is comparable to looks as while it is definitely a positive, it doesnt actually matter for getting the ball near the hole.

Lower ball flight is surely only a positive for the very small percentage of players who hit their irons too high, due to their swing speed being too fast creating too much backspin. 99% of golfers are surely looking for a higher ball flight?

More workability is useful for about 1 or 2 shots per round, if that, and only if you are good enough to work the ball well. Also I reckon blades being more workable has got to be BS anyway doesnt it? Can anyone explain how it makes a difference?

More precise yardages is obviously a big pro, but only for players who are consistently hitting the center of the clubface, and who are expeciting to hit it within 2 or 3 yards of the correct distance to their target. As that is the difference they apparently make compared to cavity backs. So unless you are Jonny Miller (who used to ask his caddie for yardages to the 1/2 yard!) or a PGA tour player, its not really going to make a significant positive difference anyway.

The two cons of blades are by far the most important factors in irons for that other 99.999% of golfers. Most golfers could do with the extra distance and ALL golfers can do with more forgiveness.

I can definitely see the appeal of owning blades, and Im not saying I havent thought about it myself!! Golf is about more than just playing your absolute best, its mainly about having fun, and if blades help you do that, then get them. But if you are asking whether they will be "good for your game" or your mates game or whatever, then unless your mate has the worlds worst short game and is infact one of the best ball strikers in the world, then the answer is almost certainly no...
 
I was speaking to my pro about this the other day. He reckons the best clubs on the market currently are the Ping S56s - a combination of blade and cavity back. I use them and they are bloody nice (though I can only compare to Ping G15s and Nike SQs). Good shock absorption for slightly off centre - though nothing makes up for poor contacts.

I started to use them shortly after taking up the game. I don't buy into this "only for pros" malarky.

The other thing to consider is that using blades/small headed clubs actually forces you to contact better. It's a good training aid (but only if you have the time, I suppose).
 
They're not really blades as such anymore are they.
Offset, weight on perimeter, leading edge and sole worked on.
They are so much more forgiving than ye oldie blades as well.

To the OP. 52's aren't 'blades' but players cavities. Like Titleist AP2's, Ping S56's etc, they have slightly smaller heads than your normal cavities but there is a lot of 'help' in the head to give as much forgiveness as possible.
 
I changed my MacGregor blades for Taylor Made burner 09 irons. I'm scoring so much better and hitting it much further and glad I changed. You get much more consistant distances with the blades and they are more workable but I'd say the majority of amateurs will be far better off with a cavity back.
 
There was an article in National Club Golfer magazine about this. Apparently only 11 of the world's top 50 are currently using a full set of blades so unless you are a consistent, pure striker of the ball then why make things tough for yourself.
 
At his level he'll get no forgiveness off the bad shots of which there will be a few. Why make the game harder when there are a host of decent cavity back clubs including those like the Nike Combo, Ping S56, Callt Razr Tour, TM MC etc that have a much smaller cavity than a regular GI set
 
Off 17 it's not the best idea. Then again, MP52s are not real blades...they're awfully good, but I keep ignoring the temptation.
 
True blades arent suitable for any amateurs unless they get to seriously high levels. The watered down versions now on sale are playable by far more golfers, but a cb will be easier and more forgiving. Presumably the handicappers using blades dont find the game hard enough already. Let's face it, using blades is an ego thing, and is detrimental to scoring.
 
I really can't see the point in making the game harder than it is to be honest, he maybe striking it well now but will it be the sane with no forgiveness?
 
Luke Donald uses Ping S56s with Dynamic Gold S300 shafts, as do I. He's renowned for his accuracy, and I'm a big hitter. I think this speaks volumes.
Click to expand...

Luke uses MP62 irons with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts as don't you. He has used Mizuno irons for years, as you might expect from the leading Mizuno staff player.
 
On the general subject of blades, there is no hard and fast rule, but a few general comments as someone who has played a variety of blades and cavity backs for 30 years.

Firstly, the head has a lot less bearing on iron performance than the shaft. The "wrong" head fitted with the "right" shaft will perform better than the opposite combination.

Secondly, blades are a lot easier to hit than they used to be. I play MP68s, and they are easier to hit than any of the Mizuno blades I had in the 80s and 90s.

Third, preference and visuals are important. Blades may or may not fit your eye. You may or may not like offset or the sharper leading edge or thinner topline of blades. Conversely you may not like having a shovel for a pitching wedge.

Fourth, there is no specific handicap at which you should or shouldn't use blades. Lee Westwood uses Pings, I use MP68s.

Fifth, I don't give a monkeys about whether I can find a different brand of iron I can hit 10 yards further. I have a club I can hit 10 yards further - the next one up. Players who use clubs which have strong lofts and longer shafts just to be able to say they hit a 6 iron to the whatever par-3 are just kidding themselves.

Personally, I find that I hit my irons pretty well and my scores are much more dependent on the driver and putter. These days I don't carry a 3 iron at all, and the typical iron shot is a 7 or 8 iron, and in that zone, a blade is as easy to hit as a cavity back, and with the wedge, it is easier to hit, in my opinion. I bet a lot of you use wedges that are effectively blades. Why not cavity backs? - because it doesn't matter with that club.
 
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