Type of clubs do you use?

[Dannyj1984]

I'm wondering if anyone plays with blade/better player clubs and has a handicap of 15+

I play off 16 and a few months ago bought some Nike vapor pro irons when Nike was selling them off cheap. (With the sale, vouchers I had and cashback they cost me less than £80)

I also have some Adams idea black cb3 I was given when I started out last year, I find that I hit the nikes just as well as the adams, if I hit the nikes slightly off centre I might lose 10-20 yards.

My main area of weakness is driving and probably only hit 4/14 fairways on average. If I use my hybrid to tee off I'll hit 12/14 and I normally shoot high 70s so atm most of my shots are wasted chipping out from the trees after a wayward tee shot.

Anyway I've used these nikes for a few months now and don't feel I'd gain any advantage using so called game improvement wedges, but I'm no expert and probably something I should discuss with the club pro, but does anyone have an opinion, that if your ball striking is decent (I can regularly play a full round with no duff iron shots.) is there any advantage using game improvement irons over blades? Distance possibly but there is a 2 degree difference in loft between equivalent irons so can't really compare a 7 iron from both sets. I got the ball reasonably far anyway so can happy reach most par 4s on my course with my hybrid then an iron.

Many thanks

 

[Jates12]

I played Mizuno MP60s from 18 to 12. They are a proper muscle back iron. Its not the iron game that looses me shots its around the greens. the only thing youll get from GI irons is more distance from a bad shot.

 

[palindromicbob]

I'm currently playing FG Tour V2 irons. Got them March. Find very little difference in yardages but dispersion has improved and I just feel more confident looking down at them even though they look more compact. Was an 18 handicap when I started using them and have been cut to 14 over past two weeks.

Confidence with the irons has played a small part in that but it's actually short game improvements that have had the main impact. To be fair the irons are known for being quiet forgiving despite being aimed at "better players".

 

[ScienceBoy]

Don't know if MP-57s count but they got me from 17-11

Could have been lower if I didn't kept starting and stopping the game.

 

[srixon 1]

I would guess that when most the members of this forum started playing golf we didn't have a choice of iron type. You could only get blades, and they were no where near as forgiving as a modern blade. They hurt if you didn't hit them properly. To answer your question, use what you like the look of at the address position. Golf is a confidence thing.

 

[medwayjon]

I played Titleist blades off of a higher handicap, a double-edged sword really in that it helped me learn to hit the ball better due to the lack of forgiveness, but it was also a potential card wrecker as at my level of ability when using them it was far too easy to throw away shots with diabolical strikes.

I'm now playing my Cobra Pro-CB irons, which I was using until I stopped playing 3-years ago, and Ive got back into the swing of it reasonably well shooting 95 in my first game, I think this type of iron is a perfect compromise for those whose game just doesn't justify the sort of sticks a Cat-1 golfer would use with skill, and the ugly chunky, GI Irons which Ive never personally liked.

Should add that I'm going back to my last society handicap of 13, but I got from 28 to 13 using these sort of clubs.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I would guess that when most the members of this forum started playing golf we didn't have a choice of iron type. You could only get blades, and they were no where near as forgiving as a modern blade. They hurt if you didn't hit them properly. To answer your question, use what you like the look of at the address position. Golf is a confidence thing.

Crikey! Are you lot all that old?!

 

[Jates12]

Crikey! Are you lot all that old?!

When i first started ping was at g10! :L

 

[Fish]

I played with MP52's as a 23 handicapper down to 19, then had RSi TP's again a muscle back for the last year down to 17, I've now got fitted AP2's and I'm very happy.

Irons haven't lost me shots, my inconsistent driving always has.

 

[Crawley1981]

I feel bad reading this as ive gone from the MP 25's to the 900 hot metals and ive got down to 8 again. Lost all confidence with the better player irons and the par 3's were killing my game as for instance a 6 iron would go anything between 125-170. Fair play to you higher handicappers able to find the middle alot more than i did.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Whilst most low handicappers strike the ball better that doesn't mean that high handicappers can't. Some guys might be higher because they are wayward or have crap short games or can't putt. If you can find the middle of the club on a fairly regular basis then there is no reason you can't use blades. Many modern ones are soooo much easier to hit than the butter knives from ye olde days

 

[jim8flog]

When I first started to play unless you were fairly well off the only choice of inexpensive clubs were blades.

I have always been a very good ball striker with irons including when I was a 22 handicapper. It has always been the woods that have cost me the most dropped shots.

It could be argued that the introduction of large head very forgiving 'woods' that have brought about the most significant improvement in my game.

 

[Crow]

I've come to realise that I was far too hung up on my handicap, and I think many golfers are.

I now play a mix of clubs and sets from my "modern" Mizuno JPX 825 Pros which I guess are cavity backs, through various, 1960s/70s/80s blades to Gradidge "dot-faced" blades which are probably 1950s, with these I use a mix of putters and woods to suit.

I head out with the set that takes my fancy, and this might be a mish-mash of different eras.

My handicap is still heading North, even though I think I'm through the worst of the many swing faults I've suffered with (just confidence to get back now) but I'm enjoying my golf so much more than I did when everything revolved around my handicap.

Play with what you enjoy, not what you're told you should be using, unless your handicap is the be-all and end-all.

 

[Dando]

My first set were Ben Sayers "ray floyd" signature blades and I got down to 3 using them.

My current irons are mizuno tour proven original blades from the early 80's and I wouldn't change them for improvement irons as I don't like the thick top line .

my weakness is my short game which even on a good day is pretty crap. I try and get at least 2 hrs chipping practice a week but I have no confidence and it costs me 5-6 a round.

 

[cliveb]

Hang on a minute ....

I play off 16 ...
[snip]
... I normally shoot high 70s

There's something not quite right here.

 

[selwood90]

If striking irons isn't a problem then I can't see why not. I'm off 17 and use ap2s 714, which people would argue are better players clubs.

 

[Sidsidgwick]

Being very new to golf I picked up some used Ping G15s as had read these were a great starter set but I couldn't get away with the 'chunky' top line and lack of ferrule so sold these and purchased some i25's which are for players much better than I but I enjoy hitting them and so far do a relatively good job with them so they'll be in the bag until I get down to single fingures (which should be a long time)

 

[Dando]

I've come to realise that I was far too hung up on my handicap, and I think many golfers are.

I now play a mix of clubs and sets from my "modern" Mizuno JPX 825 Pros which I guess are cavity backs, through various, 1960s/70s/80s blades to Gradidge "dot-faced" blades which are probably 1950s, with these I use a mix of putters and woods to suit.

I head out with the set that takes my fancy, and this might be a mish-mash of different eras.

My handicap is still heading North, even though I think I'm through the worst of the many swing faults I've suffered with (just confidence to get back now) but I'm enjoying my golf so much more than I did when everything revolved around my handicap.

Play with what you enjoy, not what you're told you should be using, unless your handicap is the be-all and end-all.

That 1 iron you had at FP could've been mentioned in the doomsday book!

 

[xcore]

I play off 21 and use stiff shaft mp54s, I like them because they are visually pleasing compared to my chunky old jpx800hds and if I pull/push/thin/chunk them that's down to me. Also gives me the confidence a well stuck shot will go the distance iv selected the club for unlike my jpx which will randomly fire 10-15 yards further.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

My first set were Ben Sayers "ray floyd" signature blades and I got down to 3 using them.

I had a set of those as a junior along with Dunlop Australian Maxfli blades and the Slazenger B52's

As for the OP question, I still hanker after blades or minimal cavity backed clubs. On a good day I could use them but my game is too inconsistent at the moment and I'm realistic these days to realise I need some help and so my I25's fit my eye behind the ball (but the I200's are calling on a regular basis) and do a job (mostly)