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Eye opening experience with blades

Redd

Redd

Morgan Cup 2024 - Team Paradise #DriveFor5
Albatross 2024 Club
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I probably shouldn't share this since I feel so silly about it, however; yesterday I had my first experience with blades an came away feeling rather beat down. I had started feeling good about my iron play recently and really felt like my swing was seeing the fruits of the labor I've put in. I walked away, after only five balls, feeling like a beginner again.

Is it more likely that blades tend to over-emphasize even small deficiencies in a decent swing or that maybe GI irons have simply given me a majorly false sense of improvement lately?

Talk about feeling dejected!
 
Blades are just smaller, and thinner, and require precision ball striking for someone to be able to benefit from the design.


I do feel that certain types of irons give a false sense of improvement all the time.
 
Which clubs in the set were you hitting?
The shorter Irons are much easier to hit and feel great.
JB did a combo set (MB's and CB's )for the Morgan Cup and did very good with his set up.
 
Feedback is feedback. When I miss the sweet spot on my irons (I do it often enough) I feel it. The only difference is that with a GI, the balls gets up and out even on bad hit. Blades, not so much. If you switched between the Burner 2.0s to a blade, there might be some swing weight, loft, or lie angle differences that could be messing you up to.
 
reddcee81 said:
I probably shouldn't share this since I feel so silly about it, however; yesterday I had my first experience with blades an came away feeling rather beat down. I had started feeling good about my iron play recently and really felt like my swing was seeing the fruits of the labor I've put in. I walked away, after only five balls, feeling like a beginner again.

Is it more likely that blades tend to over-emphasize even small deficiencies in a decent swing or that maybe GI irons have simply given me a majorly false sense of improvement lately?

Talk about feeling dejected!
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Both I think. But, with regards to the latter, does it matter? I mean, if you strike the ball well with your current irons who really cares if you can't hit blades?
 
I'm currently playing Burner 2.0, but hit a friend's Mizzie 53's just for grins. Thinking back on it, I grabbed a 5-iron so that wasn't smart. It was...umm...humbling. I've been really working to hit ball first, and have shown improvement, but still occasionally revert back to my flat swing and "pick" the ball instead. I'll just keep practicing and looking for daily improvement. Maybe next time will turn out a little better!
 
PR,

I completely understand what you mean. I'm sure it won't make logical sense, but I suppose it's more just the stigma I've (whether right or wrong) associated with hitting blades. I had just hoped to hit them well and I shouldn't let it bother me one bit. I'll just keep working.
 
reddcee81 said:
I'm currently playing Burner 2.0, but hit a friend's Mizzie 53's just for grins. Thinking back on it, I grabbed a 5-iron so that wasn't smart. It was...umm...humbling. I've been really working to hit ball first, and have shown improvement, but still occasionally revert back to my flat swing and "pick" the ball instead. I'll just keep practicing and looking for daily improvement. Maybe next time will turn out a little better!
Click to expand...

yeah, don't try to pick the ball with a blade, or any iron for that matter. I am a believer that if you can hit the sweet spot of the Burners, then you should be able to hit the sweet spot of a blade. How often is the trick.
 
Blugold,

I hear that. To be fair, I've been striking my irons better than ever lately. I think I just stood over that blade and felt like I was Neo about to try the jump program for the first time (sorry for the Matrix reference). I let it become daunting and psyched myself out a bit.
 
I like to pick the ball. It works well for my style of play. You just need to give it more than a one swing chance and maybe they will work out for you.
 
reddcee81 said:
Blugold,

I hear that. To be fair, I've been striking my irons better than ever lately. I think I just stood over that blade and felt like I was Neo about to try the jump program for the first time (sorry for the Matrix reference). I let it become daunting and psyched myself out a bit.
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Yeah be careful with movie references that barely fit into a discussion, some member doesn't like that.......

We as amateurs have been told over and over again that blades are impossible to hit and only pros should play them. As true as that may (or not) be, that doesn't mean you can't stand over a blade and stripe it. A proper swing is a proper swing, regardless of the head shape on your iron.
 
blugold said:
A proper swing is a proper swing, regardless of the head shape on your iron.
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Can you please define proper? And are you saying, from that definition, that improper swings cant hit blades? Because I would beg to differ.
 
Thainer21 said:
Can you please define proper? And are you saying, from that definition, that improper swings cant hit blades? Because I would beg to differ.
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A proper swing is one that can delivery the clubhead to the ball and make contact in the engineered sweet spot of the club creating the most efficient launch angles to maximize distance, trajectory, and control of the strike.
 
People are potentially going to get mad because I made what I believed to be a fitting movie reference in a thread I started? Seriously?
 
blugold said:
A proper swing is one that can delivery the clubhead to the ball and make contact in the engineered sweet spot of the club creating the most efficient launch angles to maximize distance, trajectory, and control of the strike.
Click to expand...

I disagree. A someone who can make contact well without control of trajectory or distance or direction can still hit blades.


reddcee81 said:
People are potentially going to get mad because I made what I believed to be a fitting movie reference in a thread I started? Seriously?
Click to expand...

Blugold likes trying to start fights, its in his nature. I wouldnt worry about it.
 
I think jumping from a GI iron to Blade would a little harder. If getting into blades is your goal, then I maybe suggest getting fit a for a players style Cavity back, then after a couple of years playing those and improving your ball striking even more looking into a muscleback/blade style iron. I've been playing a very shallow small players type cavity back for 15 years and will be looking into a set of muscleback irons in my next set. But I think/feel that for the best progession and maybe limited impact to your game would be to work up into a set of blades. But I see no issue with an person playing a blade.
 
Thainer21 said:
I disagree. A someone who can make contact well without control of trajectory or distance or direction can still hit blades.




Blugold likes trying to start fights, its in his nature. I wouldnt worry about it.
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I think you're misunderstanding what I am saying about the proper swing. A proper swing gets the club to the ball and makes contact with the sweet spot.
 
The visual difference can be an issue I think, and not just with a true blade. A smaller, thinner iron just looks harder to hit for some people, and when you aren't confident, you're not going to swing as well.

I've hit blades extrememly bad and I've hit them pretty well on different days.
 
I learned on blades. They are less forgiving and I still have them but would not go back to them. I was fit for MP 52s and love them. The feedback is there and I can chunk, whiff, hack and shank with them, however, the ball flight is less worse than with the blades. You see less and less pros playing blades on tour.
 
Thanks gentlemen. I can assure you that I will not be purchasing blades anytime soon. Appreciate hearing everyone's thoughts.
 
I love the look of blades and I can hit the short irons (pw-9-8) rather well. But overall i'm way more comfortable with a more forgiving club. Even lots of pro's are using cb clubs nowadays. The old Nike vr pro combo set was very nice: Blades in low irons to cavity backs in higher irons.
 
The Miz 53s are a cavity back from the 7 iron on up. Muscle back from 8 down. I think they're fairly forgiving for a forged head. Don't take your results to heart; the first time I took my 53s to the range I hit worm burners on the first 10 balls. It's a completely different look from a GI cast head club. I'm thinking it was just something between the ears that had you doing something a little bit different. Also, with the smaller head and less offset, fitting is really important.
 
Worm burners it was! You are inside my head. Just hearing everyone's thoughts, I'm much less discouraged and much more motivated to just work on my swing. I actually have a set of VR Pro Cavity irons on the way and am stoked to get to know them well. I didn't mean for this to become so much about the equipment and for that I do apologize. If this needs moved, please do so. Sorry again.
 
Perkins Rooster said:
But, with regards to the latter, does it matter? I mean, if you strike the ball well with your current irons who really cares if you can't hit blades?
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This, pretty much. It's not how, it's how many.
 
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