Equipment

Forum Thread of the Day: “Hitting blades better than game improvement irons?”

Published

6 years ago

Dec 27, 2019

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from BobaDefett who has found that he is hitting his friend’s blade irons better than he is his own game improvement irons. Perplexed by the situation, BobaDefett asks WRXers for some answers, who as always, shine some light on the issue.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

Z1ggy16: “IMO forgiveness is overrated. Learn how to play golf instead. I’m not saying total hacks should play blades but if you’ve got a pretty decent swing, but maybe your short game suffers, or you can tend to stall the hips and hit hooks sometimes… it’s no reason to force yourself into playing big old shovels.”
Sean2: “I have a friend who went from the M2’s to the MP-20s. He hits the MP-20s much better. Handicap dropped quite a bit too.”
BB28403: “I think learning to play with blades with cure more faults that are covered up by cavity back super game improvers. An iron that causes the ball to go straight even on a mishit is a false sense of security. Like learning how to bowl with the bumpers on.”
Captain_Black: “I think a lot of it is to do with the clubhead offset. A GI iron will typically have twice as much (or more) offset than a players iron, couple this with a strong grip (like I have) produces all manner of weird shots with a GI iron (usually a hook).”
GWfool: “For me, mentally looking at a larger head makes me feel like I have too much real estate. I had this problem with a set of Epon 703s. Thin top-line and everything but the blade length was long and made the face seem huge. I also don’t like a large sole. Whether any of that is scientific, I have no idea, but confidence goes a long way in this game.”

Entire Thread: “Hitting blades better than game improvement irons?”

Related Topics:feaured

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at gianni@golfwrx.com

20 Comments

joro

Jan 29, 2020 at 4:47 pm

No way a Blade is better than a cavity back. Take the CB with the weight around the perimeter and you have a more playable Iron, no matter who you are, from Tour Pro to hacker the CB will be more consistent. Sure blades can be beautiful and they inflate the ego but they are used only by a small number of Players compared to CBs. Some say you cannot work the CBs,, that is not right and Ping proved it when a lot of Stars played with and loved the Eye series which are offset and a thick toppling. They could work it very well and the same with the early Callaway BBs. Fact is most of the ego satisfying people can”t work the ball with anything. But, that is life, just don’t tell me CBs ae only for hacks. So there!!!!

Reply Report comment
Rich Douglas

Jan 13, 2020 at 5:51 pm

Blades aren’t over-rated; working the ball is.

With clubs that hit it higher, but with less spin, it’s easier to attack pins more directly and harder to shape the shot.

You don’t learn to hit the sweet spot with a smaller sweet spot. That’s like putting a kid on a bike for the first time, but without training wheels or a parent running along side. Oh, and the bike is a performance model with ultra-thin tires and touchy brakes. You’ll be digging that kid out of the pavement every 20 feet or so.

You learn from your successes. You can only learn from your failures if you know why you failed. But pounding shots with blades–or any other time–alone doesn’t do that. In fact, it could cause you to be ultra-careful and not learn to hit with power.

I don’t care what anyone plays. But to suggest that performance irons are better for high-handicap players than game-improvement irons is just ridiculous. In fact, they’re really not better for anyone–unless you want to bring back wound balls with balata covers.

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Rascal

Jan 13, 2020 at 3:25 pm

Instead of taco Tuesdays, can we have another blade thread wednesdays?

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Rich Douglas

Dec 29, 2019 at 10:56 am

First, I really don’t care what someone else plays.

Second, I see a lot of people playing clubs that have, clearly, not been fitted for them. So it really doesn’t matter what those people play.

Third, playing a blade doesn’t make you a better ball-striker. It can make your misses worse, but it won’t make you put it on the sweet spot more often. That’s not how people learn.

Fourth, the only advantage of blades is the purposeful miss, the desire to curve the ball left or right. The vast majority of players have no business doing this, and they do not need the unintended consequences that come with it.

Fifth, if you think you play better with blades, fine. But that’s in your head. And if you can’t get that out of your head, you’ve probably got a lot of other nonsense locked up in there, too.

Finally, did I mention that I don’t really care what others play? Go have fun already.

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ActualFacts

Dec 28, 2019 at 10:27 am

Buy what you want. Play what you want. Enjoy…

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- A. Commoner
  
  Jan 14, 2020 at 9:03 am
  
  AcFac……Great post! Says it all. My life is not effected by what clubs my neighbor plays. Let dreamers and pretenders freely choose. Let the equipment curious and experimenters have their fun.
  
  Reply Report comment
Jim A

Dec 28, 2019 at 9:18 am

My MP68s were finally on my last Grove, so I replaced them with 0311Ts (looking to regain some distance lost over the past 30 years). Watched my handicap balloon from 4 to 7. Switched to P790s, but my handicap continued to climb (to a 9). I then dug out an old set of MP33s, played them for two months and my handicap dropped to a 6.

I have a few theories for this. But the biggest reason is that with blades, I always know where the center of the face is. And every time I hit the center of the face, they carry the exact same distance. Blades never surprise me, so I can feel confident being aggressive or taking calculated risks when I need to.

My new set for next season is the 620MB/CB blended.

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Joshua Martin

Dec 28, 2019 at 5:42 am

When i golfed 4 times a week I could hit any shot with any club and played blades. Now 15 years of marriage and 3 kids later I have Cobra One Length irons… Its always the Indian not the Arrows but an old Indian, out of his prime as a hunter, with a 30/30, has a better chance at getting dinner.

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Daniel Whitehurst

Dec 28, 2019 at 4:46 am

Ok, I’ll settle this for you all. If you can’t break 80 every time, playing blades is totally pointless. About 1/2 the tour plays them. They also don’t make a bad player better by forcing them to hit it solid. Most average players have no idea what to do to get better no matter what club you give them to hit. Trust me, I’m a fitter, instructor and a +2 index. High MOI clubs only improve accuracy slightly. What they do do is make miss hits not go as short as blades by having a larger max speed area, large sole for height and reduced effect of hitting it fat. Forged clubs have huge distance control due to slower ball speeds and high spin, like a wedge. Look at that you can hit a bad shot solid with any club and can hit a straight miss hit with anything. Most players don’t practice and just want to have fun, with immediate preformance returns with more forgiveness. If this theory of playing blades when not ideal teaches you how to be better then why are these proponents of this playing a high MOI , 460cc driver? You always will need to work shorts, change trajectory, distance and spin as an advanced player. But the AP2 is the most used iron on tour for a reason and it’s not a blade.

Reply Report comment
- Richo
  
  Dec 28, 2019 at 6:52 pm
  
  This sort of response from someone who says they’re a fitter is irritating. People who go to you for advice are going to hear rubbish like “pros don’t use blades so you shouldn’t”. It’s such a narrow minded OEM driven load of rubbish. Everyone is different and deserve to be treated as such. I’ve tried GI irons on so many occasions and I do NOT score better with them over blades and I am not a regular sub 80’s golfer. I hit blades MUCH better than GI or SGI irons and they are far more reliable and confidence building because I know how far they are going to go and I can allow for miss hits if needed. Pro’s use GI or non bladed irons because they need to hit exact numbers too. They want to hit it 164 but I don’t need to. I need to hit it 164 +/- 5m and I hit that window with blades MUCH more often than with GI irons. GI also don’t help if you have bad face to path control so if that’s your problem, GI irons will offer you nothing over blades. Bad advice in the industry is everywhere and unless you think about the detail, you’re just on the train with everyone else that’s just average.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - gwelfgulfer
    
    Dec 28, 2019 at 8:36 pm
    
    Pro’s can play anything under the sun and still hit the numbers needed, because they are that good, have a consistent, REPEATABLE swing. The vast, VAST majority of golfers do not have this, and honestly can’t even dream about it. WRX is a community of golfers who are above average in their interest and ‘wokeness’ about the industry and equipment. The total members on this site is like 4% of the golfers in NA alone. So as much as each is an ‘individual’, blanket statements can and will be made because there is strong merit behind them. Bad advice is in the industry, just like telling a 20+ capper to play blades because he/she likes the looks, but in 5 swings will hit the ball on 6 different places on the club face…
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Kourt
    
    Dec 28, 2019 at 10:33 pm
    
    If you are inferring that blades somehow hit a ball more consistently than a GI iron then you are mistaken. Either club when hit perfect every time will fly the exact same distance. Mis hits will fly further with GI than with a blade, but in my studies with trackman and gc quad and a swing robot, once you get above 42 degrees in loft perimeter weighting doesn’t hardly give you any better performance than a blade does on mis hits because it’s such a glancing blow at that loft you don’t lose much distance. But the lower the loft the more important forgiveness becomes. I’ve seen as much as a 20 yard difference in 5 iron carry distance between a miss hit with a blade vs an identical lofted blade.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Shallowbutdeadly
      
      Jan 16, 2020 at 2:49 am
      
      Tell that to my CBX2 wedges!
      
      Reply Report comment
  - BuntFiletsAllDay
    
    Jan 5, 2020 at 11:46 am
    
    ????????????????
    
    Reply Report comment
robert

Dec 27, 2019 at 6:29 pm

You might focus more with such a small sweet spot. You’ll spin the ball more that could add stopping power on the green. Chip and runs would probably be easier and they’ll look better in your hands and in your bag. You should also be able to work the ball more too. The flip side is slight misses will be penalized with greater distance loss and more spin means less distance overall. If you don’t need the extra distance and you consistently hit the center of the face than it’s a winner. IMHO you should be able to break 80 more often than not if you’re considering playing blades. The majority of tour pros aren’t playing blades. That should tell you something…

Reply Report comment
Matt

Dec 27, 2019 at 4:08 pm

This is my situation to a tee! Switched to MP-20’s and dropped so many strokes that i went from mid/upper 90’s to consistent 80’s since their release!

Reply Report comment
Jeremy

Dec 27, 2019 at 3:05 pm

It’s usually because the blades have heavier shafts in them which helps low-point control.

Reply Report comment
- geohogan
  
  Dec 30, 2019 at 9:36 pm
  
  @jeremy, agree that the shaft is much more important than the head.
  
  Bigger or smaller, this shape or that, iron heads are a mass of metal.
  
  IMO, it is the shaft that will make the difference in consistency, shot shaping,
  ball control and ability to groove a swing.
  
  Reply Report comment
Max R.

Dec 27, 2019 at 12:45 pm

Ten years ago when I got fitted for my Titlist irons and after back-and-forth switching of shafts and heads, the Titlist fitter told me that my making much better solid and consistent contact with the AP2s than the AP1s. He agreed that the differing offset and head size may have contributed to my eventual choice to AP2. Love them.

Reply Report comment
- Richo
  
  Dec 28, 2019 at 6:06 pm
  
  AP2’s are not blades
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Tour Edge unveils all-new Exotics mini driver

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game.

The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag.

At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.

The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.

“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley

In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.

To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.

“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod

An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.

Pricing & Availability

The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026.

Equipment

Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:

“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.

My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”

Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.

From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo. 4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades. 5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft. Standard Length, Lie and Lofts. These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me. Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules