Equipment
Do blades negatively impact performance? Or is it all in our heads? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been having an in-depth discussion on blade irons. WRXer ‘Royal Mustang’ has questioned whether ‘solid’ players are mistakenly scared off of playing blades, posting
“A lot has been written here about pro-blades/anti-blades. My question for those of you who play them or don’t play them: do they negatively impact your performance? Could you shoot a lower score if you had played a GI or SGI iron? Is that 8-iron you hit slightly thin and left 160 and in the bunker really 164 and a birdie putt with a GI iron? Or is that just your assumption as you have no data to back it up with? Do you see higher scores with blades and lower scores with other irons? Enough to statistically matter to get to a 95% CI?
I have only played 2 rounds with blades, but I can say that they were both pretty low rounds. I had some good iron strikes. It is anecdotal evidence, however: perhaps I was playing well, perhaps I got lucky. I was well-positioned off of the tee. I can’t say for sure that I was better with these irons. Perhaps I was better as I dialed down my expectations and made smooth swings. I know a blade 8i isn’t going to fly 175, so I don’t try to hit it 175. That is completely mental, however. Make a smooth swing and hit to 165.
For what it is worth, I play Mizuno MMC MP20s, but I also have a hybrid set of Callaway MB21/Apex Pros. And no, I don’t have enough rounds to say either way. I sure do like the way the MB21’s look when I line up, however!
I should preface this in that I am talking about people with solid swing fundamentals. The guys/gals you see swing and say “low single digit/scratch/plus”. Their wear spot on their 7 iron might not be the size of a dime, but a nickel is pretty typical.”
- Related: Kevin Na: “I don’t see a reason why you’d want to play a blade” – GolfWRXers have their say
And our members have been having their say on the matter in our forum.
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.
- PuttingMatt: “Honestly, my scores stay relatively the same, whether I play musclebacks or player cavity backs. Ball striking is on the player, not the equipment. When I started playing, blades were your only choice; it is up to you to decide if your irons perform well for your game. The swing you deliver to the ball is everything.”
- b.mattay: “Yes. Thin shots hang in there much better with a cavity back IMO. Long irons are also much easier to hit. I’m switching into cavity backs and a 4 hybrid for this next year. Don’t have data yet, but I guarantee my par 3 and par 5 scoring will drop this next year!”
- Jim E: “Pure blades aren’t hard to hit in the short irons. In fact, I think it’s easier. It’s when you get to the 5,4,3 irons that pure blades are difficult. Higher cog means you need a more pure strike with decent clubhead speed to get these on a playable trajectory.”
- bladehunter: “If you have some speed, there’s no negative effect that I’ve ever seen anybody quantify from say 5 iron down. Obviously, 2-3 iron will require pretty good everything ….. but many play a hybrid there anyway. Personal preference should be the reason for the Choice either way. If you’re hitting the relative middle it’s not performance.”
More From The Forums
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Charles Sinacole
Jan 22, 2022 at 10:22 pm
I’ve been playing blades since 1993, my asst pro at my country club gave me a set of Mizuno MP29s after I had been playing for only a year and had gone thru at least 3 sets in that time. Since then I have played with Mizuno MP9s , but I’ve settled on a set of Taylormade P770, their a tad larger than your traditional blade but nothing feels better when you hit a blade on the screws. Nothing goes thru the grass better than a blade. So, no blades don’t hurt your game. Just your bad swings do. Blades make you concentrate harder.
Brandon
Jan 22, 2022 at 10:33 am
If you can keep your tee shots in bounds and have a reasonable short game the type of irons you play will have very little impact on your score. My handicap has remained pretty steady for about 20 years and I’ve tried every style of iron under the sun. Having a iron shaft that fits your swing is more important than the head attached to it in my opinion.