Equipment
Why do so many pros play blade irons but mallet putters? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing why professional golfers would choose to play blade irons but mallet putters. WRXer ‘2717B’ queries why players would opt for less forgiving options in their irons but desire more forgiveness on the greens, and our members have been having their say.
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.
- bombs: “Blades, when struck well, are the most predictable in terms of carry, consistency and workability.”
- gbartko: “I think forgiveness is more important with the putter. With an iron, you may be off a few yards but still on the green/in bounds/over the hazard. But a small miss with the putter means you miss the putt period.”
- shortset: “I believe that the skill that carries players to the pro ranks is ball striking. Hence the blades. Tour players are not necessarily the best putters in the world hence the need for forgiving equipment.”
- 1Mordrid1: “Less than 30% of PGA Tour players use blades, so pros and blades do not go hand in hand. The same reason that less pros are using blades now days is the same reason more players are using mallet putters. The stigma of what’s in the bag just does not matter much any more, as long as what is in the bag is working for them.”
- greenwavegolfer: “There’s absolutely no downsides to a forgiving design on a putter whereas there’s a performance tradeoff between a blade and a chunky, forgiving GI type iron when you’re a pro looking for consistent ball speeds and spin control on good shots. They don’t want “flier” shots or reduced spin on irons, and that’s what dictates their choice of clubs. For a putter, they want what they can get a good roll with and align properly, and if that’s a mallet, it’s a mallet.”
Entire Thread: “Why do so many pros play blade irons but mallet putters?”
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
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, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
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
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms
Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4 3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4 5-wood: Ping G440...
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Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
Primal
Sep 4, 2020 at 2:08 pm
Majority of “pros” use what they’re told too!
Sean
Sep 3, 2020 at 10:05 am
The market influences what players use from the time they take up golf all the way to the tour. Take an old blade putter in its simplicity it would be very hard for OEM to charge big money for a blade like putter. One of the reasons they are not great putter are the putters alignment lines, they don’t encourage a arc stroke for a beginner or amateur.