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.”

Entire Thread: “Do blades negatively impact performance? Or is it all in our heads? – GolfWRXers discuss”

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