Equipment
Are blades really ‘punishing’ or do people swing too hard? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing blade irons. WRXer ‘ChunkItGood’ questions whether blades are actually overly punishing, and kicks off the thread saying.
“I just heard a guy on tv quote John Anselmo (?) who apparently taught Woods to the effect that ‘you can hit the ball as hard as you want as long as you hit the center of the face and stay in balance.’
If people followed that rule, would they have to worry about punishing’ mishits? Shouldn’t they, instead of getting more forgiving clubs, just stop swinging so hard they cannot hit the center of the face?”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts 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.
- BagOfToast: “I find that a lot of the time I’m not hitting the center I’m just swinging too fast, so I’d agree with swinging too hard.”
- iknowbagu: “It’s not mutually exclusive. Yes, blades are more punishing on off-center strikes. Yes, people swing too hard.”
- jomatty: “Blades are punishing. I’m not sure that most players do better when they try to swing easy. As long as my tempo stays good and I don’t get quick from the top, my most consistent strike, with everything wedges, is one that is very close to as hard as I can swing. If I try to make that same hard swing and my tempo is bad, or if I try to make an easy swing and my tempo and sequencing is bad then I have lots of problems.”
- Phabs: “Believe Tiger’s dad said that to him, not a coach. Swing speed had nothing to do with contact point. I can swing slow and hit a ball like crap, or I can swing out of my shoes and have the same result.”
Entire Thread: “Are blades really ‘punishing’ or do people swing too hard? – GolfWRXers discuss“
More from the Forums
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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Jean Fryer
Aug 4, 2022 at 4:14 am
I learned to play with a set of Jack Nicklaus blades. I was at best a 6 handicap in my early twenties. Stopped playing golf shortly thereafter. Decided to give it a go again aged 48. Went to a pro shop and tried out different second-hand irons. Decided on the Mizuno MP69s with extra stiff shafts. The guy behind the counter said I am f&cking crazy. I went back out again and tried other irons again. Came back with the Mizunos. He laughed at me, called his mate in the workshop, told him that he moved the f&cking Mizunos after 5 years, and rang it up. As I am playing with my mates, they give me grief, I try their irons, and tell them their irons suck. I am slowly getting better. My last 5 scores have been 91, 90, 90, 90, 89. Mizuno MP69s are not blades like the old Nicklaus irons were blades. And yes, the better my rhythm and tempo (even fast) the better the shot.