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I am not one to shape shots so I am no help at all. I am just happy to make clean contact when I swing.
TaylorMade SpeedBlade Irons Review Thread
Sorry for the delay in my response here, I missed this post thanks to a crazy weekend.
I gamed the 2.0s, and they were my first "real" set of Clubs that I purchased when getting back in to Golf. I really enjoyed them, actually, I loved the 2.0s. My issue with them were that while they were long and forgiving, at times I would hit a shot and try to figure out what the heck just happened. Be it, way right, way left, or just crazy long. I found them to be a bit erratic for me at times, and had a hard time having consistency with my shots. Not that they were bad irons, but those few erratic shots a round that would come out of nowhere after what I thought was a great swing, were quite penal.
What I have found with the Speedblades is a bit of what I saw in the Rocketbladez last year, with a bit more improvement. I find that my shots are consistent, I dont see erratic shots unless I put on an erratic swing. My dispersion and accuracy is greatly improved, as the Speedblades just want to go straight. Add to that the change in the COG and missing low in the face still gets me a higher ball flight, and these could be some of the most forgiving irons I have ever gamed. Lighter stock shafts with the COG changed a bit gives me a higher ball flight throughout the set compared to the 2.0s, as well. Most noticeable in the longer irons..being able to hold a green with a long iron from 190 yards out speaks volumes to what these irons can do for a golfer.
Hope that helps you a bit, any more questions, feel free to fire them off!
- Staff
- #728
A nice weekend with the SpeedBlade irons started with an extended range session on Saturday. I was still a little surprised to see that the SpeedBlade outperformed the 588 combo set for me on the launch monitor and I wanted to see it in real life. What I saw on grass was very consistent with what I saw on the monitor. Took them to the course and had a normal mix of good and not as good that you'll get in an uncontrolled environment. In the end, I was glad to have taken them out
Positives were: high apex with a piercing trajectory, long distance, above average forgiveness, good performance from a variety of lies, and an easy ability to flight the ball down.
-Talked a little bit about wind performance yesterday, but I'll reitereate those thoughts. Spent much of the day with winds in the 20mph range and temps were seasonable in the 50's. You're bound to lose yards in that type of situation and I most certainly did. Clubbing up did work fine though on full swings, as it wasn't insane wind. We were clubbing up as many as two clubs, depending on the hole and I was still able to get the ball there with good contact. There were some situations where I decided to hit the ball lower with the clubbing up/ball back/partial swing method and it worked very well. Too well in a couple situations where I went long, but you live you learn. With the lower trajectory I still saw what I'd consider very good stopping power/spin. A good example was a 1/2 PW I hit into 18 that stopped about 6 feet from it's mark on what I'd call a low flying shot. Special mention to a full swing I laid off a little on that I tried to flight down as well. I was in between clubs and into the wind facing a shot that had to carry a lake, so I took the stronger club, choked down a bit, and stayed nice and smooth. Rewarded with a nice 20 footer that I left 10 feet short
Definitly have the ability to take a little off if needed.
-Distance has been very good for me, both on the monitor and grass. Big challenge is going to be trusting it going forward.
-Ball flight has actually been lower that it was for awhile, but still on the high-ish side. Does that make sense? If I get my hands ahead of the ball I'm not hitting weak rainbows. Still getting a nice high peak height, but it's a strong ball flight.
-Funky lies. Gotta love them. I hit some of my best shots from places I didn't expect to do well from. Buried in some clover on the lip of a bunker and blasted a high ball up and to the green. It ended up rolling off, likely due to lack of spin from being buried in green stuff, but the ball came out, flew high, and went the distance I wanted. Another couple shots were from lies with the ball far below my feet. Judged how much the ball would tail right well both times and hit quality shots there. Of course, it wasn't all perfect. I hit two balls from lies in the rough/native grass that appeared to come out with such little spin that they moved around like knuckleballs. I've never seen anything like it, except maybe with range balls that were really worn down. Lost distance and had trouble controlling the ball on those two shots, obviously.
-Another special mention to a beauty of a fairway bunker shot I took. Used the wrong club, but the ball went high and as far as the club I picked should have gone considering the circumstances. Again, you live you learn.
Negatives were: a little more dig than slide on slight heavy misses, big misses left when I lunged/dived, some issues with distance control on partial swings, the slotted irons still have a little more 'crack' at impact than the MT's do.
-I'll give them a nod for improved feel in the slotted irons, but I don't think they will ever quite be perfect or top tier in that department. Non-slotted are great on pure contact and I think they are closing the gap, but it's not entirely closed.
-You'll notice two of those negatives are purely issues with me, but always have to include the good and the bad. It's finally raining a little here and I can think of a couple shots that I missed heavy by a very small margin that did cost me more yards than I would have expected. In one case, it was a longer putt. In another case it was a ball in the water.
-The big left miss is also a me thing. If I dive or lose my posture I just come a little over the top and that produces anything from a slight pull/hook to a giant pull/hook. I really worked on that miss on the range on Saturday and made some very big improvements, but it did pop up a couple times on the course. One was slight and the other one was not slight at all. Luckily I didn't get into much trouble with it. You can see a good example of that in the Video HOTD thread. Fortunately, that was really my worst miss (of that kind) of the day.
-The distance control thing on partial swings thing I'm a little up in the air about. The reason I say that is that I'm seeing a little more distance across the board with a little better impact position. That appears to be translating into the Pelz swing and the results were long misses. I hate to see that. Hate! That'll be a focus this week. If my distances are longer, I'll adjust accordingly. Just had a couple disappointing results when I was really in a spot where I should have had a realistic chance for a makeable birdie putt.
So, there you have it. I'm a fan of the irons. They aren't perfect, but they do what they are supposed to quite well and look good doing it. Hell, I'm a fan of the stock shaft too. I can think of anything wrong with it for my needs off the top of my head. Not saying they'll stay in there long term, because nothing is ever the same in my world, but I'm not swinging the clubs wishing they had another shaft in them.
Positives were: high apex with a piercing trajectory, long distance, above average forgiveness, good performance from a variety of lies, and an easy ability to flight the ball down.
-Talked a little bit about wind performance yesterday, but I'll reitereate those thoughts. Spent much of the day with winds in the 20mph range and temps were seasonable in the 50's. You're bound to lose yards in that type of situation and I most certainly did. Clubbing up did work fine though on full swings, as it wasn't insane wind. We were clubbing up as many as two clubs, depending on the hole and I was still able to get the ball there with good contact. There were some situations where I decided to hit the ball lower with the clubbing up/ball back/partial swing method and it worked very well. Too well in a couple situations where I went long, but you live you learn. With the lower trajectory I still saw what I'd consider very good stopping power/spin. A good example was a 1/2 PW I hit into 18 that stopped about 6 feet from it's mark on what I'd call a low flying shot. Special mention to a full swing I laid off a little on that I tried to flight down as well. I was in between clubs and into the wind facing a shot that had to carry a lake, so I took the stronger club, choked down a bit, and stayed nice and smooth. Rewarded with a nice 20 footer that I left 10 feet short
Definitly have the ability to take a little off if needed.-Distance has been very good for me, both on the monitor and grass. Big challenge is going to be trusting it going forward.
-Ball flight has actually been lower that it was for awhile, but still on the high-ish side. Does that make sense? If I get my hands ahead of the ball I'm not hitting weak rainbows. Still getting a nice high peak height, but it's a strong ball flight.
-Funky lies. Gotta love them. I hit some of my best shots from places I didn't expect to do well from. Buried in some clover on the lip of a bunker and blasted a high ball up and to the green. It ended up rolling off, likely due to lack of spin from being buried in green stuff, but the ball came out, flew high, and went the distance I wanted. Another couple shots were from lies with the ball far below my feet. Judged how much the ball would tail right well both times and hit quality shots there. Of course, it wasn't all perfect. I hit two balls from lies in the rough/native grass that appeared to come out with such little spin that they moved around like knuckleballs. I've never seen anything like it, except maybe with range balls that were really worn down. Lost distance and had trouble controlling the ball on those two shots, obviously.
-Another special mention to a beauty of a fairway bunker shot I took. Used the wrong club, but the ball went high and as far as the club I picked should have gone considering the circumstances. Again, you live you learn.
Negatives were: a little more dig than slide on slight heavy misses, big misses left when I lunged/dived, some issues with distance control on partial swings, the slotted irons still have a little more 'crack' at impact than the MT's do.
-I'll give them a nod for improved feel in the slotted irons, but I don't think they will ever quite be perfect or top tier in that department. Non-slotted are great on pure contact and I think they are closing the gap, but it's not entirely closed.
-You'll notice two of those negatives are purely issues with me, but always have to include the good and the bad. It's finally raining a little here and I can think of a couple shots that I missed heavy by a very small margin that did cost me more yards than I would have expected. In one case, it was a longer putt. In another case it was a ball in the water.
-The big left miss is also a me thing. If I dive or lose my posture I just come a little over the top and that produces anything from a slight pull/hook to a giant pull/hook. I really worked on that miss on the range on Saturday and made some very big improvements, but it did pop up a couple times on the course. One was slight and the other one was not slight at all. Luckily I didn't get into much trouble with it. You can see a good example of that in the Video HOTD thread. Fortunately, that was really my worst miss (of that kind) of the day.
-The distance control thing on partial swings thing I'm a little up in the air about. The reason I say that is that I'm seeing a little more distance across the board with a little better impact position. That appears to be translating into the Pelz swing and the results were long misses. I hate to see that. Hate! That'll be a focus this week. If my distances are longer, I'll adjust accordingly. Just had a couple disappointing results when I was really in a spot where I should have had a realistic chance for a makeable birdie putt.
So, there you have it. I'm a fan of the irons. They aren't perfect, but they do what they are supposed to quite well and look good doing it. Hell, I'm a fan of the stock shaft too. I can think of anything wrong with it for my needs off the top of my head. Not saying they'll stay in there long term, because nothing is ever the same in my world, but I'm not swinging the clubs wishing they had another shaft in them.
Negative. There's a reason you, Jman, WE, Cookie and others are the regular testers.
- Staff
- #731
Like my mom said, if you can't blind them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bull$%@*!
Awesome write up, Hawk. The increased ball flight and trajectory is such a big thing for me. Being able to get the ball up in the air instead of struggling with a line drive is quite nice. The fact that I can accomplish that with the STOCK setup is even more impressive, and I think will have many people finding their way to these irons.
- Staff
- #733
What's funny, is that I'm excited to see decreased launch angle! That has everything to do with flipping at impact though and working on getting rid of it. When I saw my 7 iron down in the 18 range I just wanted to jump up and down. However, 18° is still producing a great height in that 90 foot range with a descent angle that holds greens. All that with more yards. Win/win.
The stock set up should be fine for many people imo. Obviously there will be some that gravitate towards different shaft options/lie angles, but I've been pleasantly suprised with the output directly out of the box.
golfinFF
Active member
Great write up Hawk, once I finally got through it 
Philly Golf Guy
#PGG
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2012
- Messages
- 9,103
- Reaction score
- 7
- Handicap
- USGA 14
I have struggled with the 4 - 7, but I believe that has more to do with my swing and the shafts. Even though I've seen more success with the stiff steel flex than I expected, I'm really looking forward to getting these in graphite to see how well I hit those lower irons. From what I saw with the steel, these could be just what I have been looking for over the last few years; forgiving longer irons with a decent profile that blend in nicely with sharper scoring irons. Add all that with the ball flight and I'm chomping at the bit to get these back with graphite.
As far as taking distance off, I actually have found this extremely easy. My prior posts mention that I put a nice tempo swing on these and have seen more consistency with about the same distance as my current irons. What I've also seen is the heavier club face makes it easier for me to put 1/2 or 3/4 swings on these with great results, I suppose because I can feel exactly where the face is to measure my backswing. For example, a half swing with the 8i gets me to 125 yards. That may not be impressive at first blush, but how about hitting within 8 yards of the 125 sign at the range 9 out of 10 times, as opposed to 6 out of 10 with a full swing PW? For those like me who use the Pelz swings, they can have a field day.
So to really answer your question, I find putting a 3/4 swing on them takes off about 10 yards, which I find very feasible.
I only struggle when I don't trust the distance...specifically when I try to take something off. I have a tendency to hold off when trying to take a less than normal swing. Holding off, leaning back, not transferring my weight, whatever you want to call it always results in me leaving the ball weakly out to the right. In my round yesterday, I found myself in the fairway holding a PW with an awesome wedge distance (poor eyeball from cart path only). I simply choked down on the club and took a normal swing. I ended up with a 10 footer for birdie...but trusting that distance and putting a normal swing on the ball is a huge victory for me.
golfinFF
Active member
Philly great write up and I will be looking forward to your reviews with the graphite shafts.
O'Carroll thanks for the info mucho appreciated.
O'Carroll thanks for the info mucho appreciated.
mact3333
Member
Just placed the order this am. I initially ordered last week but changed specs. Went with KBS 90, 1/2 in short, 2 degrees flat.
Will give my thoughts once I hit them. Hopefully the weather holds out abit longer here.
Will give my thoughts once I hit them. Hopefully the weather holds out abit longer here.
golf4life
Grip n rip
I definitely have to remember to bring my altitude 6 iron and razr x black 6 in for a head to head. But this is a real monitor, not a simulator. And based on the driver numbers I got after hitting the 6 it seems to be very accurate. Maybe even a little conservative.
In looking at my numbers a little closer, the biggest standout is the increased height of the shots, averaging over 10 yards of height over the razr x blacks, yet with less spin to get that height. It's not magic, it's physics and high launch is my new best friend.
I hit the Speed Blade today at Golfsmith. I also just bought a new set of Ping G-25's about 3 months ago, so I am not in the market for new clubs. If these clubs where beyond I would have bought them.
There has been a great amount of buzz around this club and was looking to see my results with the club.
One word could sum it up "Disappointed". My spin numbers where between 6000-7000 and launch angles where not great. I did see 5-10 additional yards but this set of irons are not for me. For one distance, is not my problem. I am not sure if I would need a shaft upgrade or something else.
I am sticking with my Ping G-25's. I know on this thread I am in the minority for not liking this iron set but I wanted to be truthful.
There has been a great amount of buzz around this club and was looking to see my results with the club.
One word could sum it up "Disappointed". My spin numbers where between 6000-7000 and launch angles where not great. I did see 5-10 additional yards but this set of irons are not for me. For one distance, is not my problem. I am not sure if I would need a shaft upgrade or something else.
I am sticking with my Ping G-25's. I know on this thread I am in the minority for not liking this iron set but I wanted to be truthful.
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tpluff
I <3 GAWLF
I'll have a lot to say tomorrow. 65 and sunny with little wind. Perfect for getting great feedback
Smithfaced
New member
There is nothing wrong with giving an honest opinion about any golf related product on THP.
tpluff
I <3 GAWLF
Hey no shame in that at all. It's an honest evaluation and we appreciate it. No problem sticking with what ain't broken
amsmith61
Active member
I'll be able to add some thoughts tomorrow as it will be my first round in over a week and a half. Can't wait to get out there!
amsmith61
Active member
We are getting the same weather and not missing on a chance to appreciate it.
Philly Golf Guy
#PGG
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2012
- Messages
- 9,103
- Reaction score
- 7
- Handicap
- USGA 14
I jut spent 30 minutes in a GG LM with the 9i in graphite. I'm waiting for my set to come back with graphite shafts, so thought I'd do a little preliminary observing.
First thing I noticed is the graphite is much lighter. Of course the shaft is 20 grams lighter so I was expecting a little of that, but it extended to the club head as well. I didn't notice that heavy club head I felt with the steel. At first, that bummed me a little, but then I started swinging and realized I still could feel the head through release and impact.
Second major thought I had after a few swings is they felt very similar to my current set. And that's a good thing. I was able to get in a nice groove with them and was getting the distance and consistency it took months to get with my current set. The other thing that struck me was that you could get very aggressive with your swing and the graphite could handle it.
Overall, my initial impression of the graphite is that it is very well balanced and stable. My spin numbers were relatively low while ball flight was high. I think I was getting on average 4 yards of roll after landing, which I chuckled about since those LM's usually give you 50 yards of roll so the sales guy can gush about how you just hit a 7i 200 yards. But the lack of roll really intrigues me, as the 9i stays where it lands.
The lighter feel is actually pretty encouraging for my chances of getting along well with the longer irons. Very promising indeed.
Taps away
First thing I noticed is the graphite is much lighter. Of course the shaft is 20 grams lighter so I was expecting a little of that, but it extended to the club head as well. I didn't notice that heavy club head I felt with the steel. At first, that bummed me a little, but then I started swinging and realized I still could feel the head through release and impact.
Second major thought I had after a few swings is they felt very similar to my current set. And that's a good thing. I was able to get in a nice groove with them and was getting the distance and consistency it took months to get with my current set. The other thing that struck me was that you could get very aggressive with your swing and the graphite could handle it.
Overall, my initial impression of the graphite is that it is very well balanced and stable. My spin numbers were relatively low while ball flight was high. I think I was getting on average 4 yards of roll after landing, which I chuckled about since those LM's usually give you 50 yards of roll so the sales guy can gush about how you just hit a 7i 200 yards. But the lack of roll really intrigues me, as the 9i stays where it lands.
The lighter feel is actually pretty encouraging for my chances of getting along well with the longer irons. Very promising indeed.
Taps away
Chicken Man
New member
The SpeedBlades came today! Good looking set of irons. Can't wait to get out to hit them. I have some pics on my iPad, but I don't know how to get them here. Can anyone help me with this?