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Practicing With a Blade

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UglySwing

UglySwing

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I was at Golfsmith, and just for kicks, I picked up a blade (Mizuno MP-4, 6-iron) and hit some balls.
I don't have the game to play a blade, but that was my first time hitting a blade and it was fun.
I was actually hitting pretty nice balls, but when you didn't hit the sweet spot just right, it definitely let you know.
It also made me swing smoother.

Has anyone used blades to practice with? Any thoughts?

It seems like it would be a great way to improve your swing, no???

I wouldn't buy a set or anything, but maybe a single long iron.

By the way, wow, was that MP-4 a pretty club!
 
Hear it all of the time. It does not fix swing flaws, so in the end, in my opinion its a misnomer. Feedback is given on all clubs including 460cc drivers.
 
Golf can be an easy game when you hit balls indoors off of a level mat.
 
UglySwing said:
I was at Golfsmith, and just for kicks, I picked up a blade (Mizuno MP-4, 6-iron) and hit some balls.
I don't have the game to play a blade, but that was my first time hitting a blade and it was fun.
I was actually hitting pretty nice balls, but when you didn't hit the sweet spot just right, it definitely let you know.
It also made me swing smoother.

Has anyone used blades to practice with? Any thoughts?

It seems like it would be a great way to improve your swing, no???

I wouldn't buy a set or anything, but maybe a single long iron.

By the way, wow, was that MP-4 a pretty club!
Click to expand...

In my experience hitting a blade will teach you how to hit that specific blade. Won't necessarily make you a better ball striker. You will also find every set of clubs is a bit different for shaping and sweat spot etc, so practicing with your gamers is always best. I play blades for fun now and then and I hit them towards the heal and with less lag than my i25 gamers. If I practiced with my blades all the time and switched to the i25's to play I would hit high shots and miss the sweet spot (i25 is closer to toe) every time.

So in short, practice with the clubs you play and learn how to make them fly how you want, they give the feedback that is important.
 
ChristopherKee said:
In my experience hitting a blade will teach you how to hit that specific blade. Won't necessarily make you a better ball striker. You will also find every set of clubs is a bit different for shaping and sweat spot etc, so practicing with your gamers is always best. I play blades for fun now and then and I hit them towards the heal and with less lag than my i25 gamers. If I practiced with my blades all the time and switched to the i25's to play I would hit high shots and miss the sweet spot (i25 is closer to toe) every time.

So in short, practice with the clubs you play and learn how to make them fly how you want, they give the feedback that is important.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Makes more sense to just practice with the clubs you are going to play, provided they fit you well of course. If you really want to play blades why not just get a whole set and focus on learning to hit them. imho
 
I actually disagree, quite a lot. Learning to hit a blade will help all aspects of your iron game. Ultra Game Improvement irons are great for a struggling game but allow bad habits to be rewarded. No such thing will happen with a blade. Poor swing, horrible result. Great swing, pure feel, great result. Some part of your practice day should be spent trying to improve your swing till you can hit that blade. A blade forces you to hit the center of the club face. It forces you to have a good transition of your hands into a follow through. It will force you to swing slower for solid contact. These swing changes will pay off in spades when you hit your gamer set. How a blade flies or carries will be very different from your other club. It won't effect your thought process when you switch back. You know how your 9 iron flies, how your 5 iron flies. Same thing with the blade. Just like learning a new club. Doesn't effect the thought process of the other irons. Which brings up a point. If you are confused to how far different irons go. Attach a laminated card to your bag, marked with the carry distances of all your irons. Refer to it for every yardage. You'll be surprised at how many GIR you'll hit.

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I don't see the thought process behind this. The blade may give you negative feedback, but a bad swing is a bad swing and unless you know what specific thing about that swing was wrong, the mishit means nothing.

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When i hold a blade and just think reallllllllly hard, all of the sudden my swing flaws disappear. Magic
 
Canadan said:
What about hitting a blade makes you swing smoother? Couldn't you just swing smooth with a GI or SGI club?
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A bad swing with a UGI iron will yield a decent enough result. A forged iron will give you feedback as to where you are missing the ball. Unless you have spent time with them, it appears to be a mystery. Of course having a blade in you hands isn't a magical club.
Spending time learning to hit one, as I did, opened my eyes to a golf swing. Unless you hit the range with one and spend time learning how to hit it,,,,you just won't get it.

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This should be good .


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I really think there is something too that. In basketball we placed a ring on the top of the rim making it really difficult to make a shot if it wasn't a swish. Now the ring like a blade won't change a bad swing or jumper, however it makes u concentrate more and def would slow ur tempo. I really feel it's beneficial. I was playing blades most the year, and sold them, and I fell like I was hitting really good shots with my GI clubs after gaming blades, slower smoother swing for sure.
 
Popeye said:
A bad swing with a UGI iron will yield a decent enough result. A forged iron will give you feedback as to where you are missing the ball. Unless you have spent time with them, it appears to be a mystery. Of course having a blade in you hands isn't a magical club.
Spending time learning to hit one, as I did, opened my eyes to a golf swing. Unless you hit the range with one and spend time learning how to hit it,,,,you just won't get it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

To be fair, the process of how a club is made has nothing to do with performance, size or anything else. A cast muscle back wedge is capable of giving the same feedback as any other muscleback wedge. See Cleveland, Vokey, etc.

If the feedback is what is telling someone what is going on, the results being better or not with the larger club head would have no bearing on it.
 
For those who like to practice with a blade. How is that better that just using your gamer set to practice with. Wouldn't you rather try to get really good with your regular set and get used to how far you misses with that set travel so you can better manage the course?
 
Popeye said:
A bad swing with a UGI iron will yield a decent enough result. A forged iron will give you feedback as to where you are missing the ball. Unless you have spent time with them, it appears to be a mystery. Of course having a blade in you hands isn't a magical club.
Spending time learning to hit one, as I did, opened my eyes to a golf swing. Unless you hit the range with one and spend time learning how to hit it,,,,you just won't get it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I just don't agree. There isn't an SGI iron on the market that feels like hitting a marshmallow all over the face. Sure, hitting an MB thin is going to produce a much more harsh result, but it's still extremely obvious off both heads. Plus, even when you realize you're hitting the ball less-than-perfect, it's not like it's going to fix anything without proper instruction.

Not sure why that response was sent to me asking simply why a bladed iron would make someone swing smoother. You either swing smooth or you don't. Swinging an SGI doesn't automagically create turbo boosters into a swing.
 
Canadan said:
I just don't agree. There isn't an SGI iron on the market that feels like hitting a marshmallow all over the face. Sure, hitting an MB thin is going to produce a much more harsh result, but it's still extremely obvious off both heads. Plus, even when you realize you're hitting the ball less-than-perfect, it's not like it's going to fix anything without proper instruction.

Not sure why that response was sent to me asking simply why a bladed iron would make someone swing smoother. You either swing smooth or you don't. Swinging an SGI doesn't automagically create turbo boosters into a swing.
Click to expand...

Not directed at you but I am quoting because of the cool turbo booster line. I wonder if the fact that "blades" typically come with heavier shafts, could be part of the feeling that people slow the tempo compared to SGI clubs that often come with lighter shafts. Just thinking out load but I agree with you, I personally don't get the correlation between tempo and a smaller club head.
 
Wedges in my experience offer little in the way of feedback, so yes damn near and offering will give similar performance.
If you use impact tape on an UGI iron you will see the ball marks all across the face give very similar results. After all that's what the club was built to do. The golfer can continue his bad habits and get reasonable results.
Using a blade and the same impacts tape, it doesn't take very long before you know where you hit the ball with out looking at the tape.
Learning to hit that blade successfully leads to hitting the ball with the sweet spot of the club.
From my own experience, knowing how to interpret the feedback from the club turned me into a much better golfer. Just my $.02

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 
Popeye said:
Wedges in my experience offer little in the way of feedback, so yes damn near and offering will give similar performance.
If you use impact tape on an UGI iron you will see the ball marks all across the face give very similar results. After all that's what the club was built to do. The golfer can continue his bad habits and get reasonable results.
Using a blade and the same impacts tape, it doesn't take very long before you know where you hit the ball with out looking at the tape.
Learning to hit that blade successfully leads to hitting the ball with the sweet spot of the club.
From my own experience, knowing how to interpret the feedback from the club turned me into a much better golfer. Just my $.02

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I can tell when I hit my Big Berthas if I got the center of the club or not. They have enough feedback though the sound for me that I can tell w/o impact tape where I hit it even though they are hollow body and cast.
 
Popeye said:
Wedges in my experience offer little in the way of feedback, so yes damn near and offering will give similar performance.
If you use impact tape on an UGI iron you will see the ball marks all across the face give very similar results. After all that's what the club was built to do. The golfer can continue his bad habits and get reasonable results.
Using a blade and the same impacts tape, it doesn't take very long before you know where you hit the ball with out looking at the tape.
Learning to hit that blade successfully leads to hitting the ball with the sweet spot of the club.
From my own experience, knowing how to interpret the feedback from the club turned me into a much better golfer. Just my $.02

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I played Ping G5's for probably 8-9 years and knew pretty much exactly where I hit it on the face every time. Something doesn't have to be harsh and painful to provide feedback.
 
Howzat said:
Not directed at you but I am quoting because of the cool turbo booster line. I wonder if the fact that "blades" typically come with heavier shafts, could be part of the feeling that people slow the tempo compared to SGI clubs that often come with lighter shafts. Just thinking out load but I agree with you, I personally don't get the correlation between tempo and a smaller club head.
Click to expand...

Heavier shafts and heavier swing weight, absolutely. I'd argue that's also extremely counterproductive to practice with a totally different swing weight than people are comfortable playing. I know it plays into my personal gamers and when I review equipment. The transition is rarely smooth.
 
Popeye said:
Wedges in my experience offer little in the way of feedback, so yes damn near and offering will give similar performance.
If you use impact tape on an UGI iron you will see the ball marks all across the face give very similar results. After all that's what the club was built to do. The golfer can continue his bad habits and get reasonable results.
Using a blade and the same impacts tape, it doesn't take very long before you know where you hit the ball with out looking at the tape.
Learning to hit that blade successfully leads to hitting the ball with the sweet spot of the club.
From my own experience, knowing how to interpret the feedback from the club turned me into a much better golfer. Just my $.02

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

What is the difference between a Vokey 46* wedge and a Titleist MB PW (aside from one being deemed a wedge and one being deemed an iron)? Would they not be nearly identical in responsiveness based on profile alone?
 
I used to give lessons to 4-5 golfers each year. I've gotten away from teaching. But,,, Across the board they would have no idea where the ball contacted the face. The impact tape was a tool I would use and quite a few of my students would really respond to the learned knowledge of what the hell was happening at contact. Is a blade,,,, or knowing where you are hitting the ball and end all 1/2 hour lesson. NO. But it proved to be a useful tool to better golf.

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Popeye said:
I used to give lessons to 4-5 golfers each year. I've gotten away from teaching. But,,, Across the board they would have no idea where the ball contacted the face. The impact tape was a tool I would use and quite a few of my students would really respond to the learned knowledge of what the hell was happening at contact. Is a blade,,,, or knowing where you are hitting the ball and end all 1/2 hour lesson. NO. But it proved to be a useful tool to better golf.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Wouldn't impact tape, or some of that weird foot spray some coaches use, be as useful on a game improvement iron?
 
Canadan said:
What is the difference between a Vokey 46* wedge and a Titleist MB PW (aside from one being deemed a wedge and one being deemed an iron)? Would they not be nearly identical in responsiveness based on profile alone?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure how defining a PW and a wedge applies here but given same style of construction and metal used, sure there performance would be very similar

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Canadan said:
Wouldn't impact tape, or some of that weird foot spray some coaches use, be as useful on a game improvement iron?
Click to expand...
Absolutely. What we all strive for is a repeatable strike on the sweet spot. It's a great tool.

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