why do golf pros use blades

Advantages of Blade Irons

1. Provide Consistent Feedback If you miss the sweet spot on a blade iron, you’ll know immediately. The vibrations will...
2. Allow You To Shape The Ball One of the biggest advantages of blade irons is they allow for greater control when...
3. Control Trajectory Blade irons are also great for controlling the trajectory of your golf ball. Again,...
4. Aesthetic Design

Full Answer

Are blades good for improving your golf?

As an average golfer improves it’s only natural to begin looking for new irons. He or she starts paying more attention to clubs and club designs. Blades are remarkable looking clubs compared to the major game improvement irons.

What are ‘blades’ in golf?

So today when you hear people talk about ‘blades’ they are more than likely talking about ‘muscle back’ irons which are a long way from the thin pieces of metal that made up the original ‘blades’.

Do all PGA pros play small headed blades?

Actually, a lot of PGA pros, Champion's Tour pros, and certainly LPGA pros play cavity backs. I guess they all end up with their own comfort level, and many prefer cavity backs or muscle cavities. Seldom right, never in doubt...... Not all pro's play small headed blades !!

Do the pros use blades in their bag?

You will therefore find a lot pros today with a mix of clubs in their bag although there is a large number, and most likely the majority, who will simply opt for a full-blown or glorified cavity back / ‘game improvement’ set of irons. But Tiger Woods still uses blades throughout his iron set I hear some say.

What does a blade do in golf?

A blade is going to take those mishits and turn them into shots that are shorter and further offline than they would be with a cavity back iron.

Why is golf different from other sports?

Golf is different: you don’t have to be in competition with yourself or anyone else. You can play to enjoy the outdoors and your company. You can play to enjoy the one shot that you hit perfectly and forget the rest. If you’re not playing to shoot the lowest possible score, and you find enjoyment in having blades in your bag, who can say that’s wrong?

Why do golfers launch their irons higher?

Due to a combination of mishits (particularly thin shots), a lack of club head speed, and other swing-related issues , most golfers will get more distance from launching their irons higher, not lower. In addition to distance, most golfers would benefit from higher launch because it will help their balls stop on the green.

Why is higher spin important?

Higher spin is what some players need to maximize distance and improve the stopping power of their shots. More spin also allows you to curve your shots more and more easily.

What is the benefit of a ball striker's lower launch and higher spin?

For these players, the lower launch and higher spin give them a measurable benefit (distance, trajectory control, shot shaping), and the absence of forgiveness doesn’t matter because they always hit the center of the club face.

Is a lower launch iron better for golf?

Some players will find more distance with a lower launching iron. Those that play in the wind may find a lower launch to be more accurate and predictable. Some just prefer to see the ball in a lower window.

Is high spin good for golf?

While high spin is great for stopping your ball where it lands, it’s a negative for most golfers when it comes to accuracy. If you hit slices or hooks, higher spin will make those unwanted curves even bigger.

BLADES - why do pro's REALLY use them???

The latest Golf Ball that goes 10 yards further than their Previous Golf Ball.

what lost yardage?

Norman endorsed Cobra but only used the driver... I've heard some players play certain cavity backs and would REALLY like the company they endorse to put together blades. Face it...

Why are blades important?

The major advantage that blades give, aside from feedback, is control. It is MUCH easier to shape your golf shofts and hit high fades , low running draws, punch shots under the wind, landing and stopping a ball dead etc with the extra loft and feel that blades give you. This is often far more important to a tour pro than the extra yards they’d get with SGI clubs. In fact, SGI clubs would simply smash the ball way too far, it’s not as if tour pros have a problem with reaching longer holes after all!

What are the pros and cons of using blades?

The cons of using blades are pretty well documented above – a smaller head means a smaller sweet spot. Off center strikes tend to lose power at a greater rate meaning if you’re hitting the ball from different parts of the clubface on each strike then you’re going to find it really hard to control distance – good strikes will fly further than poor strikes and you’ll find it hard to pick which club to use for your approach to the green.

Why are SGI clubs higher than bladed irons?

The higher launch of the cavity back irons is what allows manufacturers to take loft off the clubface (that’s why SGI clubs often have up to 6 degrees less loft than the bladed equivalent). The translates into more distance for the SGI irons when comparing, for example, 7 irons to 7 irons.

Why is the cavity on a bladed iron?

The cavity on a cavity back iron is designed to shift the weight lower down on the clubface (to help lauch the ball higher) and out to the perimeter towards the heel and toe of the club. This prevents the club face twisting as much on off center strikes. On a blade neither of these things happen so the ball will not launch as high and the clubface will twist more on bad strikes.

What are the different types of golf irons?

Golf irons traditionally fall into one of several categories: 1 Super Game Improvement (SGI) Irons – like the Callaway Big Bertha’s 2 Game Improvement (GI) Irons – like the Taylormade Sim Irons 3 Player Irons – like the Titleist T200 4 Tour Pros – like the Ping iBlade

What is the most popular iron for players without equipment?

There’s a stat that the most popular brand of irons for players without an equipment contract is Mizuno. After all, their slogan of “Nothing Feels Like a Mizuno” was chosen for a reason!

Is bladed iron hard to hit?

So, are bladed golf irons that hard to hit? They are definitely the hardest type of irons to use when compared to cavity back, game improvement or super game improvement irons. They are less forgiving and suffer from a greater drop off in power and direction on off center strikes.

How to hit a blade?

The best way to hit a Blade is to hit down on the ball, the one reason Blades don’t work for higher handicap golfers is they hit the ball on the up or take no divot.

What is a blade iron?

Blades are the old school style Irons, before all this technology was developed, everyone played with Blades, from beginners to professionals.

Why are game improvement irons so good?

The technology built into the Game Improvement Irons are there to make the sweet spot larger , this makes the Iron more forgiving and helps hit the ball further without you hitting it harder.

Why do irons go shorter?

Secondly the lofts on the Irons are much weaker than modern Irons, this will cause the ball to go higher and spin more, making it go shorter.

What is the purpose of the Iron Shape?

This Iron shape has a short blade length and a thin top line. The purpose of this is to provide the player with the most workability as possible.

Is Blades hard to play?

We recommend High Handicappers to stay away from Blades, the game is hard enough, there is no reason to make it harder by playing Blades.

Can you play Blades if you have a handicap?

Unless you are a 5 handicap or less we don’t recommend you play Blades.

Why did golfers use cavity backs?

At the same time cavity backs made it easier for the average player to get the ball airborne and for longer which then led to them hitting the ball further as well as straighter.

Why do cavity backed and blades fly different yardages?

Because cavity backed and blades aim to achieve different goals it is very possible that identically lofted irons from the two categories will fly different yardages. Which means that your combined set could give you some problematic ‘gaps’ in the yardages you can cover with your shots.

What irons does Rory McIlroy use?

And even the best ball strikers in the world including Rory McIlroy, who uses some of the most unforgiving blade irons from 5 iron to pitching wedge (Taylor Made P730s), uses the more forgiving hollow backed Taylor Made 760s for his 3 and 4 iron.

Why are golf clubs less distance?

Less distance – Due to the lower launch angle delivered by the slower club head speeds of the vast majority of golfers blades do not go as far as cavity back clubs. Golfers typically get distance from hitting their irons higher, not lower. Lower launch – Although potentially great in the wind golfers typically will find ...

Why are hollow head clubs so expensive?

As with everything that sounds great there is always a catch and with the ‘hollow head’ clubs it is simply that because they are produced in two pieces they are more expensive than traditional cavity back irons.

What was the first blade made of?

Once golf clubs evolved from the old hickory wooden shafts, and golf moved into the modern era, the first blades which came out on the market were made of very thin metal and required you to hit the ball squarely in the centre of the clubface to hit a decent shot.

Why are cavitation back clubs made?

Cavity back clubs are being made that provide increased feedback and manouevreability to enable better shaping of shots while forged blades are increasingly made with shallow cavities to help improve accuracy.

What is blades in golf?

For players such as Mickelson, Woods, Scott, etc., blades provide a no-nonsense approach that allows them to accomplish specific shots. However for those who do not have a courtesy car and a reserved parking spot waiting for them at the next tour event, here's a bit of advice if you insist on playing muscle-backs: Practice. Or bring the backups.

Why do golfers use cavity back irons?

The reason is part look, part performance. Although most players' irons today have a hint of a cavity-back that provides just the right dash of forgiveness, some players can't stomach the look of a slightly larger clubhead or beefier topline that often comes with a cavity-back. Others simply prefer the higher center of gravity found in most pure blade irons, including Woods, who likes to hit the "stinger" 2-iron as well as hit lower-flighted shots into greens with his short irons.

What blades does Blade Runner use?

Blade Runner: Elite players such as Adam Scott use muscleback blades to better work the ball and achieve the desired trajectory.

What is the difference between G20 and G15 irons?

The G20 irons feature a face that's 10-percent thinner than the G15. This enhances ball speed and saves four grams used to improve perimeter weighting (and lower the center of gravity). Designers also tweaked the hosel transition to keep the forgiving blade length, but make the clubs appear slightly more compact. A multi-material cavity badge made with soft elastomer heel and toe sections improves feel and sound while the CTP structure in the cavity stabilizes the thin face. A new CFS (Control, Feel, Stability) steel shaft was designed to enhance consistency.

What was the difference between game improvement irons and players irons?

Players irons were small and sharp looking, shiny and shots felt soft off the face (if you hit them in the sweet spot.) Game improvement irons were large and clunky but easier to hit.

What does it mean when a golf club is game improvement?

In many game improvement irons this means that the loss of distance in an off-center shot will be just a few yards.

Why are improvement irons easier to hit?

In a way they seem to be easier to hit than the larger heads of the game improvement irons because it’s easier to feel whether you hit the ball in the center of the clubface or not.

How long have blade irons been around?

Even though standard game improvement irons have been around for about 50 years, there is still a demographic of golfers that prefer the attractive and traditional blade irons.

Why were irons needed in the 60s?

There was a need for game improvement irons in the 60’s and 70’s as golf was making an impression on people who had never played golf before. Golf on television was prevalent and tour professionals were known by their first names. For the first time in history the PGA Tours sister organization, the PGA of America was doing their best to grow the business of golf and attract players from a larger demographic than just the wealthy. With a mutual interest in growing the game were the club manufacturers who needed to find a way to sell more irons and now had the perfect new audience to cater to. Once it was discovered how to mass manufacture irons that actually helped golfers, golf technology was propelled into a new chapter of evolution and golf clubs have never been the same.

Why are irons improving?

Game improvement irons will continue to improve simply because manufacturers need to sell more golf clubs. Therefore the need for technology will only increase benefitting clubhead designs and of course, golfers. Don’t dismiss the future of players irons though.

What makes it more difficult to get sufficient height on shots with longer irons?

Higher CG makes it more difficult to get sufficient height on shots with longer irons (3-5)

Why do cavity backs and blades work differently?

Because cavity backs and blades aim to achieve different goals and therefore perform differently it is very possible that identically lofted irons from the two categories will fly different yardages.

What kind of irons do golfers use?

Many of the top PGA Tour players are now carrying hybrids or 5-wood or 7-woods in preference to long irons while others are opting for utility/driving irons.

How many PGA players use cavity back irons?

64 of the top 100 PGA Tour players use only cavity back irons and that number rises to 80 when you take into account golfers who use at least one cavity back iron. By comparison only 20 golfers in this elite group only use blades with 36 in total using one blade iron or more within their iron set up.

What are the most common irons used in the PGA Tour?

13 different brands and 59 models of irons are used by the top 100 golfers on the PGA Tour. Titleist, PING, Callaway, TaylorMade and Srixon irons dominate and are played with by 84% of this group. Ignoring driving/utility irons the most common iron set up, chosen by 29%, is 4-iron to pitching wedge.

What irons does Collin Morikawa use?

2020 PGA Champion Collin Morikawa for example uses a Taylor Made P770 4-iron but then switches to TaylorMade P7MC irons for his 5 and 6-irons before opting for the P730’s from his 7-iron to pitching wedge.

What is fascinating to see among the best players on the PGA Tour?

If you discount driving/utility irons from the comparison (we put driving irons in a comparative bucket with hybrids and higher numbered fairway woods) what is fascinating to see among the best players on the PGA Tour is the multiple differing combinations of numbers of irons that they carry in their bag.

How many players use a driving iron on the PGA Tour?

Count a driving/utility iron as a ‘standard’ iron and this number rises to 56 players!

The Immortal Questions

The Facts

The Pros

The Cons

• No Forgiveness The average golfer misses the center of the club face most of the time. A blade is going to take those mishits and turn them into shots that are shorter and further offline than they would be with a cavity back iron. Low Launch Due to a combination of mishits (particularly thin shots), a lack of club head speed, and other swing-relat...

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So, Who Should Play Blades?