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Well if you're testing your theory with the newer blades, it wont make much difference as they are pretty forgiving. I have the MP 32's and they are just as forgiving as a cavity back I think.

I'm still kinda wondering why you'd want to make the gamer harder though? It's hard enough already. If a cavity lets you get away with more and even puts you in line for a birdie, why would you want something that makes it harder to do that? Just like it doesn't make sense for anyone to carry a 1 iron anymore with the new hybrids that are out. Ever heard the old adage "work smarter, not harder?"

Good luck to you with whatever option you decide to go with to practice, but I think if you're getting lazy on the range, it's probably not because of the clubs you're hitting.

This is very correct, but what I'm wondering is how your average 20 handicap who has a reverse weight shift, over the top, casting swing will magically know how to fix it by using a blade? It's true a badly hit blade reacts differently than a badly hit cavity back (but not much differently). Just because you're out there coming over the top slicing bombs out to right field, I don't get how a blade with make you not have an over the top move? Yeah, you might realize just how bad of a golfer you really are using a blade, but that's about it. You've got to learn the fundamentals in order to get rid of an over the top move, not switch clubs.

This is no different than the old Air Jordans that made you jump higher because of the air bubble in them. Same concept here.

If you have a horrible swing a blade won't help you. However, if you have a decent swing, a blade is useful for practice in my opinion. I have collected a number of practice irons, including some very forgiving cavity backs and some blades. One of these clubs is an extremely forgiving, huge game improvement iron, that I bought from a driving range (it was one of the clubs available to range customers). My reason for buying it was that I cannot miss with it.* When I practice with this club I get lazy pretty quickly, because all my shots have the same (good) result. On the other hand, when I practice with a much smaller blade, my practice is much more purposeful because I want to avoid mishits, which with the blade do not feel good and do not fly well. It is this negative feedback that makes me try harder, so I think it is useful to practice with a club that is less forgiving than the clubs in my real set. Making practice harder than the real game is a valid training strategy for most sports/games. In golf, putting to a small coin would be another example of this.

* So if I can't miss with it, why don't I have a full set of them? Because it is some obscure component, clone or knockoff, and I have no idea where I can get these. It sort of looks like an I3 Ping knock-off but the head is much larger than any Ping iron that I have come across.

Frankly, unless loft and lie angles are identical, as well as shafts and swingweight,... and even the grips, ......the comparison just won't help.
....
Yes, I have some nice old Spalding Top Flites, and hit them now and then,but they do not compare to my TA-3 Cleveland irons that are not much larger, and much better clubs for my game.
I can tell the difference with the TA3's, if I hit off center. Same as with a blade. The best thing about them is the subtle increase in bounce, which really helps here in the south with a dry spell, and lightly watered fairways.. and very tight lies.

JMO

I'm not looking to make the game harder, I am just looking to get better. I dont really get enjoyment from hitting the ball badly but scoring well. In one of my last competitions I shot +7 and won (stableford, no blobs). My iron play wasnt all that great but my shortgame was electric. Don't get me wrong it was nice to win, but because my iron play was off I didnt feel like I deserved it.

I would have enjoyed it more if my irons had been solid but not holed some of the putts. Does that make sense?

I was almost there a month ago in a team competition. I was stiking the ball really well and was +2 after 9 (again shortgame was on), but a couple of bad shots unsettled me and I finished +8 and I have struggled to get the striking back.

My swing is pretty solid, so hopefully the blade will help me focus more on whats wrong. I will let you know how it goes.

Stu

I see what you're saying here, but you have to understand that's golf. Some days you hit the ball good, some days you don't. The reality of it is, if you had been hitting your irons great, but your shortgame wasn't there that day, you probably would have shot worse than +7. Just have to keep in mind that the only thing in golf that matters is the number you write down at the end of the round. You don't get extra points for well struck shots.

As for just practicing with a smaller blade, I guess I could see some benifit in that, but be careful of what old spoon said. It may mess you up more if your lofts, lies, club lengths aren't almost exact.

Good luck.

Maybe I just see it differently to others? I've been playing the game for about 15 years and although its fun scrambling an putting a tidy score together, I find it so much more satisfying if I struck the ball well all the way round.

Cheers

I could see this being useful for someone with a solid repeating swing. I agree if your swing is inconsistent using a blade will only cause frustration. If I was going to try this I would make sure the blade is close to the cavity back in looks, weight, lie, and has the same shaft.

Good discussion with a lot of very good viewpoints. If I may offer my opinion here. First, playing or practicing with a blade design in not, in and of itself, going to make you a better ball striker or player. It will most certainly expose swing flaws that other club designs are engineered to mask.

As one poster pointed out, if you have an ugly, reverse weight shift, with an over the top, out to in swing path and an open face, it doesn't matter what you hit. You are not going to magically turn into a single digit handicap player. This player's time would be better spent on learning the fundamentals of grip, posture, swing plane and path under the watchful eye of a pro, and it wouldn't matter what club they have in their hand.

For a better player, practice or play with 'more responsive' club can only help him or her feel the nuances of how subtle changes in these fundamentals can affect (adversely or successfully) ones ball flight. This player can learn a lot from this, whether they play with CB or MB clubs.

It's no different than putting rubber bands around your putter to encourage hitting the center sweet spot.

Steve M

Well I have tried the Apex 5 iron that I got for a short while now and it has really made me think about my swing again. As I said before I have a solid swing (from junior years) that is just a little out of sorts. Hitting the Apex has really made me concentrate on the correct positions and moves in the swing and my ball striking with this club was quite unbelievable and felt like butter.

I still believe that the slightly bigger head on the BH-5s gives me too much margin for error to the point that I tend not to concentrate as I should. Working with the Apex has improved things with the BH-5s but I still find a few swings that I just go after too much. I simply dont do it with the Apex iron as I know I cannot get away with it.

Now, I wont be changing to a set of blades but for some strange reason a smaller head seems to make me concentrate a **** of a lot more and I get better results? I am currently looking out for something more classic looking and have just picked up an ex demo Wilson Staff Pi5 to try. It will be interesting to hit this side by side with the BH-5s. Both offer some forgiveness but the more compact head is just more appealling. Again I will report back.

Stu