Blade users thread (NO DEBATING CLUBHEADS! NO Buy Sell Trade!)

[blades_are_life]

On 9/16/2023 at 2:37 AM, mkp said:

Just picked these babies up.  Anyone have experience with Haywood 100s?

no but I love the squared toe

[blades_are_life]

On 9/28/2023 at 4:45 AM, collje26 said:

Tried a set of the P7MC raw and they last all of two weeks. Something about the P7TW’s always make it back in the bag. 
 

its because they are perfect

[Bigmean]

18 hours ago, Gsea said:

I can also with my ping G430s has nothing to do with blades and I played MBs for 20yrs

You can with anything.  I don’t know how to say this without realizing how BS and douchey it sounds, but it is my truth so it is my thoughts.   I am really a feel player.  I think anyone who played a lot knows at impact if it is a hook or slice or pull draw or push fade or whatever and where you hit it.  It’s just a matter of clarity and how loud an exacting all that is.   My small blades are a lot clearer feedback wise than my kyoei blades.  My Kyoei blades are more user friendly and still give plenty of blade like feedback, just a softer voice as where the Muiras scream it.  
 

if you aren’t a feel type player and more a methodical and calculated swing type player I think that greatly negates a lot of what blade guys play blades for.

[Maine Golfer]

I feel your take Bigmean. Im not making an absolute claim , im just feeling I mostly dont like the hot phase on my Cleveland's above about a 5 or 6 irons. My bag next year might be Zing's till 5 , blades above that.  

[subrew]

These came in recently, Toney Penna System One.  Long blade length, but very shallow.  Compared to an MP-14 2-iron in a couple photos and paper trace. 

[subrew]

My next build, Mizuno MS-11.  Decent shape with usual bag chatter but minimal face wear.

[RoyalMustang]

On 9/29/2023 at 12:48 PM, Maine Golfer said:

I was once of the view its was "cheesy" or just a slogan how you can feel your mishits better with blades, but im a true believer now.  The second I strike my Wilson Staff Goosenecks I can tell if I pull it. Its pretty cool how clear it can be over a player improvement / hot face.  

 

It's weird: I have had more absolute striped balls of "where did that come from distance?" on my blades. 

 

It may have something to do with the smaller sweet spot. Let's say the larger sweet spot on a player's iron is maybe 15mm in diameter, with the absolute best place to hit the ball about 5mm in diameter. On a blade, it's more like 12mm for the good sweet spot, whereas the absolute flushed circle is only 3mm in diameter. 

 

With the blade, I hit the absolute best location less, but when I do find that spot, it blasts off the club. Last week, I made what I consider to be the best swing I can absolutely make with a 9-iron: I had 155 in which is my normal distance, and it flew the green at 170 with a towering flight. I never hit my 9-iron 170.  

 

Yesterday, I was hitting a 3/4 low flighted wedge with my 54 degree from 87 yards, uphill, from middle of the fairway. It was in a tournament and as it turns out, a bogey or better gives me sole possession of 3rd place. I'd just smoked a drive 310 uphill and was in perfect position. What happens? I make another (for me) perfect swing, absolutely flushing the ball with my easy 3/4 swing. The ball goes 100 yards and runs into shrubs behind the green. I end up with double and had to settle for a 3rd place tie. 

 

Afterward, the guy in my group who ended up tied for 3rd with me said "wow, that was some bad luck. It looked like a perfect swing and perfect shot; I saw ball just explode off the club and kept carrying. If you had asked me what your score was going to be when you initially hit the ball, I would say par at worst. I feel bad we tied!". 

 

I think it had something to do with hitting that power-up zone that is only 3mm or so wide on a blade. You don't get it often, but when you hit it, the ball jumps and you can feel how good of a swing it was. 

 

If you had to ask me, if you are good enough to consistently hit that larger sweet spot, you should at least give blades a try, but you may, like me, get some really incredibly long balls every once in awhile if you stripe it. I remember hearing that about Hideki Matsuyama: he plays blades and has a reputation for really striping a ball at times and seeing an extra 10-15 yards out of nowhere. 

 

I find that my blade carry is 3-5 yards shorter overall than my player's iron carry (Mizuno MMC), probably due to the smaller sweet spot, but that my flushed shots are the same, hence the bigger variance. Something to consider. Nothing feels as good as a flushed blade, although mine only go up to 8-iron. 

[Kmagnuss]

On 10/1/2023 at 2:03 PM, RoyalMustang said:

 

It's weird: I have had more absolute striped balls of "where did that come from distance?" on my blades. 

 

It may have something to do with the smaller sweet spot. Let's say the larger sweet spot on a player's iron is maybe 15mm in diameter, with the absolute best place to hit the ball about 5mm in diameter. On a blade, it's more like 12mm for the good sweet spot, whereas the absolute flushed circle is only 3mm in diameter. 

 

With the blade, I hit the absolute best location less, but when I do find that spot, it blasts off the club. Last week, I made what I consider to be the best swing I can absolutely make with a 9-iron: I had 155 in which is my normal distance, and it flew the green at 170 with a towering flight. I never hit my 9-iron 170.  

 

Yesterday, I was hitting a 3/4 low flighted wedge with my 54 degree from 87 yards, uphill, from middle of the fairway. It was in a tournament and as it turns out, a bogey or better gives me sole possession of 3rd place. I'd just smoked a drive 310 uphill and was in perfect position. What happens? I make another (for me) perfect swing, absolutely flushing the ball with my easy 3/4 swing. The ball goes 100 yards and runs into shrubs behind the green. I end up with double and had to settle for a 3rd place tie. 

 

Afterward, the guy in my group who ended up tied for 3rd with me said "wow, that was some bad luck. It looked like a perfect swing and perfect shot; I saw ball just explode off the club and kept carrying. If you had asked me what your score was going to be when you initially hit the ball, I would say par at worst. I feel bad we tied!". 

 

I think it had something to do with hitting that power-up zone that is only 3mm or so wide on a blade. You don't get it often, but when you hit it, the ball jumps and you can feel how good of a swing it was. 

 

If you had to ask me, if you are good enough to consistently hit that larger sweet spot, you should at least give blades a try, but you may, like me, get some really incredibly long balls every once in awhile if you stripe it. I remember hearing that about Hideki Matsuyama: he plays blades and has a reputation for really striping a ball at times and seeing an extra 10-15 yards out of nowhere. 

 

I find that my blade carry is 3-5 yards shorter overall than my player's iron carry (Mizuno MMC), probably due to the smaller sweet spot, but that my flushed shots are the same, hence the bigger variance. Something to consider. Nothing feels as good as a flushed blade, although mine only go up to 8-iron. 

Or it could have been that you had a little adrenaline going and just air mailed it.

[RoyalMustang]

4 hours ago, Kmagnuss said:

Or it could have been that you had a little adrenaline going and just air mailed it.

 

Possible; maybe it was a one in a thousand swing in terms of tempo and release. 

[Kmagnuss]

I had a similar one.  Not a tournament setting but just me, playing as a (very fast) single and the two guys ahead of me just refused to let me pass.  To the point where I was walking up to them on the tee box as they were still teeing off.  Anyway... I was getting a little miffed about it on my approach shot into a green they were just walking off of and I hit a iron about 30 yards further than normal.  Just pured it but adrenaline got the  better of me there.

[Streetscape]

I have read this thread too much and am now looking for a set of blades. I would love some Titleist blades, but they seem hard to come by locally. I do like the look of the VR Pro Nikes, is $300 worth it for a 3-PW set? They have definitely been played, browning on a few of the faces.

[craz-e]

3 hours ago, Streetscape said:

I have read this thread too much and am now looking for a set of blades. I would love some Titleist blades, but they seem hard to come by locally. I do like the look of the VR Pro Nikes, is $300 worth it for a 3-PW set? They have definitely been played, browning on a few of the faces.

VR pro is a solid choice!

great irons

[Kmagnuss]

5 hours ago, Streetscape said:

I have read this thread too much and am now looking for a set of blades. I would love some Titleist blades, but they seem hard to come by locally. I do like the look of the VR Pro Nikes, is $300 worth it for a 3-PW set? They have definitely been played, browning on a few of the faces.

The browning most likely won't effect how they play at all, but get on ebay or the BST on here or facebook marketplace and find a set that suits your eye.

Good luck on the journey.

[Nard_S]

7 hours ago, Streetscape said:

I have read this thread too much and am now looking for a set of blades. I would love some Titleist blades, but they seem hard to come by locally. I do like the look of the VR Pro Nikes, is $300 worth it for a 3-PW set? They have definitely been played, browning on a few of the faces.

VR Pro's are very nice irons. They command good money. 

[Kmagnuss]

Hit some CB's at the range today and it reminded me of why I play MB's.

[lefthack]

Oh man, I'm torn! I want to order the TourA but there is a set of Wilson Staff blades on eBay right now. Wilson won't tell me if they are making any more lefty blades, so I have serious FOMO right now. 

[Streetscape]

One more question for everyone here. Would you do VR Pros for $300 or a set of 681s with a ZB PW for $350. Both are 3-PW and both seem pretty played and browned. Are 681s hard to find individually? Would love to get a 2 iron and PW to complete the 681 set if I go with that.

[Nard_S]

8 minutes ago, Streetscape said:

One more question for everyone here. Would you do VR Pros for $300 or a set of 681s with a ZB PW for $350. Both are 3-PW and both seem pretty played and browned. Are 681s hard to find individually? Would love to get a 2 iron and PW to complete the 681 set if I go with that.

Iron finder & fleabay on missing irons but be sure the 681's have original shafts because factory has hickory dowels in them.

 

Fwiw, if budget is 3 bills look at 99 Hogan Apex, they go cheaper than other two and are as good.

[Kmagnuss]

Man for $300 I'm looking for the cleanest set of MP33's I can find.  They're always in the GOAT running for blades.

[NRJyzr]

1 hour ago, Kmagnuss said:

Man for $300 I'm looking for the cleanest set of MP33's I can find.  They're always in the GOAT running for blades.

 

Check the 'bay for Mizuno MS-11 or MP-11 irons.  There are plenty of them out there, some coming from Japan, some not.  Even once the 33s emerged, there were many who considered these the GOAT blade from Mizuno.

 

They were the first to come out with significant bounce.  5* in the 3 iron, 6* in the 7-9 irons, 7* in PW.  Quality stuff (I have a set).

 

[subrew]

1 hour ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Check the 'bay for Mizuno MS-11 or MP-11 irons.  There are plenty of them out there, some coming from Japan, some not.  Even once the 33s emerged, there were many who considered these the GOAT blade from Mizuno.

 

They were the first to come out with significant bounce.  5* in the 3 iron, 6* in the 7-9 irons, 7* in PW.  Quality stuff (I have a set).

 

 

Just built-up the MS-11 irons I got from Japan.  Epoxied heads Monday, grips yesterday.  Should be playing them this weekend.

[lefthack]

Oh man, I was just telling Josh Haywood that the only thing I would trade my MB's for is a set of copper. He said they might have a copper lefty set laying around somewhere, so I might be putting a kidney on eBay later. 

[Mitchell]

8 minutes ago, lefthack said:

Oh man, I was just telling Josh Haywood that the only thing I would trade my MB's for is a set of copper. He said they might have a copper lefty set laying around somewhere, so I might be putting a kidney on eBay later. 

You should be eligible for a discount as an “influencer” 😂as I am sure your enthusiasm for the brand has influenced a few here to make purchases. 👍🏻

[lefthack]

18 minutes ago, Mitchell said:

You should be eligible for a discount as an “influencer” 😂as I am sure your enthusiasm for the brand has influenced a few here to make purchases. 👍🏻

 

If I wasn't such an introvert I might have a YouTube channel or something. 🤣 

 

They have been amazing to deal with. It's nice to know you are talking to the man when asking questions. And unlike other companies, they have never send me right handed stuff. 

[Bigmean]

Soooooo, been a minute but I have some things working.  First off, shot a 78 today, which came to light with no birdies, a horrible double after putting a 58* into a bunker and air mailing green from there, and no birdies.  First time using my new to me yamada handmade and I made nothing outside 10ft including excellent birdie looks, but I did make everything inside 10ft so wash, maybe if I had my gamer I woulda shot 2 better, maybe not, I burnt edges all day with good speed.   Truly I don’t understand how today can’t be my avg day as nothing stood out as good, but no glaring issues either.

 

Second, I think the kyoei’s took my bag, they are so good.  I’m pretty objective about things even with my biases and these clubs are Fing solid.  Best $275 I have spent in golf.   My irons weren’t great today outside a handful of solid shots but they also weren’t an issue either.  For me it is still driver, which while not good today, had zero penalty’s and only one drive I had to hit a low hook from trouble out of.   That really is the difference.  
 

So with all this in mind, should I reshaft my BB with my trpx shafts?  I’m sorta superstitious and I dgaf if I am playing regular flex 950 nippon shafts in the kyoei’s as they are working and I don’t want to mess with it.   It isn’t like I can’t reshaft the BB with some 115s modus shafts if I am not happy.   What says the crew?   It will be a long winter of boredom and I may sell off some putters and sets and shafts to of course get more putters (duh) so I I’m trying to figure out what to do with what I have knowing the kyoei’s won the bag at year end.  Now it may be short lived but I am open to messing with my bb shafts which at this point are looking like grandpas hand me down set.    
 

edit- the Jean baptiste 701p2 I got was probably one of the best putter buys I have had.  I think said and done $310, and it came in pristine and reeks of quality, like legit I don’t even want to game it.   I was worried it was Bs Japan status crap, but man fit/finish on this thing smokes anything you can get sub $500 used on eBay here.  I had reserved high hopes with also expecting possible meh, and this smoked expectations.   How are gear heads not on these…I will post some pics later, and it’s a blade so it counts….😄
 

 

Edited October 14, 2023 by Bigmean

[chisag]

On 10/5/2023 at 10:31 AM, Kmagnuss said:

Hit some CB's at the range today and it reminded me of why I play MB's.

 

 

... I played my Z Forged MB's last week and it reminded me why I play King Tour CB's.  🤷‍♂️

[Bigmean]

On 10/5/2023 at 7:23 PM, lefthack said:

 

If I wasn't such an introvert I might have a YouTube channel or something. 🤣 

 

They have been amazing to deal with. It's nice to know you are talking to the man when asking questions. And unlike other companies, they have never send me right handed stuff. 

Do a YouTube, you will at least have 50 followers from here!!!!

[Bigmean]

On 10/5/2023 at 4:50 PM, NRJyzr said:

 

Check the 'bay for Mizuno MS-11 or MP-11 irons.  There are plenty of them out there, some coming from Japan, some not.  Even once the 33s emerged, there were many who considered these the GOAT blade from Mizuno.

 

They were the first to come out with significant bounce.  5* in the 3 iron, 6* in the 7-9 irons, 7* in PW.  Quality stuff (I have a set).

 

As a connoisseur of yahoo auction, I can confirm them at the 11s can be had for a song all day….  

[lefthack]

1 hour ago, Bigmean said:

Do a YouTube, you will at least have 50 followers from here!!!!

 

James Robinson is about the only one I could stand and sometimes he's even too much. 

[Nard_S]

So I was clicking on Joe Rogan clips and there was a topic on what drives gambling addiction. The guy wanted to find out so he went to where the industry does research on it. There's three aspects.

 

1. The chance of reward.

2. The variability of that reward. It's there but there is no set pay off and that pay off can be large or small or a loss.

3. The ability to repeat this with high frequency. Slot machines are highly successful because the rapidity it allows.

 

So in experiments if a pigeon is guaranteed a 15 seeds after two pecks but can get 20 from a more random reward structure, the pigeon will go for the higher peck, more random choice, every time. Humans are drawn to gambling the same way and our evolution as foragers and hunters wire us for this. We went hunting & gathering and came back with a sack of berries or a kill or we burned calories for nothing. This stuff is finding it's way into to all types of marketing and other industries. Uber uses this to incentive their drivers.

 

I'm listening and thinking, wow, this is explains the addiction of golf, the chance of reward and the variability of that reward and the frequency allowed to invest in it over & over again. I think I enjoy the game for these reasons too because it never goes to expectations and the reward of play is rather random. Can hit great, score poorly, can score well hit poorly, can have a great bogie and a poor par. Can have a nice shot, get a poor bounce or a poor shot with a great bounce. There's trends and averages but there is always that randomness. You show up, you don't really know how it's going down. And it's just you and the elements, like the hunter foraging for a days meal. I have left the house and joked , ''I'm going to slay some dragons'' but you know it's not really that far from that fantasy. It's really that primal and there's proof of it out there that we're tapping into something deeper with it. Oh yeah, I love gambling too, but I' m more rational about it.