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In this video, with the help of our mid handicap tester Steve, we test out a game improvement iron against a blade to see how the performance will differ and to see if a mid handicap golfer could really play a blade…
Timecodes
0:00 – Intro
01:12 – Game Improvement Hitting
07:57 – Blade Hitting
17:32 – Comparing Numbers
22:01 – Summary
34 Comments
As a 15 handicap, I have always found a nice blade to feel and fly better. It is hard to look at a chunky iron and my friends have always assumed I’m a snob. Not true. If an iron plays well, I like it. Interesting!
Subscribed and well worth it. 👍
Thanks for the analysis. Do you expect the results to be similar if you compared same loft and length cb vs mb? Do you think the low loft of the cb in this case is not creating optimal spin which is resulting in a large drop off of distance for miss hits (spin falling out of the ideal window)? Surely for left to right dispersion I would expect the lower lofted club to hVe a larger dispersion all else equal. So question is, how much can the tech help left to right dispersion?
I had game improvement irons and players style irons and had similar results, but being a senior who's lost some distance, I took the middle ground and got players distance irons.
This is the kind of real-life myth busting I'm here for
Loving what cobra are producing at the minute 👌
Love this test 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Great video, but to be honest , it’s about the distance you want to hit, so shouldn’t you be comparing a blade 7 iron to the game improvement 9 iron, thanks for the videos
I've gone from 50 to 27 almost overnight, switching from Ping G425 irons to P790s. Not quite a blade but conventional wisdom still says I shouldn't have picked them as a high handicap.
The distance is much more consistent & I've improved ball striking with some feedback from strikes.
For some reason the thinner sole suits my swing, fat shots are very rare. Any handicap should use what works for them
As a senior playing Cobra f7 irons not week lofts, 30degrees in the 7 iron. Can still carry it 160. Tried a set of Wilson game improvement irons . Hated them, pw 135-150. Thinking of going back to more traditional lofts. Wish you were closer.
I've been saying this for ages: I just don't get who these irons are for. They are supposedly for beginners, or people who need help with distance. But those are the players with the slowest swing speeds. There is no way that target audience can hit a 21 degree 5 iron. I don't hit any iron below 25 degrees, that's hybrid territory.
The game Improvement Irons seem like a much better fit for the player that struggles with high spin and a high weak flight. If the tester struggled with a slice the Darkspeed irons might have helped more.
I found the same thing as the tester. Currently playing blades for similar reasons. I draw the ball and hit down on it. The additional loft and spin helps me launch the ball and get a better descent angle.
Had a similar experience when I was playing the Titleist AP3 irons. They went too far, spun too low and had trouble holding greens. Also had to play 5 wedges.
One thing people don’t pay enough attention to is the turf interaction. The thinner sole of the blades gets through the turf better for me. The wider sole of game improvement irons caused me to have more thin strikes.
stumbled into blades as a 12 HCP golfer, for me the narrower sole fits me better. Been playing them since and now down to a 4.
Loved the video but why wouldn’t you compare the 7i blade to an 8 or 9i in the game improvement set? I’m probably missing something but would be interested what you’d say there. Also, if you can only then hit your 5i 165, how do you then build the rest of the bag? Interesting content though so thanks
It’s a good video. You really chose 2 ends of the spectrum with that Darkspeed iron lol. A good swing with any club will always yield a good result. I think the issue with blades is how much more difficult the 4-6 irons are and how penal they can be versus a game improvement club. You basically have to pick your poison here because both clubs have pros and cons. The real answer are game improvement clubs that now come with a High Launch option or retro spec in the case of Ping. Well done video 👍
I have a fitting this week and this has been the result I've seen on several videos. As a mid handicap, with high swing speed, you're told blades aren't really for you but it seems like blades are closer to what I need than game improvement or players distance.
This is a really great demonstration and I experience the front to back dispersion issue with my irons. I have a set of Adams GT2 Tight Lies from 2006, I think? It has a 34* loft on the 7i but when I hit a middle strike on it, I have carried it 170-175yds but when I miss, it can be as short as 145. I don't know that I'm going to be buying any blades when I finally get fitted for my next set but I don't think I should rule them out, either.
Class vid, really interesting! 🙌🏼 scuba Steve is a flusher
Great video, enjoying the content loads 👍🏻
I was fitted in to a combo set of Apex Pro for 5-7 and Apex CB for the 8–PW. I found my ball striking and direction was so much better than the TM Stealths I was using previously. As you also pointed out, trying to hold a green was a nightmare with the Stealths. My new irons stop on dime.
Just asking, can't you temper the spin and lack of height with a shaft designed for high ball flight?
It’s about speed and dynamic loft. Also if you have a toe or heelward miss
Tried the P790 7 iron and averaged around 170yds then tried a P7TW which I never thought I’d be able to hit. Loved the feel and managed 145 – 150yds. £1800 a bit steep though
So, not enough spin with the 7 iron, and hitting it too far,….So use the 8 iron. The manufactures are making these clubs for a reason. The real comparison would have been to use the bladed 5 iron.
Had '80s era hand-me-down blades as a beginner, and they almost turned me off golf. But now, as a 15 handicapper, I have "power loft" Ping 410s, and iron play is the worst part of my game. It's been 5 years, so I plan to go for a fitting soon and see if there's a happy medium out there for me.
Great video, would be good to see a players cavity Vs p790 type iron test
I don't get these types of irons. How does a higher handicap make those game improvement irons merge into the scoring clubs? Hiting that 7i 170+ yards leaves a lot of yardage up to the gw. Not meant to optimize scoring. Seems they are not meant for good golf. A cavity back with less tech and more loft would work better. That mb looks nice.
I see this a great way to fit the clubs to the player. He was a low speed, low spin guy. Needs loft. But a faster flipper that adds loft would have tested better with the game improvement as it would optimize launch for him. I don't there is any argument that D-plane rules all in the forgiveness battle, but I would have loved to see him just hit both sets to the same distance. I don't care the loft or number on the club, just hit the "150yd shot" both times….
Love this mid handicapper guy. Didnt talk too much or try and take over the show. Just did his thing and was consistent with it. Thanks mate, loved the video!
Id love to have seen him hit the 5 iron in that set to see if the numbers are the same as the 7 iron or what
This is such a good point. The OEMs are trying to make a “7” iron that goes as far as possible, and unfortunately the customers like it. The high launch irons ( low COG, higher lofts) is probably a better idea.
I play blades because they are funner. I've played all sorts of irons and my Haywood MB's are amazing.
Subscribed after comment. Didn’t realise that I hadn’t. Cheers
Blades are how the game is meant to be played 😎