Why you should play blade, by Miura San?

ghoonk wrote:

I play the game for the pleasure of ball striking first, score second. I would rather have a damn good ballstriking day and shoot 90 than to have a crap ballstriking day and shoot 85.

Good ballstriking carries on from round to round, but one could get lucky and shoot low despite being a rubbish ballstriker

The feel of a perfect ballstrike is something that cannot be described in a paragraph, and is the one thing that keeps me coming back to this insane game.

This is why I started with blades and forced myself to improve my swing. I'm not the best ballstriker around, but I'm pretty happy with the quality of my strikes, and that's what matters to me

Wow Ken, thats where you and I differ in terms of seeking enjoyment from this game mate.

Give me a low scoring day anytime and I can take mediocre ball striking. Of course, the standard of comparing 'mediocre' is relative and different from each player.

There are days where I have above avg striking rounds but I get frustrated with the so-so score and very happy with the days where I can't seem to find a fairway but come back with something decent.

I can flush a 7iron sweet but if the ball doesn't end up where I want it to be....It frustrates me more than anything else.

Sergio has got to be one of the best strikers out there and that guy has all but lost interest in his game because he can't go low anymore.

I'm not advocating rubbish ballstriking but I think end of the day, my scorecard doesn't have a column on rating how good my ball striking is. Maybe it has some little bit of relation with FIRs and GIRs but finding a way to get the ball closer and into the hole as soon as possible instead will be the more impt thing in this game.

ghoonk wrote:

Yarra wrote:

ghoonk wrote:

Yarra wrote:

ghoonk wrote:

To make a point, i now have 7 R510 TP drivers, just because it works right for me. I'd screw around with shafts and shaft lengths to experiment with what works and what doesn't and learn in the process, but I wouldn't get a driver with offset because I would end up tweaking my swing, and that's NEVER a good thing.

SEVEN??? Wow, that beats my record of having 3 282s with different lofts at the same time!!!

Mine is a mix of 8.5 and 9.5 drivers so far. Personally prefer the 8.5s, but am trying to win the bid on a 7.5 now

Love the feel of the R510 TPs and I'd be all over the SQ282s if not for the fact that they are 460cc drivers

Have you tried the FT-9TAs or FT-Tours? I think you'll love it!

Personally hate the short ferrule on the Callaways, and find the head shape to be too round. I prefer the traditional pear-shaped heads

Dude, it's not the FT-9... I am talking about the FT-9TS, retailed as the FT-Tour... one with a hosel on it!

ghoonk wrote:

Yarra wrote:

bomby wrote:

golf_snowman wrote:

yes..totally agree with you, SBH

ball striking is one very important factor...and that is why i am thinking of using blade as my training club..

Not advisable.. simply because the offset is different. Once you get use to the blade 0 offset.. going back to the normal forgiving clubs.. you will tend to hook a lot!!

There are musclebacks (such as Mizunos) with a noticeable degree of offsets, too.

Duval_S wrote:

thanks ghoon....so I should not be afraid of being near to 58 and 68 ( I think.....)

I think you'd be better off playing the 68s. They feel much better than the 58s and they are equally forgiving! I have a sets of 58-68 combos and that's how I feel about it. Regretting getting the combo instead of a set of 68s, though.

That said, you can get good musclebacks used for less than what a set of MP68s will cost you. The TM TP MBs are pretty decent, but I would stay away from the King Cobra Pro MBs in S300 as they are not that friendly. I had mine switched to PX5.0 and now they are super easy to play. You can also consider Mizuno MP33s, which have less offset than the MP37s, if you're into Mizuno.

Alternatively, a set of the original Nike Forged Blade from 2001 should not set you back too much (I have seen sets going for SGD300) and with the right shafts, they are pretty good.

Here's a set of CG1 Black Pearls for SGD250 : http://www.golfrepublic.org/marketplace-f8/wts-golf-items-clearance-t6619.htm#132415

Out of all Mizunos... I still prefer the MP14 or MP33. Or better... if you can get a set of TN87, that would be the classic!

Just when I was feeling damn gang-ho about how good my ball striking is... my flight mate blade his ball.... ball roll all the way to the green and stops 1 inch next to the pin for birdie... while my well struck ball went over the green... %^$#%^&%$&

Sounds familiar???

S70B wrote:

ghoonk wrote:

I play the game for the pleasure of ball striking first, score second. I would rather have a damn good ballstriking day and shoot 90 than to have a crap ballstriking day and shoot 85.

Good ballstriking carries on from round to round, but one could get lucky and shoot low despite being a rubbish ballstriker

The feel of a perfect ballstrike is something that cannot be described in a paragraph, and is the one thing that keeps me coming back to this insane game.

This is why I started with blades and forced myself to improve my swing. I'm not the best ballstriker around, but I'm pretty happy with the quality of my strikes, and that's what matters to me

Wow Ken, thats where you and I differ in terms of seeking enjoyment from this game mate.

Give me a low scoring day anytime and I can take mediocre ball striking. Of course, the standard of comparing 'mediocre' is relative and different from each player.

There are days where I have above avg striking rounds but I get frustrated with the so-so score and very happy with the days where I can't seem to find a fairway but come back with something decent.

I can flush a 7iron sweet but if the ball doesn't end up where I want it to be....It frustrates me more than anything else.

Sergio has got to be one of the best strikers out there and that guy has all but lost interest in his game because he can't go low anymore.

I'm not advocating rubbish ballstriking but I think end of the day, my scorecard doesn't have a column on rating how good my ball striking is. Maybe it has some little bit of relation with FIRs and GIRs but finding a way to get the ball closer and into the hole as soon as possible instead will be the more impt thing in this game.

With good striking comes lower score considering you get your short game sharp. The short game is the most important aspect of the game. You can drive 300 meters but you would not make that par if you don't putt for money!

Having said that, Sergio's problem is his putting! He can't putt, simple as that...

Which is my point of solid ball striking being secondary in the game of golf.

would it be easier to get a superdeep

i enjoy the ball striking.. more on the range..
i enjoy the low scores, especially when i play like crap..
and win some sixes..

S70B wrote:

ghoonk wrote:

I play the game for the pleasure of ball striking first, score second. I would rather have a damn good ballstriking day and shoot 90 than to have a crap ballstriking day and shoot 85.

Good ballstriking carries on from round to round, but one could get lucky and shoot low despite being a rubbish ballstriker

The feel of a perfect ballstrike is something that cannot be described in a paragraph, and is the one thing that keeps me coming back to this insane game.

This is why I started with blades and forced myself to improve my swing. I'm not the best ballstriker around, but I'm pretty happy with the quality of my strikes, and that's what matters to me

Wow Ken, thats where you and I differ in terms of seeking enjoyment from this game mate.

Give me a low scoring day anytime and I can take mediocre ball striking. Of course, the standard of comparing 'mediocre' is relative and different from each player.

There are days where I have above avg striking rounds but I get frustrated with the so-so score and very happy with the days where I can't seem to find a fairway but come back with something decent.

I can flush a 7iron sweet but if the ball doesn't end up where I want it to be....It frustrates me more than anything else.

Sergio has got to be one of the best strikers out there and that guy has all but lost interest in his game because he can't go low anymore.

I'm not advocating rubbish ballstriking but I think end of the day, my scorecard doesn't have a column on rating how good my ball striking is. Maybe it has some little bit of relation with FIRs and GIRs but finding a way to get the ball closer and into the hole as soon as possible instead will be the more impt thing in this game.

I used to feel that way, until i read Rotella's book Golf is not a game of Perfect

1. good ball striking is good ball striking, whether it is a drive, and iron, a chip or a putt. good ball striking is what you bring with you from one course to another, from one round to another

2. a good ball striker can have a bad day. bad bounce, sudden crosswinds, etc. shit happens. Don't blame your swing or feel any worse just because things didnt roll your way. I can control my swing, but i can't control the wind, the slope, etc.

With good ballstriking, good scores will eventually follow. But with bad ballstriking, you can never see consistent scores.

On my other round with slinger, eiji and alvin, my ballstriking was crap but i got lucky on many shots and hence didn't get bitten by any big snakes. Was I pleased? yes and no - yes, cos I didn't get snaked, but I would rather have had a good ballstriking day and buy a jug or two

For years, i have been beating myself up over bad scores even though I'd had amazing days with ball striking. one such day was on my last trip, i played a round with seebayho, Duval and titu at MBGC and shot a crap score. But that was just bad luck, because I was making the most amazing drives, pure iron shots, etc. In the end, I was just unfortunate enough to find the ball rolling down the wrong slope into a bunker, or being over conservative and taking one club more than I should have, etc. Bad club selection I can fix, bad bounces I cannot *shrug*... why change a swing that's working for me?

Yarra wrote:

ghoonk wrote:

Yarra wrote:

ghoonk wrote:

Yarra wrote:

ghoonk wrote:

To make a point, i now have 7 R510 TP drivers, just because it works right for me. I'd screw around with shafts and shaft lengths to experiment with what works and what doesn't and learn in the process, but I wouldn't get a driver with offset because I would end up tweaking my swing, and that's NEVER a good thing.

SEVEN??? Wow, that beats my record of having 3 282s with different lofts at the same time!!!

Mine is a mix of 8.5 and 9.5 drivers so far. Personally prefer the 8.5s, but am trying to win the bid on a 7.5 now

Love the feel of the R510 TPs and I'd be all over the SQ282s if not for the fact that they are 460cc drivers

Have you tried the FT-9TAs or FT-Tours? I think you'll love it!

Personally hate the short ferrule on the Callaways, and find the head shape to be too round. I prefer the traditional pear-shaped heads

Dude, it's not the FT-9... I am talking about the FT-9TS, retailed as the FT-Tour... one with a hosel on it!

okay, poison me when we next meet!

S70B wrote:

Which is my point of solid ball striking being secondary in the game of golf.

My point is: if you practice and work hard to get that great ball-striking... in time you will automatically shoot lower scores.

ok...so here is a profile of me:

1. I don practise, if any practise is in front of mirror simulating a pathetic swing
2. I don work hard
3. Any range visit is to TCSS and watch and admire the golfers at range
4. Don think I have much talent also,
5. I have no formal training unless you term watching Golf channel as training
6. I do read magazines on golf and pick up tips by watching good players
7. I have a good chance to play golf once a month (except for Sept and Oct 2010)

So with these, do you think I should go blade?

Well, I'll take a crappy 75 over a solid 80 any day.

What upsets me on a course is when I commit silly mistakes which will include judemental errors. If my ball takes a bad bounce, of course I will be pissed but the feeling wouldn't last very long as the job at hand is to focus on the next shot and suck it up like a man.

My game has never been perfect. I miss more fairways than a 15 hdcper but what pleases me will be the fact I can overcome this by grinding it out and posting a decent score.

My ball striking now is not any better than when I went for proper lessons in Florida. Short game is about the same but bunker play has slightly deteriorated. The difference in my game now is that I stopped worrying about contact and more about scoring. My scoring avg has dropped about 3-4 strokes and that puts me in a happy place.

Duval_S wrote:

ok...so here is a profile of me:

1. I don practise, if any practise is in front of mirror simulating a pathetic swing
2. I don work hard
3. Any range visit is to TCSS and watch and admire the golfers at range
4. Don think I have much talent also,
5. I have no formal training unless you term watching Golf channel as training
6. I do read magazines on golf and pick up tips by watching good players
7. I have a good chance to play golf once a month (except for Sept and Oct 2010)

So with these, do you think I should go blade?

erm. that's up to you.

1 and 7 is matter of time. not your fault if you really dont have time. i spend half an hour in front of a mirror/balcony door glass every evening working on swing plane to develop muscle memory and remember how the correct swing plane FEELS

2 and 3 is attitude, can change if you really want to improve

4 is BS. I have no talent either. having talent and not putting in effort doesn't deliver results

5 - got money to play golf, means got money to get 1 or 2 lessons and some time on the range.

6. doesn't always work. mimicking Jim Furyk / John Daly / JB Holmes / Sergio Garcia's swing does mean it will work for you. They spend a lot of time at the range and on course to make that swing work for them, and if you're not prepared to have a coach, practice seriously and with purpose, don't expect an unconventional swing to work for you

I used to spend a lot of time at Raymond Er's shop (My Golf Shop) back when it was in Bukit Timah Plaza, sometimes from afternoon till closing at 1 am, hitting balls in his indoor range, around 3 to 4 times a week. Even that helped.

When I'm back in SG, you know I'm usually hanging out at BFG, not just to catch up with golf friends, but also to gain some objective insight into my swing.

But that doesn't mean that I can play cavity backs either. Either it works for you, or it doesn't

I'll take 80 or 75....anyday..crappy or solid

S70B wrote:

Well, I'll take a crappy 75 over a solid 80 any day.

What upsets me on a course is when I commit silly mistakes which will include judemental errors. If my ball takes a bad bounce, of course I will be pissed but the feeling wouldn't last very long as the job at hand is to focus on the next shot and suck it up like a man.

My game has never been perfect. I miss more fairways than a 15 hdcper but what pleases me will be the fact I can overcome this by grinding it out and posting a decent score.

My ball striking now is not any better than when I went for proper lessons in Florida. Short game is about the same but bunker play has slightly deteriorated. The difference in my game now is that I stopped worrying about contact and more about scoring. My scoring avg has dropped about 3-4 strokes and that puts me in a happy place.

You sound like Ballesteros

maybe your definition of contact is different from mine. On a bad ballstriking day, i hit slices with my hybrids, top my fairway woods, push/slice my driver into neverneverland, thin my irons (striking just below the equator), blade my wedges and pull my putts.

on a good ballstriking day, I can practically feel the ball mashed into the face of the club, then into the ground. I can hear the whip of the shaft, and the ballflight is what I expect it to be - piercing with mid-trajectory.

I miss watching that guy!

Thats what I meant buddy. A bad ball striking day is when the ball curves more than I want it to or goes off target.

A good one is when I feel I can't miss anything I look at. Those days r very rare though.

It's all relative like I said.

On topic, my game doesn't improve much even if I go back to cavity backs now.

If u love the game enough that u dun foresee urself quitting over setbacks, by all means, try it out. Today's blades are so much easier to handle than those in the 80s and early 90s where they literally look like butter knives. A bad shot will feel like u were hitting w 1 too.

okay. my definition of a good day means the ball goes mostly where I want it to go. I might still miss the green, but if my striking is good (i.e. SQUISH), my chipping should get me pretty close, enough to make par or at worst bogey. Keep this up for 18 holes and for every par I make, i get an extra stroke under 90

P.S. I have hit the old blades. They feel nicer, and somehow easier to hit

S70B wrote:

Sounds like someone is practicing a flip to square a clubface.

Which goes back to a swing issue of having a problem achieving solid impact position.

Here is a video of slow motion ball impact. Maybe you would like to observe the full inch after impact what really happens to t

And this will have shed some light on variations of clubface. I like the fact that the iron has offset.


Here is a good tutorial to help you hit straight shots with your 775CB



The last thing you wanna think about when hitting a shot is your offset mate.

Cheers mate. I have since changed to ap2 710. But the links are great.

if i cant hit my PW 8 out of 10 on target with my cavity....

i doubt i can with blades....

me sticking with my Z101....

think i am a better scrambler than a ball striker....

what to do, fatherhood is a distraction..... but i loved it

S70B wrote:

Well, I'll take a crappy 75 over a solid 80 any day.

What upsets me on a course is when I commit silly mistakes which will include judemental errors. If my ball takes a bad bounce, of course I will be pissed but the feeling wouldn't last very long as the job at hand is to focus on the next shot and suck it up like a man.

My game has never been perfect. I miss more fairways than a 15 hdcper but what pleases me will be the fact I can overcome this by grinding it out and posting a decent score.

My ball striking now is not any better than when I went for proper lessons in Florida. Short game is about the same but bunker play has slightly deteriorated. The difference in my game now is that I stopped worrying about contact and more about scoring. My scoring avg has dropped about 3-4 strokes and that puts me in a happy place.

hope u not trying to soften me upon your return.....

ghoonk wrote:

S70B wrote:

ghoonk wrote:

I play the game for the pleasure of ball striking first, score second. I would rather have a damn good ballstriking day and shoot 90 than to have a crap ballstriking day and shoot 85.

Wow Ken, thats where you and I differ in terms of seeking enjoyment from this game mate.

Give me a low scoring day anytime and I can take mediocre ball striking. Of course, the standard of comparing 'mediocre' is relative and different from each player.

There are days where I have above avg striking rounds but I get frustrated with the so-so score and very happy with the days where I can't seem to find a fairway but come back with something decent.

I can flush a 7iron sweet but if the ball doesn't end up where I want it to be....It frustrates me more than anything else. Sergio has got to be one of the best strikers out there and that guy has all but lost interest in his game because he can't go low anymore.

I'm not advocating rubbish ballstriking but I think end of the day, my scorecard doesn't have a column on rating how good my ball striking is. Maybe it has some little bit of relation with FIRs and GIRs but finding a way to get the ball closer and into the hole as soon as possible instead will be the more impt thing in this game.

I used to feel that way, until i read Rotella's book Golf is not a game of Perfect

1. good ball striking is good ball striking, whether it is a drive, and iron, a chip or a putt. good ball striking is what you bring with you from one course to another, from one round to another

With good ballstriking, good scores will eventually follow. But with bad ballstriking, you can never see consistent scores.

fellas, if i may chip in, actually there was a scientific research by a columbia university professor about ballstriking vs short game in order to improve your scores. Coz everybody says short game is most important, right? Well, not necessarily or not all the time. Check out golf magazine last Oct or see this article for a summary:
http://blogs.golf.com/flyers/2010/08/how-to-grade-your-ballstriking.html
http://blogs.golf.com/flyers/2010/08/grade-your-ball-striking-part-2.html

In short: for good/skilled players like S70B, lower scoring via short game/putting is most important because his ball striking (relatively) is already great. His "bad" shots are most likely "good" shots for me. So it's natural for S70B to look for short game to get to the next level. Sergio's definition of playing low is breaking par, but his bad days of shooting high 70s/low 80s are a dream for many of us.

This research showed that , for golfers trying to break 100 or 90, improving ball striking (shots <150 yrds) is the way to go. 90 shooters like me loose ball into the woods, into the water, into fairway bunkers, we duff shots, topp shots,shanks, duckhooks, skull a pitch etc etc. All these accumulate more strokes & penalties than say having 4 three putts a round. A pro would be happy with 30 putts a round, I actually average 35-37 around. Just 6-7 strokes difference, but my scores are in the 90s. Putting is the least important skill for a high handicapper, imo.

I also agree with ghoonk, a good ball striker is a good ball striker, be it hitting woods, irons, pitches, chips. He/she can generate good, solid contact that would send the ball to his target area, period. Logically, scoring comes down with it. Course management for a poor ball striker i.e. moi is less relevant (yet) because most of the time i can not get the ball to go where I want it to go anyways.

If only blades have mid size heads, I'd love to try. Many blades are just so damn small, dont dare to buy. Anyone has a spare set to lend me for a round or two?

hmmmm ....bro Pushslice...very interesting and enlightening.

with this, I realized that for < 150yards, I actually prefer the club which look like my T588 cleveland wedge which I think is like Blade....which I get better results

Et voila monsieur, ces't comme ca.

pushslice, just get a set of blades 2nd hand and work at it. But make sure you get the right shafts for your swing, or you WILL suffer. I suffered with my King Cobra Pro MB irons until I swopped out from DG S300 to PX 5.0 non-flighted.

The size difference between a midsized head and a blade isn't as much as you think. It's more the offset and topline, and once you go blades, you never go back.