What Are Blades In Golf? [Should You Buy A Set Today?]

Golf equipment has come a long way since the game was first invented. Technology has made it easier to hit the ball better, more consistently hitting the distance required for a certain shot. But when it comes to golf irons, the blade is still very similar to style to how it was all those years ago.

Now you may be wondering, what are blades?

Well, in this article we’ll take a look at a bladed golf iron and learn a little bit more about why golfers use them when playing. When did they come about and should you be purchasing a set for yourself the next time you’re in the golf shop?

With that said, let’s get into it and discover what are golf blades.

What Are Blades?

What Are Blades In Golf?

Blades are golf irons that are forged from a single piece of metal, which makes the design really compact and thinner than other types of irons. 

Blades have a sweet spot that is directly in the centre of the face and as a result, they are far more difficult to hit consistently well.

If the ball is hit out of either the heel or the toe, the result won’t be as you would expect from more forgiving irons, so the result will certainly be a loss in distance and most likely direct the ball off the intended line.

Although harder to hit, blades are a great choice for many top golfers who are good enough to hit the ball out of the middle of the face on a regular basis.

What they lack in forgiveness, they make up for in feel, workability, and speed when comparing them to other types of iron such as a cavity back.

Some of the best blades in golf come from top brands like Mizuno or Taylormade, such as the Mizuno Pro 221 irons.

What Are The Benefits Of Using A Set Of Blades?

To start with, bladed golf irons are very attractive to look at compared to a cavity back set. 

The design is sleek and sharp, with just one type of metal in the head. The lines are clean and they look like an original golf club style. 

For most golf nuts, a bladed set of irons are a thing to behold and one of the most beautiful pieces of equipment in the game of golf. This is especially true when compared with a set of game improvement irons.

In terms of the playable benefits of forged blades. Blades are designed to sit less offset on the ground which allows them to cut through the turf more easily.

For good players who like to compress the ball and the turf, a bladed set will help them to do this.

This is also helpful when playing out of thick rough as the blade will be able to cut through the long grass more convincingly, helping a player get it out quicker.

Blades also have a softer feel, which provides more feedback on the strike. When a bladed iron is hit out of the middle of the face, the feeling will be far different from that of a cavity back. There’s no better feeling in golf than a well-struck bladed 3-iron (I’ve heard…).

The shot-shaping capabilities that a set of blades can offer are unlike any other set of irons. The softer feel allows a player to shot shape the ball from left to right and right to left with ease.

This shot-shaping ability is good for the better players becuase they’re always looking to move the ball into greens and round corners so it gives them a far better chance.

Who Should Be Using Golf Blades?

A set of golf club blades tend to be positioned at a higher level of golfer. Despite there being a fair few advantages of having a set of golf blades as outlined above, the one major flaw which will make them unusable for many is the fact they’re not very forgiving, especially when comparing golf blades vs cavity irons.

Forged into something that is small, compact, and has very little behind the face results in off-centre strikes being almost unplayable. Any miss struck shot with a blade will probably be felt in your hands and will be about 20% shorter than if it was hit in the middle.

Therefore, you’ll mostly only see very good golfers play blades such as scratch handicaps or professionals and more average golfers using cavity backs.

Of course, an average golfer can use a set of blades, but unless you’re consistently hitting the ball in the centre of the club and have mastered the skill of ball striking, it would make more sense to use more forgiving irons like a cavity back set.

Having said that, golf club manufacturers have begun to start making bladed clubs slightly more forgiving. The Taylormade P790 irons for example, still have a look of a blade, however, extra weight has been built into the back of the face to cope with off-centre strikes. 

The term ‘muscle back’ is basically a bladed iron that has a fuller back to help be a little more forgiving but still provides that amazing feel.

What’s The Difference Between Blades And Muscle Back Irons?

A lot of the top players will tend to use either a set of traditional blades or a set of muscle-back modern irons.

Although they may appear fairly similar, they are in fact quite a bit different. A classic blade is thin with a steel face that can provide maximum distance when struck out of the middle of the face.

A muscle back will have a much larger sweet spot on the face and means that it is more forgiving on any miss-hit shots. The muscle back also tends to have a more bulky look to it as it has more weight in the back of the head compared to a blade which is just a thin piece of metal.

Although more forgiving than a blade, a muscle back iron is still less forgiving than a set of cavity irons.

Because a muscle back has more weight to play with, it can add it to more areas of the club compared to the traditional blade. This means that it usually goes further than a blade. Conversely, because bladed clubs are made from just a single metal, they offer far more feel that a muscle back.

Do Pro Golfers Use Blades?

Professional golfers will usually use a set of blades because they’re elite-level golfers. Unlike the average golfer, they’ve mastered what it takes to hit the ball consistently well, so using forged irons can help them shape shots more easily and can trust that the distance of their shots will be correct every time.

As mentioned, a classic blade iron provides a softer feel on strikes which allows top players to get exactly what they want out of a golf shot. Whether there’s a soft little fade into a flag or a high draw out of a bunker. Blade irons can provide them with this great feel.

Pros also tend to use blade golf clubs because they’re just so good. A top professional will rarely not hit the sweet spot of the golf club, so there’s absolutely no need for them to have any help as you would get from a cavity back iron.

Having said that, there still are a lot of professionals on the PGA Tour that don’t use blades. This is because they want the forgiveness that muscle back irons can provide on the off-centre hits.

Some professional golfers also choose to have a combination of muscle back irons or cavity back irons and blades. Usually, with this combination, you will see the higher irons such as the 9-iron, 8-iron and 7-iron in blade irons and the long irons such as the 3 or 4 iron in a more forgiving muscle back irons or a cavity back iron.

Should Beginner Golfers Use Blades?

A beginner golfer should never start with a set of blades and should always aim to have a set of cavity back irons instead. Blades are simply too difficult to be hit well for a player that isn’t consistently strike the ball in the middle of the face.

With the amount of technology available in the game today, it just doesn’t make any sense for beginner golfers to go for a set of blades. For a new set or even their first set of irons, a set of game improvement clubs would be a far better choice.

Super game improvement irons exist on the market today with a much larger sweet spot, a hollow section on the back and provide increased forgiveness for miss-hit shots and make it easier for golfers to play.

Not only beginners though, most golfers would benefit from using a set cavity or game improvement irons because it takes the pressure off having to strike the middle of the face.

Final Thoughts

Bladed irons are a classic style of golf club. They’ve been used in the game of golf basically since it was first invented many years ago. 

For most top players, a set of blades is essential equipment because they offer much more feel and workability compared to other types of irons. If you can hit the ball consistently well and out of the idle, then playing blades are an ideal choice for you. 

If you’re just getting into the game or are still at an average level, choosing a set of blades would be a bad idea and although they may look nice, they will more likely make the game of golf even harder. 

Blades FAQ’s

What Is The Difference Between Blades And Regular Golf Clubs?

Blades are different from other golf irons because they’re made from just one metal, forged into a shape that is small and compact compared to the larger, multi-metal cavity back irons.

They’re usually lighter and more difficult to hit than other types of irons.

What Does A Blade Mean In Golf?

A blade is basically a type of golf iron that has a traditional look and is made from just one forged metal.

The back of the club is fairly flat and plain, which means that it’s not very forgiving for shots that aren’t hit out of the middle of the face.

Do Blade Golf Clubs Go Further?

If hit out of the sweet spot, a blade iron should go a similar distance to cavity back clubs.

However, as they’re much more difficult to hit, anything not hit out of the middle of the face will lose about 20% of the yardage.

Does Tiger Woods Use Blades Or Cavity Backs?

Tiger Woods has always preferred to use a set of blades because it allows him to get a greater feel on shots and he can maneuver the golf ball more easily because of the way that they’re designed.