Muscle or Cavity backs?

[Leftygolfer30]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

Cavity backed !!!!!

If I was to be paired with you, and you mishit the ball playing with muscle backed blades - I would laugh and laugh and laugh and tell all my friends what a maroon I got paired with.

Not sure what a "maroon" is, other than a colour

Also, please make sure we're never paired together in any golf event, anywhere. I too, wouldn't want to golf with anyone that would take joy in seeing a fellow golfer fail - and then laughing behind their back to boot.

What's YOUR handicap BTW???

[dekker]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

Hi,

I am a pretty high handicapper who just started playing again this year after about 10-12 years off the course. I have been immediately bitten by the bug and started taking lessons and playing/practising regularly.

I am looking to get a set of fitted irons to replace my existing cheapo dunlops bought from sportchek for $200. I am 6'3" and have been told multiple times by multiple people that I should invest in properly fitted clubs if I am going to continue.

I am not really inclined to buy the latest and greatest new thing, so the next set of clubs i buy I'd like to be my last, or at least, to last for a long long time.

In that vein, I was wondering whether anyone has an opinion about whether I should get cavity back or muscle back irons? I really want to improve and get better and lower my handicap as much as possible, and my thought was that the additional feedback I'd get from muscleback's would probably reinforce good habits better than cavity backs.

Is this unrealistic? Are muscle back irons much harder to play with than cavity backs, or are the differences in forgiveness and ball flight not actually that major?

Money isn't really too much of an issue here, I'd prefer to spend good money on a set I will really enjoy and keep for a long time rather than spend less on a set I will want to replace in several years anyhow.

I realize this is a pretty tough question to give a definitive answer on, but any opinions or thoughts are appreciated.

Cheers.

Continue with the lessons and then ask your pro for a recommendation on clubs since he likely has the best perspective on your ability.

[Golf_Goof]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

Couple things:

Pros play what they are paid to play with a few exceptions. Their good enough to play shovels and get them to perform.

I understand that today's forged blades are way more forgiving than 20 yrs ago.

Appearance goes a long way IMO. Get what you like to look at in the bag and at address.

As far as mishits go, I saw Tiger at the BMW (Fri I think) where he basically hit his drive about 50 yds offline from the tee (the camera angle from down the line showed the ball take off way over the trees on the right hand side - like the clubface was literally 45 deg open!) I didn't think pros EVER hit it that bad - let alone TW. Still birdied the hole to boot.

I wonder when PING will offer a forging? I remember reading that Tim Herron puts a new set of EYE 2s in the bag every season.

[LowPost42]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

Play some Wishon 550C's. Nice little low offset muscle-cavs.

[cldale]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

Also, please make sure we're never paired together in any golf event, anywhere. I too, wouldn't want to golf with anyone that would take joy in seeing a fellow golfer fail - and then laughing behind their back to boot.

Lefty, you sound like the kind of person I would enjoy playing with

Someone told me long ago that you don't laugh at people or belittle them, its simply not classy and has no place in polite society.

I enjoy golf because of the challenge, I enjoy competing against myself and striving to become a better golfer in the same way I enjoy trying to improve all other areas of my life/self. For me, this is what makes the journey of life worthwhile.

So for me, I'd rather strive for perfection and fail, then aim for mediocrity and achieve my goals

[davevandyk]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

gotta say that i LOVE blades, i have tried to go back to cavities, but just didn't hit them as good, perhaps its because i have to focus more with blades

[Bellyhungry]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

Cldale,

You might want to take a look at the Titleist 735.

They have cavity back in the long irons morphing into muscle back in the short irons. They gives you the best of both world.

Not to mention they are migthy handsome looking.

[Weirfan]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

there is no argument at all....cavity backs by design are wayyy more forgiving than any blade or muscle back ...if you dont believe me just take a demo of a blade a players cb and a frogiving cb to the range

these days there are what is described as players cb and game improvement cavity backs.....

if you want to play better golf get a game improvement cb and try and get them fit to you

[cldale]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

They have cavity back in the long irons morphing into muscle back in the short irons. They gives you the best of both world

Yes, I was just perusing the Wishon site actually and saw that they really seem to push a combination set of 550M/C with the 3-5 irons as CB's and the higher irons as MB's. The ability to later change that configuration without buying a whole new set is appealing.

I wonder what a set of customer fit wishon 550C/M runs for in Canada?

If you want to play better golf get a game improvement cb and try and get them fit to you

So if the club forgives my mistakes, how do I know i make them, and how can I correct them?

[JEBS]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

So if the club forgives my mistakes, how do I know i make them, and how can I correct them?

usually you correct mistakes by hours upon hours of practice. That is probably why VJ, Tiger etc. can play true blades. If you are an average golfer who can only get out once a week you are not afforded the time to practice enough to master the true bladed club (although some people just play blades well) the cavity back allows the weight to be redistributed to increase the clubs sweet spot as well as help get the ball up in the air.

Blades are not cheap.. so before I would pull the trigger on blades I would make darn sure that they were the choice for me.

Only 25% of the big tour players are playing a muscle back iron, so if 75% are playing a cavity back or game improvement iron shouldn't the average player take a closer look at their choice as well?

Finally of all the irons in the "players" section of this years GD Hot List not one was a muscle back.

Do not get me wrong, nothing is nicer looking than a clean forged MB iron.. but if you can only hit it properly 60% of the time you are not going to enjoy this game.

[leftintherough]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

Yes, I was just perusing the Wishon site actually and saw that they really seem to push a combination set of 550M/C with the 3-5 irons as CB's and the higher irons as MB's. The ability to later change that configuration without buying a whole new set is appealing.

I wonder what a set of customer fit wishon 550C/M runs for in Canada?



So if the club forgives my mistakes, how do I know i make them, and how can I correct them?

Give Ian Hale at http://www.halescustomclubworks.com/ 416-919-4359. He is a Wishon club builder and can set you up with something that will fit your build, swing and golf goals. You may want to look at the 560's. They are very sweet and would be in my bag if Tom built them in a lefty version.

[warreng]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

Cavity backed !!!!!

If I was to be paired with you, and you mishit the ball playing with muscle backed blades - I would laugh and laugh and laugh and tell all my friends what a maroon I got paired with.

See?!?! This is the exact kind of mentality I was talking about with my first post in this thread.

[leftintherough]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

See?!?! This is the exact kind of mentality I was talking about with my first post in this thread.

The reply poster is definately in the minority around here. All the golfers I've shared a round with through TGN were consummate professionals, even Terry(LG30), hehe. Seriously, had only great outings with the folks from TGN, very supportive and fun to hang with.

[cldale]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

Blades are not cheap.. so before I would pull the trigger on blades I would make darn sure that they were the choice for me.

The clubs I have looked at are all in the same range as blades though. I am probably going to be dropping 1k for my next set since I intend on keeping it for a LONG LONG time. So I would rather buy something I will grow into over time, rather than something I will grow out of.

Only 25% of the big tour players are playing a muscle back iron, so if 75% are playing a cavity back or game improvement iron shouldn't the average player take a closer look at their choice as well?

Wow, I never realized so many play with CB's. I would have assumed that top players required the playability you get from MB's. Is that a reflection of how good cavity back's are getting, or how difficult to hit musclebacks truly are?

Do not get me wrong, nothing is nicer looking than a clean forged MB iron.. but if you can only hit it properly 60% of the time you are not going to enjoy this game.

Yes, which is really what I was looking for. Drawing from what I know more about (Tennis), the difference between a top control racquet like the Wilson ProStaff 85, and a max improvement raquet is large, but a novice can still play and enjoy using a top end stick.

From what I am hearing, the differences between the MB and CB clubs is much more dramatic.

[Flog]

Re: Muscle or Cavity backs?

I think Weirfan made an important comment about different types of cb's. I have a set of players cb's (infinity 422's) and they have a vastly different feel than my game improvement cb's. I also have a faster swingspeed with the players cb's and can shape the ball better (when my swing permits). I bought these with the intention of growing into them but the club ho in me wouldn't let me stop buying stuff and I wound up with more clubs. I'll never sell the 422's though, they're just too sweet and the feel is excellent.
Maybe worth considering a set of players cb's-- a nice compromise.