[PypeDeft]

I have come across 2 schools of thought when learning the game...
1. get some forgiving clubs (SGI's), take some lessons and get better through a 'natural progression'...

or

2. get some blades and TP clubs and for yourself to become better. I know several people who have gone this route.

I would think that option 1 would be the better choice to avoid the frustration and possible abandonment of the game. To keep fun and still allow yourself to get better at the same time. However... 3 guys that I play with regularly all picked up the game in the past couple of years. When they started, they all went out and bought TP clubs and blade irons... they hacked all over the place but eventually forced themselves to get better through playing and some self help materials. 2 of them are single digit handicaps.

I am at odds with the 2 because I have seen results and failures on both sides. My thought is that with option 2, some bad habits might develop in an effort to just get by. But I have also learned that one man's trash is another man's treasure. So what might be bad habits for one may be money in the bank for another.

Any thoughts?

[nitivearchit]

In the process of doing #1. I've gotta say, it still has its ups and downs, and frankly from what I've read and based on my own experience of hitting balls (some days at the range I can't hit anything even with my irons), I wouldn't want to make it any more difficult. Maybe in a few years I'll upgrade to some beautiful blades, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying the 'easy' way out.

[qwerty1]

Get the SGI's. No question.

[PypeDeft]

Same here... I never took any lessons, but I did the SGI irons and spent endless hours playing and hitting balls. Watched tons of videos, etc... currently using niblicks instead of wedges...

On the flip side, I learned to ride a motorcycle using option 2 about 10 years ago on a 1000cc sportbike and I've never had a crash or a mishap

[STYWOMBORGOSY]

I can see a lot of frustration with option 2 and some people might just quit the game before they got better with blades...

Club fitting should be the # 1 option, everyone needs something different.

In my case if i was going wrong it was to the left and SGI and GI clubs were just making that worst since most are made to help the slicer. I got fitted and and the AP2's that were recommended while not a blade are a "better players" club that I thought my scores merited that I stay away from. I've improved dramatically with them and i never would have even looked at them without getting fit...

[PypeDeft]

I really want to get fitted too but I still some more weight to lose. I've seen my swing and setup change as I have lost wieght and I didn't want to get fitted until everything is consistent.

[advabHixavoip]

I started with Wilson blades thirty five years ago and would not go back to them for anything. They were ok then, but given where technology has taken clubs, I would not want to go back. I remember the days of stinging hands all to well.

I have played GI irons in one form or another (Callaway X12's six years ago) and now Ping G5's (the past five) and I love the G5's. My current irons are very easy to hit, mis-hits are not so penal and I have to think they help me play well. Offset and a fat sole is my friend.

I play with several guys that are scratch or near, a couple who play blades, and a couple who play GI irons and I would not say that either one is any better than the other.

I still think golf is alot about ones ability and some people who play blades that are 25 handicaps, will be 25 handicaps with GI irons as well and vise versa. GI irons have had some kind of stigma attached to them in the past, that they were only for hackers but I think that is just the ego's of some doing that talking. Just take a look at some of the bag pics now on tour. A lot of guys are playing GI irons on tour and I think that speaks volums for the GI irons.

Just play what works for you best, whether it is blades or GI, as long as it works, who cares. I learned with blades and it sucked as I remember it. Took me years to get any good at this game. I would have to think the road to success is with GI clubs today.

[nitivearchit]

Since I"ve never gone through that process - does Club Fitting cost extra money?
I'm just thinking, buying your first set of clubs, you may find a year from then that you don't actually want to continue, so if you get spec'd out for custom lie/length are you going to be stuck with a set of clubs that are harder to sell, and only have the ability to say "well I gave it my all by getting them spec'd so I can't blame the equipment".
Also, when getting fitted for clubs, do they do this to all clubs, or just the specials like Ping and Mizuno - it was never even brought up when I was buying my Cobras.

[TaliaJack]

I would have to pick option 2. I started playing golf 2 years ago at the age of 26. Most of the clubs I looked at were too expensive for me so I built a set of custom snakeeyes blades from golfsmith. I played nothing but the blades for the first year and dropped to a 12 handicap. After that I got custom fit for a set of cleveland cg7 tours and have since stayed between a 4 and 6 handicap. It was much easier to learn what I was doing wrong and where I was mis-hitting the ball with blades. With SGI's you can mishit the ball and still have it go a good distance whereas with a set of blades it might be a complete shank.
It may not be the correct way or the easy way to learn to play but if you stick with the blades they will help you improve quicker then anything else I have found.

[hrthwhr]

I'm also leaning Joshs's way. I've played a number of SGI/GI irons and I actually improve the most when I'm consistently playing with smaller faced blade like irons (I prefer the muscle backs). It forces me not to make so many silly errors by actually paying attention to what I'm doing

[derty]

I took the middle of the road approach here. I picked up the game seriously 2 years ago and got myself some GI clubs (nike SQ sumo's) and hacked around for a year. Last year I picked up some better players irons (Cleveland CG7 tours) and took lessons. This helped tremendously...I went from shooting around 100 to shooting in the 80's consistently and even pulled off a 78 at the end of the year (fluke?). This year I picked up the Nike Pro-Combo's and have already purchased a winter lesson plan. Hoping to become a single digit handicap this year.

Whatever route you do end up choosing, definitely take some lessons. I thought I was doing ok for myself, but lessons with the local PGA pro were far and beyond the best decision i've ever made for this sport.

[DonnyKong]

Both? I've played a lot of irons and sometimes what is and isn't forgiving can be entirely in your head. I've played some supposedly SGI irons that made my dad's old 1970's blades seem easy to hit. Likewise, I've hit some blades that I couldn't believe were blades. You never know which ones will work the best until you've tried them. Taking a lesson or two is never bad idea no matter which path you choose. It doesn't have to be a rigorous chain of lessons. Some teachers can give you what you need in a session or two.

[teergoBissono]

I went with option 1 and think if I hadnt I would have given up out of frustration already

[tefraxKedWere]

I gamed GI irons a long long time ago. I don't think what i experienced with them is even relevant but I do remember feeling like there was something missing. I really can't say I enjoyed them that much. When I came back to the game I decided to go the other way and went with blades. While I am happy with that decision I cannot honestly recommend that path to someone.

Today there are so many different types of clubs and so many clubs that are so darned good in that they really don't force you to compromise. There are players clubs that are not blades. There are SGI and GI clubs that are not blades and they are virtually all so much better than clubs from yesteryear. Learning how to play blades was something I wanted to do and I was willing to make the commitment in time and effort to do it. I had reasons all my own for wanting to do it and i am happy with where I am in my golf game today. However I don't think it is falling off a log by any means and unless you have the same kinds of reasons I had and are willing to make the commitment in time and effort to do it I don't see how I could recommend it. There are just too many good options out there for clubs and unless you are my kind of stubborn i just don't see how it would be worth the effort. Just like anything else you do end up with a feeling of accomplishment when you do something that is hard. I am not really trying to talk you out of blades so much as I am trying to help you understand that it ain't easy and since the options to blades are so darned good, you have to recognize that for the effort you are not going to end with this killer better golf game that will be much different from what you will have mastering some club type other than a blade. So the benefits for accepting the challenge that blades represent will end up being very personal to you. It is not likely to be something that will translate into better scoring just as an example.

Also I don't mean to ignore the comments from folks that have said that blades force them to concentrate in such a way that turns out to be a benefit in and of itself. For some folks that is the case and those folks can make the legitimate case that playing blades actually made it easier for them to improve. I just think those folks are in the minority and that for most learning how to play blades is as it was for me, a time consuming and difficult process that will test your resolve.