Do Muscle-back Irons Have Relevance Today?

Although my gamer irons have the name Mizuno affixed to them, they are not bladed muscle-back irons. While still a forged iron, my Mizuno's are packed with distance, forgiveness, and technology.  While not the longest irons they are a modern golfer's iron.

Flashback, imagine that your only options in golf equipment are a huge cavity back offset iron or a hunk of metal at the end of a stick - referred to as the blade or muscle-back,. Which way would you go in selecting a club? For me, it's the muscle-back blade that holds all the beauty and memories of rounds past. 

My old Golfsmith IR 600b Muscle-back Irons / Circa 2005

With all the advancements in technology in golf, why would anyone want to play a bladed iron? I still own a set of blades from about 15 years ago. They are a complete set of 3-GW irons with very traditional lofts. The six iron is 32 degrees with little to no offset to give you a proper example. I've seen modern clubs where the 8 iron had as much loft. When I compare my blades with my Mizuno JPX 900 Forged irons, the blades seem tiny! The sweet spot on the blades is somewhat of a mystery to me when I'm not on my game. But still...

There is something special about blades, almost romantic. If you've ever played blades and you managed to find them out of the middle, you know there is no greater feeling. And the clubs themselves are so damn sexy. Nothing compares to a new shiny bladed iron, nothing! 

So, my question at the onset is, "Do bladed muscle-back irons have relevance in today's golfing world?". Perhaps I can make a case for blades in the world of farther, faster, crazy distance and technology. 

The simple bladed iron is the Purest's answer to a world gone mad. It requires mastery at a pace that today's modern golfer may not have time for. But there's hope... The bladed iron when played well offers the ability to work the ball with a bit more ease than the modern high-tech iron. While it may be a bit intimidating to play a blade, what it offers above all else is consistency, both in distance and dispersion. It may not go as far as today's powerful clubs, but what you don't get is the surprising jump in the distance that modern clubs sometimes give you. And who cares if you can hit a strong lofted 8 iron 180 yards if goes out of bounds or flying over the green. I know for a fact that the distance between each of my bladed irons carries about 10 yards of distance give or take a couple of yards. With my modern cavity back clubs, the ball can jump as far as 20 yards or more at times. I consider the loft and presumed weakness of my blades a consistent friend... When playing with my modern irons, I still have bladed wedges in the bottom end of my bag for this very reason! 

So, do blades have a place in the modern game of golf? I advocate they do! I think a lot of golfers would benefit from using them, at least in the bottom end of the bag, say GW thru at least 8 iron where they are easier to manage. I'm sure the consistency of the blade would bring down some handicaps. Another place that blades could offer some game improvement is on the practice range. Learning to find the center of a blade would improve many a swing. 

Once again, I'll drag out my old and trusted blades for another golf season. They'll probably see a good portion of my play this year. I'm trying to embrace the modern club, but my heart still pulls me to the blade. In preparation for a new season on the links, new grips are going on the worn blades. Still beautiful even with the scars of battle throughout the years. 

Review of the Top Flite Gamer Golf Ball

The Top Flite Gamer golf ball is marketed to provide a good distance with the driver, feel soft off the wedges with a decent spin around the greens. In addition, this ball is said to have excellent durability, unlike the previous model ball. The ball is advertised as a premium golf ball competitor at a price point the average golfer will enjoy and can afford. 

Looking at the construction of the golf ball, we can see that it is a three-piece golf ball consisting of an outer soft isomer cover over an enter layer Dupont HPF mantle to reduce driver and long-iron spin, and a low compression high energy core to create a soft feel and create distance. A unique feature of the ball is the outer cover dimple within a dimple design, an aerodynamic design stated to enhance carry distance (see picture below). Overall, it is a great looking golf ball. 

Let me start out this review by saying I have no monetary interest in Top Flight, i.e., I'm not sponsored by anyone. What led to this review is that several years back I played what I believe was the original Gamer. That ball fit my game perfectly giving great distance and a soft enough feel around the greens. Then the manufacture of the ball changed and while the Gamer retained a soft feel, it did lose its distance characteristics. I switched over to a different ball, playing different versions of the Titleist Pro V. An expensive venture, to say the least. I also experimented with varying versions of Srixon's offerings. As a matter of fact, the Srixon Z Star up to this point in time is probably one of my favorites. Still in the bag and still a bit expensive for a guy on a budget. 

Based upon other favorable reviews, I played my first full round with this new Gamer ball today to gauge for myself this golf ball's merits. I found that drives were consistent in both distance and accuracy when compared to my current golf ball. It felt good off my long and short irons, wedges, and what struck me the most was how soft it felt off the putter. I had a really nice time with this ball on the greens with its soft feel. As a matter of fact, around the greens is where I enjoyed this ball the most. It has a good spin when chipping and is workable as well. Off the putter, the ball feels like butter and rolls consistently toward where it is sent. 

For a durability test, I used the greenside bunker where I hit 10 shots with the same ball. All I can say is, I was impressed! The cover of the ball experienced only minor scuffing. Nothing that would cause me to take the ball out of play. So yes, this ball is durable in my opinion.

To sum it up -This is a great golf ball for the price point!  Forget price point, this is just an all around great golf ball for the average golfer. You can't beat it, especially when you consider the cost of other competitor's three and four-piece golf balls. I think I've found my new gamer! 

At the time of this review, one major retailer was selling two boxes of 12 golf balls for around $32.00 dollars. Normally, you'll pay somewhere in the neighborhood $23.00 dollars for a box of 12. I think you can find a good deal on these balls on Amazon as well. 

 If you are looking for a new gamer you might want to check it out. The Top Flite Gamer a solid performing golf ball!