Should more golfers play blades? Here’s what you need to know | Bag builders

There are quite a few different schools of thought on how to select the right irons for your game.

Most of these come from players refusing to get fit because yes, that is always the right answer. However, there are many golfers who spend a lot of time online searching articles, forums, news feeds and social media to find their answers.

One big question? Should more golfers play blades? If you had asked most people at the end of the 2025 PGA Tour season, the answer would probably have been a startling no.

“Rory just switched to hollow backs.”

“More and more Titleist staffers are moving to T-Series every week.”

“Combo sets are the way to go.”

That’s all well and good, but so far in 2026… quite a few big names are leading the way with blades in their pockets, including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, a move BACK to blades for World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, and two-time 2026 winner Chris Gotterup. The only common theme for these guys? They are all PGA Tour professionals.

The ridiculous argument

The most common and most ridiculous argument I hear for the average golfer to hit blades is: “You will learn how to hit the ball better if you start using blades right away.”

This is absurd. Golfing is difficult. Really difficult.

Why do we encourage players to start on the most ruthless foot? Even modern knives like the new ones 2026 Wilson Staff Model MB or a TaylorMade P7TWwho are more forgiving than their 10-year-old counterparts are still difficult to hit consistently. These clubs are intended to provide feedback to the golfer. These clubs are meant to be perfect from the center, and hard beyond. They are true tools for elite players. Not intended for the hands of beginners.

The biggest fear I have about this statement is that it takes away from the fun of learning the game. I have seen more new golfers quit because of frustration than anything else in the game. So in this author’s opinion, the absolute worst advice you can give them is to tell MOST players to grab a set of blades.

Rory stopped playing Blades

A pretty big story emerged a few weeks ago when Rory McIlroy opted to play a set of TaylorMade P7CB cavity-back irons over his RORS PROTO set of blades.

This was the turning point for which the crowd had begged for forgiveness. If RORY were to switch to something more forgiving, there is certainly no reason why a normal golfer would play with blades.

Well, that didn’t last long. They never even made it to the PGA Tour. Ahead of his debut this week at Pebble Beach, he has returned to his RORS PROTOS. But I don’t think he’s done with the experiment yet. I have a feeling this is going to be the catalyst for a new set of RORS PROTOS. Something we probably still won’t get our hands on in the normal way, but still great. He spoke about the downshift at his press conference this week and gave a very unique answer.

While diving into his answer requires an entirely different article, I don’t understand from his tone in answering the question that he’s giving up on the more forgiving experiment.

Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing what they develop and come up with. Because a cavity-back style iron, which doesn’t have as much true bias, with a little bit of reduced offset…could be quite a bit.

What about the average consumer?

Today I ran to a local simulator tent to test out the theory for myself. I’m currently a golfer with a +0.3 handicap, and over the past few years I’ve had blades in and out of the bag one way or another. Some are at the bottom of the set with a combo or stream of cavities at the top, and some as full sets. Even now, I started the year choosing to play with the new Cobra 3DP MB irons. Which is a different animal.

They certainly don’t play like an MB.

The reason I bring this up is not to brag about my own playing in any way, but to say that I’m probably in the small group of people who should even consider playing a blade. For me at this level in my game it really comes down to the consistency of the attack and the grass interaction.

Blades or MB models usually have a very small sweet spot. The club heads themselves are much smaller, and returning the center of the face to the ball is not as easy or generous as something like a concave back club head or a larger club head.

The soles are usually very thin, so there isn’t much room for error when delivering the club. If you have a thinner sole, it will penetrate the surface very efficiently, but it will also be very sensitive to the angle of attack. If you go in too steep, you’ll get stuck in the ground like a knife. If you get too shallow, your hands will know what the thin stinger feels like at the bottom of the clubface.

All this is to say, there are so many reasons for even advanced or scratch level players NOT to play with blade style irons. Why would a 10 handicap feel like playing it is the right move? Because some guy in Pit Vipers on the internet told you to? Bad reason.

Testing the theory

I jumped into a local simulator bay this morning to take some photos with the new Wilson Staff Model Irons setup. 2026 brings us a new muscle back blade, a hollow back offering and a brand new hollow body in the Staff Model XB. I made sure to take screenshots of the data, so let’s take a look. First (out of 10 shots with each club) the best three shots hit with each club are considered.

There’s nothing really surprising about this data set if you hit a 7-iron from either model. The blade is the slowest and the hollow body has the lowest spin with the Staff model CB live in the middle between the two. Where it starts to develop into more of a story is in the real 10-shot averages seen here.

Here we start to see a little more separation. As we record more and more shots, the irons begin to show their true colors. The worst results from the Staff Model MB will offset the averages so that they perform lower than the other two models. The XB and its hollow body really start to shine as the averages get closer to the figures of the best three shots. And when we look at the worst three shots from each group, the full picture really emerges.

This is where the MB style of iron can really fall apart. Again, I like to think I’m a pretty good ball striker. I know how to get the club to the ball effectively. But every time I enter a bay and start swinging a few blades, I’m reminded that I need a little more forgiveness in my game. Losing six to seven miles per hour in ball speed just can’t happen. That could be a full club distance on the course!

Why would I subject myself to even thinking that would be an option when I’m trying to get better at golf? Even the small step to the Staff Model CB turned out to be a fantastic move. The standard deviation in the data between shots was wonderful to see, and it’s still a very nice package that doesn’t hurt the ego at all.

Wilson 2026 Staff Model CB Custom Irons

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Wilson

All this for what?

As I’ve said before, I find the implication that the average or even recreationally good golfer should be playing blades absurd. Does this mean I think blades have no purpose in the game? Absolutely not. I’ve actually seen quite a few golfers who were “not allowed” to play with blades fit into them. There’s something to be said for a thin, sharp sole and a small form factor. There are players of all levels who will find success with their golf game using this style of golf club. I don’t want to determine whether the shape of the blade is for a good or a bad player, just that it should be for the right player.

I certainly wouldn’t say that a beginner should be anywhere near a golf ball unless you show him how far he has to go to really understand how to hit the golf ball. At that point you’re really just making an aggressive statement, but I’ll allow it.

If you become suitable for blades, I believe in you and wish the best for your game. Remind me not to bet you any money because I’ve made that mistake before. If you’re not yet fit for a set of blades and you really want to see what they can or can’t do for your game, make sure you book a fitting with your local True Spec Golf fitter. They will put you on the right track.

Do you want to find the best irons for your bag in 2026? Find a club fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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