In our forums, our members have been discussing why professional golfers would choose to play blade irons but mallet putters. WRXer ‘2717B’ queries why players would opt for less forgiving options in their irons but desire more forgiveness on the greens, and our members have been having their say.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- bombs: “Blades, when struck well, are the most predictable in terms of carry, consistency and workability.”
- gbartko: “I think forgiveness is more important with the putter. With an iron, you may be off a few yards but still on the green/in bounds/over the hazard. But a small miss with the putter means you miss the putt period.”
- shortset: “I believe that the skill that carries players to the pro ranks is ball striking. Hence the blades. Tour players are not necessarily the best putters in the world hence the need for forgiving equipment.”
- 1Mordrid1: “Less than 30% of PGA Tour players use blades, so pros and blades do not go hand in hand. The same reason that less pros are using blades now days is the same reason more players are using mallet putters. The stigma of what’s in the bag just does not matter much any more, as long as what is in the bag is working for them.”
- greenwavegolfer: “There’s absolutely no downsides to a forgiving design on a putter whereas there’s a performance tradeoff between a blade and a chunky, forgiving GI type iron when you’re a pro looking for consistent ball speeds and spin control on good shots. They don’t want “flier” shots or reduced spin on irons, and that’s what dictates their choice of clubs. For a putter, they want what they can get a good roll with and align properly, and if that’s a mallet, it’s a mallet.”
Entire Thread: “Why do so many pros play blade irons but mallet putters?”