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Do PGA Tour players use blades?

Author

Daniel Moore

Published Jan 23, 2026

Do pro golfers use blades? Around 26 percent of PGA Tour players use complete sets of blades. Roughly 44 percent game cavity back irons, while the remaining 30 percent use a mix of muscle-back and cavity-back clubs.

What percent of PGA Tour players use blades?

Blades on the PGA Tour

Approximately 25 percent to 35 percent of PGA Tour players use blades, according to a 2011 “Golf Digest” article. Top players such as Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els all prefer blades to cavity-backs.

Do pros use blades or cavity backs?

According to Titleist, 70% of tour players use cavity backs while 30% use blades. Cavity back irons provide increased forgiveness while blades offer more control and a better feel. This is why a lot of tour players have both cavity backs and blade irons in their bags.

Can average golfers use blades?

Most average players rarely hit the center of the clubface and if they use a blade then they'll get into all sorts of trouble. You'll get slices, hooks, and a lot of low slap shots. The second con would be the lower distance (especially for mid to high handicaps).

Why do tour pros play blades?

“Blades can help control distance or trajectory. If you're a shotmaker, what you're basically doing is intentionally mishitting shots, using variability in the face to intentionally make the ball curve.”

23 related questions found

Can high handicapper use blades?

It's generally not recommended that high-handicappers use blades. They are less forgiving when it comes to off-centre strikes, meaning they will be much harder to use for beginner players who often struggle to control the low-point of their swing, and also their club-face direction and swing path.

Do blades go further than cavity backs?

The main difference is that cavity back irons are bulkier than blades and have a hollow section at the bottom of the club. Cavity backs have a much bigger sweet spot, are a lot more forgiving, and will generate more distance. The reason most weekend golfers use cavity backs is because of the increased forgiveness.

Are blades harder to hit golf clubs?

Without all the technology from the modern day Irons, Blade Irons are harder to hit, but sacrificing forgiveness and distance gives you the consistency and workability a good player would be looking for.

Should amateurs use blades?

Most good amateurs can play blades well because they play courses that are 6500 or less with little rough. They have 7 iron or less into most greens. You don't have to be a pro to get a short iron blade into a receptive green.

What handicap should you be to use blades?

Being an above-average ball-striker is essential to playing with blades successfully. That said, many are now made with game-improvement features, such as perimeter weighting, that make them suitable for handicaps of 15 or higher.

Should a beginner golfer use blades?

A beginner should not use blades, they are thinner and have a lower sense of gravity than cavity back irons having far less margin for error due to a smaller clubhead sweet spot.

Why are golf irons offset?

Offset originated in putters to help golfers get their hands ahead of the ball at impact, but is now used in most irons and many hybrids and woods aimed at mid- and higher-handicappers. And it's pretty typical these days to find small amounts of offset even in golf clubs built for low-handicap golfers.

How far can you hit a 7 iron?

A standard amateur golfer can hit a 7 iron from 128 yards to 158 yards. The lower range will be for women and senior golfers. To hit the ball over 150 yards in total distance with a 7 iron club, an amateur golfer will have to have a good swing and be physically fit.

Do any pros use a 1 iron?

One of the most famous shots in golf is Ben Hogan's 1-iron approach to the final green during the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion. Hogan made par and later clinched the championship in a Monday playoff. Costantino Rocca used a 1-iron to defeat Tiger Woods in a singles match during the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama.

Why do I hit blades better than cavity backs?

Blades make it easier to work the ball to the left or the right, whereas cavity-backs tend to reduce sidespin and make it harder to deliberately hit draws and fades. Blades also give the golfer feedback. If you hit a shot right on the sweet spot, it feels pure and effortless and produces maximum distance and accuracy.

Do any pros use cast irons?

Bubba Watson is just one of the many pros who use investment cast irons. Back in the days of Bobby Jones, you played forged irons. There were no retail outlets; instead, golfers had blacksmiths make clubheads for them from a block of iron.

Do you lose distance with blade irons?

In our forums, our members have been discussing the effects on distance caused by playing blade irons. WRXer 'hypergolf' kicks off the thread with his issue: “I noticed there is an average of 1/2 to 1 club distance loss from 3-6 irons for MBs.

Can a high handicapper play forged irons?

One common question that golf professionals get is can higher handicappers use forged irons. The answer to this is that a high handicapper can use any club that appeals to them.

Is a muscle back a blade?

Muscle back (also known as blades) and cavity back irons refer to the way the back of the iron is designed and shaped. The muscle back is thin and solid allowing for more flexibility in play whereas the cavity back iron is thick and hollow, hence the carved out cavity on the back of the iron.

Are P770 blades?

Are The P770 Irons Blades

The P770's are forged irons and while the heads are compact and similar to Blades, they are not considered blades. What is this? These irons do have a lot of feel and you can certainly shape your shots with them, the are built for mid to low handicappers looking to improve their game.

Are t100s blades?

Titleist T100 Irons are one of the thinnest, most blade-looking cavity irons on the market. The topline is very thin and clean. The blade length is short, and the lofts are (for this day and age) very traditional.

Are blades less forgiving?

Although blades are less forgiving than cavity backs, they tend to have less offset, better turf interaction, and improved workability, when compared to cavity back irons. They also force consistency from the best players in their swing which is why they are still favored by tour pros.

What clubs does Tiger Woods use?

Tiger Woods has used blade irons for pretty much his entire professional career, using models from Mizuno, Titleist and TaylorMade. His current set came into the bag back in 2019 as he shifted from the TW Phase 1 bladed irons to the P7TW Prototypes.

Is a forged iron a blade?

What Exactly Are Forged, Irons? As the name suggests, these irons are forged from a single piece of metal to create a compact blade head. Forged irons are not a type of club but rather the manufacturing process which irons undergo.

Can a 12 handicap play blades?

Any handicap can play blades, not every player can. It is just statistical likelihood that fewer higher handicaps play blades and above a certain one you find any with blades because they don't have the swing to play them.