muscle back sounds like something super hard to hit. But if you look at old blades you'll see the sole is thicker in the middle, putting more mass behind the hitting area. The muscle does 2 things,  lowers the cg and spreads the mass evenly from heel to toe, so mb's are more game improvement than the old blades. Maybe 3 things, 3rd it might move the cg back from the face a little, also a game improvement feature.

I used to use blades, but last year I decided to flatten my swing a bit, worked wonders with my woods, but I started hitting my irons heel toe, so I switched to my 962's and it got better, now I'm back to hitting the center of the face. So, I tried going back to the blades and I have to have a different ball position in my stance, and this just messed me up, I was quickly back to the 962's.

To answer your question, how you swing the club matters more than hcp. The flatter you swing the more back in your stance you need to play the ball, blades are designed(by offset and cg) to be played more forward.

I would recommend trying a blade, either some place you can demo or maybe a friend uses blades, I wouldn't recommend trying to change your swing to fit them.This way you won't be wondering "what if".

It's not easy to change your style of swing. It has been close to a year since I flattened my swing and sometimes I still take it up high and hit thin hooks. My iron play is not quite as good as it used to be, but my woods are waaaay more better, I'm sure with a little more time my irons will be just as good as before. I won't be going back to the pretty blades.

It took a while to learn to hit a controlled fade, I learned to control a draw a bit faster(learning a fade was first), I also learned straight is good. Trying to hit a blade straight usually ended with a tail off one direction or another, so the strategy was to always hit a fade or draw, this also made distance control easy, never between clubs. Now most of the shots are planned to be straight.

The reason you are not hitting your irons very consistent is because you flattened your way to much.  You probably have your hands behind your shoulders at top of backswing and the club is pointed across your target line instead of left of your target line (if you are RH).  This swing is all about timing.  If your timing is on, you hit the ball good, but if it is off, you hit the ball poorly.  Try moving your swing more vertically again with your irons.

I recently switched to MB 710s even though my handicap is closer to 14-15 now. It was down in the single digits, but then I had twins and playing time decreased greatly. Prior to my MBs, I had DCI 962s for many years. Great clubs, and I wore out the middle of many of the faces.

When I went to the fitter, I tried all four Titleist models. In the end, I just loved the look and feel of the MBs. I also like knowing when I don't catch the sweet spot. It lets me know when I missed. Interestingly, I gained yards with the MBs. With the DCIs, I was carrying a 6 iron about 180-185. With the MBs, that same 6 iron was carrying 190-194. I did notice a drop on mishits, but it wasn't significantly more than mishits with the DCIs. Pure shots are a thing of beauty with the MBs!

Personally, I think it's less about your handicap, and more about your ball striking ability. In my case, I kept stats, and I know my rise in handicap is all about the tee shot. Like I said, I was wearing the groves in the middle of my DCIs.

Bottom line, go see a professional fitter, preferably with a launch monitor, and try them out.

I've hit MB690's for 8 or 9 yrs. now and I'm thinking of going to the CB's in the longer irons. I carry anywhere from a 1 to 4 handicap and I'm really should be hitting a CB iron. Most tour players don't even hit blades anymore. The longer clubs(3-6) are difficult to hit, but the 7- pw really are not that much harder in my opinion. If you miss a MB club, you will know it. Just my 2 cents....

I think it is more of a perception than anything.  I am currently a 9 handicap as well and I hit MP-32.  I know, they are not Titleist, but everything else in my bag is.  I have been hitting blades all of my like and I love them.  I do not want to hit anything else.  I did used to be a 4 handicap back when I played a lot more.

To give a little background, I starting playing golf when I was roughly 12.  My first set of irons were Titleist Model 100's (still have them).  That is a hard way to start, but it made me hit the ball well.  I hit my irons pure still to this day.  I do not want anything else.  I have thought about getting the CB's, but I could not justify spending the money when I hit the ones I have so good.

Anyhow, back to the point.  I think the MBs would force you to hit better and hit the ball more pure.  That is just my opinion though.  If I was going to buy a set now, it would be between the CBs and MBs.  The best advice I can give you is to hit both of them and see what you like better.

Hope this helps,

Joey

hey Owen,

In my opinion if you are a 9, you hit the ball very well and should be able to play any club.  I don't play the MBs but I used to play Hogan blades and my ball striking was fine with these irons (I'm a 14, my short game prevented me from scoring well, not the blades).  I recently switched to Split Cavity Irons, and while there is a bit more forgiveness, you still have to put a good swing on the ball to get good results.  So, I think if you prefer blades and like the feel you should be totally fine.  

In the end - get fitted and then you'll have some data to help you make your decision.

Jason

Hi Owen,

I can understand your concern regarding the "difficulty" of using a muscle back iron. I was in the same position as you some years back. At that time I was using the CB irons, but loved the look of an MB. So when the 690MB was released, I bought it and found that the "difficulty" level is not that great compared to the CB.

Now am using the 710MB and I just love the look of these irons. I somehow find its slightly easier to handle the 710 as compared to the 690. Well, thanks to the people at Titleist by making the MB's getting a bit more forgiving! :)

I am playing to a 7 hcp and I am sure you ( 9 hcp ) would be able to handle the MB too.

Anyway, all the best!

Zain 

I,m a 16 handicap. its how good do you have to be. You need to be consistant or your swing tempo and distance from ball. I have a MP-32 6 iron, now if I miss hit its going to be 150yd fade. When I connect it will carry 175-180 high draw. Anyone can play blades.

Ok here is the thing with Blades. they are thiner, less forgivig and require a more consistant swing tempo. Dosent mean you can't play them. But ask your self this. Why would i play them.

things to consider

Will i loose yards? Yes most people do at first.

Do i work the ball alot? No most people dont. (when i mean work the ball i mean a 30 yard fade or Draw.)

What can i do with a blade that i cant do with my current set? Not much if your clubs have been made in the last 5 or 6 years.

I pick up my blades at a 12 hcp. and i lost alot of yards. i still play blades and now im a 6 hcp so you can still get better even with blades it just takes more practice. I'f you look back where i asked Michal from the golf fix why he chose AP2's his answer is becouse he dosent get out as much as he would like and the ap2 is more forgiving so his game is stronger on miss hits. thats what golf is about now days

Its all about managing your miss hits. If you want to learn blads do it get a set and get some lessons. but will it make you better the answer is no. Lessons and practice make you better.

would would say to you ap2's are probably better for you but MB's are just fine also. just be ready to compinsate more for your miss hits.

Owen,

I think that with blades, you will realize that you will definitely notice a loss of distance on miss-hits.  I am also a junior golfer, and I am personally going to stick to a cavity back type iron for a little while longer.  The choice is totally yours, so do what your want.

Good Luck,

Ben

I really reommend the cb's over the mb's. You have to have a pretty nice swing to play the mb's. A lot of the tour players even play the cb and ap2 because of the forgiveness. I have the cb's and they have plenty of workability without the loss of forgiveness. Unless, you have a really good swing and need workability for your game, I would recommend playing a more forgiving iron like the cb, which is 10% bigger.

I been playing golf since I was 10, I am now 34 and don't play near as much as I used to but I play blades.  When I was a junior and into my college golf I always hit cavity back Irons, they are not really forgiving either but more forgiving than a MB and you could get away with a bad swing.  I now have played 695 mb for two years and I believe it has made a better ball striker, in fact I have corrected errors in my swing that I never addressed in my twenty + years of golf because of muscle back irons.  Do you lose distance if you miss hit them? Yes, most definitely,  but why should you get rewarded for hitting a bad shot.  Now I do not know your history but if you are a good ball striker and you are consistent with your golf swing then I would not fear buying mb's. I personally think it was one of the best choices I have ever made with my golf game.

hey i am a +1 handicaper and i am 14 years old and i can hit the titeilist mb irons so good so if a 14 year old can hit them you can :)

OK here is some advice one of my old pro's gave me. If you can hit blades then play them. if you can hit a cavity back better hit those. honistly find what clubs work best for you. I've been playing blades for 6 years now. early last year i bought the AP2's. I did this because i could hit a 6 iron 205 with them. and i was like yea who wouldn't want to hit a 6 iron that far. so i got a set. the only reason my handicap didnt sky rocket is because i did manage to shoot a few rounds in the 70's with tthem but i couldn't hit a 3 iron to save my life. I went back to the 712MB's this year and i won't go back. My swing is just built for MB's I've had people tell me you should play blades. there only for scratch golfers. Mind you none of those people were golf instructors or pros. I bought my blades and i increased my greens in reg dramaticly. for me i need that  penelty on a miss hit.i keeps my swing tempo in line. 

Bottom line is Demo the MB's if you like the results you see get them. dont listen to joe golfer from your weekend hack group. 

THERE is no club that says you must be this handicap to use it. and Blades may make you better like they did for me.

by the way i hit my new mb 6 iron 190-195. Buts its on line far far more often.

Hey Owen, 

I don't believe that handicap is a way to judge whether or not you are fit to play blades. If you strike the ball well than playing blades should be no issue. A few years back when i was about 15 years old I was playing the Nike Sasquatch game improvement irons. They were a good fit for me until i got down to about a 9 handicap like yourself. I switched from the Nikes to the first generation Nike Victory Red blades, which from the top view are the thinnest blade I've seen in recent years. However, once practicing with them for a couple weeks, I was fine. The PW-7 will not be a problem, but the longer clubs might give you some trouble until you've gotten used to them. I have now switched irons and am playing the Titleist ZM forged blades. Best irons I've hit in a long time along with titleist's new 712 MBs. Those things are so pure. The great thing about blades is the versatility. You can hit it high/low and left and right. This is so important because you will be able to recover much easier if you hit an errant tee ball and with the ability to shape the ball, you can get the ball back into play, and hopefully onto the green in regulation due to the shaping ability that blades give you. You asked for handicap and I go between scratch and a 1, however ballstriking is not the strength of my game, I still feel very confident with my blades. People look at blades in different ways. Some people say you have to be a great ball striker to play blades, and others say playing blades can make you a better ball striker because it tightens your misses. Believe what you want, but at the end of the day, you want a club in your hand that makes you smile and that you feel confident enough. We play this wonderful game for many reasons, but having fun should most definitely be at the top of the list. So make sure you have irons that you enjoy playing so that Golf is fun for you. 

The thing about it is that handicap shouldn't completely determine what clubs someone should use. Yes, it can give a person somewhat of an idea of what clubs to use, but someone's handicap is determined by how many strokes it takes them to get the ball in the hole, not how good a person hits the ball. Somebody could thin, chunk, hook, or slice a ball and still get it in the hole for a good score and have a 4 handicap. That's the thing I don't understand about companies like miz, whose fitting system gives head recommendations based on someone's handicap. Basically, the clubs you use should be the ones that perform best for you whether that's AP1's or MB's. For example, I am a 3 handicap and I use AP2's in a PW-6 iron and an AP1 in my 4-5 irons. The best thing you could do is go and get a fitting done and let a specialist help you get the best clubs for you.