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I think that a distinction between Blades and Cavity Backs has to be made. When referring to Cavity Backs, what needs to be pointed out is whether they are Cast cavity backs or Forged cavity backs.
There Is a difference between them.
Cast clubs tend to be harder and more brittle than forged clubs. Now, the manufacturers will say otherwise, but the proof of this is obvious when bending specs are mentioned.
If you wish to bend your clubs to adjust loft or lie, it is recommended that cast clubs be bent no more than 2 deg. but forged can be bent as much as 6 deg. or more. In fact, some cast clubs cannot be bent cold. They must be heated first in order to soften the metal so that it won't snap under the stresses of bending. A forged cavity back, on the other hand, can be bent just as any forged blade because you're still dealing with a forging as opposed to a casting.
I too grew up on blades, played them for over twenty years and I have always marvelled at the fact that even an off-center hit of 1/8 of an inch can be detected, which allows for tremendous feedback when grooving a swing.
I have switched over from forged blades, (my SE 600B's) to the forged cavity back version of the same club, (SE 600C's). Side by side, these clubs are identical except for the cavity back. They are both forged and as I've said, there is no discernable loss of feel between them.
I credit this to the fact that they are forged rather than cast. I once tried to play a set of cast cavity backs, (They were Titleist DTR's), and I could not feel the ball at all and I suffered the same deterioration of my game that zebrasinamerica complained about. So, I went back to blades and called that experiment an abject failure.
Today, with my newly built 600C's, I have no fear of losing any feel because, as I pointed out in an earlier post), I built three clubs with these heads and actually played with them for the latter half of the season and aside from not noticing any loss of feel, I actually felt that the lower CG helped with ball striking overall.
Of course, when I hit off-center, I know so immediately but the resulting shot isn't as dramatic as it might have been with my blades.
I think that how a club looks and feels is just as important as how you swing it. And when I set these clubs down, side-by-side, there is no difference between them at address. In fact, if someone were to hand me a club at address without showing me the back of the blade, I feel that it would be difficult to tell them apart simply by looking down the shaft.
Most cast cavity backs have a very thick topline which I can't stand. But the topline of my 600C's is the same as my 600B's. Combine that with the same feel, and I'm getting the same club - but with more forgiveness.
To me, that's a win-win proposition across the board.
-JP |