Replacing Iron 2 - Loft Issues

[sebbo]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently thinking about replacing my 2 iron with a hybrid or at least giving me more opportunities in club selection depending on weather, course etc. I would say that I'm a very good ballstriker with a clubhead speed of more than 110 mph (driver) and 280y average carry distance.

Nevertheless it's not always easy to hit the 2 iron perfectly and I guess that a hybrid makes your life easier, especially when it comes to reaching par 5s in two.

My current 2 iron got 18 degrees of loft and I want to purchase a TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2 Tour Rescue but I'm a bit confused about the Numbers and associated lofts.

Hybrid 2 = 16.5 deg

Hybrid 3 = 18.5 deg

To make life more complicated they are both adjustable by +/- 1.5 degree... so I could either build the

2 hybrid to 18 or the

3 hybrid to 17

What would you recommend? I don't wanna sacrifice any length but on the other hand don't wanna create a huge gap between 2 iron replacement and 3 iron.

Thank you for your help and knowledge :)

Sebastian

[David in FL]

Hybrids tend to be a little hotter off the face and have a little higher trajectory than long irons, especially a 2-iron.  Best thing would be to get on the launch monitor, but failing that, I'd expect that the 18.5* would be the place to start.  I have a 19* that's turned down to 18.5* and it's about 10 yds carry longer than the 3 iron it replaced.

Welcome to the forum!

[MrKSB]

I started playing the Cobra Baffler 3H instead on my 2 iron; for me it was a measured improvement, especially in the rough.  It just has a bit more oomph (for me)...

I have the 19 degree with the regular graphite shaft.  I agree that mine is about 10 yards longer as well...

[nsatt11]

It all depends go to a launch monitor because with the RBZ clubs when you adjust the loft you also adjust the face angle. So i would go and try the 3 out first and you can see if that is the right distance for you. Also if you tend to draw or fade a hybrid you can get the 2 or 3 and change them to what fits you best. Making the loft higher should make you draw the ball and lowering the degrees should make you fade it more.

[sebbo]

Hi,

first of all thank you very much for your answers and the warm welcome.

@David & KSB: 10y more carry if the loft of the hybrid equals the loft of the iron it replaced?

[David in FL]

Hi, first of all thank you very much for your answers and the warm welcome. @David & KSB: 10y more carry if the loft of the hybrid equals the loft of the iron it replaced?

My 3 iron is 20*, and I have my 3 hybrid at 18.5*. The hybrid actually has a higher trajectory though, and lands a lot softer. I don't carry a 2 iron any more, but I think turning the hybrid to 18* would pretty closely match a 17* 2 iron.....again, with a higher trajectory. I love the way I can hold a green with a hybrid better than I ever could with a 2 or a 3 iron....

[WUTiger]

Originally Posted by sebbo

Hi,

first of all thank you very much for your answers and the warm welcome.

@David & KSB: 10y more carry if the loft of the hybrid equals the loft of the iron it replaced?

Sebbo,

About four years ago we got extra "complexity" in hybrid-land. You now have wood-hybrids and iron-hybrids. The wood-hybrids (originals) have a shaft length between the FWs and the numbered irons, and tend to have a little bulge in the clubface: it spins heel and toe shots back toward the middle. They tend to fly longer than the numbered iron, but not as long as the FW.

Next, you have "iron hybrids," (also called iron replacement clubs) that have about the same shaft length and loft as the numbered irons they are designed to replace. The Mizuno FLI-HI clubs are in this category, and are designed to blend into the lower end of your irons.

If you have a really skilled golfer, the IHs and the lower numbered irons might fly about the same length. With a middle HDCP golfer, the IHs would fly farther because it's easier to make good contact with them.

Also, lofts are getting ever stronger in the numbered irons. The Callaway rep said this comes, in part, because of ever lower Vertical Center of Gravity in the GI and SGI heads. Lower VCOG helps pop the ball up higher, and the stronger lofts seek to protect distance. A Callaway rep at a recent demo day told me this last part. (He was a chemistry major in college, and really could talk the physics and metallurgy of modern club design and mfg).