Do you carry a 1 or 2 iron (long)?

The thread about hitting a driver off the deck got me thinking about how common long irons really are these days. Personally I see no reason to that you'd need to hit your driver off of the deck but maybe I'm in the minority here since I tend to rely on good long iron play.

My 2 iron is really a staple in my game. I can hit the 2 iron high, low, fade, draw, whatever. I've hit good knock down 2 irons with plenty of spin that will check up when they land, conversely I can hit one that will release as well. I'm pretty good at controlling the distance of flight as well. Those are all things that I'm very confident doing and find that I'll use one of these shots several times in a round. I've been playing this way since I was 14 years old so it's what I'm used to. In fact, I can remember a number of high school matches where I never pulled a wood from my bag. It was 2 iron (or shorter) from the tee all day long and I'd easily hit it as far, or further, than the other guys were hitting their drivers/3 woods. Difference was, I was always playing from the fairway which always led to lower scores (for me). It's something that I practice with often and have learned to hit very well and for that reason I seldom carry fairway woods (when I do, it's a 4 wood).

I've never really thought anything about it because it was the same for brother. His bag looks a lot like mine except that he uses an old Ping Eye2 1 iron w/a tad of offset instead of a 2 iron like I do. He also seldom carries a fairway wood (and when he does, it's a 4 wood a well).

When I was in high school, about 10 years ago, this was not uncommon among the better players in my area so I never really thought about it. Now when I look in other bags, it appears that I'm in the minority. In fact, I've only seen one other bag with this type of configuration in the past few years. Ironically this guy's game is very very similar to mine (clubs, shots, scores, etc). He also carries driver/2 iron.

So is this at all common these days? Did I miss some sort of golf technology train over the past few years while I was busy changing diapers instead of hitting golf balls?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not really worried about it. My current club configuration is working just fine for me. I'm just curious more than anything else...

I don't even carry my 3- and 4-irons! Well, occasionally, but hardly ever.

On occasion I have an old Wilson TR 1200 1-Iron I replace my 5-wood with. I can hit it pretty well from a tee, but its not really a 'from the fairways' thing for me.

That's another thing. I'll hit my 2 iron from a tee, off the fairway, or even out of the rough (depending on the lie).

no i do not nope

no i dont

Same here. I love my 2 iron!

no, but I'm tempted to buy a 1-Iron for practice. I love my %-wood to much to part with it.

Agreed. I've always put more emphasis on iron play than any other part of my game so I just feel a lot more comfortable with a 2 iron in my hands than a hybrid or high loft wood. It might just be me but with a wood I feel like I'm just trying to hit the ball within a certain area, with an iron I feel like I can put the ball wherever I want it.

I'm also in the group that loves his 2 iron...particularly when I'm not hitting the three wood very well.

I use it off a tee quite a bit too. Gives me way more control on the tighter par fours

yes...

460cc drivers that are very easy to hit straight, and I would guess much further than a 1 or 2 iron, and hybrids . I don't pull the driver out recklessly, but I usually put it away not because I am that much straighter with another club, but rather becuse I want to hit to a wider spot of the FW or not risk hitting into a creek or through a dogleg. And when I do put the driver away my usual club would be a 2 or 3 hybrid or a 3-wood.... can't even say I've ever owned a regular 2-iron. I can hit my 3-hybrid more consistently than a 3-iron... so chances are a 2-iron would be the same. I do still love my 4-iron though and would never trade it for a hybrid.

I carry a 2 iron on and off. It's a Wilson Staff pi5.

Don't know if this counts.

I carry a 1i,2i,3i,4i Cleveland Halo Hybrid. Long and straight usually. i do occasionally hook them. D

Nope and I don't plan on it. I found a 1 Iron. I went to the driving range with it. I sucked horribly. I just rely on my 4 and 5 irons. I hit my 4 a good 185, and my 5 a good 175.

See my sig. I just upgraded my driver to a 460cc FT-5. My previous driver was an 8.5' Callaway HawkEye Pro Series with a stock 3.1 stiff shaft. The shaft in this driver was a really giving me fits. I was overloading the shaft and had a lot of timing issues. The new driver has a Diamana WhiteBoard 73 X-Stiff shaft which is working much better for me. Personally I believe that the shaft change made a much bigger difference than the new club head did.

I wasn't really getting at drivers in this thread though. I was/am more interested in the comparison between fairway woods, hybrids, and long irons.

I dont carry a 1 or 2-iron anymore. I used to and used to really be a believer in long irons, but I recently converted to hybrids.
I find that my 18* hybrid works just as well as my 2-iron did and the hybrid is a lot easier to hit.

Could there be a bigger dick swinging contest that this one?
Oh Yeah AND I NEVER SLICE...

Currently carry a 2 iron but will soon be the owner of a Hogan Apex 4 1 iron. I voted both for that reason.