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how to hit my 3,4,5 irons


andy-golf
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hi im only playing golf about 1 month im a good driver,good off my wedges.but when it comes to my 3,4,5 irons im not connecting with the ball as much as i would like any tips

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If you have only started playing I would reccommend you replace them with rescue clubs, they are so much easier to hit, this will help with your confidence, as you get better you can put the long irons back in.
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I dropped my 3 and 4 iron in favor of Callaway FT 3 and 4 hybrids. Much easier to hit for me. Higher, longer, and more consistent. You can get them pretty cheap on the Callaway Preowned website. "Like new" is brand new on that site. Got all my clubs there. Awesome place to shop. They got BIG sale going on today as well.


-Dan
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Hybrids! They are just too easy to hit well. The long irons are tough. After working on my swing, I know that you need a lot of headspeed to hit the long ones high and far. Specifically I mean having a good sweeping release in your long iron swing, not swinging harder. Now my 4 iron is my fav. Good luck.

Titleist 910D2 8.5° Diamana 'ahina 80 S
Titleist 909F3 3W 13° Diamana D83 S, Titleist 910f 5W 19° Fubuki Ax 80X
Taylormade RAC MB TP 3-PW Irons DG S300, Callaway Jaws 54° and 60°
Titleist Futura putter, Taylormade TP5 balls

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Replace your 3 iron with a hybrid, but spend some time practicing (and by time I mean a lot more than a month) and learn to hit a 4 iron and a 5 iron. They're hard to hit because you're new, but they're far, far from impossible. I have no qualms about bagging a hybrid or even two, but I'm glad I started learning to golf and got my first equipment (my Dad's old stuff) before the widespread advent of hybrids. IMO-it's both fun and a real advantage to be able to confidently use a 4 iron, a 3 iron, or a traditional fairway wood when and if the course/conditions call for it.
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hi im only playing golf about 1 month im a good driver,good off my wedges.but when it comes to my 3,4,5 irons im not connecting with the ball as much as i would like any tips

What sorts of problems are you having?

I see a lot of newer players having trouble with long irons by means of having the ball too far back in their stance. Take a few practice swings and notice where the club tends to hit the ground. Put the ball in your stance appropriately. Don't put it where you feel it "should go," but rather place it where the club will make good contact with it. If you're having some sort of other problem, let us know and I'll try to see what I can do to help. Oh, and as much as I like my utility metal replacements for long irons, there's no denying that hitting a long iron is more fun.

-- Michael | My swing! 

"You think you're Jim Furyk. That's why your phone is never charged." - message from my mother

Driver:  Titleist 915D2.  4-wood:  Titleist 917F2.  Titleist TS2 19 degree hybrid.  Another hybrid in here too.  Irons 5-U, Ping G400.  Wedges negotiable (currently 54 degree Cleveland, 58 degree Titleist) Edel putter. 

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Long irons amplify every mistake. They are much harder to hit than short ones. You're not hitting your short clubs any better, you're just getting away with a lot more. After only a month, the long irons will be damned near impossible to hit right, but then again, almost nothing will be right. It takes time to get the nature out, so to speak, and dial in a good swing. When I'm off, I can hit my shorter clubs well, or somewhat well, but not the long ones, because if my swing isn't grooved in, I'm not hitting any club right, but I'm getting away with a lot more on the short ones.
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Long irons amplify every mistake. They are much harder to hit than short ones. You're not hitting your short clubs any better, you're just getting away with a lot more. After only a month, the long irons will be damned near impossible to hit right, but then again, almost nothing will be right. It takes time to get the nature out, so to speak, and dial in a good swing. When I'm off, I can hit my shorter clubs well, or somewhat well, but not the long ones, because if my swing isn't grooved in, I'm not hitting

What shanks said. I'm a firm believer of long irons. It took me 8 months of weekly lessons and 3 hours of practice per week on top to achieve somewhat decent, repeatable contact with my 5 iron. Then, (some here will call me masochist, but…) to improve my 5 iron, I bought a 4 iron. Fast forward 2 months and a few thousand balls later, to improve my 4 iron, I bought a 3 iron.

I used to have a hybrid in the bag, but never couldn't hit it well. Now, here I am in my 16th month of learning (ongoing…) how to swing, and I can hit my 3 iron 200 yards off the tee, 190 off the deck. Not all the time, mind you, some days I hit my 3 iron 100 yards, but I hit it good often enough that it has become my go to club for 1st and 2nd shot on all par 4 and par 5s. (I'm not as lucky as you, my driver goes nowhere…) If this game has taught me one thing, is that you get out of it what you put into it: you won't be able to hit longer clubs correctly, consistently until you've grooved a swing you can more or less repeat. And for that to happen, you have to be able to hit your shorter irons good enough, etc, etc… It's all hard work, all the way down to your shortest wedge. BUT, when you manage to pure a 3 iron once, man, that's just the best feeling ever, and makes all the hours of frustration worth it, I promise
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I still carry long irons and will put in a 2 iron on very windy days, which we get quite a bit here in Kansas. What has always helped me was to slow down my swing, I hit a 3 iron like I'm hitting my wedge, the longer shaft and minimal loft will create the distance you need.

Craig 

Yeah, wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?

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Lower your expectations. By the end of my second season, the following things disappointed me (hint - not having "mastered" my 3 and 4 irons is not on this list):

1.) a tee shot not in play
2.) being in the fairway or short rough, with a mid iron or less into the green for my second shot, then having my third (or fourth) shot still be a full iron into the green
3.) leaving my ball in a bunker
4.) putting my ball from one side of the green completely off the other side of the green
5.) being too proud to pick up your ball and the group behind got frustrated (that happened approximately 1 time)
6.) not having the guts to go for the green with a long iron or a fairway wood - if the cost of a lost ball is prohibitive, buy used balls

Mizuno MP600 driver, Cleveland '09 Launcher 3-wood, Callaway FTiz 18 degree hybrid, Cleveland TA1 3-9, Scratch SS8620 47, 53, 58, Cleveland Classic 2 mid-mallet, Bridgestone B330S, Sun Mountain four5.

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Hit down and through. You have to hit down on the long irons too. Don't pound it into the ground because it will mess with the spin. Just keep your head back of the ball and make sure the club connects on the descent with the hands leading. You can't hit a bad long iron shot when all of those ingredients are there. If you want to know how to get them there, take some lessons. Do that and get the image in your mind of where you should be at impact and let your body figure out how to do it. That's the only way. No easy answer.
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Hybrids are just easier to hit which is probably why most sets have at least one if not 2 hybrids to replace long irons. I have hybrid replacements for my 3, 4, and 5 irons and will never go back to regular long irons. Im not saying hybrids are a piece of cake to hit, its just easier to make solid contact and get the ball in the air and consistently get decent distance.

Driver-Taylormade Burner Ti 420 cc 10.5 deg reg flex
3 wood-orlimar rcx 14 deg
Hybrids-warrior golf 20 deg, 23 deg and 26 deg
6-pw-AFFINITY / ORLIMAR HT2 irons steel shafts, reg flex, 56 deg tour series wedge
Putter-Rife 2 Bar Hybrid Mallet...

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Hybrids are just easier to hit which is probably why most sets have at least one if not 2 hybrids to replace long irons. I have hybrid replacements for my 3, 4, and 5 irons and will never go back to regular long irons. Im not saying hybrids are a piece of cake to hit, its just easier to make solid contact and get the ball in the air and consistently get decent distance.

It depends on your swing. It depends on your comfort level and what brings confidence to you. I feel much more confident swinging a 3 iron than I am when you put a 3h in my hands. Hybrids are not "easier" to hit than long irons. A crappy swing will yield crappy results whether you have an 8 iron, a 4 iron a 4 hybrid or a 4 wood. Hybrids are usually a better option out of thick rough, I'll give you that. But when I'm in the fairway, I'll take a long iron over a hybrid any day of the week.

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Hybrids are indeed much easier to hit than long irons, they were designed just for this reason, most starter clubs have at least 2 rescues some have 3 . The op is a beginner, he should be going out to have fun , not worrying about swing mechanics, he has his whole life ahead of him for that.
Going out onto a course and hacking around with hard to hit long irons is the quickest way to frustration and quitting, I have seen it time and time again.
Long irons are difficult to hit consistent even for single figure handicaps , rescues and hybrids are not.
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Note: This thread is 4855 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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