Longest Iron in Bag... And More

[Pretzel]

Thanks Mike, just rub it in for us mere mortals ;-) 5i for me, a) its the lowest iron than came with my current set, and b) im still useless with that nevermind anything lower.

To be fair, a lot of the credit there goes to PING. I find the s55 way easier to hit and far more forgiving than a majority of the irons on the market, and the new ping i irons are supposed to be even more forgiving. PING does a great job of making those long irons easy to launch high.

[vangator]

5 iron here only because that's the lowest the set comes with. There will be a 4 iron soon and I will get that. My previous set had a 2,3,4,5 6,7,8,9,PW,GW, SW. I like hitting irons because they go straighter than hybrids for me. Plus I like the low trajectory for punch shots, wind and keeping it in the fairway. Plus I like to use the 2 iron to chase a ball onto a green. I sometimes replaced the 3 iron with another club.

[JazzFatCat]

6 iron (28 degrees)

My new Adams iron set came with a 25* 5 iron and a 23* hybrid. The hybrid is a lot easier to hit consistently and the gapping between the 6 iron and the hybrid works out to be about 15 yards for me (175, 190).

[MrFlipper]

3 iron for me. I can't hit it as high as I used to but I trust it and I'm not keen on hybrids.

Plus I learned to play the game along the ground and a 3 iron fits that kind of game too.

[mvmac]

To be fair, a lot of the credit there goes to PING. I find the s55 way easier to hit and far more forgiving than a majority of the irons on the market, and the new ping i irons are supposed to be even more forgiving. PING does a great job of making those long irons easy to launch high.

@RussUK , what he said

[Sante TwoGloves]

I like practicing with a 4 iron but I only carry as low as a 6 iron. my 4iron hybrid is easier to hit with much better distance and higher trajectory than my 5 iron shots currently.

[Natural Patrick]

4 Iron for me. This is the first year that I have not had a 3 iron in my bag in 40 years. I have struggled with it the last couple of years mostly off the tee box. Why I can hit it out of the fairway and not off the tee? Was a mystery that I gave up trying to figure out.

[billchao]

5i. Can't hit the 4i consistently well so I use a 4h.

[taxgolf]

i have a 19 degree Epon iron AF in the bag. I can hit it great off the tee, better than a hybrid. I cam hit is also pretty good from the fw, or the rough. Hyrbid does not work for me.

[WUTiger]

Depends on which iron set.

If I play the Callaways, I leave the 4i at home and bring the 4H.

If I play the TM SLDRs, it depends...

My home course has some short, tight "ruin-your-round" par 4s, so I might bring the 4i. It has the ThruSlot in the sole with the polymer fill, and it is deadly straight off the tee as a driving iron. (With the slot, it's probably a semi-hybrid).

On a more wide-open course, I bring the 4H, because it will be fine off the tee, and much more reliable off the fairway. (And you can hit it out of the rough.)

[bm85]

I just play my mid irons dual distances for par threes. For example, I normally carry my 7i 150 yards. I just step on the gas and carry my 7 iron 190 and dent the green, instead of swinging an easy low ball 3 iron. I'd rather swing easy with a hybrid or 3w and get mid traj, than step on the gas with a 4/5 iron and potentially chunk it (both missing the green and jolting my wrists).

They're fun to hit on the range on occasion just to know you can hit them, but for me require a really good lie and a lot of force (as well as confidence when on the course). Maybe down the road I'd play them on some windy links, but I'd have to practice a lot with them before hand. I'm actually thinking about dropping 3,4,5 just to add another hybrid, fwy wood, and perhaps one of those driving irons because I'm curious.

[trey3d]

I took my 3h out to carry a 4h and 4i. I hit the 4i for low shots. I hit the 4h 190-210 3w 200-240 no need for a higher iron. Steve

[natureboy]

Typical setup longest is 4i with 3h & 3w.

Sometimes, I like to throw in a 2i and drop the 5i. Reason is I really like the 2i as a trouble club. If I get a cleanish lie on a poorly hit tee shot, I can flight it very low and regain a nice bit of distance lost without having to de-loft a ton and it's very easy to work l/r. Also gives me opportunities to practice tee shots & strategy with it on tighter par-4s. Downside is that typically in the NE you don't get very much run so a 'bunted' driver typically carries and runs further with a slightly wider dispersion.

Not having the 5i also gives me a chance (forces me) to work on using grip and loft changes to fill in the longer iron gap for the shot or two a round where I need it that distance.

[georgep]

4I, but I can throw my wedge almost as far. 

When I'm swinging well, the 4I is very valuable in the bag, in part because it gives me a club that I can punch under trees when I need to. It also fills the distance slot between my 20* hybrid and the 5I nicely. Still, there are days when I'd be better served by a hybrid. 

[Mike Boatright]

I have a self made 26 deg Cleveland launcher hybrid cut down to play as a xx. Miyazaki shaft plays like a 4 iron I love it.

[Jmdmbike]

Longest iron is a 5.  The main reason I swapped out the 4 iron is that I don't usually hit it that much further than my 5 iron. I play a 24 degree hybrid instead and get better distance gapping between clubs, and I do hit more good shots with the hybrid.

[dustycarolina]

2 iron. Dont use hybirds and I'm old school with the reasons why! I believe that hybirds are for average ball strikers. Spent alot of time on the range to learn to use long irons.

[onthehunt526]

2 iron. Dont use hybirds and I'm old school with the reasons why! I believe that hybirds are for average ball strikers. Spent alot of time on the range to learn to use long irons.

I have a 1-iron in my set of V-Blades I sometimes mess around with practice balls in my yard.