How often do you use your 4 iron?

[mdl]

Originally Posted by showtime583

when i lay off the 3h I generally end up pulling it left - not sure why...

I have this problem too.  Not that stepping on it is a super consistent shot for me in general either, but I find when I try to lay off anything past 8i or 9i I pull the ball a lot.  I don't know, but I think this is because my hips keep going at full speed timing but my shoulders and arms are trying to go easy, so I yank across the ball, usually getting the face closed so I pull it.

Maybe I should practice the 1/2, 3/4 backswing thing with the longer clubs, and not just the wedges (maybe throwing in like a 4/5 backswing)?

[anotherday]

You guys make a good case for keeping a 4 iron around. I was looking at it from a cost vs. usage point of view. If I get the set without the club I save $80. This is great if I find that I don't need it. However, if I do need to get it, then it will be $89.

So the risk vs reward on this is... I could save 80 dollars if I don't need the club, or I can spend an extra 10 dollars down the road to get the club separately.

I'm thinking I go without the 4i and hopefully I don't miss it and save 80 dollars for lessons or a round. Does this make sense?

[TourSpoon]

You guys make a good case for keeping a 4 iron around. I was looking at it from a cost vs. usage point of view. If I get the set without the club I save $80. This is great if I find that I don't need it. However, if I do need to get it, then it will be $89.

So the risk vs reward on this is... I could save 80 dollars if I don't need the club, or I can spend an extra 10 dollars down the road to get the club separately.

I'm thinking I go without the 4i and hopefully I don't miss it and save 80 dollars for lessons or a round. Does this make sense?

If you can get it later then wait. If you are flushing the 5 iron without issues then get the 4. If the 5 is marginal then you know that is your limit.

[imtomtomim]

I use it all the time.  It's my first warm up club at the range.  It's my get out of jail club.  It's my hero shot club.  It's much more than a long iron shot in my bag.  It's where I get to be creative.  I'll hit hooks and slices that hover under your hip and go 170, thread that gap of light in the trees, flop it from the wrong fairway to get my GIR, etc.  It's like the wedge for the long shots.

[jsocas]

INterestingly I took the 4 iron out of my bag this year. I counted how many times I used it last year and it was no more than 4-5 times all season. I decided to put a 51* wedge in play for the gap between the PW and GW and I couldn't be happier. For my 210-220 yrs shots I just choke down on my 3 iron and fade it a little bit getting some yards off that club.

[Stonecold]

I have the Mizuno JPX pro 4-GP, this is my first set of fordged clubs and I lost 5-10 yard from last set (Adams super game improvment)

I use the 4i all the time. Hits 175 consistanly for me.

great for punch shots.

easy lay up to a tight fairway from the tee.

cuts thrugh the ruff.

I'd really suggest you get it.

[Yukari]

I use my 4i quite often.  Two of the courses that I play has a par 3 that is 216 and 205 (uphill).  Perfect distance for my 4i.  Also one of the courses have a par 5 (550 yds, but dog leg right--my drive leaves it about 210 to 220 out) that I can hit driver and 4i in.

[jpalermo]

Never use(d) mine.... Hasn't been in the bag since I got my first Hybrid... Ben Hogan CFT years ago.  Carry 3 hybrids now, and don't miss the 3 or 4 irons at all

[sean_miller]

I don't get a lot of 4-iron shots with my TA3s. Seems to always be a 3-iron or a 5-iron. I might pull it and just go with one less.  I can't hit my TA1 4-iron worth @%$ so I might swap (the 3 is money from that set - the 4 is probably just cursed is all).

[akabilk]

I think a 4 iron is great. If you have your swing down pat, It's a great club!

Having said that, replacing it with a 4H is not a bad idea for some golfers, but it will never replace a well hit 4 iron, nor have the same control IMHO.

[SouthernILGolfer]

Dont have a 4 iron here, i go with hybrids, have 3 of them.   20 deg, 23 deg and 26 deg replacing the 3, 4 and 5 and use them a lot.   They're just so much more versatile than regular long irons and easier to hit out of the rough and use them on a lot of par 3's of moderate length(160-200 yards).  Maybe better players would prefer a 3 or 4 iron but those hybrids give me a much better chance to to make a good shot.   I do still mishit them sometimes but there is a greater margin of error and sometimes even mishit shots arent all that bad.

[inthehole]

I love my hybrids & have more confidence with them.      But when I think of the handful of best shots I've EVER hit, two of them are with the 4 iron ... thanks to this post, I just put it back in my bag.

[anotherday]

I found a deal that made it reasonable to add the 4i to the purchase and not go broke. Sure it's under 100 bucks here and there, but it adds up. Hope it works out!

[In the woods]

I play my 4i probably 10 times a round. The course that I play has par 5s that allow me to hit driver then 4i and leave myself a fairly full 56 degree to the green. It also has a couple of par fours that dogleg almost 90 degrees and my 4i is the perfect club to cut the corner to the middle of the fairway. The reason I use it so much is I can carry about 230 with it when I jump on it, sometimes more, and feel very comfortable over the ball with it. I don't play a 3i and my 5i is used at 195-210. If I took my 4i out of the bag I would be in trouble because I carry nothing between 3w and 4i.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I don't get a lot of 4-iron shots with my TA3s. Seems to always be a 3-iron or a 5-iron. I might pull it and just go with one less.  I can't hit my TA1 4-iron worth @%$ so I might swap (the 3 is money from that set - the 4 is probably just cursed is all).

. . . yesterday my TA1 4-iron was money. I guess it just needed a wakeup call.

[tweaky]

several times a round.  i cut it down to the same length as my 5i which is the same length as my 6i which is the same length as my 7i which is my preferred length for consistent contact and distance.  my 7i is a little longer than your "average" (some might say "standard") 7i.  there are no standards in golf.

[TourSpoon]

Originally Posted by imtomtomim

I use it all the time.  It's my first warm up club at the range.  It's my get out of jail club.  It's my hero shot club.  It's much more than a long iron shot in my bag.  It's where I get to be creative.  I'll hit hooks and slices that hover under your hip and go 170, thread that gap of light in the trees, flop it from the wrong fairway to get my GIR, etc.  It's like the wedge for the long shots.

I played with my Bro-in-law this weekend and he was in trouble all day. Everytime he hit a rescue shot he would say, "Looks like a 4 iron to me". I thought of this thread and said, "It's the wedge of the long irons".

I also had a career 4 iron from an elevated fairway downwind from 218 to 10 feet. The ball took off on a line and you could tell be the sound it was well struck. If only I could hit my 3 iron like that.

[TXTDryFly]

Depends on where I'm playing. From the tips I'll hit it 4-5 times, from the blues maybe once a round.