Weird situation with 4-wood and 2-iron

[onthehunt526]

I'm having a little bit of a distance gap issue between my 4-wood and 2-iron. There is NO GAP!!!!! If anything I hit my 2-iron about 5 yards further than my 4-wood... So the question is am I maybe having ball position issues with my 4-wood... Is my stance too narrow... Or do I need to switch to a 3-wood (though if its something with ball position or stance width that won't help...)

[Mr Smell Good]

Doesn't necessarily sound like an issue.  I can hit my 3-wood probably 230 and my 3 iron over 200 so it would make sense that if I owned a 2-iron and a 4-wood I would do the same as you.  Sometimes people feel more comfortable with different clubs.  If you hit them about the same distance just use the one you feel more accurate with?  Probably just switch to a 3-wood

[dbuck]

Not really that weird. Really an advantage rather than a problem. You can cover the distance with 2 different clubs and change which you carry depending on conditions opening up your bag for other clubs if you desire. Older sets were often Driver, 3 wood, and 1iron or 2 iron down. Your 2 iron is probably around 18* which is close some older 1 irons. The 4 wood has often been thought of as interchangeable with the 1 or 2 iron as far as distance--the long irons giving a more boring trajectory. Your two clubs only have a separation of about 1.5*; a variable rule of thumb is about 4* and a half inch of shaft length for 10 yards.

[Golfingdad]

Ditto all of the other replies.  I only have one club between my 4 iron and 3 wood to fill that gap  (19* hybrid).  If I had a 2 iron and a 4 wood, there's a damn good chance that they would also go very similar distances.  Solution:  Dump whichever one you are less comfortable with and fill a gap somewhere else.  Perhaps add a wedge?

EDIT:  In looking at your set makeup, I'd 2nd 'smell good' and just switch your 16.5* 4 wood to a 15 or 14 3 wood.

[TourSpoon]

Back when I carried a 2 iron, I would occasionally swap it out with a 5 wood, and then a 2 hybrid when they came out. They were all the same distance, but there were obvious differences in ball flight and versatility. Since your 4 wood is only 1.5 degrees different with a different shaft, I can see how it bunches up with the 2 iron. I would go with a 3 wood, but would recommend that you take your 2 iron in when and hit them both on a launch monitor to make sure.

Additionally, the shafts may not be comparable and/or the lofts could be off. You should check these things first.

[WUTiger]

Old rule-of-thumb for distance comparison (assuming you hit your long irons well):

1i = 4W

2i = 5W (The 1990s popularity of 5Ws helped knock the 2i out of a lot of bags, and iron models).

So, you just hit your 2i well.

You might get on a launch monitor and compare the distance of different FW shafts, or see if a 3W might gain you some distance. It appears you have lots of clubhead speed, which helps out hitting a 3W.

[rehmwa]

Meh - my 4i is about 210, my 5w is about 225 - for those distances, that's about the same for me (i.e., for clean hits, max 4i = min 5w).  I'm more consistent with my 5w though

if it's windy, I hit iron (lower flight)

if it's not, I hit wood (holds the green better)

or, the lie might preference me to one or the other

fairway wood usually wins

(note, for the gaps, I don't bother owning a 3i)

we've got options, it's a good thing

[bplewis24]

I think more details are required.  Same trajectory?  Same carry?

[tristanhilton85]

Doesn't seem too weird to me...

In my opinion, you have a couple of options. You could keep both which would be nice if you hit them with different trajectories, etc., giving you multiple options for the same distance. You could replace the 4 wood with a 3 wood or possibly drop the 2 iron and cover a gap somewhere else in the bag.

[onthehunt526]

EDIT: I hit all of my clubs high... Really high... (In fact there is a hundred year old tree on the 145-yard, 11th at Newman) I can't get an 8-iron under or a 9-iron over a limb at least 60 feet in the air... But I digress I do hit the 4-wood slightly higher than the 2-iron... The 4-wood lands like a sack of potatoes on the green and the 2-iron lands takes one bounce and checks... I average ~230 with both... I've also considered a 14 degree hybrid... And for the record so everything is clear my 2-iron is has 19 degrees of loft

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by onthehunt526

But I digress I do hit the 4-wood slightly higher than the 2-iron... The 4-wood lands like a sack of potatoes on the green and the 2-iron lands takes one bounce and checks... I average ~230 with both... I've also considered a 14 degree hybrid... And for the record so everything is clear my 2-iron is has 19 degrees of loft

Then it honestly sounds like they both have use to you.  I've actually been considering dropping my sand wedge and picking up a 5w for the approach shots (usually on par 5s) where I find myself out of range of my 3 iron, but too close to hit 3wood.  I feel like having a 5 wood that can go a bit further but land softly would benefit me more than having a wedge I use 1-2 times per round and can replace with a high-bounce 60*.

Your 2 iron can double as a driving iron and you'd still have use for the 4w depending on lie, shot shape and carry distance required.

[dbuck]

First off, if you are consistent with both the 4 wood and 2 iron, I wouldn't dump either, but might alternate carrying them in the bag depending on course/conditions. If you are trying to get a club that gives you more distance from the fairway or off the tee, then I think you would get more benefit from a 13.5-14.5* 3 wood than a 14* hybrid. Depending on the shaft type and length, you might not get more than a 4-5 yard difference from the hybrid vs 10-15 from the 3 wood. Of course your mileage may vary, but you sound like you have plenty of speed so you should get results from the 3 wood. With the 3 wood in the bag you could alternate the 2 iron/4 wood depending on course and conditions such as wind. Personally I like hybrids and if you find one that covers about the same distance as the 4w/2i you might like it as its flight characteristics might be somewhere in between those two.

[dbuck]

In my sig I have a 16* Taylor Raylor that I hit about 220-230. The 20* hybrid I get a little over 200 full out and the 23* gives me from 180 choked down to just under 200 full bore. Going back to shaft length and loft, you get 230 from a 16.5 4w, so going to a 14* hybrid you will need a shaft at least an inch longer than the 4w to see any difference and then you basically have a 3 wood.

[dbuck]

Anyway, yours is a good problem to have.