Tired of People Hating on the 3-iron

[dbornack]

[rant]You know, I'm getting tired of people hating on the 3-iron. I've got a hybrid in the bag - it fills my 2-iron/5-wood distance gap - so I'm not some neanderthal who is opposed to hybrids because I think they're emasculating or something. But dammit, I'm keeping my 3-iron for awhile, and my 4-iron is staying in the bag, too!

Hell, I still carry a 1-iron!

[Shindig]

I'm putting my money where my mouth is: I picked up a 3-Iron today. It's a former demo club from Cobra. It's less of a game improvement club than the rest of my irons. I'm going to hit it a few times at the range and maybe putting it in the bag.

Results? I don't know. But I'm going to give it a try.

[ezmoney5150]

I use my 3 iron when there is a par 3 where I'll need it. Or a course that has really low rough.

For the most part I have ended up with a 200 yard shot on a par five out of the rough. When I try to hit a 3 iron out of the rough from that distance I either end up short in the water/bunker or if I catch a flyer I air mail it over the green. I prefer the iron but the 22 degree hybrid is great out of the rough.

I'll never replace my 4 iron. Well maybe in another 30 years.

[beung]

There aren't many times I will use my 3i unless it is off the tee. I bet I average less then one 3i shot per round, it might be closer to one 3i shot every couple rounds. If I am using a club that requires that kind of distance it raises a flag for me, you know the risk/reward flag. Am I going to layup on a par3, no but if I have to hit an approach with it then I really have to think about it.


The 3i for me is about 225 or and truthfully it's not the most reliable club in my bag, so with that said if I am even thinking about using my 3i my margin of error better be huge near my landing zone. If I am hitting into a green with my 3i and I had 10 chances to do it I would probably only hit the green no more then 3-4 times. Thats just on the green, I might get 1 that is near where I wanted it to end up. So 60-70% of the time it is going to take me 2 shots to get on the green from that distance so again the area around the green better have a lot of safe or I am hitting to one of my automatic wedge distances instead of the possibility of having a really hard next shot onto the green.

For me the 3i is all about confidence but just don't use it enough during the round to get enough confidence with it.

[niblick]

I definitely don't hate the 3 iron, I just know I'm going to get better results overall with my hybrid. I carry a 21 degree Callaway X hybrid in place of my 3 iron, and it's been a big part of my game improving over the last year. Last month I hit a par 5 green in two shots for the first time in my life using it. :)

I'm not taking out the 4 iron though. *crosses arms* If I can't hit it, it just means I need to work harder, not buy another club.

[ChiChiIsMe]

3i is my go-to club when nothing else is working.

[Platnumn]

I don't understand what the problem is...if you can hit it well, then by all means hit it. I don't think Tiger uses any hybrids.

I use a 3h and don't even have a 2.. But then again I have been playing for 4 months

[mstuk]

[QUOTE=iacas;84103][rant]You know, I'm getting tired of people hating on the 3-iron. " what sort of english is that ? one does not hate on something you either hate it or you do not.

[JaY_B]

[QUOTE=mstuk;91548]

[rant]You know, I'm getting tired of people hating on the 3-iron. " what sort of english is that ? one does not hate on something you either hate it or you do not.

Too right mate, Grammer and Punctuation are key.

[onthehunt526]

I still carry a 3-iron... I even carry a 2-iron... the hell with the hybrids they aren't needed... which leads me to a very good point and I may post this as a thread... Irons are losing loft fast... The DI7 irons have a 43 degree PW which is nuts... The golf companies are trying to promote distance way too much... if they want to promote distance there is another way to do it... make the clubheads lighter and bring the 48-51 degree PW back into form... it was once quoted that Jack Nicklaus reached the par 5 15th at Augusta National in the 1963 Masters with a Drive and an 8-iron... when an 8-iron was an 8-iron... In 1997 Tiger Woods reached the same hole with Driver and Pitching wedge twice... and his pitching wedge was a Mizuno Mp-14 that was 2 degrees weaker than Standard which meant it had 52 degrees of loft... (Tiger played Mizuno irons before he switched to the Titleist 681 prototypes, and subseqently the Nike blades)... I can hit a 170-yard Pitching wedge too... I can hit one 190 if I had a 43 or 44 degree... The one I have now is 47... but anyway... the 3-iron is a good club for me because I have a lot of short par fours on my home course... and so is the 2-iron...

[RyanR]

I don't mind my 3 iron, but I don't carry it simply because of my distances and club specs. My 3 iron is only 2 degrees different than my 4, and I carry 4 wedges, so it works out really well! Like the post though. Let people do what they want!

Ryan

[polred2007]

[rant]You know, I'm getting tired of people hating on the 3-iron. I've got a hybrid in the bag - it fills my 2-iron/5-wood distance gap - so I'm not some neanderthal who is opposed to hybrids because I think they're emasculating or something. But dammit, I'm keeping my 3-iron for awhile, and my 4-iron is staying in the bag, too!

Oh my, I don't think I have ever heard a more self-glorifying thread in all my life.

I bet you have got a personalised car registration to haven't you? "I'm in the top 5% of golfers in the world" Who the hell speaks like that man???

[mikelz]

[QUOTE=mstuk;91548]

[rant]You know, I'm getting tired of people hating on the 3-iron. " what sort of english is that ? one does not hate on something you either hate it or you do not.

Sounds like some people could use a lesson in U.S. slang.

"Stop hating on me.." "Hater in the house.." "Why you gotta be hatin' on everything?" And so on

[mikelz]

Oh my, I don't think I have ever heard a more self-glorifying thread in all my life.

Grin.

You may be chastised for that one. Loved it myself.

[Crafty]

The 3i is much better off the tee, and you can vary the trajectory much more (at least thats how it works for me)

[Lost Ball]

Lost Ball rarely hits the 3-iron

[Big_M]

I carry two hybrids, I often wonder if it would be better to only have one and add an extra wedge. When I switched to the 3 hybrid a few years ago, it was because I hit my 3i only about 5-10 yards further than my 4i, and not as consistent. Now, I would probably hit it just as consistent. If I had a 3i, I would use it on windy days and use the hybrid on non-windy days. Also, my 2 hybrid is my money club for a tight fairway, so if I took out a hybrid and added a wedge, then I would still want at least one hybrid in the bag for just this. Also, I will never give up my 4 iron... I hit it great and it's my low hook / slice around trees club. A hybrid will not hit the trouble shots the way an iron will.

Also... someone mentioned lofts of irons getting stronger. I completely agree, this is rediculous, the USGA should make a ruling that PW are 47-49 degrees, 9 irons 44-46 etc.

[mikelz]

The 3i is much better off the tee, and you can vary the trajectory much more (at least thats how it works for me)

I like to hit the 3 off the tee, too. Just curious. When you say better, are you comparing the 3 iron to a 'hybrid'?