Unusual set make up

[Baog]

I had been looking for a new set of irons and found a terrific deal on a set of Mizuno MP-52 irons in decent condition (3-PW). The only problem is that the set is missing a 5 iron.

Recently I've been using D, 3W, 19.5* hybrid, 24* iron-like hybrid, 5-PW, 3 wedges, and a putter. Assuming that I like these new-to-me irons more than my old ones, I'm considering whether I should bend the 4 iron a bit weaker (currently 24*) and shorten it (also adding weight) and strengthen the 6-PW by 1 degree to create an iron set with consistent 4 degree gaps starting at a "4 and a half iron" and moving on to a 6-PW.

Has anyone else tried anything like this and, if so, how did it work out?

[SavvySwede]

Easiest solution would be to get a 5 hybrid to fill the gap. Or get a replacement iron off eBay as they tend to be cheap.

[Baog]

That would be a solution if there were 5 irons available. There are a zillion 6 irons for sale but 5 irons are rare. Also, this is actually something I'd consider even if I had a 5 iron since the lofts get bunched up a bit toward the long irons and I don't need to have a different clubs for both a 185 yard shot and a 195 yard shot. I'd rather have a single club that goes 190.

[WUTiger]

20 hours ago, SavvySwede said:

... Or get a replacement iron off eBay as they tend to be cheap.

Here's a site called IronFinder. They have an MP-52 5i w/ DG S300 shaft "ready to ship" for $70. http://www.ironfinder.com/item_detail.asp?sku=111959 

[Baog]

1 hour ago, WUTiger said:

Here's a site called IronFinder. They have an MP-52 5i w/ DG S300 shaft "ready to ship" for $70. http://www.ironfinder.com/item_detail.asp?sku=111959 

Thanks for pointing that club out to me. It's good to know there's an option. I'm still curious about the original question. It seems like it's not something others have tried.

I found an interesting discussion by Tom Wishon that would support my idea.He feels that modern long irons should have larger loft gaps between them to provide consistent distance gaps. I plan to do some more analysis of my distance gaps with the clubs as-is before I make a decision.

[WUTiger]

1 hour ago, Baog said:

I found an interesting discussion by Tom Wishon that would support my idea.He feels that modern long irons should have larger loft gaps... 

Tom's not the only one. Down at Orlando, I talked to the Hogan guys (they will give you irons + wedges with anywhere from 20° to 63° loft).  I had suggested 22°, 27° and 32° at the long end before going to 4° loft gaps up through the wedges. They liked the idea, said that set-up would cover long end and allow an extra wedge. (I'd probably end up with a hybrid instead of a 22° unless the Hogan heads were really user-friendly).

My X20 Tours have 3i = 21°, 4i = 24°, 5i = 27°. Back when I carried a 3i sometimes, I considered strengthening 5i to 26* (and adding 1/4" to shaft), weakening 3i to 22*, and dropping 4i. 

Not an issue anymore since I stop at 5i with my current bag mix.

[SavvySwede]

3 hours ago, Baog said:

Thanks for pointing that club out to me. It's good to know there's an option. I'm still curious about the original question. It seems like it's not something others have tried.

I found an interesting discussion by Tom Wishon that would support my idea.He feels that modern long irons should have larger loft gaps between them to provide consistent distance gaps. I plan to do some more analysis of my distance gaps with the clubs as-is before I make a decision.

Tom Kite did something similar to fit another wedge in the bag. Pelz talks about in the Short Game Bible. The logic for Kite being that larger distance gaps in the long irons wouldn't hurt his score because those long shots weren't scoring opportunities(just get it on the green) but he could make more birdies if he had more dialed in yardages for the shorter approaches.   

[Brian96]

Well, I did something like that when I got my new set of MP-15s last year.

I don't carry a 3 iron, so I had the 4 bent from 24 to 22 and the 5 from 27 to 26. Now all of my irons have a 4 degree separation, and it closed down the distance gap from my 5w to my 4i. I'm happy with it.

I like your idea and think you could get away with it. Clubs are basically just lofted pieces of steel. It shouldn't matter what the number on the head says as long as you know how to play it.