The Death of the Low Irons

[Mop Bucket]

I'm was under the impression it was all on the brand/model of club. Most bladed or half muscle irons come with a  3 iron option at least. Some even a 2 iron if you order it special. But do have to aggree it seems that a lot of the composite irons have forgone putting the 3 irons in and instead replacing it with a hybrid option. 

Personally my 3 iron is my favorite club in the bag. I have never been a huge fan of 3 woods or even hybrids because I feel I have more control with a swing plane that puts me closer to the ball (I have been known to block longer shafted clubs from the fairway). However, I have decided to try out a 2 hybrid/driving iron this year which I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out.

[onthehunt526]

7 hours ago, Mop Bucket said:

I'm was under the impression it was all on the brand/model of club. Most bladed or half muscle irons come with a  3 iron option at least. Some even a 2 iron if you order it special. But do have to aggree it seems that a lot of the composite irons have forgone putting the 3 irons in and instead replacing it with a hybrid option. 

Personally my 3 iron is my favorite club in the bag. I have never been a huge fan of 3 woods or even hybrids because I feel I have more control with a swing plane that puts me closer to the ball (I have been known to block longer shafted clubs from the fairway). However, I have decided to try out a 2 hybrid/driving iron this year which I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out.

You seem to have a grasp on the concept of it @Mop Bucket. There are a few OEMS that still make a "traditional" 2-iron in players models (i.e. Cobra, Titleist). Almost all make a "traditional" 3-iron.

Most of the "2-irons" are hollow iron models more a kin to the early iron like hybrids than anything. 

[saevel25]

9 hours ago, Mop Bucket said:

I'm was under the impression it was all on the brand/model of club. Most bladed or half muscle irons come with a  3 iron option at least. Some even a 2 iron if you order it special. But do have to aggree it seems that a lot of the composite irons have forgone putting the 3 irons in and instead replacing it with a hybrid option. 

It's all about who they are selling to. Higher handicap golfers struggle with optimizing their gaps between their long irons. They need the hybrids and more GI & SGI clubs. 

Also, if they are not selling the clubs then why make the. If 95% of golfers stop at a 3 iron or 4 iron then why make a 2 iron? I don't see many PGA Tour players hitting anything below a 3 iron. 

[GangGreen]

I'm a hybrid convert myself.  When I first started playing 20 or some years ago, my set had a 3 iron and I loved it, especially off the tee on shorter par 4s (they were Spalding Executives, which I suppose could have been considered one of the SGI irons of the time).  Got back into playing 3 years ago after a long time off, bought a then new set of irons that came with a 4 iron (TM Rocketballz) that I could never get comfortable with so eventually swapped it out for a hybrid (23 degree Ping G25) and haven't looked back since.  Got a new set of irons this past Christmas (Ping G30s) and was very happy that I had the option to only buy up to the 5 iron.  It's different for everybody, but for me the hybrids are just easy to hit and between my 3 and 4 hybrids I have my distances covered between 175 - 200 whether off the tee, off the deck, or out of the rough.  As a side note, I have a buddy who just started playing and I think it's just easier for someone new to the game to learn to hit a hybrid vs. a long iron so I figure why make the game any more difficult then it already is.  

[Mop Bucket]

11 hours ago, saevel25 said:

It's all about who they are selling to. Higher handicap golfers struggle with optimizing their gaps between their long irons. They need the hybrids and more GI & SGI clubs. 

Also, if they are not selling the clubs then why make the. If 95% of golfers stop at a 3 iron or 4 iron then why make a 2 iron? I don't see many PGA Tour players hitting anything below a 3 iron. 

I definitely agree. It pretty much comes down to how easy they are to flight. I played a 3h for a  little when I wasn't as strong with low irons. There's no secret that those things allow you to get it up higher though, and accompanied with stronger lofted iron sets, the combination seems to work pretty well for most. Admittedly though, it is kind of a shame to see fewer low irons produced today. I've always thought that the sleekest looking club in a golf is a pancake-thin 2 iron. If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure Matsuyama is playing one currently.

I've always wondered which is easier to hit from thick lies. Does anyone have insight on this?

Edited April 14, 2016 by Mop Bucket

[onthehunt526]

Pancakes aren't that thin... if you cook them right, that is. 

[Mop Bucket]

Crêpes?

[onthehunt526]

Maybe moderately runny pancake thin 2-iron(s), or a couple pieces of  Canadian Bacon stacked on top one another, or a tomato slice thin... all this talk about food is making me hungry...

But yes a thin-topline 2-iron is sleek looking, I have a sleek top line 1-iron for my V-Blade Set (not in my bag right now)...

[paininthenuts]

It's quite strange. I have just made the decision to use my four iron in preference to my my 4 hybrid. The hybrid propels the ball a little further, but I am far more consistent with the iron. 

[ShotShaper77]

On April 3, 2016 at 3:26 PM, BrofessionalGolfer said:

It's pretty wild that all these big name golf club brands have actively phased out the low irons in place of hybrid clubs. The new Taylormade sets, for example, offer 4 through PW, AW...3 irons are no longer an option when purchasing most new golf sets. 2 irons forget it! I don't know about anyone else, but I've never had a problem hitting a 2 or 3 iron off the deck. Actually, more than 50% of the time I'd use either club is off the tee on a narrow fairway or long par 3. I know these clubs are still out there, but it's a shame they are being phased out. I find hybrid clubs to be extremely light and I have such less control.

Anyone else feel the same way here? 

Totally. I feel that it's really sad that clubs like the 1-iron, 2-iron, and 3-iron are being phased out. Ben Hogan's favorite club was his 1-iron. Hard to find, extremely satisfying to master.

[Buckeyebowman]

OK, enough of this "sturm und drang" about the low irons being eliminated! The club companies did this to themselves at the same time they were making them unhittable for us. Well, for most of us.

As for "players" clubs, those are for very low handicap amateurs. And pros aren't showing up at the local golf shop to buy clubs. They get fitted at the manufacturer, and every aspect of their game is examined. When an announcer says that a pro is playing a 5 iron on a par three, we have no way of knowing the loft. It could be close to off the rack, lower or higher.

Play the clubs that work for you, no matter the number or style. And how many people could hit a 1 iron like Hogan!

[colin007]

Love my MP52s - the 4 iron is awesomesauce. My 3 iron is my under-a-tree punch-out iron.

[RFKFREAK]

20 hours ago, colin007 said:

Love my MP52s - the 4 iron is awesomesauce. My 3 iron is my under-a-tree punch-out iron.

Of which I think I've seen you use at least a half a dozen times each time we've played. 

[Mr. Desmond]

On April 17, 2016 at 8:12 PM, ShotShaper77 said:

Totally. I feel that it's really sad that clubs like the 1-iron, 2-iron, and 3-iron are being phased out. Ben Hogan's favorite club was his 1-iron. Hard to find, extremely satisfying to master.

Didn't Trevino say "If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron."

Of course, Lee was hit by lightning that came through a marsh into his metal cleats when sitting under a tree during a rain delay.

[colin007]

21 hours ago, RFKFREAK said:

Of which I think I've seen you use at least a half a dozen times each time we've played. 

youre misremembering. its an even dozen each time.

[dbuck]

I have a set of Titleist DCI's from about 1992 in 1-PW. The 1 iron is 16*. It has a fairly deep cavity, and was not that hard to hit, even for me when I was using it regularly. I used it mostly off the tee, and sometimes from the fairway. I had pretty good confidence with it off the tee. When I use this set now, though, the longest I carry is the 4i at 24*. I carry 20 and 23* hybrids. The 20* gives me almost the same distance and more confidence than the 1 iron. I pretty much cover the 1-2-3 irons with the 2 hybrids. Although the 4 iron has only 1 degree more loft than the 4 hybrid, it still fills the gap nicely between the 23* hybrid and 28* 5 iron.

[Bump-n-MI]

Hybrids are easier to hit….period.  Those of you that choose not to put at least 1 in your bag do so because of aesthetics, confidence, or improper fitting.   

[colin007]

7 minutes ago, Bump-n-MI said:

Hybrids are easier to hit….period.  Those of you that choose not to put at least 1 in your bag do so because of aesthetics, confidence, or improper fitting.   

 

not me.  i do it because of my massive ego.