Iron sets these days.. No 3 or 4 irons?

[scotth]

So have been studying different irons sets that are offered these days, and see that most of them start with the 5 iron.  I am curious to hear from people that have purchased a new set recently and what they purchased to use for distances that in the past would have been a 3 or 4 iron?

I know for most of these sets you can add the 3 or 4 back in, so also wondering that.

How many people added the 3 or 4 iron and why?  What woods or hybrids are you carrying instead of a 3 or 4 iron and why?

I know the rationale was many people don't hit the 3 or 4 well, and understand why it club makers have gone this route, just curious what people are hitting.  I have always hit both of those clubs often and pretty well.  All input is welcome, very undecided if I want to add the 3 and 4 iron or hybrids. 

I have hit some hybrids and have good results, not really any better than the irons and it seems weird looking down at address at them.

 

Edited August 9, 2017 by scotth

[DaveP043]

I still have a 4-iron, and hit it 185 yards or so, with roughly 10 yard gaps going down through the irons.  Next longer from there is a 19-degree hybrid that goes around 200.   Lots of people are subbing in more hybrids or higher-lofted woods instead of the long irons.  Its all about figuring out which clubs work best for you.

[rehmwa]

I'm torn between two very different paths to take.

I'm not hitting the 5i very well at all.  Love hitting the longer hybrids though - no issues.  So I have three options:

1 - buy the 4i and practice with it but not have it in the bag - just practice.  That usually makes the shorter clubs much easier to hit.

2 - dump the 5i and get the next hybrid for that distance (about 190 yards)

3 - dump this 5i and get a different 5i in a more forgiving design

(4 - suck it up and get better with what I have)

Edited August 9, 2017 by rehmwa

[Vinsk]

4 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

 Its all about figuring out which clubs work best for you.

Well, yeah....or which one invokes the least shame while providing some positive outcome on the course. 

[arturo28mx]

I don't hit the 5 iron very well. Much less the 4 iron. So from the fairway the highest I'll go is 6 iron. I have a good short game so I don't mind landing a few yards outside the green. I can usually do a good up and down. 5 iron only from the tee.

[Joeyvee]

I just ordered a set that only had 5-AW. I hit the 5 over 200 so there's no need for a hard to hit 4 iron. 

[Pretzel]

I ordered my set of MP4's in 3-PW and I use the full set of 3-PW. 

When I got my first set of full sized clubs I had hybrids for my 3 iron and 4 iron since I couldn't hit the long irons very well. They were hard to hit until I started really getting fundamentals down and made solid contact with frequency. As I grew and my swing speed sped up I found that hybrids were sending the ball too high up into the air for me, so I dropped the 4 hybrid and used a 4 iron. This was around the same time that I also picked up my set of s55 irons, which were surprisingly easier to hit than my old Eye 2's. 

For about 6 months I would switch between my 3 iron and my 3 hybrid depending on the conditions for the day. If I knew it was going to be windy, I'd use the 3 iron, but otherwise I'd use the hybrid since I could hit it further. Then I reshafted my irons with shafts of the proper flex and gained enough distance with each iron that the comparison between the hybrid and the iron itself was only 5-10 yards difference, but I felt I could control the iron a lot better (keeping it low particularly). I started playing more and more rounds without switching back to the hybrid until I found out that I didn't really miss the hybrid much.

The only place the hybrid really excelled for me over the iron was off the tee. I could hit the hybrid about 20 yards further off the tee than the iron, but I thought about it and realized that if I'm hitting a 3 iron off the tee distance is usually not my concern. A 3 iron is more than enough for me to reach any par 3, and if I hit it on a par 4 tee shot it means I'm trying to lay up short of some hazard, so distance doesn't matter. If I want something slightly more accurate than my driver off the tee I'l hit 3 wood, but even those times are pretty rare since I can just swing smoothly with the driver and get similar results with more distance if there is trouble on either side. 

I hit the ball well enough with my irons that the hybrid doesn't fill a necessary role for me anymore. For me it causes me to give up flexibility for marginal gains in a situation that I would rarely use it in. I mishit the 3 iron still sometimes and I know the hybrid might have helped in that case, but those mis-hit's are usually toe-y hooks anyways and I really don't want them to fly much further in the first place. My most common mis-hit is catching the ball a little bit thin and my iron can handle that just fine, since it goes mostly the same distance just with more roll than usual. 

For me the benefit of being able to more easily control the trajectory of the shot was worth the risk of having a less forgiving club to hit. Playing on plains courses the wind can pick up to be pretty stiff, meaning I play a lot of golf where I need to flight the ball. I don't play many courses that require (or encourages) a forced carry of 230 for a specific shot, but if I did I might consider using the hybrid to play that course over the iron just to ensure that I can clear whatever hazard is placed in front of my target. 

 

If you're interested in a 3 iron or a 4 iron I'd say give them a shot. Compare the results on a launch monitor with the hybrids you're looking at and think about the distance gap the club would fill. If you're not confident in the club, regardless of whether it's a hybrid or an iron, it's probably going to be worse even if you could benefit from the other club a bit more. Going to a launch monitor and mapping out what you use the club for lets you choose the type of club that you know will suit you best without causing yourself to second guess your decision out on the course. You never think, "Dang, I wonder if I should've put the hybrid in my bag" if you made your decision based on which would objectively provide more benefit.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Pretzel

[Piz]

My 4 iron got edged out by a 22 degree hybrid.  It didn't happen overnight; just a slow realization that the hybrid was the more reliable of the two.  The decision was made at the driving range.  When out on the course - I rarely employ either.

[pganapathy]

Of late I cannot hit my 3-iron very well, but can get about 200 to 210 with that when it clicks.  Go down by 10 yards for the rest of my set.

Will be getting a 4 hybrid in a couple of weeks and will butt-trim a 3 wood so that I have decent yardages and gapping and possibly will pull the 3 wood if I am not able to hit it well.

For me the main reason iron sets are starting from a 4 or 5 is because of the decreasing lofts of modern day sets.  You would either have a very low lofted 3 iron or would have a very small loft and hence distance gap between the clubs.

[Shindig]

Depends on the iron set.  I'm ordering new irons next week (yes, next week) and I'm buying 5-P.  The set I'm buying as a 4I and UW available, but I'm not buying those.  The other set I was considering has 3I - 52degree available. 

I plan to get a 22 degree hybrid to "cap off" the iron set.  If the launch monitor numbers were accurate at the fitting, I estimate hitting that 180-185, down to the PW at about 115-120.  Fortunately I have a reliable system to figure out my distances one I get the clubs!   If those numbers are accurate, though, I'm more worried about filling the 90-110 yard range than I am with higher values (whether by manipulating a club/swing or a club itself).

[JxQx]

I currently play 4-pw with a 2 hybrid that I am not really a big fan of. I find it that I always hit draws/hooks with hybrids. I'm planning on switching to a cross between a hybrid/iron (titleist T-MB) for the 2 iron. 

[WUTiger]

With my X20 Tours, I hit 5i and above reasonably well.

I have the 4i and 3i, but don't use them much since I reshafted lighter. I carry a 4i and 4H, and use the 4i mainly for an occasional tee shot, or for punching under trees.

With my mainly Taylormade back-up bag, I have the SLDR irons. The 4i-7i have the Speedpocket filled with a polymer. So, the 4i and 5i launch almost like a hybrid. The 4i is deadly when hit from a tee (scary control!) but I tend to do better with a 4H from fairway lies.

One thing to consider: if you're on the line for buying a 4i, consider getting the 4i and 5i softstepped. A little extra launch could makes these clubs winners. And, a 4i could end up among your Sweet 16 clubs. These clubs that are at the ready, but maybe two of four clubs get left at home depending on what course you play.

[MarvChamp]

I have ALL of them. When I gave a friend some nice persimmons for his collection, he gave me the JPX Fli-Hi #3 and #4 that came with his last set. Later, I got the JPX-800 HD set with a 4 and 5 iron. When I was more of a "player", I could hit a 3 and 4 iron well. So I will play the 4 iron from time to time, thinking I can relive some old glory. But the only glory shots I have hit lately are with the Fli-Hi's. So, sadly, the 4 iron must go in storage. I'm fine with the 5 iron, probably because these are MAX GI clubs. -Marv

[Denny Bang Bang]

8 hours ago, scotth said:

 

How many people added the 3 or 4 iron and why?  What woods or hybrids are you carrying instead of a 3 or 4 iron and why?

 

I like having a 4i in the bag, it is easier to control ball flight than with a hybrid, and I use it all the time to hit a low trajectory punch or draw.  I have a hard time controlling trajectory with hybrids (maybe it's a practice thing ultimately, but it is where my current game is).  Hybrids are however more forgiving, so I like having a 3h in the bag.

[onthehunt526]

On 8/9/2017 at 1:07 PM, scotth said:

So have been studying different irons sets that are offered these days, and see that most of them start with the 5 iron.  I am curious to hear from people that have purchased a new set recently and what they purchased to use for distances that in the past would have been a 3 or 4 iron?

I know for most of these sets you can add the 3 or 4 back in, so also wondering that.

How many people added the 3 or 4 iron and why?  What woods or hybrids are you carrying instead of a 3 or 4 iron and why?

I know the rationale was many people don't hit the 3 or 4 well, and understand why it club makers have gone this route, just curious what people are hitting.  I have always hit both of those clubs often and pretty well.  All input is welcome, very undecided if I want to add the 3 and 4 iron or hybrids. 

I have hit some hybrids and have good results, not really any better than the irons and it seems weird looking down at address at them.

 

It usually depends on the iron design.

Iron designs usually fall into one of three categories: Players, Game-Improvement (GI for short), and Super Game-Improvement. (SGI for short).

Players irons if bought in the big box store you usually can get in 3-PW in actual irons.

GI Irons: if bought as a set and if they have all irons are usually 4-PW + GW sometimes are 3 and 4 hybrids and 5-PW.

SGI irons: mostly as set usually is 6-GW with 4 and 5 hybrids (at least what I've seen, some have a 6-hybrid)

All of that being said, Acushnet (Titleist), Ping, Mizuno, Tour Edge (it's a running joke on TST that I'm a paid Exotics staff player), and other manufactures, offer iron "sets", in price for a set of 8 divided by 8 times the number of irons you purchase.

Hell, Titleist doesn't even post a price for a set on their site, it's a individual club price.

I actually bought all 10 of the irons that we're made for my set. I don't play my 3 iron very often. I prefer a hybrid in that spot. I alternate my 4-iron with a 4-hybrid depending on conditions.

They do make iron like hybrids if you don't like the look of fairway wood looking hybrids. For instance the Titleist T-MB or the Mizuno MP-H5.

[upndown21]

I play ping g25 irons 5-pw and recently ditched my Adams idea 22* for a titleist 816 h2 21*. My hope was to get a hybrid that plays more like an iron as I find that in dense or fluffy bermuda rough I often than hit a pop up. I am realizing as my ball striking improves I should probably get a 3 and 4 iron.

With that said I carry my 5i close to 200 and unless I am playing a really long course (6900 yds or more) my hybrids only get used 1-2x other than on the tee box.

[saevel25]

On ‎8‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 1:07 PM, scotth said:

So have been studying different irons sets that are offered these days, and see that most of them start with the 5 iron.  I am curious to hear from people that have purchased a new set recently and what they purchased to use for distances that in the past would have been a 3 or 4 iron?

Doesn't matter. The new 5 irons go as far or farther than the old 4 iron.

You'll have 5 thru Gap Wedge. In the past it would be 4 thru Pitching Wedge. Clubs just go shifted around a bit, but you still have to put together a range of yardages with good yardage gaps between clubs. It doesn't matter what the number is on them.

On ‎8‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 1:07 PM, scotth said:

I have hit some hybrids and have good results, not really any better than the irons and it seems weird looking down at address at them.

Hybrids are a big help for people who struggle with swing speed. It allows them to get good yardage gaps at the top end of the set.

[mcanadiens]

Really any iron longer than 6 is pretty dodgy for me, although I'll hit my five at 160 for lack of any better option. I carry a 4-hybrid to bridge the gap between the 5I and my 5W.

My 3I is still in the bag, but serves almost exclusively as a puncher for keeping shots below tree branches and such.