5 Iron or 5 Hybrid

[WUTiger]

Since I dropped down to just three wedges, my bag is anchored in 4s.

16* 4W | 22* 4H | 24* 4i

The 4i comes in handy on tee shots when I want to keep it low, and/or a 4H is too much club. Before adding back the 4i, I would airmail about one par 3 green a round with the 4H.

I could probably play OK with 13 clubs; just added back the 4i because I use it sometimes.

[iacas]

Go with a 5H if you can't get the 5I up to speed to launch it high enough in the air.

[billchao]

9 hours ago, Midpack said:

Thanks. My 4h is about the same distance as my trad loft 3i. 

I thought hybrids were about 1 club longer than an iron if both were the same loft?

There's no standard. I have a 4H that I hit as far as my 4I and another 4H that goes as far as a 3I of the same set would, if I had one. Design can vary from one club to another so you'll want to test some out to see which style fits your game best.

[onthehunt526]

On 10/29/2017 at 1:56 AM, TRACON said:

I think Hybrids are a disease.  Yet I too carry a 4h and 5h clubs.  However, as we speak, I’m awaiting my new 5 iron to arrive via UPS and my 5h will go to the golf club grave yard, deep within my garage. When getting out of trouble (dense grass), I hit the irons sooo much better than a wanna be “wood-metal” they like to now call a “hybrid.”   I rarely pull out my 4h either.  

Hybrids a disease? I honestly think they are a cure. They are here to stay. Honestly, as much as I hate to say this, I don't know why I personally didn't switch sooner. 

The issue that most people have these days, the hybrid replacing the iron goes much further than the iron it replaces. If you replace a 3 or even a 4-iron, it's not nearly as much of an issue as it is when you replace a 5, 6, or 7 iron.

However, a few OEM's did solve this issue with "transistion irons"... But they really haven't taken off much. With hybrids that are 1-2" longer than the iron they are replacing, it's tough to replace especially in the middle irons.

To answer, the original poster's question. @MrFreeze it depends. If you can find a hybrid that goes about the same distance as your 5-iron, sure. I would personally recommend possibly trying the GMax 5-iron, which would kind of "marry" both ideas.

[JonMA1]

My opinion should only be considered on what NOT to do, but I enjoy trying to learn to hit long irons. My old set had a 4hybrid and 5-GW irons. When I bought my new set of irons, I opted for 4-GW (no hybrid).

I recently tried to hit my old 4h and had more trouble with it, but when I used it all the time it was probably an easier club to hit.

[Buckeyebowman]

On 10/30/2017 at 6:38 PM, iacas said:

Go with a 5H if you can't get the 5I up to speed to launch it high enough in the air.

Best advice yet! If you can't hit your longer irons much higher than the gutters on a one story house, you're screwed!

A few years ago, I had already gotten rid of my 2 iron for the very same reason. Then the 3 and 4 irons began trending that way, and I figure the 5 was soon to follow. My buddy had 3,4, and 5 TM hybrids and he let me play them. What a revelation! I hit these clubs much further, straighter, and higher than my current irons.

I bought them from him, and no longer play an iron longer than a 6! Go hit some and be pleased!

[Hacker James]

For years I carried (and used) the longer irons. I gave up the 1 and 2 many years ago, but kept the 3 and 4. Somewhere along the line, I started using the hybrid replacements and they are more and more becoming favored clubs, BUT lately I have noted an exception. I seem to hit my 4 iron a lot better and while I have suffered a distance loss throughout the bag, for whatever reason, the 4 iron is an exception and I still get high trajectory and not as much of a distance loss.  The most lofted hybrid I currently carry is the 6h and it is much easier to hit than the 6 iron and about ten yards further. Also, as has been discussed many times, not all hybrids are the same.  My Bobby Jones 21 deg, plays more like a 5 iron, while the Callaway Diablo Edge 22 deg is longer.  Not sure if I need a 5H or not. At times I feel the need for something to fill a gap, but nothing I can really put a definitive finger on.  I definitely need to move up to next tees as I find myself on longer approaches than should be.