Need a new club

[Golfer gal]

I have about a 30-yard distance gap between my 4-hybrid and my 5-iron... what options are there for an in-between club? 5 wood, 4-iron, 5-hybrid, something else? What would be advantages of each?

thanks!

[JonMA1]

I have a similar gap between my 5w and my 4i. I have had some success gripping down just a bit on my 5w, but that may not be an ideal solution for your situation.

[Piz]

I have a hybrid sitting between my 5 iron and 5 wood; emphasis on "sitting" because I hardly ever use it.  The yardage gap, between the 5 iron and 5 wood, is only evident at the driving range.  On the course; there simply aren't many shots that fall into the gap.  I don't drive the ball far enough to go for a par 5 green, in two, with a 200 yard club; nor short enough to use it as a second on a par 4.  There are exceptions, of course, but they are few and usually the result of a poor effort on the previous attempt.  

[Nutsmacker]

2 hours ago, Golfer gal said:

I have about a 30-yard distance gap between my 4-hybrid and my 5-iron... what options are there for an in-between club? 5 wood, 4-iron, 5-hybrid, something else? What would be advantages of each?

thanks!

I struggled with this for awhile.  Currently, I have a Driver, 3, 5 wood,  5-9 Iron.  And my wedges are 45 degree PW, 50 Degree UW, 53 Degree SW, 56 Degree, and a 60 Degree.  

I removed my 4 iron to add the additional wedge.  My logic in doing this is that I realized that I would rarely ever use my 4 iron when I played a round.  I could go an entire round without ever pulling that club.  However, I like to have a lot of flexibility from about 150 and in so it made sense to pull the 4 Iron.  I can hit my 5 iron about 200...205 on a great day.  My 5 wood I can hit about 235-240.  So I have a big gap between the 5 iron and 5 wood.  when I have a shot that is above 205 and below 230 - I just choke down on the 5 wood and swing easier.  That distance rarely presents itself to me during a round unless I am going for a par 5 in 2 or I duffed my tee shot...in which case I have bigger problems than a 30 yard gap.

I used to worry a lot about the 200+ clubs/distances.  I have a bunch of different 3 woods and 5 woods with varying lofts, I have a 2 iron, 3 iron, a couple of 4 irons....I used to work hard on getting comfortable with those clubs.  But as I played more golf, I was only really using those as driving irons.  I can accomplish all of that with the 5 wood and 5 iron.  So I pulled all of those and added more wedges.  I am playing a lot more shots within 150 yards than I am at 225 so it only made sense..

I think you are generally going to be in better shape to always take your longer club, choke down, swing easy.  I don't consider that longer club distance to be scoring range anyway(unless its a par 5) - I think that I would use that space in your bag for another wedge.

[Nutsmacker]

Or you could go with one of these:

 

[Golfer gal]

Thanks for your input, guys! 

What would the differences be between a wood, hybrid, and iron of the same number? And what would the differences be between say a 4 iron and a 5 wood? 

you may be amazed at these numbers, but my driver gets about 170 yards max, my 3 wood 150-160, and my 4 hybrid 140-150.

next is my 5 iron, which goes 120 if I hit it perfectly.

and I have Christmas money to spend!

[Nutsmacker]

I would try a 7 wood out.  What is the loft of your 4 hybrid?  Typically a 7 wood is 21 degrees...that might fall right in between your 5 iron and 4 hybrid.  Maybe even a 5 wood as it doesn't seem like you have one in your bag.  

Edited January 6, 2018 by Nutsmacker

[Patch]

I agree with Nutsmacker on the 7W. At least give it a try. I carry a 7W myself. It's my "go to" club in a variety of situations. It also fits nicely next to my 5i, distance wise.

[Piz]

The numbers on the clubs are not important.  That is particularly evident if you go back a few years.  For example: I've got an old, TaylorMade, 5 wood with 23 degrees loft and a newer Maltby 5 wood with 18 degrees of loft.  I've got two 3 hybrids - one at 19 and the other at 22.  To find a club that fits between your 5 iron and 4 hybrid you should think about the length and loft rather than the number.  And it needn't be an exact split.  You may find another 4 hybrid, about the same length as your current one only with more loft, that fits the bill nicely.  Bon Chance.

[Golfer gal]

Great advice, thank you. My hybrid is pretty worn, but it looks like 22 degrees. I'll check out loft and length of a few things and let y'all know!

[Nutsmacker]

47 minutes ago, Golfer gal said:

Great advice, thank you. My hybrid is pretty worn, but it looks like 22 degrees. I'll check out loft and length of a few things and let y'all know!

I would look for something around 19/20 degrees then.  What irons do you play?  I am guessing your 5 iron is probably 24 or 25 degrees of loft.  There are some advantages of using irons vs woods vs hybrids.  

A long iron can be tricky to hit and control but will provide you with more spin.  You can use it out of the rough or the fairway.  But fundamentals need to be down pat. 

A hybrid provides you with more forgiveness than an iron and mimics the ball flight of an iron.  You can use it as you would an iron for the most part.  

A traditional wood(7 wood) will have a flatter ball flight, roll more, and is at its best off the fairway.  You can use it on the first cut or some very light rough, but out of deep rough you can forget about it.  

That is at least how I look at it when thinking about the different clubs.  I don't really like the hybrids because you don't really get the full advantage of using an iron or a wood...you just sorta get an OK shot as your best result.  IMO A purely struck fairway wood off the fairway is a great feeling and the results are usually spectacular.  If I am in deep rough at my fairway wood range...my goal is not to hit a green but to get the ball out and advanced down the fairway.  So...i go with fairway woods.

Edited January 6, 2018 by Nutsmacker

[Club Rat]

2 hours ago, Golfer gal said:

I have Christmas money to spend!

LOL, for starters I suggest spending some time in a golf store with used Lady and Junior clubs and possibly look at new clubs there after.
There are a lot of ways to advance a ball from 100 yds through 150 yds.
I know because I've lost a lot of $$ to worm burners, skulled low liners, etc which end up next to the pin by friends.
That said, it's not so much how the ball arrives at the destination or which club does the work.

It's always best to options in your bag to make when playing.
Course conditions and various circumstances (wet, dry, windy, etc) all play a key row on determining a club selection.

That said, "what's in the bag" will make the game more fun.
An example would be having the ability to hit a hybrid and irons various distances. Hit it low, hit a runner, hit it high.

If I had your situation, I would start with building from 120 yds and seek the gap distance clubs which you can comfortably play.
Consider cutting shaft lengths shorter for better contact and control.
You may lose ball flight height, but gain distance. 

[WUTiger]

From what you have told us so far:

Try a 5 Hybrid and 6 Hybrid that match the model and shaft of your 4 Hybrid. See if either of these fill the distance gap.

A related question: what is the loft of your 3W?

[Golfer gal]

My 3 wood is 16.5*  taylormade aeroburner. My irons are all aeroburner, too, but the hybrid is taylormade RBZ, and it's 22*. I tried out a newer version of the 5H in the store, but I didn't love it. 

 

[dbuck]

1. Which type of club (wood, hybrid, iron) gives you better results when hitting of the ground? For instance do you hit your 5 iron or your 4H better off the ground?

Normally I would say that you hit down more on irons, sweep more on woods, and hybrids are in between. At this length, it is still true, but there is less pronounced difference. You are still hitting down slightly with all three, but not as steep as an 8 iron nor as shallow as a 3 wood. For me in this length, a hybrid is a little easier to hit. My 4H is 23* and my 5 iron is 24*, but I can hit the 4H a good 20 yards further.

Do you hit your 4H well?

Based on the information given, I think a good bet would be a hybrid in the 24-28 degree range. You said you didn't love the newer 5H version of your current hybrid; don't be afraid to use a different brand from your other clubs, but I would try to get a similar flex if you like what you have. Try a variety of clubs in the loft range until you find what is comfortable.

[allenc]

21 hours ago, WUTiger said:

From what you have told us so far:

Try a 5 Hybrid and 6 Hybrid that match the model and shaft of your 4 Hybrid. See if either of these fill the distance gap.

A related question: what is the loft of your 3W?

This is the right answer.  I’m sorry but the other responses were practically gibberish.  You are looking for one club shorter than your 4 hybrid.  That is the 5 hybrid of the same make.  That will usually be longer than a five iron and for you that appears to be the case (since the gap between your 5i and 4h is so wide).

[Golfer gal]

I've ordered a 5 Hybrid which is 25* loft, so between my 22* 4H and my 28* (I think) 5-iron. The shaft is the same as all my other clubs except the weight will be 50 instead of 45... I guess that's grams? dont really know the importance of that... 

I hit all my irons pretty well, so I thought a 4-iron might also fit the bill, but this new hybrid will be just like the rest of the clubs in my bag. One big happy family, and I couldn't find a 4-iron with the same shaft.

The new kid should arrive by Thursday, and I'll try it out next weekend and let y'all know how it goes!

Barbara