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The 3 iron, a dying breed.

SuperStroke
3-irons are being phased out because most people cant hit them and even some pros find that a 3-hybrid is much more forgiving and consistent than a 3-iron. I can hit a 3-iron fairly well off a tee but off the deck you can forget about it. A 3-hybrid is much more consistent and easier for me to hit solidly and I get a higher trajectory with it.
 
When i got my set of 2.0's it came with 4-pw, no 3I, so i got one off ebay to fill the set , hit it 5 times and took it out of the bag . I'm getting the same distance with the 4I .Never hit a hybrid they are strange looking to me at address . I'll be getting a 5 wood soon to fill the 3I spot .
 
Up until about 3 years ago I used to play a 2 iron. Granted I didn't hit it that well but when I did it would go about 260. Now I've replaced the 2 iron with a hybrid and even taken the 3 iron out in favor of a 61* wedge to go along with my gap and sand wedge. The wedge has helped my scores get lower a whole heck of a lot more than the 2 or 3 iron. I find I can hit the hybrid or 4 iron whenever I might hit a 3 iron off the tee. But I probably do need to look at getting a 19* or 20* hybrid instead of the 17*.
 
10-12 years ago my 3-iron was my favorite club. I used to hit it SO well, off the tee, fairway, everywhere. It was the ONE club I had a ton of confidence in. Well, I believed the hype, dropped the 3 and that set years ago, and went the hybrid route. I haven't found a hybrid I like yet. I think it has to do with lack of fitting with the hybrids- meaning, I haven't been fit.

I was talking to two club makers in the last week and two comments came out that I found interesting: first, one told me that with the design of balls these days, it makes it tougher for weekend golfers to get them in the air with long irons (I think strong lofts add to this). Secondly, the other fitter recommends a 5 hybrid, cut to three iron length, and shafted within 10g of one's irons for the 3-iron we replace. Replacing a 2-iron, he says go with the 4 hybrid, shaft length equal to the two you're replacing. I like this idea. I think what makes hybrids SO hard to hit is they're as much as 30g lighter than irons we play and they're much longer than the club we replace. Longer and lighter is the marketing route, but it may not be the best choice in the hybrid part of your bag!
 
i think the the jacked up lofts i really don't need a 3 iron anymore. i hit my 4 plenty long. and if i need something off the tee i can hit a 4 and not have any issues.
 
Buckjob said:
i think the the jacked up lofts i really don't need a 3 iron anymore. i hit my 4 plenty long. and if i need something off the tee i can hit a 4 and not have any issues.
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Can you control the trajectory of your hybrid? I couldn't and that's why I hated them. Honest question here.
 
JRod said:
Can you control the trajectory of your hybrid? I couldn't and that's why I hated them. Honest question here.
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Of course. If I want to hit it higher off the tee then I just sky it a bit. If I want it lower, hit it thin. Voila!!! :act-up:


Tapping till 12-21-2012
 
I think the 3-iron is the most useful iron in the bag and it would be a shame if club makers stopped offering them. I find it's the best option off the tee in windy conditions or when the fairways are really tight. Tiger uses his Nike VR_S Forged 3-iron (bent to 2-iron loft) off the tee all the time now and he leads the tour this year in total driving.

For those that can't hit the 3-iron that came with (or matches) their set, try a 3-iron from a SGI set like the Nike VR_S Cast or TaylorMade RBZ irons. You can pick up a single iron custom built to your specs for around $50 now after all the recent price drops. This is just my opinion but I think the 18° Nike VR_S Cast 3-iron is better than any hybrid I've tried, including the beloved Mashie. The SGI design makes it really easy to hit, the wide sole makes it fairly effective out of the rough, and the Dynamic Gold SL shaft helps keep the launch angle and spin down for a more penetrating ball flight in windy conditions.
 
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Not sure why 3I are even part of a standard set any more. Sure, a very small percentage may like the idea better but I would wager that for 95% plus, the 3I is a dinosaur. I have a 3I in my Rapture V2 set. Can I hit it? Yes. It is better than a 3H or 7W? Not even close. And the V2s are pretty easy clubs.

In 2012 the 3I is basically a speciality club. It will always have a few fans, but it really should not be a standard part of a set any longer IMHO.
 
The only 3i I ever hit consistently and liked was the TaylorMade R9 TPb. I don't know why that was the one I could hit, but it was nice to me.


Tapping till 12-21-2012
 
I'm really wanting a 3 iron. I am trying to decide if I want to attempt to locate a j38 to match my set, or go with a SGI like the the burner 2.0 or Razr X.
 
Buckjob said:
i think the the jacked up lofts i really don't need a 3 iron anymore. i hit my 4 plenty long. and if i need something off the tee i can hit a 4 and not have any issues.
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Thanks Buck for making many of us feel like less of a man. We're not all Bubba Long ya know. :D


Tapping till 12-21-2012
 
I respectfully disagree. As of today, 4 of the top 5 ranked players in the world still carry a 3-iron in their bag every week so I think it's fair to say that the 3-iron still has a place in the "standard" set. I agree that most amateur players do not have the requisite swing speed or skill to effectively play a 3-iron but for those that do, it is a very useful club, especially in windy conditions.

Also, I think if we were to discard from the "standard" set any club that most players cannot use effectively or for which there are "better" alternatives, I don't think we would be left with much to play with. What percentage of amateur players can hit their driver with any degree of effectiveness or consistency? Their fairway wood? Should we all use anchored long or belly putters because they are more effective than standard putters?

TwoSolitudes said:
Not sure why 3I are even part of a standard set any more. Sure, a very small percentage may like the idea better but I would wager that for 95% plus, the 3I is a dinosaur. I have a 3I in my Rapture V2 set. Can I hit it? Yes. It is better than a 3H or 7W? Not even close. And the V2s are pretty easy clubs.

In 2012 the 3I is basically a speciality club. It will always have a few fans, but it really should not be a standard part of a set any longer IMHO.
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tacotruck said:
I respectfully disagree. As of today, 4 of the top 5 ranked players in the world still carry a 3-iron in their bag every week so I think it's fair to say that the 3-iron still has a place in the "standard" set. I agree that most amateur players do not have the requisite swing speed or skill to effectively play a 3-iron but for those that do, it is a very useful club, especially in windy conditions.

Also, I think if we were to discard from the "standard" set any club that most players cannot use effectively or for which there are "better" alternatives, I don't think we would be left with much to play with. What percentage of amateur players can hit their driver with any degree of effectiveness or consistency? Their fairway wood? Should we all use anchored long or belly putters because they are more effective than standard putters?
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Well first, tour players are not part of the discussion on a standard set for most golfers, but even if they were what percentage of tour players still carry a 3i? I bet that percentage goes down every year.

Second, you make my point when you say most amateurs can't hit one. I agree. That's why it should not even be part of a standard set any more. For a huge majority, its a useless club and they will go out and buy a hybrid anyway. If 90% use a hybrid and 5% use a 3I- which logically should be a part of a standard set and which should be the speciality club?

Finally comparing a 3I to a driver or putter doesn't really make much sense. But lets say we do. When graphite shafts were introduced on drivers they were originally for slower swinger. Steel was standard and good enough for 'real golfers'. Except graphite turned out to be better than steel for just about everyone and now steel shafted drivers are antiques. When the huge driver heads started coming out they were for hackers, 'real golfers' used small headed drivers. Except that the larger heads and other tech made them easier and better for just about everyone. So now drivers with smaller heads are pretty hard to find.

A hybrid is not a whole different class of club, it is a alternative design for long irons which, for 95% of golfers works better.

I am sure some will hang on to the 3 iron to the grave and for some its the best choice, but the trend is pretty clear. The 3iron today is not a useful or even a relevant club for most.

______________________

- for fun I looked up the percentage of tour players using hybrids. I could find only stats from the 2004 Darrell Survey- so I am sure the number is higher now, but in 2004:

"They found 65% of professional golfers on the PGA Tour, and 80% on the Champions Tour now use at least one hybrid club, with many carrying more than one in their bags"

That pretty much says it all.
 
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tacotruck said:
I respectfully disagree. As of today, 4 of the top 5 ranked players in the world still carry a 3-iron in their bag every week so I think it's fair to say that the 3-iron still has a place in the "standard" set. I agree that most amateur players do not have the requisite swing speed or skill to effectively play a 3-iron but for those that do, it is a very useful club, especially in windy conditions.

Also, I think if we were to discard from the "standard" set any club that most players cannot use effectively or for which there are "better" alternatives, I don't think we would be left with much to play with. What percentage of amateur players can hit their driver with any degree of effectiveness or consistency? Their fairway wood? Should we all use anchored long or belly putters because they are more effective than standard putters?
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Very few points ever equate between tour players and amateurs. Especially using the top 1% of the top 1% of golfers doesn't make the point stronger.

I think it has been said enough in this thread, the "3" on the sole of the club is meaningless nowadays. Most GI sets don't need a 3iron.

Also, belly putters are not more effective. Sorry, I bit.
 
I like my 3i. I can get it in the air and on line pretty consistently. Out of the rough, forget it. Wrists and forearms aren't up to it.
They're 2 different beasts for me. When I hit it decently, the 3i is more accurate for me than the hybrids I've tried. A mishit goes nowhere, whereas a mishit hybrid still goes forward. Hybrids are far easier to get out of the rough.

If I had issues getting a 3i in the air, then hybrid would be far better for me. If I spray the hybrid all over the lot, 3i would be the one. For the moment, I'll keep the 3i with a longer (18*) hybrid because they fill 2 different distances when hit properly and I can hit one in place of the other without too much difficulty as required.
 
JRod said:
Can you control the trajectory of your hybrid? I couldn't and that's why I hated them. Honest question here.
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That is why I like my 3 iron too. The hybrids were great, but just for putting them out there. I couldn't ever get one to hit a knock down.
 
Having been around the game for a few years I know this. In the last few years club makers have been cheating to increase distance by jacking up lofts. I know when I compared my new r9 irons to my old Top Flite Tour irons the TM's were jacked up like a monster truck across the whole set.
What this means in terms of a 3 iron is - the modern 4 iron is really a 3 iron and the 3 iron is really a 2 iron and 2 irons are harder for amateurs to hit than hybrids. With hybrids being much more useful and versatile than a 3 iron most manufacturers started selling sets starting with a 4 iron, and then selling you a hybrid for 1/4 of the price of your iron set....
 
I can see why they aren't really that common, especially in GI or SGI sets. Not that many people want one.
 
Agree with you on the lofts being stronger in the "new" clubs. In my set (CG16's) the 3-iron is 19* a 1-iron from the 80's was in the 18*range. In some sets its as many as two clubs stronger like mine, so these clubs are hard to hit even with all of the modern technology.
 
I don't think I have a gap to fill with a 3-iron any more. Had a 2 and 3 in the old set, but in the new razr x set there isn't room for a 3...

5i - 190-200
4h - 200-210
3h - 210-220
3W - 220-240

I'm taking the 5W out of the bag as its redundant with the 3h. Everyone's yardages are different, but I expect the pattern is similar. No room for a 3i.

Stronger lofts, superior shafts, hybrids. Only reason to have one is because you like them. With most folks hitting a hybrid more easily, seems 3 and 2 irons are a dying breed. I do miss my 2 for punching out of trees though. :)
 
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