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Long Irons vs Hybrids - Alternate Shots

SuperStroke
My Hybo may not always go exactly where it's aimed as I tend to push it right every now and again for some dumb reason but I don't:
a) hit it fat fat fat
b) thin it to win it
c) want to break it over my knee on every second use
...like my old 4 iron.

And even if I do a) or b) then the results are not near as punishing.
 
I started playing just over a year ago and my first set had 4/5/6 hybrids so I know nothing of these irons people are talking about. I do know that I love hitting my 5 hybrid.
 
No conflict here, I am a hybrid guy. Currently using a 3 & 4 and occasional put an old TM Rescue 5 hybrid in the bag. For me, its an age thing. At 60 I just can't find the power I need to accurately use a 3 or 4 iron. Hybrids neutralize that for me.
 
Personally I say everyone should have at least one hybrid in the bag. Generally they are longer, easier to hit, and are much more forgiving than an iron counterpart.

I always played a 3-PW set since I have started in golf. Never thought the hybrid was worth even giving a shot. They looked funny and sounded terrible to me. A few years ago I tried one out and thought to myself "Why haven't I had one of these in the bag before?" I think they have changed the game for the better and really are a great utility club that can be used from many lies.
 
I used to use a 3 iron but every since switching out to a mashie 3 hybrid I will never go back to a long iron. In fact, I got to play this weekend at Ponte Vedra Inn and Club Ocean course. It has some difficult holes that can be even worse when playing into the wind. I was playing a decently long par 4 I had about 185-190 for my second shot and it was directly into the ocean breeze. I pulled out my trusty M3 and hit a beautiful low cut into the wind that landed about 20 ft from the pin. Probably my best shot of the round. I love my hybrids and hit them so well. I am really thinking about getting a 4 hybrid... All that to say, I will never go back to long irons again.
 
Wake said:
I think I may need to experiment with a 3 hyron...
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You can hit the Altitude Friday as much as you want buddy.
 
Philly Golf Guy said:
You can hit the Altitude Friday as much as you want buddy.
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With C Kua shafts? You don't know it yet, but you essentially just placed 3 of your clubs in my bag for the entire round.
 
Is there anything in golf more beautiful than a well struck 3 or 4 iron with a little draw and a piercing ball flight? If a guy can pull that shot off with any regularity it becomes awfully tough to take those clubs out of the bag.

I've had TM Rescues, Nickents etc. that have had their moments but other than digging a ball out of the rough honestly can't say I miss them much. My 4-iron and tee shots off shortish par fours seems to be a pretty good match right now.
 
I can see both sides of this. I'm able to hit my irons well, not very long, but well. I replaced my 3i-4i with iron style hybrids for the advantages I see off of the tee, even though I can't seem to hit them as well out of the rough. I use a true hybrid as more of a 5W replacement since I like the versatility (fairway, light rough,and off the tee), that it provides.

Oh, and for that under the tree shot no need to carry a 1i, a choked down 3h with a low follow through works great.
 
DufferToo said:
I can see both sides of this. I'm able to hit my irons well, not very long, but well. I replaced my 3i-4i with iron style hybrids for the advantages I see off of the tee, even though I can't seem to hit them as well out of the rough. I use a true hybrid as more of a 5W replacement since I like the versatility (fairway, light rough,and off the tee), that it provides.

Oh, and for that under the tree shot no need to carry a 1i, a choked down 3h with a low follow through works great.
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Getting off topic, but I consider my knock down out of trees to be one of the strong points of my game (thanks to a wild tee game) and I never use anything less than a 6.
 
Wake said:
Getting off topic, but I consider my knock down out of trees to be one of the strong points of my game (thanks to a wild tee game) and I never use anything less than a 6.
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I had a errant tee shot land right in front of a tree on Sunday. Less than 20 feet in front of me with branches and plenty of leaves about 8 ft off the ground. Had to also carry a ditch that was about 160 out. Hit the perfect stinger 4i that traveled under all the branches, climbed just a tad, but and landed about 50 or so yards past the ditch. A 200+ yd stinger is not a shot that anybody is gonna have in their bag with a hybrid. Sure, some find them easier to hit. I do too. But they're just so much easier to hit REALLY high and REALLY OOB. At least for me.

I'm personally about to ditch my 19* 913H and get a 18* Cally X - Utility.

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I'm a iron guy, I cant hit a darn hybrid for the life of me...
 
My first set of clubs once I finally got serious enough to buy a real set of clubs had 3-5 hybos, so I don't really have any experience hitting long irons. I enjoy my hybrids enough that I put a 2h in play instead of my 3w though. I've wondered how I would like long irons, but the only ones I've got to try are from the 70's, and I'm not sure they would compare favorably to my hybrids simply due to age.
 
I have been seriously thinking about picking up a hybrid to swap out my 3I for a while now. I mainly hit the 3 off the tee now but have had a couple of long shots out of the rough recently where I hit 3 or 4 iron and had the longer grass grab the head and hit a pretty mean hook. Hybrid probably would have made those shots a little easier. Since its almost the end of the season here for me I will probably wait till the spring to get one though.
 
At the moment I hit my hybrids more consistently than any long irons. I'd love to be able to hit the longer irons better and am working on it, but for the time being I get the most using the hybrids so I'm OK with that.
 
Good topic. I bought hybrids (3 and 4) as part of my new set this past winter. But only to end up regreting it and I now have my irons back in the bag. I went with them because i just figured its the way to go with the flow and follow the trend and all the talk of how easy they are to hit vs the long irons especially out of rough etc... It just wasnt happeneing.

My 4iron was and is one my favorite clubs and that may sound strange for a higher cap player to have a long iron as a favorite I know. Between my 4iron and 5w they are both my lay-up tee shot clubs (depending on distance). Not only was my 4i a favorite for playing that role but i just have pretty good success with it in general (relatively speaking within my game).

I just couldnt hit the hybs as good as often. After too many beatings and tons of effort i finally said "why am i doing this?" , "why am i insisting on the hybrids?" . "why am i beating myself up?" I think it was simply because everyone just says so. So I put a 4iron back in my bag. My 3iron stayed out but thats due to the 5w and addition of a lob wedge and another story. I just feel they were a waste for me. Dont really know why I decided to go with them in the first place other than i thought it was what I was supose to be doing. I wish I made the switch back much earlier this season.
 
JB said:
It falls apart a bit when you look at tour professionals however. They have plenty of swing speed and yet more are adding it than ever before and at last count it was something over 65% and even 70% in some tournaments.
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But their speed is matched with center of the face accuracy. When there is speed without center of the face accuracy, hybrids become penal. VERY penal.


It's very easy to understand.


TTing
 
Renren89 said:
Personally I much prefer the hybrids because I find them much easier to hit from the rough or a fairway bunker as well as just as easy to hit from the fairway.

My hybrids cut through rough like butter
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This, rough and fairway bunkers, is the only reason I carry a 3 hybrid. I seem to have mental block on the tee and in the fairway with hybrids. I alternate between topping them, and hitting them WAY left.
 
O'Carroll said:
This, rough and fairway bunkers, is the only reason I carry a 3 hybrid. I seem to have mental block on the tee and in the fairway with hybrids. I alternate between topping them, and hitting them WAY left.
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Please. You don't hit anything way left... :alien:

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I think a lot depends on where you play most of your golf and what sort of shots you need to play.

My home course is tight - it has a lateral water hazard along the right side of 9 par 4/5s and along the left side of 4 par 4s. It also isn't extremely long by Joburg standards, so I carry a 1 Hybrid (17 degree) instead of a fairway wood as well as a 3 iron and 4 iron.

I popped the 1 hybrid in the bag instead of my 3 wood as I found that I just didn't need my 3 wood on my home course. I'd hit it maybe once a round and it was a waste of space in my bag. The 17 hybrid is great off the tee instead of the driver when accuracy is at a premium, and when I'm swinging well it's just fine for my 2nd shots on par 5s too. The hybrid gets used maybe 5 or 6 times per round.

I normally hit my long irons pretty well and when I don't I find that the miss isn't very punishing, so it's a safe play. They also come in really handy when I find myself in a spot of bother in the trees. We've got a lot of willows on our course and the branches hang real low on some of them. A low 3 or 4 iron punch shot is something that you learn how to hit pretty quickly.
 
I love how these alternate shots cause such controversy every week. :banana:

If a tour player benefits from the added forgiveness and ease of use then us Amateurs will also benefit.
 
Zenger said:
I love how these alternate shots cause such controversy every week. :banana:

If a tour player benefits from the added forgiveness and ease of use then us Amateurs will also benefit.
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I dont think its as simple as that though. It depends what one is looking to do and just how they go about making thier shot choices. There may not be a need for a hybrid in ones bag. I dont think that just because tour pros use them means we will automatically also benefit too.
 
rollin said:
I dont think its as simple as that though. It depends what one is looking to do and just how they go about making thier shot choices. There may not be a need for a hybrid in ones bag. I dont think that just because tour pros use them means we will automatically also benefit too.
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I agree one might not have a need if you can hit a long iron well. But there's a reason they are in 60% of tour bags. They feel they have better misses with them than a long iron. And if a tour pro has better misses why wouldn't most amateurs?

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Thainer21 said:
But their speed is matched with center of the face accuracy. When there is speed without center of the face accuracy, hybrids become penal. VERY penal.


It's very easy to understand.


TTing
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Are you saying that three irons aren't penalizing for mishits?
 
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