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Handicap level or age?

RNG

RNG

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What do you think is the deciding factor for whether you use long irons or hybrids? Is it based on swing speed? Handicap level? Ball Flight? Or just personal choice?

I believe it is a swing speed issue! How about you??
 
Swing speed.


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I think it just depends on if you can hit long irons.

It's not age or having a high handicap. The Tour pros use them.
 
I think it is personal choice. I play a 3 and 4 hybrid because they are just so much easier to hit. While I have the speed to play long irons. They come out to low for my liking. Hybrids are just so much easier to hit high, low, fade, draw and hit from tough lies for me. The design of the club makes it like cheating sometime. Also if you look on tour both long irons and hybrids are played. IMO that also lends to personal choice as they all have the speed and skill to hit long irons. The fact not all are hitting long irons means they have some reason for choosing hybrids. At the end of the day it is playing what fits your game best.
 
Personal. I have the swing speed to hit a 3 or 4 iron, but I find the hybrid easier to hit in terms of consistency.
 
Personnel choice. I carry a 4 iron, generally only use it off the tee or punch shots under a tree. I can hit it off the deck when needed. I have never cared for hybrids, mostly a mental block to the heavier weight of the hybrids that I have tried.
If I need to hit something in place of the 4 iron, I have a 7W that works great for me.
 
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Swing Speed. Swing Mechanics.
 
All personal preference I would assume. I have a swing speed over 110 MPH with driver and I'm sitting at a 3 handicap. I don't have driver in the bag right now so I have both a 3 hybrid and a 3 iron. When I get driver, I'll swap based on conditions. I like having the hybrid to come in high and land soft out of any lie whereas the 3 iron is harder to bring it in high out of the rough.

I have the ability to play both and they each have their pros and cons but I generally prefer the hybrid because it's easier for me hit a low hybrid shot than it is to hit a high iron shot no matter what the lie is. I also don't have an issue with hooking my hybrid even though I tend to play a natural draw flight.
 
Personal choice. I can hit a 4 or 5 iron but just make cleaner contact, especially off the deck, a little more consistently with hybrids.
 
Personal preference and the results you get. I cannot stand hybrids or hit them very well and carry a 3 and 4 iron.
 
Personal choice. I've played both, and it depends on the club for me.
 
Well hit 10 shots with impact tape, if they are 1 mark use any iron you want assuming your ss is over 90 maybe. If it is tight but not 1 mark get some GI irons or hybrids. If you are good and you hit a hybrid better than a long iron use a hybrid.

I like my 6 hybrid, it is my 184 club that I can hit 194 ish maxing it out with a little low trap shot.
 
The number 1 factor is the golfers choice. Some guys like long irons and hate hybrids, some guys hate hybrids and prefer irons or fairway woods.

As far as when to consider it, I think age has ZERO factor in who could benefit from a hybrid. Swing speed, ball striking, ball flight/swing path and how you plan to use them all should play a role. Slower swing speed likely will gravitate away from traditional long irons, if you fight a fade, most (in my experience) hybrids are probably your friend as usually they are draw bias.

If you fight a hook, you probably won't like hybrids (again, most) so either a long iron, or the UT clubs that are being more prominent might be something to look at, or possibly even a 7W, 9W or 11W. Michelle Wie has 4 Fairway woods in her bag and she can launch the ball out there further than most men, so it isn't a swing speed issue.
 
Swing speed is certainly a factor. Most of the guys I play with that play a 4 iron can carry one over 200 yards.
 
I think it's all personal preference. I use both because that's the setup that I'm most comfortable with.
 
Personal.
I have the swing speed to hit either. Sadly I suck hitting both so it's whijch ever I feel less worse about
 
Swing speed I think play a major factor.


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Ability, swing speed and/or preference.

Some things just work well or terribly for people. I used to hook the heck outta all things hybrid and because I had the SS to hit long irons, I just kept doing so.

Happened to try them years later, whether my swing changed or the tech did to better suit me, who knows?

But hybrids are better than long irons for me now, by a pretty wide margin. SS be darned.
 
This is a really interesting debate, especially for seniors. Of course, it always comes down to personal choice, but that choice is driven normally by something. For seniors, I believe it's swing speed. With age, my personal experience is that my ball striking hasn't deteriorated, and so I still hit long irons relatively cleanly. They just don't go as far anymore, and definitely not far enough. The OEM's steer us to hybrids, and rightly so for the majority. But, some, myself included, don't get along all that well with hybrids. Some look to higher lofted fairway clubs--Heavenwoods, for example. I'm still searching. Callaway's Steelhead hybrids helped, but, I'm still not as consistent with them as I once was with the long irons.
 
You see hybrids in the bags of kids, seniors, tour pros, and everyone in between. So it's not swing speed.

It is certainly true that some people can hit them, but not long irons, some can hit long irons, but not hybrids, and some can hit both.

If you can hit a hybrid, I think it is a good idea to have at least one in your bag. There are so many different shots you can hit with them.
 
For me I would say it is a combination of conditions I play in (50% first tee time of day when high dew) as they are easier to hit high and straight out of rough and swing speed. If you have the strength and swing speed to hold The face square when hitting through 2-3" of high rough then a long iron is fine.

I find for the early mornings when there is a heavy dew I will park the 4 iron and instead hit my 5 hybrid as it will glide through the rough easier and typically with a better result. When I play later in the day and the rough is dry and if okay lie I will hit the 4 or 5 iron more out of the rough. I have seen so many of my buddies speed up their swing trying to hit a 4 iron out of wet rough and resulting low duck hook.
 
For me it's personal choice. I like the hybrid over the long irons. But can hit both and still carry both depending on where I'm playing.
 
Personnel choice for me.
 
Personal choice. It will all come down to ability IMO of how a player hits their long irons. If they struggle with making consistent contact, then probably might be time to look into a hybrid as a long iron alternative. I have a person I play with who is 72 and still uses a 2i. It may not go as far as it used to, but it's straight and consistent.
 
Personal choice, for me it's irons since I launch the ball very high, even with PX 6.5
 
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