I'm getting a complex about my 3 Iron...

[Sean]

I can hit it, I swear I can. It goes far and straight, can't remember really hooking or slicing one badly. Sure, I have some off-line shots but few and far between and I use the club fairly often off the fairway and once in a while out of the tee box.

I'm far more confident hitting the 3i rather than my hybrid, unless I need to get over some trees (been on the paralell fairway a few times ) or want more height. I spray the hybrid around, but that's a different thread...

Still, everything I read says, "Take that 3 iron (and the 4 as well) and just toss 'em, don't even have them there to think about."

A lot of the free advice I get is "Toss the long irons!"

I hit the stupid thing fine but all this advice is starting to drive me nuts, it's getting in my head and I think about it when I'm about to hit! Like, "I shouldn't be doing this!" but it works out anyway...

Someone tell me it's OK to keep my 3 iron? Please?

...

[LeftyHoges]

I still carry 1 iron dude....

Everything is gunna be fine......
Tell them where to go and what to do when they get there.

[Augster]

Hitting longer irons has to do with clubhead speed.

How far do you hit driver? How far do you hit the 3-iron?

The hybrid will be more forgiving on mishits. This is fact. It is also easier to hit out of the rough.

Players with high clubhead speeds don't "need" to switch to hybrids until they feel the need for more forgiveness.

For slower clubhead speed players, they really don't have a chance with the lower lofts on the higher irons. Even on center contact they won't get the same performance they would out of an identically lofted hybrid.

[Sean]

This was kind of a half-joke, half-serious post. It really in my head though... No shortage of advice out there

Maybe I'm all ass-backwards butg I find it easier to put a solid shot on the 3 or 4 iron than the hybrid I have, plus my irons go where I point them. For some reason I can't master the hybrid as well, but I'm working on it.

If I get in long grass the hybrid is definately easier for me.

[OmegaG5]

I find that I can definitely hit a 3 or 4 iron better and with much more confidence than with a hybrid or fairway wood. Yep, I can hit the hybrid and woods sometimes, and yes, they go further, but consistency? No way!

Why?..... I have no idea

R.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by Sean

Someone tell me it's OK to keep my 3 iron? Please?

It's OK to keep your 3-iron.

But you should definitely get rid of that blade-style putter. Switch to a mallet. It's the new thing. Even the pros are starting to switch to them. They've even got putters with three golf balls buried inside. Damn thing is the size of a dinner plate. You can't miss! You just can't!

[FKA19]

dude , i just put a 2i in the bag. 3i is a-okay

[SilverUberXeno]

Ya, there's a reason Tiger still plays low irons. He's got a 2 last I knew, not sure about a 1.

I was playing a 3 and 4 hybrid in my previous set, and in my new set it's a regular 3i and 4i. Gotta say, I like it better. I even tossed out my new 5W in favor of the 3i. And I'm beginning to hate my 3W too. Anyone got a 2 iron

[Youngun5]

3i is fine if as previously mentioned, you have the club speed to get the performance out of them....if you hit them well, all the more power to you...having those long irons on is such a luxury, especially when the woods aren't cooperating.

i've been blessed and hit both my 3i and hybrids very well....this has made life so much easier as I've geared my hybrids to replace fairway metals instead of irons and It makes course management so much easier knowing you have a full arsenal of clubs at the ready.

[Adam Pettman]

Originally Posted by SilverUberXeno

Ya, there's a reason Tiger still plays low irons. He's got a 2 last I knew, not sure about a 1.

He swaps between a 2 iron and a 5 wood depending on course setup.

[lamebums]

Originally Posted by Sean

I can hit it, I swear I can. It goes far and straight, can't remember really hooking or slicing one badly. Sure, I have some off-line shots but few and far between and I use the club fairly often off the fairway and once in a while out of the tee box.

I'm far more confident hitting the 3i rather than my hybrid, unless I need to get over some trees (been on the paralell fairway a few times ) or want more height. I spray the hybrid around, but that's a different thread...

Still, everything I read says, "Take that 3 iron (and the 4 as well) and just toss 'em, don't even have them there to think about."

A lot of the free advice I get is "Toss the long irons!"

I hit the stupid thing fine but all this advice is starting to drive me nuts, it's getting in my head and I think about it when I'm about to hit! Like, "I shouldn't be doing this!" but it works out anyway...

Someone tell me it's OK to keep my 3 iron? Please?

I've heard people who say you shouldn't have anything longer than a 6 iron. Morons, in my opinion. I'm just like you. I'm in the minority of people who can't hit a hybrid to save my life. I crank my 3 iron out there 230 down the pipe on a good day (these days its 200 because I keep toeing the damn club), but when I hit a hybrid, the ball would pop weakly into the air and go...maybe 160 yards.

Add the toppers, worm burners, sky balls, and banana balls, and I was really spraying it all over the course. I returned it within two weeks, got another hybrid, no dice. The 3 iron is my go-to club, and the club I tee off with on a tight driving hole. I feel confident standing over the ball on almost any lie, knowing I can advance the ball down the fairway. Hell, if I had it my way, I would special-order a 1 and 2 iron to complement my set, and get rid of my fairway woods altogether. God knows they cause me more grief than they're worth, anyway.

The day I can't find a 3 iron is the day my hopes of becoming scratch disappear.

[BStone]

I have never felt comfortable hitting a hybrid, the newest from Taylor Made (TP 07) is the best I have had yet. I always carry my three iron and will use a 2 iron when the course conditions call for it.

[ezra76]

A hybrid is easier to hit than iron. No question about it. If you hit an iron better it could be because of the drastic offset of the irons, this would be the case if the hybrids go right on you all the time. I like a 3iron off the tee but I'll take my 21* hybrid off every other concievable lie. 217 out the rough is still a potential birdie on a par 4 for me. If you can't say that about your 3iron you're missing something.

A lot of guys don't realize a hybrid should be hit like an iron, not even a 3iron either. I hit mine exactly like my 7iron.

[lamebums]

Originally Posted by ezra76

A hybrid is easier to hit than iron. No question about it. If you hit an iron better it could be because of the drastic offset of the irons, this would be the case if the hybrids go right on you all the time. I like a 3iron off the tee but I'll take my 21* hybrid off every other concievable lie. 217 out the rough is still a potential birdie on a par 4 for me. If you can't say that about your 3iron you're missing something.

A lot of guys don't realize a hybrid should be hit like an iron, not even a 3iron either. I hit mine exactly like my 7iron.

Oh, I know it's supposed to be easier than a 3 iron. Maybe I'm on the outside looking in here. My irons have little to no offset. I think I'm just getting the worst of both worlds when I hit a hybrid. I get the unreliability of a fairway wood (I am prone to catching it super thin, or out of a bad lie, top it all together), as well as the sprayed shots. It's not necessarily right - it's all over the place.

217 out of the rough on a par 4 must have meant I had a pretty bad miss on my drive. I'm longer than that off the tee (I play the white tees usually, blues only on short courses.) I'll still crank a 3 iron out of there and probably have it roll up to the green.

I might give hybrids another spin - but you can be sure it'll be with a lot more skepticism this time around.

[BStone]

While I don't disagree with the statement that hybrids are easier to hit than long irons, they are not for everyone. My irons have very little to no offset, they just provide more shot shaping control for me. Also, with most of the hybrids that I have hit, they have a slight draw bias, even some of the "Pro/TP" models have this due to the weight of the hosel not being counter balanced by weight in the toe. With the newer TP model, I was able to have it bent a degree open and 2 degrees flat which has drastically improved the flight of the ball for me.