My score is definitely better when I leave the woods in the bag. I drive around 275 with the driver, but my direction is inconsistent. A ball in the woods here, and in the rough there, really adds up. I play on a links style course, so the rough can be REALLY rough.
On the other hand, I hit my 3 iron around 230-240 off the tee, but it is consistently straight down the middle of the fairway. I have recently only been taking the driver out on really wide fairways. Someone suggested I buy a driving iron.

Anybody out there use one?
What do you think about it?
How much more distance do you get over the 3 iron?
Which is a good brand to buy?

If you're hitting a 3-iron 230-240, I'm afraid...VERY afraid. How much more distance do you want, man?? That's huge enough. 160 to the green...a little 7 or 8 iron?

You know the safest place to be on a golf course during a thunderstorm? In the middle of a green with a 1-iron raised high above your head. Not even G-D can hit a 1-iron!!!

In my bag, I keep a 2-iron and ditched my 3. The difference in loft is very negligible. Instead of the 3, I put in a 16 degree utility club...an Adams 'tight lies' that is a great club to have. Also, the difference between a 3 and a 4 is negligible, so it made sense to use something other than a 3 iron.

There are lots of utility woods out there...they started with the Callaway 7-wood, and just exploded onto the market.

Try some out...but first, don't take the club back so far, and slow down that swing, Magilla! You don't need to murder the ball like that...!

PS: A 'driving iron' will limit you to hitting off the tee. Use a 3-wood if need be, but with the utility club, you get a LOT more versatility...can hit it well out of the rough, can hit it high, can hit it low, it's a great weapon to have in your bag. And you can't get that from a 'driving iron'.

I have a friend who was the pro at the club in Guadalajara where Lorena Ochoa grew up. Just before she took off to college, I got to play 9 holes with the pro and her. I DID play a 1-iron back then, and on the first hole, absolutely hit it perfectly flush...right down the pipe. I should have quit the game right then and there. Pretty impressive, but tough to duplicate a shot like that.

PSST! Go for the 'trouble' club, or 'utility' wood. Driving iron not a good idea unless you play 3 hours a day every day and can groove your swing so that you never mishit a ball. If you can do that, then you don't ever need to ask a question like this!

A driving iron??
Do you mean a hybrid? I have never heard of "driving irons"
I personally use a 5 Iron from the tee, but I'll be trying 4 and 3 Irons soon.

No, not a hybrid. Here is a website that describes them. Driving irons

I suppose I could buy a 1 or 2 iron, but if I'm using it for driving, I may as well try this first.

Thanks Bob. I guess I wanted a little more distance for the long 4s and 5s. I think my swing is so verticle that it just naturally plays better to irons than woods. As I said, I hit the 3 iron reliably straight while most people I know are scared of it.

The utility club sounds interesting. I'm going to have to look into it. Everyone keeps telling me I have to get into these hybrids, Im always a little resistant to change.

As to the 3 wood, I hit that even worse than the driver. I usually leave it in the bag. I'm ok with the 5 wood though, but again, I'm straighter with the irons.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: gasdoc,

If you're hitting your 3-iron 230-240, you don't need to worry about distance with your 4-iron. The 4 should get you around 200, and if you're spraying your driver, you should be more concerned about getting yourself into a position so that your approach to the green is 100 - 160 yards for a short to mid iron. Do check out the trouble clubs...nice alternatives. Magilla.

Misread the post a bit. You want distance for the longer holes...got it. But figure this. How many times a round are you going to be faced with that situation? On a normal course, maybe 1 or 2 times...a tough par-4 that's 430 yards? So you hit a 220 yard shot off the tee, hit a 6 iron 170, and you have a short chip to the green. 20 more yards is not going to make or break you...your approach IS more important. So you want 240 off the tee? Then what? Try to hit a 5-iron 200 yards onto a green and stop it? Or maybe a 6 iron and let it run?

The SMART play is to get the ball close and on the short grass of the fairway, and make your approach the money shot...give yourself a chance to birdie a par-5, and par the 1 tough, long par-4 you might encounter.

Ahhh, forget it. Grip it and rip it, baby!! hit the ball as hard as you friggin' can because without the guts there ain't no glory!! Besides...the true fun of golf is being able to find your ball and then escape. At some point, the score don't mean squat!! So shut up, hold on, and hit the ball as far as you can...!!! LOL!

I spoke to my friend again. He said the club he uses is the Knight Magnum Approach. He says it goes for only 30 bucks. I cant seem to find any for sale though. Its 19 degrees, so I dont know how it hits so far, but he swears by it.

I'd agree with what R&J has to say. I tried a driving iron for a while about 10 years ago. It's a b&tch to use, I don't think I ever got more than 230 out of it and usually just cut grass with it.
The driving range with woods for a few hours sorted that out.

It sounds like a hybrid is exactly what you need in terms of distance, consistency, and playability out of nearly all lies. I only have one hybrid in my bag...a 2i Hi-Bore from Cleveland golf. I typically get 225-230 out of it. It essentially replaces my 3 iron, which like most, I find to be a bit unforgiving. Based on the yardage you've provided, you'd probably get more like 240-245 out of my 2i hybrid...which is a ton of distance. I play golf with a ton of guys who can struggle at times to hit their 3 woods that distance...especially accurately. For what it's worth, I believe you can pick up the club I have for around $60.

quote:

Originally posted by AnRyan:

The driving range with woods for a few hours sorted that out.

I have been playing on and off for 20 years. If the driving range hasn't cured this by now, I dont expect it to in the future. It's not that I cant hit a wood well, it's just not nearly as consistent as my irons. Again, I think this is due to my vertical swing.

My logic is that if everyone else finds the long irons "unforgiving" while I find them to be rather easy to use, while others are consistent with the woods while I'm not, wouldn't it make sense to try an iron that hits very long rather than a wood?

That being said, I have never tried playing with a hybrid as others have suggested. Since this has qualities of both, it might be the perfect club for me. Or maybe not. I'll find out this weekend.

quote:

Originally posted by ryj7x47:
So shut up, hold on, and hit the ball as far as you can...!!! LOL!

LOL. But seriously,your advice in my case is to just stick with the 3 iron off the tee, and buy a utility club for the fescue? That seems reasonable. I still want to try a long hybrid just to see what I can do with it.

Nah...my advice is to hit whatever is comfortable for you. The 'trouble' clubs (hybrids...) are quite forgiving and are ideal for casual golfers. If you're not playing a lot of golf and on the range a couple hours a day working on your game, then ditch the 2, the 3, and the 4, and maybe even the 5 irons, and get the hybrid equivalents.

There's a trade off...hit a clean, pure 2 iron off the tee one in eight shots (the other 7 would make you want to quit the game), or swallow the pride and hit the hybrids and watch your game improve. Once your game improves, then see who is more proud...the guy with the 2 iron, or the guy with the 2 handicap (sometimes there's overlap!).

I like to carry a 2, because I can hit it well most of the time, and I like it when I'm in trouble (which is a lot!). Where I play there are a lot of trees, and so I've really perfected the low punch that gets me distance, too. I ditched the 3 iron for the hybrid and found that I picked up some game with that club in my bag.

This is the first time I hear of the driving irons. They must be unpopular, I don't think I have seen any major brand advertising them.
Thanks for letting me know about these doc.

i'll give you a cobra driving iron,e-mail me your address,but if your hitting your 3 iron 230-240 you should'nt need it,that 3 iron is pro distance..im a good player and when i hit my 3 hard i can get stretch it to 220..but it's yours if you want it.

ps.lucky,they were never real popular,now with hybrids,there never seen,i happen to have one.

quote:

Originally posted by joeyd524:
i'll give you a cobra driving iron,e-mail me your address,but if your hitting your 3 iron 230-240 you should'nt need it,that 3 iron is pro distance..im a good player and when i hit my 3 hard i can get stretch it to 220..but it's yours if you want it.

ps.lucky,they were never real popular,now with hybrids,there never seen,i happen to have one.

That's very generous of you Joey. I put a bid on one on ebay today and I am still the highest bidder, but I wont bid up on it if I get outbid. It seems nobody is making them anymore.

If I was going to pick one club to hit like a pro, it would be my putter, not my 3 iron. Full swing iron shots have always been my strong suit. I dont have to think about anything when I take those shots. I just get up to the ball, aim, and swing. I guess the swing just fits well with my body type. Now if only my pitching, putting, and woods were as easy I would be a good golfer. LOL.

Now, what I have been wondering all day is, do the hybrids swing like irons or more like woods?

i dont play hybrids yet(still under 45 )but everybody in my group has one,there's 8 of us and you swing it like you would your iron,a 3hybrid should be same lenght as a 3 iron thats what make them easier to hit..

if u dont win the auction i will send it to you,it's just in my bag of extra crap i bought..

The pro shop let me take some hybrids out on the course today. I hit them like crap. I swung them like an iron, but I kept putting a wicked top spin on the ball. They seemed slightly longer than my irons too. As I said, I have a very vertical swing. I hit the ball best when my stance cozies right up to the ball and my swing forms an almost perpendicular line to the ground. I cant do that with longer clubs. I know how weird that is, but if I want to break 100, thats what I have to do. BTW, I have a weird putting grip too. Hand over hand. My instructor has pretty much given up on me, as every time he tries to change my swing, I play like I have never picked up a club before. lol. He pretty much works on my short game with me, half swings, quarter swings, etc, and thats it these days.

If your swing is that screwed up, then spend the money on LESSONS and forget messing with your equipment. And if you hit that club like your irons and are giving the ball topspin, that means you are not hitting your irons like you should...that means, you aren't hitting "down" on the ball.

Before you do ANYTHING else, go back to square one and get your swing straightened out.

I find it alarming to see how players claim to hit the ball 100,000,000 yards (the 230 yard 2-iron, and someone else with 280 yard drives), but have questions about the swing. It's a common phenomenon, really...yeah, you can hit the ball a long way, but problem is that people really don't understand how far 280 yards really is...or 230 for that matter!

Go get lessons, THEN get the equipment once you learn how to groove your swing. If your swing plane is that vertical, then no matter WHAT club you have in your hand, it ain't gonna work...and if you continue practicing like that, you're only reinforcing bad habits. If something doesn't work, it doesn't work, and whatever club you have in your hand is NOT going to change that. Plus, if you're not willing to change, you won't improve...and a new club is not the answer.

Get lessons; groove your swing; THEN try the new clubs. You can't buy a game by buying clubs...or, in the vernacular, it's not the putter, it's the putter...