An addition to the golf bag

I'm putting a 3-iron back in the bag. I ordered my last set of Pings sans 3, and in the interim have (tried to) hit all manner of hybrid and high-lofted fw as a substitute but it just ain't getting it done. I went with more of a game-improvement head -- G25 -- than my i20s. I know that's antediluvian/recidivist/Luddite; it's a more comfortable look and the proof is in the ball flight and traj. I certainly won't nut every one; I never came close to that level of perfection with all the alts I tried.

 

for 15 years I kept my driver out of my bag completely (one could make the argument that I was scared of using it, I guess) and constantly used my 3-iron off the tee. I have a slice so bad that it can be outright dangerous for some, but using the 3 I could hit it low and straight, although not very far, but better short on the fairway than long and way O.B.

then I bought a Callaway FTI (before it was made illegal) with a heavy draw weight on it, and as ugly and terrible sounding as it is, it changed my game. I can hit my driver without fear and I hit it well, and I left the 3-iron out of my bag.

but I missed it, so I've done the same, abandoned a hybrid and put it back in the bag, and while it doesn't get a ton of use, it has saved me on occasion

 

I got tired of hitting the 3 iron fat all the time. Hybrid for me is very consistent and I know what the ball is going to do and where it is going. Nice higher ball flight for me as well with the hybrid. Lands softly on the green from 200 out (for me) where the 3 iron was more of a lower ball flight that would not hold the green as well.

 

R, nothing much the three of us did at Shadow Creek resembled golf, anyway. Now there was a good amount of brilliance at Coyote, and someone had three birdies on his card and a low-80s tally. And we had Jelly. But, yep, our ball flights couldn't be more dissimilar.

lionel, my neighbor has driver dyspepsia, as well. Hits a ton of long irons off tees leaving a lot of long irons in. And it's so ironic since the easiest club to hit in the modern game is the driver. It's about the size of a Beetle, most of the entire face is a sweet spot, if there's enough loft it is all systems go. He picked up a gently loved, several-year-old driver from callawaypreowned a few weeks back and -- BINGO -- he now rips driver.

 

Today's 3-iron is like yesteryear's 2-iron.

I hit my 4-iron pretty well. A lot better than a hybrid plus I like the low irons for punching out from under trees and out of the fairway bunkers.

 

Loft creep is going on, for sure, and most notably at the short end of the bag.

 

Better try to find one that floats.

 

nice one!!

 

I still play my 3. but I love my hybrid as well.

my issue with hybrids is it's almost impossible to keep the ball down when you want to in the wind.

that's where my 3 comes in very handy.

 

I gave up my 3i at least 15 years ago and my 4i three years ago.

My current bag (besides my wife):
D, 3W, 24 Degree Hybrid, 5-PW, GW, 54W, 58W, 60W, P.

7.6 Index, but I'm an old guy (>60).

 

Rory got his club back..

I think The Donald scolded him for throwing a 3-iron into HIS lake. :evillaugh



http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/03/donald-trump-gives-rory-mcilroy-thrown-club

 

5 wedges is fine, but why 52/54 and 58/60?

you'd think you'd want an even spacing like 51/54/57/60 or something.

 

My Wedges:

Mizuno MX-25 PW: 46 degrees
Mizuno MX-25 GW: 50 degrees
Mizuno MP-R: 54-10
Mizuno MP-R: 58-10
Cleveland BH: 60 degrees

The Cleveland 60 has a lot of bounce, and I use it out of greenside bunkers only. The 54 and 58 are low bounce which I use just about anywhere inside of 85 yards, including long bunker shots.

 

And that's just flipped for me. My long irons fly ICBMish and the hybrids are cruise missiles.

 

I keep forgetting what they've done to lofts these days.

I remember not too long ago when my PW was 49 deg, now that's a GW.

 

Absolutely correct. The 5-G lofts in my current bag are about the same as the 3-9 lofts in my bag 20 years ago.

 

Yep, there are some 44-degree "pitching" wedges in stock sets now and some 3-irons lofted like Hogan's 1.

 

Very similar to myself Ken. I've never been too fond of hybrids and finally put a 3 iron back in the bag a year or two ago. I too ended up getting something a bit more forgiving, a Mizuno MP Fli Hi. I found one for $40 a handful of years ago in a clearance bit at a course I was playing and had it reshafted with the proper shaft.

 

funny, I did the exact same thing. And in all honesty, one of the reasons I picked the driver that I did was b/c I'm left-handed, and there wasn't a large selection of left handed drivers available.