4 iron or 4 Hybrid? Advice please....

Hi Grians,

I am in a dilemma and want to seek your neutral opinions on whether to keep the 4 iron or use a 4 hybrid.

Well, let me elaborate further.

I've always loved the feel and flight of a crisply struck 4 iron but, maybe because of age coupled by a 1 year layoff not too long ago, i now have a 'distance gap' between my 3 hybrid and 4 iron. I got so frustrated trying with the 4 iron that I went to get myself a 4 hybrid but after trying the hybrid, i'm starting to have 2nd thoughts.....

My distances, as follows:

2 Hybrid :  200m
3 Hybrid :  190m
4 iron    :  175m
4 hybrid :  180m
5 iron    :  170m

What do you think I should do? Keep working on the 4 iron to switch to the 4 hybrid.

Constructive opinions please.....

Thanks

Switch to 4H.  Saves time and much easier to hit.

agreed....  

easier and more versatile...  can hit on fairway and rough also....

I feel that when it comes to your long irons / hybrids, distance is very much a secondary consideration...after all can u hit the green when you're 170m out?......what's more important is what can you get up in the air easily and on a consistent basis?.......for me that's a hybrid....my longest iron is a 6i.......i think that is what should help you decide....if you can hit a 4i more consistently than a 4H, then stick with the 4i.....after all, the distances u provided are when you hit it flush.....

I'd say use the 4H. Heck, I even use a 5H in place of my 5i. I've tried to put away my pride and focus instead on enjoying my game

4H seems like a logical choice base on your stats.

Thanks for the constructive opinions and advice thus far. The Hybrid felt like an obvious choice at first but then, (this is the first time I've ever hit or gotten a 4 hybrid) after hitting the hybrid, I realised I have a problem working the trajectory of the shot.

Maybe i should spend more time on the range working the various shots with the hybrid first before deciding....

Anyway, keep the opinions and advice coming.....

:-)

  

From the way u frame your first post and above reply, u know deep down in your heart you want to keep the 4 iron because u can't forget the loving feel of a flush 4 iron shot..

I'd say go with the 4 iron and practice a tad more at the range. After all, you probably use it for long par 3s and some par 5s only..

Rafi, u have to ask yourself these questions -

1) Are you confident in executing the 4i consistently well at your desire distance and direction versus the 4H?

2) Do you have the time to goto the range to practise your 4i regularly to ensure reaonable consistency?

If both of your answers to the above questions are "Yes", then stick to 4i ...  

What is the trajectory you are trying to work on?  High/low.....left/right?
Again I will ask myself this question.....how many times do I need to work the ball?

I will choose the club that gives me most consistent strike rate.

Personally, I'll prefer the 4H over the 4I...

Due to my age, i use 4H. i still think that the main advantage of 4H is that u can use in 1st or even 2nd cut rough. The disadvantage is the ball will roll more more when it lands on green so making it difficult to attack red pin. To overcome this, I wil still use 4H, let it roll over green and pitch it back for a par or worst bogey.

Rafj wrote:

 .. after hitting the hybrid, I realised I have a problem working the trajectory of the shot.
.....

:-)

You do realise that the 4i and 4H have different trajectory in the first place right? So don't be too hard on yourself with this conundrum.

Golfool made a very good argument; it's very seldom for most of us weekend golfers to attack and land on the green from 170m. My personal take is to use the club which gives you more consistency to get near or around the green safely from that range. If a hybrid gives you that level of consistency, stick to it bro. Cheers

-Yann

google ben hogan iron specs when you are free.  it is on my bookmark page these days.  his loft was 21 degree on a 2 iron which is a four iron today.  his 1 iron was maybe 19 degrees.   point is we are effectively hitting 1 or 2 irons which even lee trevino and ben hogan would hesitate to hit.  why make life so hard for ourselves.

 I stick to my hybrids.  have not seen a 4 iron in ages.  not missing it either.

I prefer the 4H which is easier to handle.

flashpacker wrote:

I prefer the 4H which is easier to handle.

Absolutely, 4H is a no brainer stick, at least to me ... But sometime I would like to use 4i when my inspiration kicks in especially after watching TW who made it looks so easy on Youtube or in one of the tourneys ...

Strictly based on your stats, 4H will fill the gap nicely for your game. It will definitely help u with more constant score, less stress to decide which club to choose. Also like u said, age catching up, 4H will definitely go easy on you.

i can use one hand to count how many times i use my 4h per game..

so if u need that one club to hit that distance, choose the easier one 

haha

Many months ago I posted similar questions on 4i, the best answer was using the 4i to adjust Aircon vent.....

I saw u hit the BFG Fishy 3 irons so flush that day.

mowen wrote:

I saw u hit the BFG Fishy 3 irons so flush that day

Bro, it's not about ball striking. I've been striking my irons flush but the distance gap appeared and rather than having to give my 4-iron some extra oomph to reach 180 and risk the ball straying or change a new set of irons now, I'll go with the 4 hybrid for a few games and decide from there.... 

Thanks to all for your opinions and advice....

Hybrid for me anyway... Seasoned beginner

I have only recently moved to a hybrid (after playing for some years.. am a 15 hcp right now) and it was a 3H from a 3i. I loved what I could do with it (3H) so much that I also considered moving to a 4H - the first day I used the 3H, it was saving me from all kinds of situations that I never thought I could play from. 

After playing around with the 4i a bit more and the 3H. I realized that although the 3H hits so much easier, it was launching the ball on a pretty high trajectory. It was not easy to bring the trajectory down. 

Fast forward a few weeks...when I was caught in a few difficult positions, say an overhanging branch, I realized that I could not use my 3H to hit low running shots anymore. The ball would pop up too high. 

After a while, I decided to keep the 4i in the bag to at least have a club that I can hit it low and running to a decent distance. I think that option is worth practicing the 4i.

To play the long irons well, I found that concentrating on sweeping the long irons have made it so much easier to hit. Balls goes up to the right trajectory and lands softly.

eladnonnac wrote:

........................ Fast forward a few weeks...when I was caught in a few difficult positions, say an overhanging branch, I realized that I could not use my 3H to hit low running shots anymore. The ball would pop up too high. 

Bro, to hit low with a hybrid when you have a situation as described by u above - Move the ball position closer to the centre (say, 1-2 inches infront of centre), choke down your hybrid an inch or so, close the clubhead very slightly and lastly, do a low follow thru (around shoulder height) ... If you want low running shot, no need follow thru, juz straighten your arms at the target after impact. You should be able to get a low trajectory and the distance may be even longer than what you could achieve from the 4i ... BTW, a hybrid can also be used on semi-rough lie (ball half exposed) ...