Do we still need to use 4 irons?

I am picking up my 4i again now that I am hitting ok with my 5i.

I will choke down on her slightly, take a nice wide stance, ball fwd of sternum,
with the tempo of my wedge, swing down to compress and take a nice divot.

Helps with my long iron contact.

Just my humble take ...
cheers

After a good long long 10 golfing years.... with my 3 and 4 irons...

is going to plunge into the Hybrid/Rescue/Wood region in the coming Isetan sale.

Wish me luck!

Hee Ha :-)

I still like hitting 4i vs Hybrid.

For whatever reasons, I can not seem to control hybrid consistently. For easy of hitting, I agree hybrid is much easier to get ball up and longer but least my missed 4i will not miss green left/right by 20 to 30 meters. Usually I tend to suffer distance from missed 4i not dispersion and this is main reason why I still use 4i

Also thinking about dropping the 3i and getting a rescue/hybrid.

eqtrend wrote:

I still like hitting 4i vs Hybrid.

For whatever reasons, I can not seem to control hybrid consistently. For easy of hitting, I agree hybrid is much easier to get ball up and longer but least my missed 4i will not miss green left/right by 20 to 30 meters. Usually I tend to suffer distance from missed 4i not dispersion and this is main reason why I still use 4i

Stick a light steel shaft on your hybrid and try it again?

vhew wrote:

Also thinking about dropping the 3i and getting a rescue/hybrid.

May I ask how well you hit you 4i and 5i?

Derek wrote:

vhew wrote:

Also thinking about dropping the 3i and getting a rescue/hybrid.

May I ask how well you hit you 4i and 5i?

5i i hit pretty consistent, around 165-170m. 4i is a bit of a hit and miss...around 180m

Derek wrote:

vhew wrote:

Also thinking about dropping the 3i and getting a rescue/hybrid.

May I ask how well you hit you 4i and 5i?

I just saw your club list. Looks like you are pro hybrids. Would you consider going back to irons or were the hybrids game changes for you?

vhew wrote:

Derek wrote:

vhew wrote:

Also thinking about dropping the 3i and getting a rescue/hybrid.

May I ask how well you hit you 4i and 5i?

I just saw your club list. Looks like you are pro hybrids. Would you consider going back to irons or were the hybrids game changes for you?

I'm not really pro any style of club, be it woods, irons or hybrids. I am just a big fan on whatever gets the job done.

The first set I bought (TM XR-08) had super strong lofts and longer than normal, link below

http://www.progolfjapan.com/nk_1301_2008xrirong1/

I did not know at the time that the 5,6 and 7 of my set was equivalent to a 3,4,5 on a set with standard lofts. All I knew was that I had neither the talent or swing speed to hit even the 7 properly, let alone the 5 iron. In any case, I had bought a 25 deg R flex TM burner rescue at the same time and found that much easier to use. On the range it was easier but the real magic was on the course. I could at least advance the ball even on shots that would have resulted in complete duffs if I was using long irons.

I was also having lessons at that time at JCC and having a couple of sessions at the range and exec course specifically on using the hybrid really helped.

I still practiced with the longer irons, hoping to one day learn how to hit them, but on the course, the hybrid always gave better results.

Along the way, I also picked up a 28deg hybrid in a light steel shaft to replace my 6 iron. However, that club is now with my spare set.

I used to use 18 deg hybrid cos I could not handle woods off the deck, the shorter hybrid was easier even at the same loft. But I have now progressed to using a 5 wood off the deck. The 3-wood is strictly for use off the tee on some holes. At 13.5 or 15 deg, it will probably go shorter than my 18 deg 5 wood off the deck given my swing speed and ball striking level.

If my swing was good enough such that the dispersion, both direction and distance, was as good with a long iron and it's equivalent hybrid, I would probably be indifferent to either.

However, given club design and physics, that is unlikely to happen for me. I like clubs that try their best to send the ball straight even when I put my lousy swing to it. The hybrid is going to outperform the long iron in every department given my slow swing and lack of talent.

And if a genie comes along and magically adds 20mph to my swing speed, I might think of replacing my 5 hybrid with the 5 iron. As for the 3i and 4i, if more than half of the touring pros have hybrids in their bags as replacements for one or both of these clubs, there must be a good reason why they are doing it right?

I still have Iron 4 in my bag. The best part is that if the head wind is very storng, I will use it for a ponch short (easy swing), it make the ball flight is much lower than my other club, so that the ball can stiraght to green, but the ponch short distance is only can reach about 160meter.

YM

I still do.

The 4 iron is still an important club. You can do a long par 3..approx 175-185m.
Also a low punch shot if you need to get it under a tree or something. Hybrid shot
is too high, can't do that.

at the risk of generalising ... I am guessing the 3 of you above have swing speeds (driver) above 100mph and can drive the ball (carry + roll) more than 250m (on a good drive)?

Hi, Derek, I don't know my swing speed, my driver is CG black, if I hit correct, normally at 220 meters.

YM

But yes, I have to admit, hybrids for low punch shots under tree branches are absolutely useless ... those are one of the few times I wish I had a 3 or 4 iron in the bag

Derek wrote:

But yes, I have to admit, hybrids for low punch shots under tree branches are absolutely useless ... those are one of the few times I wish I had a 3 or 4 iron in the bag

I would normal use my 5i or choke-down 3h for low punch shots. At times, it works great, other times, it sucks.

derek derek...

4i is a must... i just took out my 2i recently in favour of a 4w...

but i still play my 4i to abt 20 degrees loft wihich is between a 2i and 3i...

and my game is as messed up as ever...

TDO wrote:

At times when in tight situation like there's an overhanging tree branch, I would use driver, 3W or 5W depending on the height of the overhang branch. It got me out of trouble a number of time already.

Couldnt agree more with you on that....

Derek wrote:

at the risk of generalising ... I am guessing the 3 of you above have swing speeds (driver) above 100mph and can drive the ball (carry + roll) more than 250m (on a good drive)?

Bro Derek, my swing speed is below 100 and I still use my 4i. Unfortunately my set doesn't come with a 3i or else I would use it too. Somehow I always badly hook my hybrid.

i find irons are easier to play punch shots from under the tree (waywardness of driver allows me lotsa practice). A half swing is more than enough to get the ball forward about 120m for my 5i for a hip level punch shot..very useful to use under trees.

personally i find that my 4 hybrid gives me more distance than my 4 iron..mostly due to the additional mass behind the face that generates more distance..

Yes, i do use my 4i for long par3s off the tee and also to punch shots when i am caught near trees.