Is the 4 iron in danger of extinction from most club players bags....

I have a 3 and 4 hybrid and they both play very well, easy to shape but still need a good swing to be true like all clubs I suppose. There seems to be a lot of willy waving about irons against hybrids but if Tom Watson reckons they make far more sense then I'll trust his call on the matter. He's pretty good you know.
 
4i staying in my bag. Mainly for one of our long par 3's.

Into the wind I find my 4h just flies to high, gets hit by the wind, and won't make it. If I nail my 3h it's probably a little long and there is a big drop off at the back of the green, you don't want to be down there !!

A well struck 4i seems to be on the money.
 
since starting golf ive never been able to hit a 4i off the deck or the tee. Last month ive developed a hook with the hybrid so thought sod it try the 4i now i got a new swing and wow i love it! last couple rounds found my self reaching for it a few times but strictly from the fairway or tee only
 
It's a funny thread as I struggle to hit my hybrid, always snap hook the bloody thing or push it right, cos I don't release cos I'm scared I'll snap hook it. I played for almost 18months before I got anything longer than a 3 iron. As a result I spent a lot of time hitting irons and am really confident with 4 iron down. Hawkeye I hear what you are saying but I hit my irons a pretty long way. If I need a four iron to reach the green and the lie is uninviting my new approach is to hit two wedges it seems to cost me far fewer shots ;)
 
I wasnt expecting this many replies when i posted the topic.....

Gareth....No bother thread jacking Pal....It would have really kept the ball rolling:whoo:.....


Anyway from reading all the replies there seems to be about a 75/25 split for the Hybrid....
As some have said its relatively easy ti hit and more forgiving...But i would argue that i wonder how many of the players that have dumped the iron how the would get on with a 4 iron for say 1 months if they were to play there course without any woods in the bag.....

Just hitting irons for the 4 weeks....Ill have a gamble that most would be surprised at how well they get on with a 4 iron given time....

My 4 iron is 24 degrees also as the set i play are players clubs....
But one thing that i dont understand are the people that say they can hit a 5 but not a 4...In some cases there is barely 3/4's of an inch difference between those 2 clubs yet it still causes problems.........

Why dont those same players have the same issues with say a 5 and 6 iron....

Another point that im a bit puzzled about is the hybrid that has a longer shaft when compared to the 4 iron....Im not sure if others are the same but ball position for both those clubs is the same at address....

So why cant those same players hit a 4 iron....They stand further away with the hybrid yet they find it easier to hit!

Im not totally against hybrids they do have there uses i have a Ping i15 20 degree.....But 1 issue i do have with the hybrid is that its very easy to hook..One thing thats a very rare occurrence with my 4 iron....


I see so many replies to Imurgs post about players not being able to hit their woods yet they can hit equivalent lofted hybrids....Im not being ignorant but how can someone not hit a 5 wood but be able to hit a 17 degree or 19 degree hybrid....

I suppose it horses for courses......
 
Imurg said:
At the end of the day, for the majority, a 4h is more versatile than a 4i - it's as simple as that....
Click to expand...

I would suggest that there is also an element of a 4h being easier to get in the air of the deck than a 4i for a huge number of players as well.

I fall into a group that has both, and swaps them around in an effort to find one that my head will let me hit consistently - I can hit both, enjoy both, but have this head problem that won't let me swing either 'like a 7 iron' for long!
 
I am a massive fan of the 4 iron(22 deg in my case) and I put a lot of practice time into it.I also have a new Cobra Baffler Rail H 3 Hybrid(19 deg) that I am slowly getting into. I have never been that good at hitting hybrids and some of my best shots ever have been with the 4,they really are not that hard to hit! I am still juggling what to put in the bag as I have 3 and 5 woods,my 3 hybrid,my 4 iron,and 4 wedges,but at the moment I hit most of my long clubs better than the hybrid for sure.
 
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Why dont those same players have the same issues with say a 5 and 6 iron....
Click to expand...

Like I said, it's all in the head...Golf is 90% mental and 10% mental. If you hear enough people saying a 4i is hard to hit, soon enough you'll believe them.
 
well my 5 or 6 iron is my play safe second shot on longer Par 4s or a Par 5, but the 3 or 4 hybrid is more often than not going for the green and cause I can shape it left and right or middle most days then it works well in that respect.
However I may well like a 4 iron and would need to play with one for a while to see if I did like it but then I'd need to borrow someones for a good few range sessions. When buying my next set of clubs I'll consider it but given my hybrids work so well especially out of 1st or 2nd cut rough then would the 4 iron do the same?? General consensus is no but I haven't tried it so happy to go with what I have.
 
Until a few months ago, my 4 iron was used off the tee only. A bit of adjustment in my stance though and I am hitting mine so sweet off the deck. As has already been said, there is something insanely satisfying about puring one and watching the ball soar onwards and upwards. Love it!
 
No chance my 4-iron is going anywhere. I deffo find it a more accurate club. I only use my hybrid for 2nd shot on our par 5's to get in range for approach to green.

I use my 4 iron into the green for our long par 4's

A 4-iron was my shot of teh day last Sunday when I hit the pin on the (185yrd) Par 3 8th.

Each to there own, but mine is going nowhere
 
No.

:(

Over my dead body.

"I dont think that i will ever get rid of the 4 iron..I carry my 4 iron about 170 yards..I think that they are more accurate than a hybrid of the same loft....Ok maybe a little shorter in length but im not sure thats a better trade off for accuracy...."

Nice....

didn't even have to think. :)
 
I used to have 1 iron all the way thru to LW but over time have replaced 1,2 and 3 with 3 wood, 2h and gap wedge.

It seems to me that the hybrids have been designed to be more playable for more people so with handicaps not on average coming down over the years the answer must logically be yes the 4 iron is in danger of becoming extinct in most peoples bags and a new generation of players will not even think that it would be normal to have one.

For me, a drilled 4 iron with a touch of draw is worth waiting 1 in 10 shots for in a way which a hybrid just can't compete with but the trend in my bag is to gradually accept this vanity can't compete with the lower score of more playable clubs but I hope I can draw the line at the 4 iron
 
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