Longer Par 3’s / Club choice

[AdamC28]

Hi all,

As a little background I am pretty new to the game of golf, only starting last summer.
Average round for me is in the mid 90’s but feel I am improving all the time.

I am now driving the ball pretty consistently and happy with my ball striking with lower (7) iron down and wedges.

My local course has 2 longish par 3’s at roughly 180 yards each off the yellows.
I am really struggling with these 2 holes and I’m looking at a potential new purchase to use off the tee on these holes and from the fairway on longer par 4’s.

If you have or have had this issue before and struggle to pure your 5 iron what do you use?
Thinking hybrid, GAPR, etc?

 

[garyinderry]

Titleist 27 degree 915 hybrid.


Dumped the 5 iron a couple of years ago. Best thing I ever did.

 

[Orikoru]

I don't really hit my 5 iron unless I really have to. If there's no danger at the front of the green I might hit 6 iron and just say if it's short it's short, try and get up and down for par. Or if it's on the longer side and you'd rather be at the back of the green then I could hit a kind of soft hybrid - but a full swing with that is probably too much. I also have an old graphite-shafted 3 iron which would be an option (haven't been using this much in the winter though).

It's probably worth you having a hybrid in the bag if you struggle with long irons. I used to really struggle with hybrids as well, but I'm finally making some decent progress since I got the G25.

 

[GG26]

4-iron for me

 

[bluewolf]

A hybrid is your obvious choice there. Quite a lot of people carry 6-PW sets now and then hybrids to fill the gaps at the lower end of the bag. And it's not just high handicappers either. Garyinderry above is a cracking golfer and he loves a good hybrid. He's the forum KJ Choi.

 

[jim8flog]

That is Hybrid/rescue length for me these days.

In my 20s it would have 7 iron

No one can really advise you without knowing how far you hit each club.

 

[Robin Hood]

I would really struggle with a 5 iron for this distance, so I use a 4 hybrid.
It's also good off the fairway too.
It's a Ping, and cost me £20 on Gumtree.

 

[IanM]

Whatever you need to carry the distance with enough height for it to stop on the green!! Logically its likely to be a hybrid, but echo Jim's comment above...

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Titleist 27 degree 915 hybrid.


Dumped the 5 iron a couple of years ago. Best thing I ever did.

^^^^ this I have a 25 degree TM rescue dual, its years old but a great standby club when the longer irons are mis-behaving.

 

[popeye]

As others have said get a hybrid but also don't let your who get in the way-if you feel you need to lay up then lay up.

 

[garyinderry]

A hybrid is your obvious choice there. Quite a lot of people carry 6-PW sets now and then hybrids to fill the gaps at the lower end of the bag. And it's not just high handicappers either. Garyinderry above is a cracking golfer and he loves a good hybrid. He's the forum KJ Choi.

Put a new half set of irons into the bag yesterday. 716 mb 7- pw. Haha

 

[Lord Tyrion]

First thing, forget about ego and take whatever club gets you there. For me, for 180yds, that would likely be a 3 wood depending on wind direction, carry distance etc. If the breeze was into me I'd take driver if necessary. Don't get hung up on par 3 = iron.

 

[AdamC28]

Thanks for the reply’s so far.
Currently I have nothing between my 3 wood and 4 iron but I really do struggle with the the 4 and 5 irons so essentially don’t have a decent shot between 3 wood and 6 iron.

That is Hybrid/rescue length for me these days.

In my 20s it would have 7 iron

No one can really advise you without knowing how far you hit each club.

7 iron for me is around 145-150.

 

[Grant85]

Definitely would look at hybrids.

in theory something at 23 or 24 degrees would replace a 4 iron and 18 or 19 degrees to replace a 3 iron.

I personally love a 3 wood off the tee, and would almost certainly be hitting that at those holes you describe. I also use this a lot for short par 4s or tighter drives. However I never use it from the fairway and would feel far more comfortable hitting a hybrid.

If you were only adding 1 club, then try and find a hybrid that is long enough, as that will probably be more versatile for you to play from the tee and on the ground.

Probably my ideal set up of longer clubs will go something like;
Driver / 3 wood / 20 degree / 5 iron.

The 20 degree to effectively replace my 2 hybrids (18 degree and 23 degree), resulting in a lighter bag and fewer options to make a mistake with.

 

[bluewolf]

Put a new half set of irons into the bag yesterday. 716 mb 7- pw. Haha

Good man. You know the Titleists make sense. I'm a CB man for life now, but if I was to change it'd be CB 5-7 & MB 8-PW.

 

[Orikoru]

Thanks for the reply’s so far.
Currently I have nothing between my 3 wood and 4 iron but I really do struggle with the the 4 and 5 irons so essentially don’t have a decent shot between 3 wood and 6 iron.

In that case it's 100% worth shopping around for a hybrid to give you another option. Maybe take the 4 iron out and put in a hybrid at somewhere between 20-23°.

 

[need_my_wedge]

If you struggle for distance with the 5 iron, then switch for a hybrid, either 5 or 4 should sort you out.

 

[bignev]

Hi all,

As a little background I am pretty new to the game of golf, only starting last summer.
Average round for me is in the mid 90’s but feel I am improving all the time.

I am now driving the ball pretty consistently and happy with my ball striking with lower (7) iron down and wedges.

My local course has 2 longish par 3’s at roughly 180 yards each off the yellows.
I am really struggling with these 2 holes and I’m looking at a potential new purchase to use off the tee on these holes and from the fairway on longer par 4’s.

If you have or have had this issue before and struggle to pure your 5 iron what do you use?
Thinking hybrid, GAPR, etc?

23 degree hybrid for me.

 

[Imurg]

There are par 3s that,sometimes, it's safer to not go for the green.
Playing short and leaving a fairly straightforward chip and run might be better than going for the green if a few yards either side leaves you in deep trouble..
Worth considering.
Also, be careful about hybrids.
Many people replace a 5 iron with a 5 hybrid of similar loft.
Chances are that the hybrid will fly further than the iron by virtue of the longer, probably graphite so lighter, shaft, lower CG so higher launch and more carry.
Simply replacing 5 with 5 or 4 with 4 is guesswork.
I have a 26° 5 iron and a 26° hybrid.
Hybrid goes as far as a 4 iron would - 12-15 yards more than the 5i....

 

[patricks148]

or better still lean to use the 5 iron, it thats the club you pick then you think you can reach with the 5, so you must be able to hit it that far.

have a lesson or, my preferred would be just go and play a few round s with the 5 as you lowest club. a few rounds doing this and you will be striping it