Utility Iron or 20° 4 Iron dilema

[Myblueheaven]

Good afternonoon all.
Could any of you be kind enough to help with a query.
Im thinking of purchasing a driving / utility iron as the driver on my course can sometimes see the ball get blown out to sea.
I play with a set of Benross HTX gold with graphite shafts with the lowest iron being a 5 iron at 25° but was wondering if a strong lofted iron such as a Cleveland cbx 4 iron with 20° of loft would be as good as a driving iron.
Im not looking at spending too much so at around £50 for the 4 iron cleveland would this be a decent option as the driving irons are more expensive.
Cheers for any thoughts

 

[Curls]

Interesting one. I used to be in the same boat, and had a 5 iron Hot Metal JPX Mizuno with a recoil shaft. That thing went like the clappers. I tried and failed with a number of driving irons but at the time probably did know why.

Most of the older driving irons have stiff and/or heavy shafts and require a decent swing speed to launch the ball. Some of the more modern ones provide a lot more help but genuinely if you struggle to get a 4 or 5 iron out there you won’t get any joy from a 20 degree loft iron be that a 3 or 2 iron or whatever it’s called. Fact is to get the ball going at that loft requires speed. I thought I could just hit my normal shot and it’d be a stinger with a driving iron but it doesn’t work like that. I now swing much faster and have found the Srixon driving iron a great addition to the bag, defo an option in high winds. I reckon most people would do better to just tee the ball down and strike the ball out of the bottom of the driver face. You have all that length of swing and plenty face for forgiveness to allow you flight it down. It takes practice but is worth a play rather than spending £50 on a club you can’t get airborne.

Just my two cents take em or leave em!

 

[Curls]

Have a look at this guy it’s a simple explanation but does the trick, it’s difficult to swing smooth and not try to hit the ball hard into the wind but it’s exactly what you need to do
Wind play Gm

 

[Myblueheaven]

Thanks your response, makes sense to me. I'm not too bad with my 5 iron off the tea but its not a strong lofted club so probably only going 180 max for me. I can hit decent drives most of the time but there are some long par 4s and 5s which due to the high coastal winds makes the driver a no go at times.

Interesting one. I used to be in the same boat, and had a 5 iron Hot Metal JPX Mizuno with a recoil shaft. That thing went like the clappers. I tried and failed with a number of driving irons but at the time probably did know why.

Most of the older driving irons have stiff and/or heavy shafts and require a decent swing speed to launch the ball. Some of the more modern ones provide a lot more help but genuinely if you struggle to get a 4 or 5 iron out there you won’t get any joy from a 20 degree loft iron be that a 3 or 2 iron or whatever it’s called. Fact is to get the ball going at that loft requires speed. I thought I could just hit my normal shot and it’d be a stinger with a driving iron but it doesn’t work like that. I now swing much faster and have found the Srixon driving iron a great addition to the bag, defo an option in high winds. I reckon most people would do better to just tee the ball down and strike the ball out of the bottom of the driver face. You have all that length of swing and plenty face for forgiveness to allow you flight it down. It takes practice but is worth a play rather than spending £50 on a club you can’t get airborne.

Just my two cents take em or leave em!

 

[Curls]

Thanks your response, makes sense to me. I'm not too bad with my 5 iron off the tea but its not a strong lofted club so probably only going 180 max for me. I can hit decent drives most of the time but there are some long par 4s and 5s which due to the high coastal winds makes the driver a no go at times.

You hit your 5 iron farther than I do. Mine is only 2 degrees weaker loft, 180 is far. If that’s the case maybe you could get a 4 or even 3 iron down there. If you’ve got space in the bag and it’s not displacing a club you need, why not. are you shafts regular or stiff? If stiff you could do worse than this - it’s red dot but you can get it bent to standard for free (if they still offer that service through a ping certified pro)

Ping G15 3 iron

 

[Myblueheaven]

Think i may just try a strong 4 iron, been looking for one to match my clubs but cant find one, may try the Cleveland cbx 4 iron.
Cheers for your advice ?

 

[Myblueheaven]

You hit your 5 iron farther than I do. Mine is only 2 degrees weaker loft, 180 is far. If that’s the case maybe you could get a 4 or even 3 iron down there. If you’ve got space in the bag and it’s not displacing a club you need, why not. are you shafts regular or stiff? If stiff you could do worse than this - it’s red dot but you can get it bent to standard for free (if they still offer that service through a ping certified pro)

Ping G15 3 iron

I use a regular shaft also

 

[Curls]

I use a regular shaft also

Fair play. I’m using Stiff Nippon 950. That said I find a light stiff is close to a heavy regular so it’s very manufacturer dependent.

Best of luck - and if you’re still searching try altering the flight with the clubs you have, it’s good fun if nothing else!