3 and 4 iron.....are the no more??

Gumbo

Hi Guys,

im currently playing with a mixed set of clubs i received approx 10 years ago from a great great uncle of some sort. they are made up of john letters 3-SW irons, no name driver, no name putter, some really old wodden 3 and 5 wood, i also have a cracking 1 iron that i like and will be keeping and a 10 wood, yeas its a 10 wood, big wooden head but with a big angle, i love it for 150-17o yard par 3's.

anyway, i checked out some shops over the last day or 2 and in heatons there was a great set of Dunlop MX2 clubs, full irons 3-SW, putter, big 460cc or 440cc driver, 3 and 5 wood, and the usual bag, umbrella etc etc for 199 euro.

but then i was in the golf shop in phibsbourgh and they had a complete set of wilsons, but without the 3 and 4 iron, instead you got a fairway wood and rescue wood, and they guy in the shop just said that nowadays people dont use the 3 or 4 irons, that the rescue is the in thing at the moment.

basically i dont know wether to buy the dunlop set or pay the extra for the wilson set?

i will check in mcguirks the weekend to see what they have as the will also allow trade in too which i suppose would be a bonus.

thanks for listening

MisterAnarchy

kceire wrote: »

guy in the shop just said that nowadays people dont use the 3 or 4 irons, that the rescue is the in thing at the moment.

Maybe for mid to high handicappers but the vast majority of single figure handicappers still use a 3 and 4 iron.
Might just be prestige .
I find a 3 iron alot harder to hit than a 4 iron myself but I rarely need to use a 3 iron in a round.

Gumbo

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Maybe for mid to high handicappers but the vast majority of single figure handicappers still use a 3 and 4 iron.
Might just be prestige .
I find a 3 iron alot harder to hit than a 4 iron myself but I rarely need to use a 3 iron in a round.

thanks.

my 3 iron is like my god!
i havent got alot of confidence in my driver, i know it would be my swing and i need to practice more, but im gona update the clubs then camp out at the driving range ha ha.

i would be a high handicapper of course, so would you recommend go with the set that doesnt have the 3 and 4 iron, but the rescue instead or is it 6 in one hand and half a dozen in the other???

this is the dunlop set thats on offer in heatons : http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/181748625.html

have no link to the wilsons as i didnt think to get the model of them while i was in the shop.

ImDave

Majority of double figure handicap golfers don't hit a 3 iron, and if they don they probably shouldn't. More or less all sets aimed at this market don't come with a 3 iron as standard. For example Ping G10, Callaway X20, Titleist AP1, Mizuno MX-19, Cobra FP/S9 etc. Rescue clubs have just so many more advantages. Loads of pros are using rescue clubs over long irons no aswell, Harrington probably the most prominent at the moment, using a 19* rather than a 3 iron. Sure worked for him in the open!

stockdam

The last time I looked at Wilsons they had strong lofts. I could hit an 8 iron as far as my Ping G5 7 iron so that's probably why they dumped the 3 and maybe 4 irons.

However I have stopped carrying my 3 iron and sometimes my 4.

copacetic

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Maybe for mid to high handicappers but the vast majority of single figure handicappers still use a 3 and 4 iron.
Might just be prestige .
I find a 3 iron alot harder to hit than a 4 iron myself but I rarely need to use a 3 iron in a round.

Not sure that's true, a lot of pros don't even carry a 3 iron. A large number would carry a 3 wood and either a rescue club/five wood/driving iron. It does depends on the course itself also. If you carry 4 wedges which again, a lot of pros/very low cappers do that doesn't leave room for a 3 iron.

If they don't carry 4 wedges they often pick an easier to hit 3 and 4 iron than the rest of the set, eg harrington and mcdowell.

copacetic

EI-DAV wrote: »

Majority of double figure handicap golfers don't hit a 3 iron, and if they don they probably shouldn't. More or less all sets aimed at this market don't come with a 3 iron as standard. For example Ping G10, Callaway X20, Titleist AP1, Mizuno MX-19, Cobra FP/S9 etc. Rescue clubs have just so many more advantages. Loads of pros are using rescue clubs over long irons no aswell, Harrington probably the most prominent at the moment, using a 19* rather than a 3 iron. Sure worked for him in the open!

According to the various golf sites, he did carry a 3 iron (and a 5 wood) at the open as an extra wedge wasn't required.

golfdigest wrote:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Wilson Staff DD6, 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Burner, 13 degrees
5-wood: Wilson Staff, 18 degrees
Irons (3-4): Wilson Ci7; (5-PW): Wilson Pi5
Wedges: Wilson Tw9 (54, 60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball Blade

BrianD3

Have to say that hitting long irons off a tee and the deck is one of the most enjoyable aspects of golf for me. I could not imagine leaving long irons out of the bag. At the moment I carry a 2,3 and 4 and I have a 1 as well but it has fallen out of favour since I acquired a 2 to match the rest of my irons (the 1 does not match)

Rescue clubs do seem to have many advanatges and it is hard to argue against them with the pros using them so much. However IMO the difficulty of hitting long irons is exaggerated and many golfers actually talk themselves out of being able to hit them. Confidence is a big factor. Also people attach too much importance to Lee Trevino's old joke about how "not even God can hit a 1 iron"

Par72

My three and four iron are now distant memories. I carry a 7 wood instead of the 3 iron and a hybrid 4 instead of the 4 iron. One of the main deciding factors was that I think it is nearly impossible to hit a decent shot with a three or four iron out of the rough. With the 7 wood and the hybrid I can hit a nice high, soft landing shot out of the rough. I wouldn't touch a three iron with yours! and I play off two btw.

PhilipMarlowe

Interesting that you carry a hybrid 4 instead of your four iron because I have a hybrid 4 (taylor made burner, 22 degrees) and I find it to be slightly stronger than my 3 iron, though it does have a higher flight?
I still carry my 3 iron though because I can hit a lower ball with it and would be more accurate off the tee too.

MisterAnarchy

Par72 wrote: »

One of the main deciding factors was that I think it is nearly impossible to hit a decent shot with a three or four iron out of the rough. With the 7 wood and the hybrid I can hit a nice high, soft landing shot out of the rough. I wouldn't touch a three iron with yours! and I play off two btw.

Interesting,might consider switching myself.
I admit hitting a 3 iron out of rough is extremely difficult unless its sitting up pretty well.
I can hit a 4 iron pretty well most of the time even out of the rough but a 3 iron is a different kettle of fish.
I have an old Ping 7 wood somewhere ,must root it out and give it a lash.

slingerz

I've a JBoss 4 Hybrid 22 degrees ans its replaced the 3,4 irons and a 7 wood