3 iron or hybrid?

My new clubs are 4-PW so I have to look for a replacement for my 3 iron but am not sure whether to go for a 3 iron again or a hybrid.

Looking at the Adams hybrids, the recommended loft for a 3 iron replacement is 19 degrees which I find odd as a 3 iron is 21 degrees. I'm sure there is some technological reason for it but as I already have a 19 degree 5 wood, I'm wondering whether it would be pointless getting a 19 degree hybrid.

I have no issues with getting a 3 iron - I am comfortable hitting the 4 iron - but wondered if anybody else has had the same issues and what they decided.

I've currently gone back to my 3-iron and have been hitting it as well or better than almost anything else....which is nice. Tried the more 'typical' hybrids and don't get on with them that well (have the Adams Pro Black 16° which is reasonable but I'm never as happy as I should be with it) but I'd recommend the MP-FliHi hybrid replacement irons from Mizuno - I have the 2-iron, which is in the bag at the moment and the 3-iron, which is great but as I'm hitting my set 3-iron so well.....

3 iron all the time.

Can't hit a hybrid......

Humpyd wrote:

Looking at the Adams hybrids, the recommended loft for a 3 iron replacement is 19 degrees which I find odd as a 3 iron is 21 degrees.

I find that odd too, it would normally have a higher degree of loft as a hybrid head has more volume and a longer shaft, so naturally a hybrid of the same loft would go slightly further.

I find the face on the hybrids a bit shallow generally.Easy to pop one up in the air from a decent lie.Personally I go down to 4 iron and then drop to a 3 wood down the shaft.

I'm so pleased I'm not the only one who can't hit a hybrid. Bought one when they first came out and couldn't get the thing airborne. Chopped it in and got a gap wedge instead! I hit a 3 iron reasonably well most of the time (famous last words!!)

3 irons are getting hard to hit because they have so little loft these days.

Today's 3 iron would have been a 2 iron 30 years ago.

Hybrid every time.
I dropped my 7 wood & 4 iron for 19 & 23deg hybrids and haven't looked back since. The hybrids are so much more versatile as well as forgiving (they need to be!).

George1507 wrote:3 irons are getting hard to hit because they have so little loft these days.

Today's 3 iron would have been a 2 iron 30 years ago.

Not mine. I have a pretty 'traditional' 22° in the 3-iron from my MacGregors. In actual fact, if I hit it properly as I seem to be doing at the moment, there's absolutely no problem getting it airborne and sometimes the shot apex is pretty high.
I guess this is one of the problems with a lot of the OEMs greasing the lofts on their irons so that you think you're hitting your 6-iron miles - you're not, you're hitting a 5-iron with a number "6" on the bottom. OK in the mid-short irons but gets messy on the long irons.

"I'd recommend the MP-FliHi hybrid replacement irons from Mizuno"

I would agree with NBS - I have the 3 iron FliHi - excellent club. However, this is very much personal preference - I prefer hitting irons to woods so probably natural that I would prefer the iron hybrid to the wood hybrid.

Have a 3 iron in the bag always and depending on the lie, would either use that or a 5 wood.

Hybrids, tried 'em, but just don't like 'em!

Also, do not bother with a 3 wood as I can fairly easily carry the 5 wood 210 yards, so most holes are within reach with a good drive and a 5 wood for me, even at this time of year.

my 3iron and hybrid go the same distance but with the Hybrid it flies higher and carries further, stopping quicker. alot easier to hit into greens imho.
also i find it easier to hit the hybrid outa non perfect lies.

each to their own!

Hybrid for me, but then both sets I've own didn't have 3 irons. My 4 iron is around 22degrees, so have this past weekend invested in a TM RBZ 19degree hybrid. Literally goes like a rocket (so far only used for one round)

Hend has almost stolen my thunder...regarding ball flight....Bit of a recap first though.

I gave up on 3 and 4 irons 2-3 years ago and have carried 3 hybrids in my bag ever since (18,21 & 24 deg) then 5 iron etc...no 3 or 5 wood either. I also have a 15 deg hybrid which I used to exchange for the 24 deg on windy days. So that's been my bag for about the past 3 years...up until last month.

With all the swing changes I've worked on I'm now striking the ball so much better. As a result I tried my 4 iron again and found that I can now hit it fairly consistently well. On a calm day it goes about the same distance as the 24 deg however....into a 2 club wind it can penetrate 20-30 yards further purely because of the lower more penetrating ball flight So it can match, even beat the 21 deg into the "breeze".

That just means I have options for different conditions. The added confusion that I've just added to the equation is that I picked up my new Ping i20 irons last night which I'm hitting about 1/2 a club to a club further than the old G10 irons. I therefore need to put some more thought into overall bag configuration again.


In summary...
1. Hybrids to me are easier to hit and should be to most people
2. If you can hit both well low irons offer a lower more penetrating trajectory in the wind. Rescues offer a high ball flight, quick stop option.
3. Don't constrain yourself, if possible give yourself options for different conditions

Thanks all for your comments.

I think my concern with replacing the 3 iron with a hybrid is that I find it a lot easier to hit an iron low into the wind as opposed to a wood.

I bought new irons last year which were 4-pw, but I was so used to having the 3 iron that I ordered it as an addition. Having done so I then realised that I'd not been using my old one, carrying 3 & 5 woods and 3 additional wedges. Undeterred, I acquired a 4 wood and now use that instead of the 3&5 and carry the 3 iron. I planned at the time to make them interchangeable, putting 3&5 wood back in for the 3 iron & 4 wood if the conditions dictated it, but tbh I've never yet played a round where I really felt I needed that combination. The only time I hit the 3 iron is if I need the low boring flight that others have mentioned (par 3s of the requisite length aside) and that's off the tee more often than from the fairway.

My 3-iron goes quite high, is this the wrong ball-flight for that club?

One thing to consider when picking a hybrid is whether you want it to directly replace the 3 iron yardage or whether you will use it to fill a bigger gap between your 4 iron and 3/5 wood.

Someone above said they had a 16° hybrid which would go a lot further than a 3 iron.

I have an 18 hybrid but have never really managed to get to grips with it too much. Works fine for me off the tee, but off fariway and semi rough (where it supposed to be advantageous over a long iron) I have never really fell in love with it. A few set ups for the bag for me - 15 degree 3 wood, 18 degree hybrid 4iron... when i leave out the hybrid I go for 17 degree 4 wood (a 7 year old titleist with a small compact head thaat i absoultely adore and have never really got to grips with any of the newer hotter faced and bigger headed fairway woods) the stick the 2 iron in the bag.

I've got a 16 and 19 degree utility as a gap between driver and 3 iron.16 deg runs like a sailors man sausage on links.

Personally i prefer my hybrid to be a 1-2 iron- therefore i have both.

The choice is personal if you want a 3 iron length hybrid or a 3 iron.

however the hybrid will be easier to hit, it will cut through rough better, and can be used in many other scenarios(out of deep rough, chipping, etc)- however it wont have the distance control of a 3 iron(only if you can strike a 3 iron off course)

golfermartin wrote:I'm so pleased I'm not the only one who can't hit a hybrid. Bought one when they first came out and couldn't get the thing airborne. Chopped it in and got a gap wedge instead! I hit a 3 iron reasonably well most of the time (famous last words!!)

anyone can hit a hybrid if you can hit a 3 iron- you just need to get one that suits your game(you probally had the wrong shaft in the club). also on my talyor made you can adjust loft and lie, so you can play around with them untill you get something that works.

Basically if any one can hit a 3 iron well, they will be able to hit almost anything well(well maybe not a 1 iron!!)that includes 3 woods, drivers, hybrids, etc. but problem is people dont allways go for something that suits them..

mystiroakey wrote:

golfermartin wrote:I'm so pleased I'm not the only one who can't hit a hybrid. Bought one when they first came out and couldn't get the thing airborne. Chopped it in and got a gap wedge instead! I hit a 3 iron reasonably well most of the time (famous last words!!)

anyone can hit a hybrid if you can hit a 3 iron- you just need to get one that suits your game(you probally had the wrong shaft in the club). also on my talyor made you can adjust loft and lie, so you can play around with them untill you get something that works.

Basically if any one can hit a 3 iron well, they will be able to hit almost anything well(well maybe not a 1 iron!!)that includes 3 woods, drivers, hybrids, etc. but problem is people dont allways go for something that suits them..

It had exactly the same shaft as the 3 iron - that's what I couldn't understand!

maybe the head just didnt suit you. do you have game improvement irons? do you get consistant length on your 3 iron?

mystiroakey wrote:maybe the head just didnt suit you. do you have game improvement irons? do you get consistant length on your 3 iron?

I have Mizuno MP 30s and yes I do get a reasonably consistant length with the 3 iron.

decent irons!

what club was the hybred- i hate my mates mizuno it just sky rockets, but the original driving iron type mizuno hi fli(original) i used to have was superb. And the taylor made 17 turned down to a 16 and a bit open is really nice and very easy to shape, high,low,draw,fade, in all lies

mystiroakey wrote:decent irons!

what club was the hybred- i hate my mates mizuno it just sky rockets, but the original driving iron type mizuno hi fli(original) i used to have was superb. And the taylor made 17 turned down to a 16 and a bit open is really nice and very easy to shape, high,low,draw,fade, in all lies

It was a Taylor Made, bought to get extra height without losing length. We have a 460 yard par 4 which doglegs left and has a 30 foot high bank to go up at about 200 to the green. So if you hit one to the bottom of the bank, you need something that gets up quick but still carries about 175 - 180. That's what I bought it for and it failed miserably. Now in that situation, I'll use a 4 iron and hope I scrape over the ridge.

Well if you wanna give it another go then try the 21 degree mizuno.. i think that is perfect for what you are looking for

Humpyd wrote:Thanks all for your comments.

I think my concern with replacing the 3 iron with a hybrid is that I find it a lot easier to hit an iron low into the wind as opposed to a wood.

I originally bought a hybrid to bridge the gap between my 5 wood (about 220 yard carry) and 3 iron (about 195 carry). I bought a 16 degree (2 iron loft) TaylorMade Rescue mid club back in 2005 and loved it. I hit it so well that I found it actually went as far as the 5 wood, I get maybe 210 yards carry but on a low trajectory with lots of roll.

As I hit the TM hybrid so well I bought another, this time a 22 degree effort (4 iron loft) to replace the 3 iron. This flies much higher than the 3 iron with about 200 yards carry.

So what I do now is play with the 5 wood and rescue 4 (22 deg) in winter and on soft courses - where I want more carry - and then use the rescue 2 (16 deg) and 3 iron on links and in summer when I am trying to run the ball into the greens more often.

It's worth noting that I have the older style Taylormade rescue clubs with the smaller more compact heads and the same steel shafts as my irons (also taylormade), so they feel much more like irons. The newer TM hybrids, with large white heads and graphite shafts look much more like fairway woods to me.