Bridging the Gap

[chadly643]

I have never been able to confidently fill the gap between my 4iron and my 3wood. Hybrid? Utility Iron? 5 wood? Which is right for my game? 2019 is the year I figure this out! My question to you guys is, what is the process you go through to buy the club that occupies this space in your bag?

 

When I need a new driver, or a new wedge, or new irons the process is simple and straight forward. I hit a bunch of drivers and narrow down to a couple of preferred heads, then I go into a fitting and figure out which of those heads and a shaft combo fit my swing the best. Same with irons.

 

It’s not so straightforward with this. How do I solve this puzzle with so many variables? Do I want a 5 wood, hybrid, or utility iron? How do you determine this? Ok, let’s try a 5 wood, now which one? Callaway? Cobra? Ping? Maybe a utility iron is the right play...TaylorMade? Srixon? Cobra? Now which shaft? Did that hybrid perform so poorly because of the shaft, the hybrid design or simply because I should be using a 5 wood? There is a dizzying array of questions and options.

 

I’m sure a number of people have “just always used a long iron.” Or “always used a 5wood.” What I’d love to hear are some stories of people going through a process to solve this. How did you choose between utility, hybrid, and wood? How did you land on the specific club/shaft combo? Did you get fit? Where in your process was the fitting?

 

After I read some other’s experience I plan to come up with a plan of my own to follow and finally solve this riddle.

 

Thanks!

[iamtylerdurden]

i am currently in the same boat and think along with what other wrx'ers have done you would need to know a few more bits of info. To me handicap and swing speed are a couple of factors that I have seen where there is a love/hate for long irons, UDI, and hybrids.

 

Right now I am playing to a 4-5 hcp and driver swing speed is between 115-120 mph.

 

I have a srixon u65 18 deg with steel shaft as well as a callaway x2hot 19 deg hybrid.

 

u65 - can launch it low and run, launch it fairly high if need to. with the shaft i have it is tough for me to work it left off the fairway. it does not like lies with thicker grass.

 

x2hot hybrid - can launch it high or higher and work it left or right. can hit it out of any lie.

 

I love the u65, especially when I went to Bandon. Can't tell you how many times I hit this club there. Back home in GA I feel the hybrid is more help more often. I haven't found a 5 wood, or probably more accurately, a shaft that I don't launch super high and goes any distance different than my u65 or hybrid.

 

Tempted to try a low spin head with low launch shaft 5 wood and just reserve the u65 for conditions where I need that low "stinger" shot in the bag. I did just pick up an Apex CF16 4 iron that I can probably pull off some of those same shots when needed and only slightly shorter.

[Matt J]

I'd try a 2 hybrid. It's all about the shaft, as heavy and stiff as you can go and still elevate it sitting down in the rough = straight.

 

Edited to add: also find a length and SW that matches your gap. Might be a shorter length than your 3i. I like to go off the 3i gap, not the 3W.

 

 

 

[ThinkingPlus]

So in theory you should be able to hit any of those club types with the right shaft/head combo. My thought process on choosing between the types depends upon what your trajectory tendencies and trajectory desires are as well as the kinds of courses you typically play.

 

In general the following is true: FW > HY > DI as far as launch angle is concerned.

 

Shallower swings tend to like the following: FW > HY > DI. Steeper swings trend the opposite.

 

If you play in a lot of wind to non-elevated greens you may want lower flight options. If you play in more benign conditions to elevated greens you might want higher launching solutions.

 

If you are more confident hitting driver and 3 wood you might like a fairway wood solution more. If you are more confident with 4i and 5i then a driving iron might be the better answer.

 

It all comes down to these kinds of choices to home in on what will work best for you and your game.

[nsxguy]

I notice you don't mention your handicap, experience or distances.

 

If you already have the max 14 clubs in the bag and you're happy with the gaps in the rest of your bag, forget about this one.

 

You score from 150 and in, not from 180 and out. :yes:

[jslane57]

I've tried lots of things. For me a 5-wood and a hybrid just go too high and I feel like I loose touch with how the ball will fly. So I just go with a 3-iron. The 3-iron is not a great gap filler, but it does shine on the tee if the hole is short and narrow. Other times I've added a 4-wood. Sometimes the 4-wood is the only fairway wood, but usually it is a steel shaft paired with a strong 3, so the gap(s) are lessened and shifted. At the end of the day, for my game I just avoid the temptations to hit hero shots from the long gaps. If I end up in this spot I figure out a way to advance the ball without causing harm to my score...

[golfgirlrobin]

No real help but just wanted to commiserate. It’s a tough spot to fill. Lots of options and you can’t really know whether you got the gapping right until you’ve spent the money and you’ve hit some shots that matter.

 

My only suggestion would be to buy something that’s adjustable and gives you the ability to fine tune the distance and ball flight a bit.

[chadly643]

I notice you don't mention your handicap, experience or distances.

 

If you already have the max 14 clubs in the bag and you're happy with the gaps in the rest of your bag, forget about this one.

 

You score from 150 and in, not from 180 and out. :yes:

 

I appreciate what you’re saying here. I was actually intentional about not giving info about my game. There are a number of recommendation threads on the board based on individual’s level of play. I was hoping to hear about other’s experiences filling this difficult gap.

 

FWIW I’m a 6.9hc that swings the driver around 110mph. My game is pretty much an all around 6.9 meaning I don’t have a particular part of my game that is stronger than others. I don’t generally struggle with getting my long irons up in the air and I’m quite confident with my 3 wood both off the tee and from the fairway.

 

This gap winds up being rather important at a course I play regularly. There are a number of holes that force a layup off the tee to about 225yds and I am often in a position to reach the par 5s from 225yds.

[ian-500]

Have session on a launch monitor and check your gapping to see what you need to fill any gaps that exist......you might be surprised.

[jetsetter808]

I am facing the same dilemma right now, for this season I’m thinking of 3w 7w 4h and making my 5 and 6 iron lofts a little stronger

[ago33]

My problem is much harder then yours...

 

It to work in both tournament golf and golf where I’m a few beers deep with my friends and haven’t played for a couple weeks.

 

Only viable option so far is the gapr mid

[chadly643]

I am facing the same dilemma right now, for this season I’m thinking of 3w 7w 4h and making my 5 and 6 iron lofts a little stronger

 

Interesting setup....any process you used to determine this mix?

[Matt J]

If you've only ever tried stock shafts in a hybrid I think you're really making a mistake.

 

The beauty of the hybrid is that they use a .370 parallel tip in the adapter. So, you can go out and find any iron shaft and tip trim it to the exact flex and the ensuing trajectory that you want.

 

Buy a used hybrid off of eBay and give it a rip. It's super easy to build a shaft with an adapter.

 

To better answer your original question:

 

I always used a 5 Wood and it was always my favorite club, then I got a Titleist and it had too much offset and I either hit a huge cut or pulled it. So, I started figuring out that if you run a really stiff shaft you can take advantage of the low COG with a hybrid and get the ball up with out ballooning it. The first set I built I went off of my fairways and figured if I was running 70 grams or so in Driver then the FW would be around 80, and that would place the hybrid in more of a 90 to 100 gram weight shaft. I found some white board shafts at those weights and gave it a try. Ended up going back and building a second set using Aldila hybrid shafts. If you go with a heavy enough shaft swinging it doesn't feel that different than an iron, but you can hit it all over the face and still get about the same carry distances. I think they're like a secret weapon and I'm probably more confident with them in my hands than any other clubs in my bag. The trick being that some of them truly are SGI with a ton of offset and a really deep face. I like Titleists' hybrids but I'm sure there are more 'player' style heads other than just their's.

[chadly643]

If you've only ever tried stock shafts in a hybrid I think you're really making a mistake.

 

The beauty of the hybrid is that they use a .370 parallel tip in the adapter. So, you can go out and find any iron shaft and tip trim it to the exact flex and the ensuing trajectory that you want.

 

Buy a used hybrid off of eBay and give it a rip. It's super easy to build a shaft with an adapter.

 

To better answer your original question:

 

I always used a 5 Wood and it was always my favorite club, then I got a Titleist and it had too much offset and I either hit a huge cut or pulled it. So, I started figuring out that if you run a really stiff shaft you can take advantage of the low COG with a hybrid and get the ball up with out ballooning it. The first set I built I went off of my fairways and figured if I was running 70 grams or so in Driver then the FW would be around 80, and that would place the hybrid in more of a 90 to 100 gram weight shaft. I found some white board shafts at those weights and gave it a try. Ended up going back and building a second set using Aldila hybrid shafts. If you go with a heavy enough shaft swinging it doesn't feel that different than an iron, but you can hit it all over the face and still get about the same carry distances. I think they're like a secret weapon and I'm probably more confident with them in my hands than any other clubs in my bag. The trick being that some of them truly are SGI with a ton of offset and a really deep face. I like Titleists' hybrids but I'm sure there are more 'player' style heads other than just their's.

 

Very interesting! I certainly will give this a try. Thanks!

[Red4282]

I think you need to figure out what you value the most. For me it was being able to flight low (oklahoma wind) and second was forgiveness. Im a lower handicap but i just dont play enough to hit a long iron consistently solid. 3rd i would say looks and feel. Always liked thin top lines and traditional looking clubs and most hybrids make me gag. This has led me to the gapr lo by taylor made. Perfect for what i was looking for.

[mootrail]

I have never been able to confidently fill the gap between my 4iron and my 3wood. Hybrid? Utility Iron? 5 wood?

 

Easy, do as I do and carry all 3. It's the best way to figure out what suits your game. My 5i is my 4i and I carry a 5 wood instead of 3; that makes room to carry both a 3 DI and hybridish GAPR Hi 3.

[Storms]

I ended up filling this slot with a hybrid, but specifically one that has a small head and plays more like an iron. It's a reliable tee club on short pars 4s, easy to hit off the fairway, and being small and iron like let's me hit down on it and punch through thick lies if i have to. It's also workable both ways for me, and if I put a crappy strike on it the hot face gets me at least a bit of distance.