Utility / driving iron vs. long iron replacements

[LUXOR54]

Is there any real difference between a typical driving iron / utility iron vs long iron replacements? Something along the lines of a P790 UDI or APEX UT vs a Mizuno fli-hi or a Hogan ft. Worth Hi. I'm not sure if some of these clubs are in different categories, or if the companies producing them are just using different terminology to describe the same thing.

[JJK947]

They're all pretty much in the same category which is long iron replacement with flat face and designed to play at an iron-like length. Similarly lofted hybrids play a little longer and have bulge on the face.

 

Obviously, within the category there is a quite a variety of looks/performance just like anything else. That's why if I'm playing one of these clubs I usually try to keep it to the same company that makes my irons. That way it's a nice transition in terms of looks, feel, forgiveness and performance.

 

For example, all the complaints and quick sell-offs of the P790 UDI being unforgiving when everyone rushed to get one on release last year. If you're using irons more forgiving than the P790's why are you buying the UDI? Just need to use a little common sense when deciding which of these clubs to try and think about how it's going to transition from the rest of your set.

[BetterAtBingo]

> @JJK947 said:

> They're all pretty much in the same category which is long iron replacement with flat face and designed to play at an iron-like length. Similarly lofted hybrids play a little longer and have bulge on the face.

>

> Obviously, within the category there is a quite a variety of looks/performance just like anything else. That's why if I'm playing one of these clubs I usually try to keep it to the same company that makes my irons. That way it's a nice transition in terms of looks, feel, forgiveness and performance.

>

> For example, all the complaints and quick sell-offs of the P790 UDI being unforgiving when everyone rushed to get one on release last year. If you're using irons more forgiving than the P790's why are you buying the UDI? Just need to use a little common sense when deciding which of these clubs to try and think about how it's going to transition from the rest of your set.

 

***This***

While my ego says I am good enough to make it work, the "don't buy laptops out of the back of a station wagon" voice says get a fairway wood or maybe a wedge and keep it moving.

 

[cpeck12]

I have a Titleist T-MB 4 iron paired with my AP2 (soon to be T-100) 5-PW irons and it's a great and easy transition from hitting my other irons. I know it's not technically a "utility" club but I use it off the deck and off the tee and it flies like a utility club. Same shaft as my irons to not change the feel too much. I also have a T-MB 3 iron with a graphite shaft in it thinking I'd use it more as a driving iron than anything else, but I could just never get used to the graphite shaft in an iron...

[jvincent]

> @LUXOR54 said:

> Is there any real difference between a typical driving iron / utility iron vs long iron replacements? Something along the lines of a P790 UDI or APEX UT vs a Mizuno fli-hi or a Hogan ft. Worth Hi. I'm not sure if some of these clubs are in different categories, or if the companies producing them are just using different terminology to describe the same thing.

 

I'm currently gaming the Cobra utility and one of the biggest differences between the various utilities / DIs is the sole design.

 

The Cobra is a fairly wide sole with a tungsten weight for low COG. Some others, the Srixon U85 comes to mind, have similar wide soles. The P790 and Titleist TMB are much narrower soles.

 

To be totally honest I'm not sure if one is better than the other. I think the wider sole might be better out of the rough, but I haven't tried an narrower club to compare.

[shredNECTAR]

I have the mizuno fli-hi 2 iron (16.5 degrees). It took me a shaft change and some getting use to and I can’t say enough about it. It’s the perfect merger of driving iron loft, with looks of long iron replacement. I consider the utility irons more of like a ping crossover/srixon u85 with the graphite shaft/larger club head. I carry a 3iron in my z forged, so the mizuno feels more of a long iron replacement with the driving iron loft. And for $125 now, you really can’t beat the value when ping, titleist, and taylormade are $230 in price.

[NC_Indy]

I put the Callaway UT 27 (bent to 26) and 24 (bent to 23) in my bag as a four and five iron replacement. It just let me have a lighter steel shaft in on the 27, which makes it easier to get up for me and an AD DI shaft in the 24, again making it lighter and easier to get up. I also prefer the 24 UT off the tee compared to 20 degree hybrid. My gaps near the end of my bag were just bad and this alleviated that quite a bit. 13-15 yards gap through the bag until it went 10 yards from 6 iron to 5 iron, and 6 yards from 5 iron to 4 iron. With the change I’m back to the 13-15 gap from 6 iron to the 27 degree, and a bit more than 15 yards from the 27 to 24. The replacement clubs just gave me a good gap that fit well with the 20 degree 3 hybrid into 4 wood for my bag. I wasn’t exactly fit for this though I just knew when I went into a lighter shaft it was easier to get through the long irons and this worked, the UT’s can be found for so cheap (less than 50 bucks), hybrids may have been a better choice I just am not ready to put three hybrids into my bag and I don’t like them off the tee.