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Driving Iron vs forgiving long iron of same loft


Wesquire

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What's the difference and pro/con of each? Specifically I'm interested in the g400 crossover vs i500 3 iron.

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Unfortunately everybody is going to have different opinions and results.

 

I swap my 21* degree utility iron for my set 3 iron the odd time because it’s easier to hit, launches higher and can be hit out off the light rough.

 

When my swing is confidently formed, prefer the 3 iron because of the precision and control.

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I use a Rocketbladez 3 iron that has 18 degrees of loft and quite a bit of offset. Nice predictable draw every shot and very forgiving. Have tried a couple driving irons (Wilson V4, Callaway) and could not get along with either for whatever reason. Rocketbladez has a light steel stiff shaft and driving irons had graphite shafts, so not apples to apples.

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What's the difference and pro/con of each? Specifically I'm interested in the g400 crossover vs i500 3 iron.

 

Normally, a true "driving iron" is going to have a very low-spin, very low departure angle trajectory. Its purpose is to fight through the wind, and take big misses out of the equation.

 

The two clubs you've described here are not traditional driving irons.

 

> The G400x is designed to go higher than a traditional iron, and especially higher than a 'driving iron'. Easy to hit high bombs off a tee, and has less gear effect, so big misses aren't as big compared to a hybrid/fairway.

 

> The i500 is not a 'driving iron'. While you're seeing some guys pull a 3-iron, they're usually bent down, and in this case, 18 or even 17º. It has *some* of the properties of a driving iron in that it is, in fact, a low spin iron. I would guess that it still goes higher, loft for loft, of other pure, hollow driving irons. The i500 launch window is, by the statements of their engineering, still going to hit a higher window per loft, which is contradictory to a true driving iron.

 

More important than all of that is the shaft you pair with an iron in this case. For example, you could bend a i500 3-iron to 17º, but if you pair it with a Modus 105, you're going to get a high ball. Stuff an TTx100, and you're going to kill worms. I exaggerate (a little) for the mental picture.

 

As an owner of a Rapture DI that is still in my bag, it's really handy when it's windy. Driving irons are pretty much a club defined by *how the ball gets there* more than how far it goes. The G400x isn't great off the deck, but it's really easy off a tee box to hit a high ball with less rollout. My Rapture DI will never come out in the instance of where I am trying to hit an exact number. If I'm hitting it into a par 3, it's because I'm into the wind, and I'm ok if the ball rolls, even through the back. It's preferred into the wind because I know a high ball is going to be very hard to control. Otherwise, it comes out for good lie / advancement, and also because of its shape, a few rescue shots and as the emergency leftie club.

 

So consider... assuming they would all generally go the same distance, you need to consider the *how*. That will guide you with club selection in this realm, as will your normal ground and weather conditions in your area.

 

Good luck.

14 Pings. Blueprints are incredibly good. Fetch is the most underrated putter on the market. Don't @ me.

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What shaft is in your Rapture? I’m not really digging the Ping shaft in mine.

 

What's the difference and pro/con of each? Specifically I'm interested in the g400 crossover vs i500 3 iron.

 

Normally, a true "driving iron" is going to have a very low-spin, very low departure angle trajectory. Its purpose is to fight through the wind, and take big misses out of the equation.

 

The two clubs you've described here are not traditional driving irons.

 

> The G400x is designed to go higher than a traditional iron, and especially higher than a 'driving iron'. Easy to hit high bombs off a tee, and has less gear effect, so big misses aren't as big compared to a hybrid/fairway.

 

> The i500 is not a 'driving iron'. While you're seeing some guys pull a 3-iron, they're usually bent down, and in this case, 18 or even 17º. It has *some* of the properties of a driving iron in that it is, in fact, a low spin iron. I would guess that it still goes higher, loft for loft, of other pure, hollow driving irons. The i500 launch window is, by the statements of their engineering, still going to hit a higher window per loft, which is contradictory to a true driving iron.

 

More important than all of that is the shaft you pair with an iron in this case. For example, you could bend a i500 3-iron to 17º, but if you pair it with a Modus 105, you're going to get a high ball. Stuff an TTx100, and you're going to kill worms. I exaggerate (a little) for the mental picture.

 

As an owner of a Rapture DI that is still in my bag, it's really handy when it's windy. Driving irons are pretty much a club defined by *how the ball gets there* more than how far it goes. The G400x isn't great off the deck, but it's really easy off a tee box to hit a high ball with less rollout. My Rapture DI will never come out in the instance of where I am trying to hit an exact number. If I'm hitting it into a par 3, it's because I'm into the wind, and I'm ok if the ball rolls, even through the back. It's preferred into the wind because I know a high ball is going to be very hard to control. Otherwise, it comes out for good lie / advancement, and also because of its shape, a few rescue shots and as the emergency leftie club.

 

So consider... assuming they would all generally go the same distance, you need to consider the *how*. That will guide you with club selection in this realm, as will your normal ground and weather conditions in your area.

 

Good luck.

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What's the difference and pro/con of each? Specifically I'm interested in the g400 crossover vs i500 3 iron.

 

Normally, a true "driving iron" is going to have a very low-spin, very low departure angle trajectory. Its purpose is to fight through the wind, and take big misses out of the equation.

 

The two clubs you've described here are not traditional driving irons.

 

> The G400x is designed to go higher than a traditional iron, and especially higher than a 'driving iron'. Easy to hit high bombs off a tee, and has less gear effect, so big misses aren't as big compared to a hybrid/fairway.

 

> The i500 is not a 'driving iron'. While you're seeing some guys pull a 3-iron, they're usually bent down, and in this case, 18 or even 17º. It has *some* of the properties of a driving iron in that it is, in fact, a low spin iron. I would guess that it still goes higher, loft for loft, of other pure, hollow driving irons. The i500 launch window is, by the statements of their engineering, still going to hit a higher window per loft, which is contradictory to a true driving iron.

 

More important than all of that is the shaft you pair with an iron in this case. For example, you could bend a i500 3-iron to 17º, but if you pair it with a Modus 105, you're going to get a high ball. Stuff an TTx100, and you're going to kill worms. I exaggerate (a little) for the mental picture.

 

As an owner of a Rapture DI that is still in my bag, it's really handy when it's windy. Driving irons are pretty much a club defined by *how the ball gets there* more than how far it goes. The G400x isn't great off the deck, but it's really easy off a tee box to hit a high ball with less rollout. My Rapture DI will never come out in the instance of where I am trying to hit an exact number. If I'm hitting it into a par 3, it's because I'm into the wind, and I'm ok if the ball rolls, even through the back. It's preferred into the wind because I know a high ball is going to be very hard to control. Otherwise, it comes out for good lie / advancement, and also because of its shape, a few rescue shots and as the emergency leftie club.

 

So consider... assuming they would all generally go the same distance, you need to consider the *how*. That will guide you with club selection in this realm, as will your normal ground and weather conditions in your area.

 

Good luck.

 

I'm currently using a G crossover. I like it off the tee, but I hit it far higher than I'd like. Think I should give something like the i500 a shot? Steel or graphite shaft?

Titleist TSi3 8° - HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 60TX

Titleist TS3 15° - HZRDUS Black (Hand Crafted) 70TX

Titleist 818 H2 19° - Tensei Pro White 100TX

Ping i200 - SteelFiber i125x

Edison - SteelFiber i125s

LAB DF 2.1 Armlock - LAGP

Snell MTB-X

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A driving iron usually is more forgiving off a tee, but less forgiving off the deck for me. I can't stand them with graphite shafts for some reason, and even though I plan on getting an i500 3 bent down to 16, I will still keep the hi-fli around since it is very easy to hit, but I just can't really use it off the deck with any degree of accuracy.

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I got a TM P790 3 iron delivered yesterday and plan on using it as 2 iron/DI since it is a few degrees stronger than my current 3 iron... Have to see how well I hit it though. I actually love hitting my MP59 3 iron off the tee whenever I can so hoping this is just longer and even easier to hit. Might bend it a degree strong too

 

Hoping to get it out and hit today after work as long as the rain holds off this evening (been raining most of day)

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I am really waiting for someone to hit the strong lofted i500. I am playing the G400 Crossover (a lot easier to use off the deck than the G Crossover) I would still love to see if the i500 is a better fit into my i200 than the crossover.

 

Jeff

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I'm currently using a G crossover. I like it off the tee, but I hit it far higher than I'd like. Think I should give something like the i500 a shot? Steel or graphite shaft?

 

I think you'd find some good success with something like a Dynamic Gold. Get it power-spec, and consider getting it one degree flatter than your normal irons optionally. You should be able to find a demo of one in a DG, or at a minimum, try a DG 7-iron demo and compare it to your regular shaft choice in your other irons in the 7. The monitor will probably show you -1 to -3º on launch. If that's the case, try the three iron, and subtract a degree or two, and that's close to what you'd get.

 

Again, "success" is defined by the ball doing what you expect. You should get some serious runout with that combo.

14 Pings. Blueprints are incredibly good. Fetch is the most underrated putter on the market. Don't @ me.

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I put a C-Taper S+ in the G400 Crossover (plus a little tip weight to get it to a D-4). I like it so much better with the steel shaft.

Ping G424 Max (9) - Ping Tour 65 S
Ping G425 2 Hybrid (16) - Aldila Rogue Black Hybrid 95 TS
Ping G425 3 Hybrid (20) - Aldila Rogue Black Hybrid 95 TS
PXG Gen 5 0331P irons 5 - G - Steel fiber PR I110

Square Strike Chipper (black) 45 (Damn chipping yips)
Cleveland CBX 2 54 - Dynamic Gold 115 
Cleveland Smart Sole 4 58 - Dynamic Gold 115 
Scotty X5 duel 33 in / 40g    

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The biggest difference is in the price. A forgiving long iron from a GI is waaaaaay cheaper. The performance difference will never come close to matching the price difference, relatively speaking.....

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The biggest difference is in the price. A forgiving long iron from a GI is waaaaaay cheaper. The performance difference will never come close to matching the price difference, relatively speaking.....

 

This is my hang up. Hell, I could buy a Ping Eye 2 1-iron and probably get similar results. It's not like I'm playing monster long courses that require maximum distance.

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Let's get beyond engineering comparisons. Do a side-by-side and see which one works best for you.

What's In The Bag (As of April 2023, post-MAX change + new putter)

 

Driver:  Tour Edge EXS 10.5° (base loft); weights neutral   ||  FWs:  Calla Rogue 4W + 7W

Hybrid:  Calla Big Bertha OS 4H at 22°  ||  Irons:  Calla Mavrik MAX 5i-PW

Wedges*:  Calla MD3: 48°... MD4: 54°, 58° ||  PutterΨSeeMore FGP + SuperStroke 1.0PT, 33" shaft

Ball: 1. Srixon Q-Star Tour / 2. Calla SuperHot (Orange preferred)  ||  Bag: Sun Mountain Three 5 stand bag

    * MD4 54°/10 S-Grind replaced MD3 54°/12 W-Grind.

     Ψ  Backups:

  • Ping Sigma G Tyne (face-balanced) + Evnroll Gravity Grip |
  • Slotline Inertial SL-583F w/ SuperStroke 2.MidSlim (50 gr. weight removed) |
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The biggest difference is in the price. A forgiving long iron from a GI is waaaaaay cheaper. The performance difference will never come close to matching the price difference, relatively speaking.....

 

This is my hang up. Hell, I could buy a Ping Eye 2 1-iron and probably get similar results. It's not like I'm playing monster long courses that require maximum distance.

 

 

Worked for Bernhard Langer ;)

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Fwy woods: King LTD 3/4, Rogue Black 75X -or- TM Stage 2 Tour 3w, NV105 X -or- TEE E8 Beta 12*, Rogue Silver 70X
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2 iron:  Arias D-23, Modus3 120 S; Mizuno MP-20 HMB, NS Pro 950 R

Irons grab bag:  1-PW Golden Ram TW276, NV105 S; 1-PW Golden Ram TW282, RIP Tour 115 R; 2-PW Golden Ram Vibration Matched, NS Pro 950WF S; testing: Arias D-23 5i w/Modus 120 S
Wedges:  Dynacraft Dual Millled 52*, SteelFiber i125 S -or- Scratch 8620 DD 53*, SteelFiber i125 S; Cobra Snakebite 56* -or- Wilson Staff PMP 58*, Dynamic S -or- Ram TW282 SW -or- Ram TW276 SW
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