My search for a driving iron continues...

[Bobb3rdown]

I ordered a maltby dbm 3 iron with a dynamic gold at 2 iron length to try as a driving iron. The only other driving iron I've tried was the srixon u45. Was a hook machine for me. Dont know why but I couldn't hit it straight at all. Hoping the dbm will suit my needs. I play a course with my dad that is really short. Almost dont need a driver there at all. And my woods just aren't agreeing with me these days.

[bkirkley09]

The more I read on this, and the comments, the more I think I’ve done the right thing in actually dispensing with the thought of a driving iron and going with a 4 Iron to match my set. As well as the obvious mental aspect of it being a G400 Iron, the physical aspect of it is meant to be a safe and consistent 200-220 yard club off the tee on many par 4s which are below 350/360y, on which I don’t need to risk a driver or a 3 wood. I mean, the difference between a 100y second shot and a 140y second shot isn’t much really, they’re both short irons with the same swing. With the added bonus of not hitting as many woods into the woods! I hope.

 

Maybe the title of the post was misjudged, should have read “dispensing with the driving iron thought and getting a 4 Iron”.

 

Whilst I’d love to be able to have an iron that I can smash 280y every time, I don’t think that’ll ever happen.

 

Many thanks for all your help, you’ve actually helped me realise that this was probably the right decision*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*But it’s golf, so that is by no means guaranteed.

 

Could not have said it better myself (comment about golf)! A lot of the fun of golf is tinkering with our bag setup! I’ve been playing for about 2 years now and have loved every minute of it! Good luck and let us know how the 4 iron works out! I would love to be shooting your scores as right now my goal is just to break 90! But I 3 putt 3-4 times a round. A lot has to do with approach shots and then just finding a putter that works for me just like the top of your bag. Man this is a great forum and a blast talk with people who actually get it. The worst response to a WRXer is don’t you already have one of those!

 

Forgive me if you know this, but try ensuring your left eye is above the ball when putting. And don’t use your arms i.e. keep the triangle and use your torso to swing.

 

Thanks for the information. Right now I am trying to figure out what is best for my stroke just size wise for putters as well. I see you play the studio #3. Right now I have the PXG Gunboat and an EvnRoll ER7. Any other putters you have liked that you might recommend? Just curious!

[Joelsim]

The more I read on this, and the comments, the more I think I’ve done the right thing in actually dispensing with the thought of a driving iron and going with a 4 Iron to match my set. As well as the obvious mental aspect of it being a G400 Iron, the physical aspect of it is meant to be a safe and consistent 200-220 yard club off the tee on many par 4s which are below 350/360y, on which I don’t need to risk a driver or a 3 wood. I mean, the difference between a 100y second shot and a 140y second shot isn’t much really, they’re both short irons with the same swing. With the added bonus of not hitting as many woods into the woods! I hope.

 

Maybe the title of the post was misjudged, should have read “dispensing with the driving iron thought and getting a 4 Iron”.

 

Whilst I’d love to be able to have an iron that I can smash 280y every time, I don’t think that’ll ever happen.

 

Many thanks for all your help, you’ve actually helped me realise that this was probably the right decision*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*But it’s golf, so that is by no means guaranteed.

 

Could not have said it better myself (comment about golf)! A lot of the fun of golf is tinkering with our bag setup! I’ve been playing for about 2 years now and have loved every minute of it! Good luck and let us know how the 4 iron works out! I would love to be shooting your scores as right now my goal is just to break 90! But I 3 putt 3-4 times a round. A lot has to do with approach shots and then just finding a putter that works for me just like the top of your bag. Man this is a great forum and a blast talk with people who actually get it. The worst response to a WRXer is don’t you already have one of those!

 

Forgive me if you know this, but try ensuring your left eye is above the ball when putting. And don’t use your arms i.e. keep the triangle and use your torso to swing.

 

Thanks for the information. Right now I am trying to figure out what is best for my stroke just size wise for putters as well. I see you play the studio #3. Right now I have the PXG Gunboat and an EvnRoll ER7. Any other putters you have liked that you might recommend? Just curious!

 

Not really. I just went to my local (UK) American Golf store and tried about 50 putters on their putting mat. On about 10 occasions. And chose the one that went in the hole most often. I have to say that after about three visits I’d narrowed it to down to a handful, and by the end I just went with gut instinct.

[RobE]

Please Forgive me if this comes off sounding like a criticism or a slight. It is definitely not meant to.

I was a teaching pro and a master club fitter in the 90’s so I speak from some experience.

 

Driving irons have become popular because many Tour players are now using them. MOST amateurs should NOT be using them. They are not easy to hit in comparison to a hybrid or fairway wood and they do not have enough loft for most swings or club head speeds.

 

I have never seen your swing, but from your posts I gather you should not be trying to use a driving iron. Again....no offense intended.

 

As a very general rule....that of course will always have exceptions...., driving irons are strongly geared toward lower handicap high swing speed players. Unless you can consistently carry a driving iron 220+ yards through the air at least 90% + of the time you hit it, it’s safe to say you should not be using one.

 

Driving irons are a great example of the pros using something totally unsuited for most amateurs but the amateurs want one anyway.....because that’s what the pros use.

 

Exactamundo!

 

Now I'll admit I got sucked into the utility/driving iron chasm too, but it was entirely because I currently reside out west where the wind blows (think British Open) regularly, and I was looking for something to help cheat the wind.

I still have a comparatively high swing speed (110 w/driver) and am a single-digit handicapper, and while I found a utility iron easier to hit than any a typical long iron, it also gave me the same sensation of less forgiving misshits I had back in the day when I was young enough and vain enough to carry a long iron..... And it lasted exactly three rounds in the bag.

 

And then I was watching the British Senior Open last weekend, and it seemed like every other hole the announcers were noting what seemed like every player in the field hitting some sort of hybrid and not a mention of a utility iron.

So that made up my mind, and it seems that more of us (whose swingspeed more replicate those on the fatbelly tour instead of the young and strong guys on the flatbelly tour) should be hitting something a little more forgiving instead of making the game harder just because of our vanity.

[J_Tizzle]

The more I read on this, and the comments, the more I think I’ve done the right thing in actually dispensing with the thought of a driving iron and going with a 4 Iron to match my set. As well as the obvious mental aspect of it being a G400 Iron, the physical aspect of it is meant to be a safe and consistent 200-220 yard club off the tee on many par 4s which are below 350/360y, on which I don’t need to risk a driver or a 3 wood. I mean, the difference between a 100y second shot and a 140y second shot isn’t much really, they’re both short irons with the same swing. With the added bonus of not hitting as many woods into the woods! I hope.

 

Maybe the title of the post was misjudged, should have read “dispensing with the driving iron thought and getting a 4 Iron”.

 

Whilst I’d love to be able to have an iron that I can smash 280y every time, I don’t think that’ll ever happen.

 

Many thanks for all your help, you’ve actually helped me realise that this was probably the right decision*.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*But it’s golf, so that is by no means guaranteed.

 

Could not have said it better myself (comment about golf)! A lot of the fun of golf is tinkering with our bag setup! I’ve been playing for about 2 years now and have loved every minute of it! Good luck and let us know how the 4 iron works out! I would love to be shooting your scores as right now my goal is just to break 90! But I 3 putt 3-4 times a round. A lot has to do with approach shots and then just finding a putter that works for me just like the top of your bag. Man this is a great forum and a blast talk with people who actually get it. The worst response to a WRXer is don’t you already have one of those!

 

Forgive me if you know this, but try ensuring your left eye is above the ball when putting. And don’t use your arms i.e. keep the triangle and use your torso to swing.

 

Thanks for the information. Right now I am trying to figure out what is best for my stroke just size wise for putters as well. I see you play the studio #3. Right now I have the PXG Gunboat and an EvnRoll ER7. Any other putters you have liked that you might recommend? Just curious!

 

Not really. I just went to my local (UK) American Golf store and tried about 50 putters on their putting mat. On about 10 occasions. And chose the one that went in the hole most often. I have to say that after about three visits I’d narrowed it to down to a handful, and by the end I just went with gut instinct.

 

You should take a look at the Side Saddle thread on here. I'm a HUGE proponent of the method, its awkward to get the hang of, but once you do and you start everything on line, you get over the awkwardness pretty quick... Just saying.

[bodhi555]

Currently carry a Nike Vapor Fly Pro 2 iron and it is an absolute beast. Hit it 220 - 230 yards consistently, normally down the fairway. It's got me out of a few sticky situations where my Driver has gone to s*** and I need to find the right course for once.

[bkirkley09]

Please Forgive me if this comes off sounding like a criticism or a slight. It is definitely not meant to.

I was a teaching pro and a master club fitter in the 90’s so I speak from some experience.

 

Driving irons have become popular because many Tour players are now using them. MOST amateurs should NOT be using them. They are not easy to hit in comparison to a hybrid or fairway wood and they do not have enough loft for most swings or club head speeds.

 

I have never seen your swing, but from your posts I gather you should not be trying to use a driving iron. Again....no offense intended.

 

As a very general rule....that of course will always have exceptions...., driving irons are strongly geared toward lower handicap high swing speed players. Unless you can consistently carry a driving iron 220+ yards through the air at least 90% + of the time you hit it, it’s safe to say you should not be using one.

 

Driving irons are a great example of the pros using something totally unsuited for most amateurs but the amateurs want one anyway.....because that’s what the pros use.

 

Exactamundo!

 

Now I'll admit I got sucked into the utility/driving iron chasm too, but it was entirely because I currently reside out west where the wind blows (think British Open) regularly, and I was looking for something to help cheat the wind.

I still have a comparatively high swing speed (110 w/driver) and am a single-digit handicapper, and while I found a utility iron easier to hit than any a typical long iron, it also gave me the same sensation of less forgiving misshits I had back in the day when I was young enough and vain enough to carry a long iron..... And it lasted exactly three rounds in the bag.

 

And then I was watching the British Senior Open last weekend, and it seemed like every other hole the announcers were noting what seemed like every player in the field hitting some sort of hybrid and not a mention of a utility iron.

So that made up my mind, and it seems that more of us (whose swingspeed more replicate those on the fatbelly tour instead of the young and strong guys on the flatbelly tour) should be hitting something a little more forgiving instead of making the game harder just because of our vanity.

 

While I understand that this is counterintuitive but driving irons actually make the game easier for some of us. It may not be a large percentage of people but I know for me and my swing the driving irons just fit better than hybrids or fairways at this time. I will take the miss that ends up a bit short but just off the fairway vs long and a fairway over all day. I want to hit the ball as far as possible with the straightest trajectory and it’s much easy and more consistent for me to do that with a driving iron than a hybrid so that’s what I play. I think everyone should be trying out a lot of different ethos to figure out what works and not just dismissing them because “they are not good for amateurs”. In my bag I want to limit my bad misses as I think that’s helps me play my best golf and really has nothing to do with my vanity (although man does it feel great to hit a 2 iron 250 yds but I could replace the 2 iron with other clubs and feeling is the same).

 

Funny part is I have the TM P790 UDI and just picked up the 2018 x forged in a 21. So I am going the opposite of the OP. However where we are similar is they may both end up on BST at some point in the future!

[asiangolfer76]

Please Forgive me if this comes off sounding like a criticism or a slight. It is definitely not meant to.

I was a teaching pro and a master club fitter in the 90’s so I speak from some experience.

 

Driving irons have become popular because many Tour players are now using them. MOST amateurs should NOT be using them. They are not easy to hit in comparison to a hybrid or fairway wood and they do not have enough loft for most swings or club head speeds.

 

I have never seen your swing, but from your posts I gather you should not be trying to use a driving iron. Again....no offense intended.

 

As a very general rule....that of course will always have exceptions...., driving irons are strongly geared toward lower handicap high swing speed players. Unless you can consistently carry a driving iron 220+ yards through the air at least 90% + of the time you hit it, it’s safe to say you should not be using one.

 

Driving irons are a great example of the pros using something totally unsuited for most amateurs but the amateurs want one anyway.....because that’s what the pros use.

 

Exactamundo!

 

Now I'll admit I got sucked into the utility/driving iron chasm too, but it was entirely because I currently reside out west where the wind blows (think British Open) regularly, and I was looking for something to help cheat the wind.

I still have a comparatively high swing speed (110 w/driver) and am a single-digit handicapper, and while I found a utility iron easier to hit than any a typical long iron, it also gave me the same sensation of less forgiving misshits I had back in the day when I was young enough and vain enough to carry a long iron..... And it lasted exactly three rounds in the bag.

 

And then I was watching the British Senior Open last weekend, and it seemed like every other hole the announcers were noting what seemed like every player in the field hitting some sort of hybrid and not a mention of a utility iron.

So that made up my mind, and it seems that more of us (whose swingspeed more replicate those on the fatbelly tour instead of the young and strong guys on the flatbelly tour) should be hitting something a little more forgiving instead of making the game harder just because of our vanity.

 

While I understand that this is counterintuitive but driving irons actually make the game easier for some of us. It may not be a large percentage of people but I know for me and my swing the driving irons just fit better than hybrids or fairways at this time. I will take the miss that ends up a bit short but just off the fairway vs long and a fairway over all day. I want to hit the ball as far as possible with the straightest trajectory and it’s much easy and more consistent for me to do that with a driving iron than a hybrid so that’s what I play. I think everyone should be trying out a lot of different ethos to figure out what works and not just dismissing them because “they are not good for amateurs”. In my bag I want to limit my bad misses as I think that’s helps me play my best golf and really has nothing to do with my vanity (although man does it feel great to hit a 2 iron 250 yds but I could replace the 2 iron with other clubs and feeling is the same).

 

Funny part is I have the TM P790 UDI and just picked up the 2018 x forged in a 21. So I am going the opposite of the OP. However where we are similar is they may both end up on BST at some point in the future!

 

This is my experience. I can’t seem to find a good hybrid that I can control distance and direction but a driving iron solves both these problems. I have always been a better iron striker than a wood/driver hitter so that might have something to do with it.

 

I also find practicing with a 2 iron helps me concentrate on ball contact much more due to the instant feedback so I like having it in the bag during practice sessions.

[Joelsim]

I’ll find out in a few days when it arrives. Although I doubt I’ll get to try it for a couple of weeks as I won’t have chance to play, sadly.

[Hubijerk]

...and hopefully this time it'll be sorted.

 

I had a Ping G Crossover which was sometimes great and sometimes unreliable.

 

The G400 Crossover was a bit better but still lost confidence with it.

 

A Cobra Black Utility One Length was next, but again the same problem with consistency.

 

So I've just ordered a G400 4 Iron in power spec loft (19*) which matches my iron set, apart from the rest of them being normal lofts. I never have a problem hitting my irons so with a bit of luck this will fill the 200y + spot off the tee for tight holes and short holes. For whatever reason I don't seem to like hitting hollow-bodied irons.

 

Fingers crossed.

 

So, My tee issues usually come into play when I play in tournaments where the tees are up a bit or the landing area narrows, for me the worst tee shot is the straight away hole. If I can move it one way or the other on a dog leg I'm usually fine.

 

For a Driving Iron experiment I bult a Dynacraft Driving iron with a leftover shaft. I bent it open some and bent it to 16 degrees as it launched higher at 18 than I wanted. That worked fine but I wanted something that spun less.

 

In my bag now I have a F8+ set at 8 degrees, a F8+ 3w set at 12 degrees, and a 17 degree PXG 0311X. This gives me 3 viable options off the tee with the 3w12 essentially being a mini driver which I can turn over easier than the D1. Off the turf I can hit the PXG 240 in the air and if I cut it I can get enough spin on it to hold reasonably sized par 5 greens. I haven't had hit the 12 of the deck in a round yet but rarely do I need more than the 17 to get the job done if I'm going for it.

 

I have found a driving iron gives me more margin for error as I can hit down on it, sometimes hard, and it's very controllable and consistent. A lot of driving irons I have hit though feel and fly like a small hybrid, which is why I like that PXG.. It def. feels and fly's like an iron but it spins very low and is easy to hit low when I want that. The PXG gives you no launch help and is probably aimed at the high ss crowd, but if you're looking for that it's as good as anything I've ever hit.

[fatboyj711]

Taylormade M2 bent to 18* works great for me, and it's significantly cheaper than a driving iron.

[evoviiiyou]

Taylormade M2 bent to 18* works great for me, and it's significantly cheaper than a driving iron.

 

This is what I did with an M3 and longer hybrid shaft. Saved some doe rae me compared to GAPR or 790UDI

[provx]

Ive hit most of them this year and still cant find one i like.

 

Tmb too spinny

790 udi longest of the bunch almost too long when nutted but shortest on mishits

X forged ut 18* somehow i hit my apex 4 iron the same distance.

Tour edge cbx iron wood was my favorite of the bunch but sold it like an idiot.

 

Might try the rogue or cbx hybrid next

[craz-e]

Driving irons are thin on the ground around here and so can not demo one, might make an educated gamble and pick one between the Mizuno, Srixon or TM P790 UDI.

[MrFlapjack]

Srixon U65 is pretty damn good.

 

Needs a vsole and it would be perfect IMO