Can hit regular 3 iron but can’t hit utility iron

[wsagolfer]

The title says it all. Does anyone has the same issue?

 

A little bit of background story: so i’ve been gaming old Mizuno MP58 with NS 950GH stiff flex and i love it. I can even hit the 3 iron easily off the deck. I usually have 5 woods in my bag but i’m not very consistent with it. More than 50% i cant hit it nice on fairway on long par 5. Then i thought i was gonna give utility 18 degree a try. I live in indonesia where most of the golf stores dont have a place to try, so i just pulled the trigger and bought online a Srixon ZX utility 18* S flex. Once i hit it on the range i couldnt hit it well, always went slice and i dont think the distance is significantly farther than my 3 iron. I thought utility iron should be easier to hit..

 

oh i’m new here but not in golf. I’m a 8 handicapper.

[jvincent]

Obvious things to compare between the 3i and utility.

 

- Are they the same length?

- Are they the same total weight?

- Is the lie of the utility more upright or flat than the 3i.

 

After those three it may just be that the shaft in the utility isn't right for you.

[third-times-a-charm]

Utility is not easier to hit automatically. Some are still very unforgiving especially off the deck and not using a tee. Due to the club design but also your swing possibly (higher club CG).

 

If you hit a 3i well, stick with it, or try using a CB 3i from a set like the Mizuno HMB or the P790 if you like that look and hit them well but need a little more forgiveness.

[tilasan1]

I think the main thing is your mp58 3 iron is 21 degrees of loft and 38.75" compared to 18 degrees of loft and 40" of the srixon zx utility.

[mootrail]

The ZX Utility 2 is 40.5" long.  One of the reasons I opted for the 39" ZX4 4 (21°) iron instead of the too long looking 40" ZX U3 (20°).  The Srixon irons are measuring a .5" over spec.

 

Both stock shafts, the 950GH Neo and the Recoil are much stiffer than the 950GH.  The 950GH Neo R that I mistaken received is noticeably stiffer than the 950GH S in my U45.

 

Maybe 18° is just too strong for your SS.  Collapsing gaps between irons is one sure sign.  I'd trade the ZX U2 back in for a ZX U3 with a Neo R or a Recoil F3.  It will still be miles longer than your 3 iron.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by mootrail

[wsagolfer]

Thanks for the replies. one thing i noticed right away was how much longer the zx utility is compared with my 3i. I thought that was how utility iron worked; a forgiving head with longer shaft (never tried one before). Then i decided to have it reshafted with a slightly lighter than my 3i steel shaft and make the length to 39.5”. Now i can hit it way more consistent with this new shaft. It perfectly fills the gap between my 3i and 3w now.

[ChipNRun]

5 minutes ago, wsagolfer said:

I thought that was how utility iron worked; a forgiving head with longer shaft (never tried one before).

 

Some golf marketers cite demographics: club shafts have gotten longer the past 20 years in part because people are getting taller.

 

Clarification: Some people are getting taller than in past generations. But, some of us aren't... so, a 45.5" driver shaft or extra long U-iron shaft may be too hard to control.

[bladehunter]

Many people find wider soled irons like that harder to hit.  I’m guessing you swing pretty shallow ?