4 Iron or the Like Game Changing Unicorn - Any Club and Shaft Combo Recommendations

[LowAndLeft32]

Im looking for something to replace my current T100 4 iron. Looking for that special unicorn club and shaft combo that just works. Looking for some sort of iron and not a hybrid. Looking for something I can hit that goes somewhere in then 190-215ish range. For reference, driver swing speed is 104mph. Any recommendations on clubs I should consider for further research and testing? Thanks.

 

[PJE]

The Cleveland UHX utility is an easy to hit club.

The Cleveland is kind of an ugly, fat, club but if you can stand the looks, it's on sale now on the Cleveland website for $149. It has a more refined brother, the Srixon ZX, which could be worth checking out.

The Ping Crossovers (various generations) also perform pretty well but they might look too much like a hybrid for you. 

I've hit the Cleveland and Pings. I have not hit the Srixon.  The Cleveland performs well off the deck and the tee. The Ping really shines off the tee and it's okay off the turf. 

To me, the Ping looks or feels upright at address. 

[Flip4000]

I would say a titleist U500 or U510. I would use whatever shaft you have in your irons 

[car1]

Honma TW-X 

[02bluesuperroo]

I'd recommend the TM Sim DHY with UST Recoil shaft.  Great combo for me because I don't like traditional hybrids.

[Drivingrangehero]

I have a 24* Adams DHY 9031 Proto with a Modus 105x at 1/2 over 4 iron (standard 3 iron) playing length, that may be worth checking out. It flies higher than an iron, but not as high as a Hybrid or Wood. 

It’s a nice high arcing flight, that enables you to stop it on the green with ease. I would use it from 200-210 yards. It’s in great shape. I ended up replacing it with a NOS Adams 9031 Hybrid with a Modus 105S shaft, which is its hybrid counterpart. 
 

They are the same thing as the Adams Idea Pro DHY and Adams Pro Mini, with a different paint job. 

 

If interested PM 

 

[LowAndLeft32]

3 minutes ago, Drivingrangehero said:

I have a 24* Adams DHY 9031 Proto with a Modus 105x at 1/2 over 4 iron (standard 3 iron) playing length, that may be worth checking out. It flies higher than an iron, but not as high as a Hybrid or Wood. 

It’s a nice high arcing flight, that enables you to stop it on the green with ease. I would use it from 200-210 yards. It’s in great shape. I ended up replacing it with a NOS Adams 9031 Hybrid with a Modus 105S shaft, which is its hybrid counterpart. 
 

They are the same thing as the Adams Idea Pro DHY and Adams Pro Mini, with a different paint job. 

 

If interested PM 

 

Interesting idea.  Thanks for the rec. However, I’m not that interested in the Modus 105 shaft. 

[Drivingrangehero]

14 minutes ago, LowAndLeft32 said:

Interesting idea.  Thanks for the rec. However, I’m not that interested in the Modus 105 shaft. 

I have a Modus 120 shaft for it as well. 

I ordered it by accident. New, uncut in plastic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

I also have a Kuro Kage black 80hy stiff that came out of a Callaway Apex 2016 2 hybrid and a Tensei White 90x that came out of a Titleist 4 hybrid as well. Both will fit. .370 bore 
 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2021 by Drivingrangehero
Added info

[SugarLandGolfer]

18 minutes ago, Drivingrangehero said:

I have a 24* Adams DHY 9031 Proto with a Modus 105x at 1/2 over 4 iron (standard 3 iron) playing length, that may be worth checking out. It flies higher than an iron, but not as high as a Hybrid or Wood. 

It’s a nice high arcing flight, that enables you to stop it on the green with ease. I would use it from 200-210 yards. It’s in great shape. I ended up replacing it with a NOS Adams 9031 Hybrid with a Modus 105S shaft, which is its hybrid counterpart. 
 

They are the same thing as the Adams Idea Pro DHY and Adams Pro Mini, with a different paint job. 

 

If interested PM 

 

I always loved the way that club looked. Better than the weird colors on the GAPR that seem to be a direct descendent.

[Drivingrangehero]

3 minutes ago, SugarLandGolfer said:

I always loved the way that club looked. Better than the weird colors on the GAPR that seem to be a direct descendent.

 Me too. 
 

it’s like Taylormade  just re-painted the Adams DHY Pro and Pro mini which were already re-paints of the Adams super 9031DHY and Adams super 9031 Proto hybrid

[jimes]

If I were in your situation (and I might be soon)  I would look at some of the Players Distance or tweener irons that have lower offset like a 921 Forged/HMP, Apex Pro, P770, King Tour or D7 Forged. Maybe throw a graphite shaft in it. Disregard this if you’re OCD and not willing to mix models! 

[tilasan1]

If you play t100s the only answer is u500.

[ChipNRun]

12 hours ago, LowAndLeft32 said:

Looking for some sort of iron and not a hybrid.

 

Look back a couple of years in Titleist. Both of these have same loft as T100, and would launch easier.

• 718 CB 4i = 24*
• 718 AP2 4i = 24*

Quite a few single AP2 and CB 4 irons available online.

 

Over in TaylorMade, the P790 4i (2017) was popular as a "clear it out" bridge club. But, the 21* head could create a sizable loft/distance gap.

 

Any 21* 4 iron, however, likely would create a distance gap.  

[Jwin323]

OP, my SS and 4i distance is about the same as what you stated. I use an Epic Forged 4i with a Ventus Blue 80 hybrid shaft. It gives me a nice high launch off the deck. Off the tee, I can get my hands out in front and hit line drives with it to get extra rollout.

[Gehly]

best club/driving iron for gapping between set 5 iron and hybrid/woods is the PXG 0311X...Gen1 or Gen2 are great clubs. still have one of each in 4 iron and one has KBS Tour Prototype graphite which is very underrated for these type clubs. and other has iron shaft that matches my set (MMTs)

[Hougz79]

Any reason you're not looking at T200 or T300?  For me I would look at what I want the club to do.  Off the tee I think DIs work great, but I tend to think a standard GI iron is more playable, especially from crummy lies.  

[Pinky5]

I got rid of my 4 iron and went with a 3 hybrid and added an extra wedge. I found this combo without a 4 iron to be better for my gapping because it matters more for the short range than the long range. Just my opinion.

[uglande]

I have a Mizuno MP-20 HMB 4 iron (22 degrees) with the Ventus Blue HB 9x shaft. It's money. 

[Golfingfanatic]

Titleist U500 4 iron is really good.

[okeefew]

I agree with previous comments about the U500 4 iron. It sets up really nicely. I have it with the Hazardous Smoke shaft in it. It's an easy club to hit and I've found it flexible off the tee to hit low and high as needed.

[getitdaily]

Mp20 hmb

 

 

[AtlantaGolf3]

I use a Ts2 at 23 or 24 deg. My 210.yrd 5 Iron. 230 yrd ts2 hybrid. It flies higher than my 5 Iron. 
 

I found the titleist 510 to be super easy to hit and launch. 

[joostin]

I can only speak for myself, but as a former semi-anti-hybrid guy, and after a lot of thought of what I wanted in that club slot, I eventually found a hybrid setup to work in place of a "unicorn 4 iron" 🦄.  I went from a player's CB Hogan Apex Edge Pro 23° 4i (awesome feel, just okay off turf)... to a chunkier utility style Mizuno MP-H4 24° 4i (below left, great feel, good off turf)... to a hybrid Adams Super 9031 23° (below right, good feel, pretty easy off anywhere) - with the same 4 iron shaft, same 4i length, same 4i weighting.

 

I loved the MP-H4, loved the hybrid-like ease and launch, but felt why not just try to get a hybrid to work for me that might be better off more lies?  The iron-like hybrid is working out to fill my "unicorn 4 iron slot" even more than the H4 - everything I want in that slot - easy distance, consistent, easy height, workable, knockdown, chipping, versatile, better out of rough and different lies, possible tee duty, and no hooks!

 

Keep experimenting OP, who knows 🤷‍♂️

[mizuno player]

My $.02. 

U500 with a graphite shaft. 

I went with the Atmos Black HB my irons have PX 6.5 soft stepped. 

Hit off tee or ground. I didn't want same iron shaft as I thought it would be more versatile with the Atmos. 

 

 

[jomatty]

Callaway epic forged work really well as a long iron replacement.  They are crazy strong lofted so make check the lofts for gapping.  I’m using it with steelfiber i95 and really like it.

[hartrick11]

+1 for the PD irons instead of GI. I have had pretty good results with a Forged Tec 4i at the top of my Forged CB set. Also I just picked up an i500 with MMT 125tx on the bst and it is a beast. The shaft is the real deal too - just wants to go straight.

 

PD offerings are a goldilocks option in my view. A thinner sole than utilities makes it more playable off of different lies, and less offset than GI clubs makes it more palatable to look down at, while still being much more forgiving than my CBs. In your case I would think a T200 might be the ticket, but as 80% of this thread already stated the U500 seems like a great option too.

 

I play between 5-8 handicap and have a ~108 driver swing speed with aggressive transition, fwiw.

[huskerturf]

Srixon Zx4 or Zx utility are both solid. 

[phizzy30]

My New Level 21*, NLU-01 w/KBS proto is as close to a unicorn as it gets.  It gets me the distance I need which is 230 and spins enough to hold greens.  Almost never balloons on me and anti-left unless I make a horrible swing.  I can actually hit fades with this thing.  Very affordable at 150 a pop as well. 

[DaveGoodrich]

I second the recommendation for the small Adams hybrids. I play the Pro Mini, which is essentially the same as the Super 9031 that @joostin plays.  I completely agree with everything he said:

 

3 hours ago, joostin said:

The iron-like hybrid is working out to fill my "unicorn 4 iron slot" even more than the H4 - everything I want in that slot - easy distance, consistent, easy height, workable, knockdown, chipping, versatile, better out of rough and different lies, possible tee duty, and no hooks!

 

I built my 23* with the same shaft as my irons, and at standard 4i length. I play the 26* as my 5i too.  They play like irons, but are really easy to hit, and versatile.

[Drivingrangehero]

Lots of love for the Adams 9031 Proto Hybrid ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

i have a 20* and 23* in my bag with shafts that match my irons, Modus 105 stiff, 1/2 over iron length standard, hs/x1 . 
 

Best iron replacement hybrid I’ve ever hit. I’ve never really been a hybrid guy either, I’ve played the Adams Idea (Original) and the 2016 Callaway Apex. I have hit the TEE EXS Pro, to me it was in between a 9031 and 2016 Apex. The 2016 Apex flew to high for it to be an iron replacement, I was using a t to replace a 5 wood at the time, so I would only consider the Idea, 9031, and EXS Pro as an iron replacement. 
 

TEE makes an Ironwood and also makes an EXS 220 utility iron 

 

https://www.touredge.com/exs-220-ti-utility

 

here is the 9031 DHY and Hybrid side by side