Who has moved away from their driving iron?

[brutus27]

I don’t know about you guys but any wood type club (big hollow body), hybrids included, I tend to have a large disparity in distance. The longer length shaft has something to do with it. Also, I know it has to do with many factors such as quality of strike etc. But with a hybrid, I can have 10 to 30 yard disparity. To me, that not confidence inspiring.

That's why my bag goes driver, 5 wood, 3 & 4 DI’s, then regular irons.

[AP76]

Possibly going that way. Finally found a hybrid I like that I don't hook the life out of but might end up with both in the bag and take out the 3 wood?

[leftygolferessex]

I've kept my driving iron around (Sim UDI) but have recently put in a Titleist 818H with an X Stiff Tour AD to see how that does. 

Went with a heavier setup to try and recreate that solid feeling from a driving iron, but also so I can keep it a bit lower still. Seems to work really well so far! Gapping works well for what I was after, and I actually find myself using it more for shorter shots, hitting little ones seems more solid than smashing the 4 iron at it.

 

Driving iron will probably stay around, as I had used one for years, but will only come out for really windy days

[byoshio82]

I personally have a 15* 3W, 19* Hybrid, 19* Driving Iron & 4 Iron. I swap out the Hybrid and Driving Iron based off of the course I am playing and how I hit them on the range warming up.

[Kale_m]

Moving from the Tm p790 3i @20* to a g425 4hyb dialed back to 20.5* has been great for me even at my swing speed. 
 

Just more versatile. Can hit it out of the rough and hav even used it around the greens for some dicey chips 

 

hit it 250 off the tee. Works great 

 

then I move to a sim 5w that is opened to 17*. It is a real low spinner so easy get 275 carry  off a tee. Shorter shaft and a touch more loft then a regular 3w helps 

Edited June 21, 2021 by Kale_m

[Potch]

I went back and forth for years between a 712u 3-iron and a 915f 7-wood depending on the course and how I was hitting the ball. But like a few others in this thread, I'm all in with a Ping hybrid at that spot in the bag these days. I've got a G410 22* Even Flow Black 85x set open and flat - can swing as hard as I want and it won't go left, great ball flight, extremely versatile club.  Works so well I've dumped my 4 iron for the G410 26*, loving that as well. 

[GolfTurkey]

I’ve dropped the DI. I bought it for tee shots into the wind and punch outs from the trees.

 

I don’t hit it straight enough off the tee and a hooded 7i works much better for me on punch outs. I struggle to get the right trajectory with the DI and often hit it too low and get tangled in the rough when punching, especially when hitting a draw.

[Phabs]

My 2 iron isn’t going anywhere.   Any par 4 between 390-440 that’s what I’m hitting off the tee to leave a comfortable 3/4-full wedge in.  My scoring average has dropped, greens in reg are up and fairways hit are also up since I adopted that format and I’m sticking with it. 

[Drivingrangehero]

I will swap my 716 T-Mb 17* 2 iron out with my 20* Adams Super 9031 Proto hybrid depending on weather conditions or where I’m playing. 
 

It’s out of the bag mostly, but I do bring it to the range. I bring 15 clubs to the range while the putter is at home 

 

Driver

4 Wood 

(16* hybrid)

(2 iron)

20* hybrid 

23* hybrid 

5-PW

51*Gap, 55* Sand, 59* Lob 

[pinhigh27]

DI overrated. Just not very versatile. 

 

Had a 2i UDI with a tensei PW that was just stupid off the tee, would go crazy far, but very hard to hit off the deck and forced carries like on a 2nd par 5 shot were really dicey, even as someone who hits the ball very high. 

 

Hybrid or a wood would be better for vast majority of people. 

[Whiskey_fire]

I have tried to drop it many times but I always go back to it, especially when playing really well. 

[Flyer712]

After playing a Mizuno hmb 3 iron for the last year I've officially jumped on the 7 wood train. I got a ping g425 max with a Ventus blue 8x that I'm loving so far. I ordered it an inch short set to 19.5* and it fits my gaps perfectly.  The best thing is how low maintenance it is.  I've found that driving irons are great when you are practicing all the time but can lead to some pretty ugly shots when you are not completely dialed in.  Unless I'm playing a links course the 7 wood is just better for my game.  

[uglande]

2 Iron is back on the bench, except on very windy days -- I'll swap it in for my 5w or 7w depending on the course.

 

Fairway woods are just more consistent and more versatile for me, and I don't get much roll on the courses I play. I'm not getting rid of it, but my primary setup is now heavy on fairway woods at the top and wedges at the bottom (I pulled my five iron to create room -- a distance I can cover just fine with my HMB 4 iron).

[naws-golfer]

Moved from 4 wood and 3 DI to 5 wood and 3 hybrid. Was playing a 4 hybrid and a 4 iron.

 

main reason is gapping and flight. My new home course has no place for a 3/4 wood. Par 5s are shorter, except 1, but there’s so much trouble around the green I only go for it with a 5 iron.

 

I went with a 5 wood for higher long shots around 240 and the 3 hybrid is for low running shots and an occasional tee ball.

 

I loved the DI for low running tee shots but the hybrid in the low, flat setting gives me the same flight with so much more forgiveness. DI’s are cool, and I have the SS to hit them, but it’s just much tougher to hit average to well.