Am I crazy wanting to play a 16* 1-Iron?

[cargo8]

Just went to Dunn hoping to try the Mizuno FliHi 2 (16.5*) and the Titleist U-505 1-iron (16*) – only got to try the U505, but holy hell is that thing easy to hit.

 

For context at the top of my bag, I have a Callaway x-forged UT 21*, P790 UDI 18* and Tour Exotics CBX 3-wood 15*.

But what I realized is while I can cover 200-210 and 220 with the irons, 3-wood only gets me about 235-240 which is very comparable to what I was getting out of the U505 on the sim.

In either case this slot in the bag only gets used a few times per round (short par 4 tee shot or attacking a par 5), but I imagine I'd use the iron off the tee more often than I do 3-wood now too.

 

If I could get 250+ out of the 3 wood it would be a different story, but with these numbers am I crazy to think of dropping the 3-wood and throw a 16* iron in the bag?

[MelloYello]

I have a 17^o 4w that goes about 235-250 depending on the strike/conditions. 

 

There's no way in the world I could make friends with an iron of 16-17^o loft. It'd be way too impractical. It'd be way too unforgiving and impractical. The trajectory would be limited and the lie would have to be perfect. 

 

If a 16-17^o iron works better than a simple 4w, I would advise working on your swing. The 4w should be a much more practical piece of equipment at the swing speeds and distances in question. 

[BagofToast]

I have a PXG 0311 X I call a “2 iron” but it’s 16 degrees. Has a tensei white 70x in it and it launches just fine. Little dodgy off the deck but still usable. I have a decent gap to my 3 though so it’s not an issue there. 
 

A 16 degree wood just doesn’t have the same characteristics as an iron. Some people prefer irons anyways. What’s best for you isn’t best for everyone. 

[horgo99]

Absolutely could be a possibility, in this stupid game anything can work depending on the person.
 

I say this because this exact slot in my bag is filled with a Wilson Staff Utility iron at 15* natural. Top end of my bag is D at 6*/3W at 13.5*/this club at 15*/4i- onwards. I never found a hybrid I got along with consistently, and have always hit a super high flight window. I was looking for something to potentially give a bit more control off the tee on shorter/tight holes or for runners into the wind. Hit ALOT of the driving irons/utility irons at the time (Titleist u501-505, TM UDI, Callaway, Ping) but found none of them particularly responsive - I hit the Wilson. Best in class by a country mile for me - most penetrating launch and felt the best to me. While I still hit it high, I hit it lower with this than the others and enjoy the club. Have used it into par 5s with no issue (max off deck has been about 225m, off tee has gotten out to 240m).

FWIW I’m a 5hcp, very aggressive transition, 7i ss ~92/93mph. 

[ChipNRun]

If you play against me, I would love to see you hit  the 1i several times. 😉

[TreqJosh]

[SmashGolfBall]

Go with it, like Mr. Hogan

[Rocky Ball-boa]

I like having a long iron in the bag for those days when my driver swing is acting up. You know, when you just can't hit a good drive for love nor country.. Usually when my driver's acting up, so is my spoon. I also find it a lot easier to keep an iron low in the wind, than a wood. But I accept that there's a possibility that that's more a characteristic of my swing/skills than it is inherent in the club.

 

[JungleJimbo]

17 hours ago, cargo8 said:

Just went to Dunn hoping to try the Mizuno FliHi 2 (16.5*) and the Titleist U-505 1-iron (16*) – only got to try the U505, but holy hell is that thing easy to hit.

 

For context at the top of my bag, I have a Callaway x-forged UT 21*, P790 UDI 18* and Tour Exotics CBX 3-wood 15*.

But what I realized is while I can cover 200-210 and 220 with the irons, 3-wood only gets me about 235-240 which is very comparable to what I was getting out of the U505 on the sim.

In either case this slot in the bag only gets used a few times per round (short par 4 tee shot or attacking a par 5), but I imagine I'd use the iron off the tee more often than I do 3-wood now too.

 

If I could get 250+ out of the 3 wood it would be a different story, but with these numbers am I crazy to think of dropping the 3-wood and throw a 16* iron in the bag?

This Lee Trevino quote came to mind, when i saw your question!

(...and that 1-iron = 18 degrees loft, at the time! Not 16*!)

 

https://www.golfwrx.com/645080/the-death-of-the-3-iron-and-what-it-means-for-your-bag-setup/#:~:text=Lee Trevino was immortalized by his joke about how God couldn’t hit a 1-iron%2C which typically fell in the 18-degree range at the time

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by JungleJimbo

[ashortgame]

If you need to ask, then.......yes.

[North Butte]

Well how crazy could it be, really? It isn't going to injure you or suddenly turn you into a 25 handicapper. It's just a club that will either work well for you or waste a stroke for you here and there. No way to know until you try. Sounds like a bit of a long shot but not crazy by any means. 

 

I ought to post a GIF of that Dirty Harry scene, "Do you feel lucky"? 

[spring70]

people are acting like you are asking about putting a MP-29 1 iron in your bag.  I think you should give it a try.  1/2 the places I play have no driving range, i feel way better hacking a DI down the fairway to start then pulling big dog.

[Ger21]

Not all loft is created equal. I stopped hitting my 21° blade 3 iron a about 3 years ago.

 

Last year I picked up an 18° Honma TW-X 3 iron, and it's incredibly easy to hit.

[ShortGolfer]

Today there are more shaft options. If you get fitted you should be able to find something that works with your swing if you are good at hitting irons.

 

A low lofted iron is my most reliable option when there are a lot of leaves on the fairway and around the greens. 

The low flight gives me a much better chance of watching the ball travel and land.

[iclypso]

Me personally, I probably wouldn't have the confidence to hit it with skins on the line, but it does sound like a lot of fun for a casual round or at the range.

[iknowbagu]

There is a time and a place for everything. I carry a 2 iron (17°) sometimes. It is NOT an every round club. I'm a firm believer in letting the course dictate the top end of the bag. I have several options in the 13-22° range and they'll be bagged based on anticipated need that day. 

[MtlJeff]

I have a 16 degree PXG iron with a steel fiber. I don't hit it high enough to where I could use it on every course, but I can hit it 220-230 very consistently with a lot of roll. It's a great club when I need to hit it a long way accurately, but height isn't as important 

[vmann]

I'd be able to tell you if you were crazy after watching you hit it a few times. Otherwise, it's just pure bias and conjecture. 

[St Jimmy]

If you have room in your bag for a "specialty" club, then do it. 

[PEI_Golfer]

If you can hit a 3i 210-220 and your 3wood only goes 15-25 yards further, I'd be looking at how and why before I went to a 1i...  I mean, that should be around the gapping you'd get with a 5w as the next club, not a 3w.

[North Butte]

13 hours ago, PEI_Golfer said:

If you can hit a 3i 210-220 and your 3wood only goes 15-25 yards further, I'd be looking at how and why before I went to a 1i...  I mean, that should be around the gapping you'd get with a 5w as the next club, not a 3w.

The people I've played with who use those low-lofted driving irons or whatever have mostly just really wanted to have that super low, straight, running shot in their tee bag. It's a cool shot. Long enough hitters to want a less-than-driver option and that 20-foot-high "stinger" is much more fun to hit than just clipping a 3-wood out there 30 yards less than the driver.

 

The only two people I've played regularly with who've gone that route eventually (few months?) have taken the "stinger" club out of their bag.

 

My one buddy years ago during Tiger's heyday was deadly accurate with his driving iron and struggled with driver accuracy. So the driving iron could keep him in play. Then he made a shaft change in the driver, started keeping it between the tree lines and decided he didn't want to keep giving up 40-50 yards with the driving iron on several holes each round.

Edited November 25, 2022 by North Butte

[EddieEdwards]

I have an 18 and 21 deg driving iron. There not as forgiving as my 5 wood, distance is the same, and I cant hit them high enough to hold greens.  I would like to play them and do every once in awhile, but they're not as good.

[kmt16]

I play the u505 in the 1 iron when its windy in southwest Florida. Went in my bag last December for a couple months when the wind picks up here. It's a phenomenal option to have when it's dead into the wind off the tee and you want to run get the ball on the ground quickly and let it run.  I rarely hit it off the fairway but it launches fairly well off bermuda grass.  I do find it difficult to hit off the turf when I go up north and play tighter firmer fairways.  It replaces a 15 degree 3 wood I generally have in my bag under normal conditions.  

[Drivingrangehero]

Before getting the fairway woods sorted out through Howard’s DIY tune up, my bag went 

Driver

18* Callaway Apex Hybrid (2016)+1/2”
17* TMB 2iron

3-PW

52*,58* putter 
 

I would later go with 

Driver 

16* TEE CBX 119 hybrid +1/2”

18* Adams DHY

3-PW

52*,58* putter
 

I then would go 

Driver 

3Wood 13.5*

5 wood 18*

 

I hit my driver and 5 wood extremely well, but the 3 wood is not as good as the Driver for me, so I took it out of the bag. I found that I scored better without it, and I didn’t use it often anyways. 
 

I recently decided to get a Mini Driver to fill the 3 wood spot. I have no plans to hit it off the deck. My goal was to get one that is higher spin, so I could carry it longer than my 5 wood, but not roll out a ton so I went with a SLDR 14* mini driver. I still haven’t received it, but with my history with the smaller headed drivers, I’m sure it will be more of a weapon to point and shoot, rather than a bomb that just blows up my rounds 😂 

 

Anyways, something to consider, but the Titleist U505, 510, TM DHY, TEE CBX Ironwood, TEE EXS 220 TI Utility…. Etc, are excellent clubs if you are a great ball striker. 
 

Many people have had success with the Callaway Apex Utility Wood in that slot as well. 
 

Happy Hunting 👍

[bodhi555]

If you can hit it then go for it - I used to carry a 17 degree 2 iron and only dropped it as it was getting too close to my 3 wood on good hits - plus I wasn't a fan of the shaft. It was very much tee only unless I had to hit something particularly low, but I think that was a feature of the sole design rather than loft.

 

I've swapped it for a 20 degree 3 iron for better gapping, but I'm still a big proponent of long irons if they work for you.

 

On 11/23/2022 at 8:10 PM, MelloYello said:

I have a 17^o 4w that goes about 235-250 depending on the strike/conditions. 

 

There's no way in the world I could make friends with an iron of 16-17^o loft. It'd be way too impractical. It'd be way too unforgiving and impractical. The trajectory would be limited and the lie would have to be perfect. 

 

If a 16-17^o iron works better than a simple 4w, I would advise working on your swing. The 4w should be a much more practical piece of equipment at the swing speeds and distances in question. 

 

If a long iron works better for you than a 4 wood I'd suggest leaving your swing the hell alone in all honesty. Your swing is bad because you can use a really challenging club is...well it's certainly a take.

[MelloYello]

3 hours ago, bodhi555 said:

If a long iron works better for you than a 4 wood I'd suggest leaving your swing the hell alone in all honesty. Your swing is bad because you can use a really challenging club is...well it's certainly a take.

 

Not at all. 

 

You've got to be bold enough to tell the truth. The guy has the same handicap index as me and basically hits his clubs the same distance. 

 

In this regime, a fairway metal is a much more practical weapon (particularly if it's paired with a reliable driver). 

 

He said it himself, half the duties of this type of club have to do with attacking Par-5s. How is a 1-iron the best bet on a Par-5?! You think that's good advice?

 

Have you ever actually hit a 1-iron like he's talking about? They're not very practical. They're hyper-specialized clubs built for tee shots, primarily for the type of player generating 180+ ball speeds off the driver and who'll literally never need something as strong as a 16^o club into a Par-5. 

 

The fact the results from the fairway metal aren't good enough to beat out a 1-iron says everything. The fairway metal should be a much more valuable weapon, capable of being deployed on a number of different holes and in different scenarios. It can be hit from a wider array of lies, too. 

 

To put it bluntly, the OP is the type of player (much like me) whose scoring should be (noticeably) better with a good fairway metal versus a specialty driving club with only 16^o of loft. Work towards the goal of better scoring. It'll pay off in the end much more so than a driving club (that isn't a driver!). 

 

If he was spanking the 1-iron 275+ because he was just that dang powerful, then I'd say it'd be justified it but the kind of shots you're getting from a 1-iron at 240-yds aren't all that impressive and are certainly not practical beyond a few tee shots on flat fairways.

 

Simple fact >> the fairway metal (used properly) should be gaining way more shots than the 1-iron. And if you work on driver enough to be good at it (which you definitely should be!) then you don't need a 1-iron. 

 

.

Edited November 25, 2022 by MelloYello

[ezra76]

I use this thing I found for $5 quite a bit. Lands around 190-200 and runs another 25-30.. Feels like an Rflex shaft but it has no flex on it. I only use 2 wedges so have a lot of room to screw around on the tee shot end.

[cargo8]

Thanks for all the replies ya'll, I'm gonna hit the PGA superstore to hit both of the utility irons in question.

 

As far as the swing goes, I generally agree I should be hitting the 3w further than I am – but that's also the point of my question, assuming that club slot is going that distance, I think I have a preference for the long iron. I have no problem stopping my 2i/3i on greens and hit it plenty high with more control than I typically get from a 3w – and both of the clubs offer plenty of help (the u-505 honestly is probably considered a hybrid? not sure). I'm not really sure what shot I'd be trying to work a 3w but not able to with an iron 🤔

 

Also will try to check out the Callaway utility wood, been hearing good things about that club never seen it before.

 

Anyways, will get to check out some numbers tomorrow at the store and will report back!

[MelloYello]

1 hour ago, cargo8 said:

Thanks for all the replies ya'll, I'm gonna hit the PGA superstore to hit both of the utility irons in question.

 

As far as the swing goes, I generally agree I should be hitting the 3w further than I am – but that's also the point of my question, assuming that club slot is going that distance, I think I have a preference for the long iron. I have no problem stopping my 2i/3i on greens and hit it plenty high with more control than I typically get from a 3w – and both of the clubs offer plenty of help (the u-505 honestly is probably considered a hybrid? not sure). I'm not really sure what shot I'd be trying to work a 3w but not able to with an iron 🤔

 

Also will try to check out the Callaway utility wood, been hearing good things about that club never seen it before.

 

Anyways, will get to check out some numbers tomorrow at the store and will report back!

 

Have you ever tried a 4w or 5w? Those seem like they'd carry just as far as a 3w but are usually much more reliable for Ams. 

 

One would think they'd be a heck of a lot more versatile for a medium-length player like yourself. The guys I know who carry 2i are still in their 20s and they hit those 240+. By your description you don't seem like you physically warrant a bag full of driving irons. 

 

Golf Digest is showing Kyle Berkshire's WITB this month and he's got a 15^o driving iron, but he's also a 6'-3" gorilla and I don't think you or me fit into that category of golfer. I know I'm not casually flying my driver 355. 😁

 

TBH, you're in a demographic that traditionally goes for hybrids and lofted woods (4w/5w). The distances you list for your 3i and 2i were 205 and 220. I'm not a powerful player and those seem a little short even for me. My I have a 4i driving iron that goes about 205 and that club is pushing it as far as irons go for me. If I want height I have to tee that up and I know I would struggle to hit a 2i or 3i variant with the quality good golf demands. 

 

That's where my 7w (220) and 4w (240) have a lot more practical value due to their ease-of-launch and overall forgiveness. Those are two of the best, most reliable and most consistent clubs in my bag. Hard to think a 1i is going to help you out on a bad day. 😉 

 

I just don't see how a 1-iron would be a good thing at your distances but if you really like your 2i and 3i, then I'd say you should definitely try it. I would always suggest actually trying something over just talking about it, LOL. 

[tssgj65]

No