Players hybrid or chunky utility iron?

[K465785]

I’ve tried and a ton of driving irons and a ton of hybrids.  Never really got along with hybrids, and driving irons are great if and only if I’m having a good irons day in general.  Last year I got my hands on a a 17 and 19 degree Callaway uw, and have never been more consistent in that portion of my bag.  The offset of most hybrids has alway lead to the expected far left miss for me, the UW limited that miss for me

[vandyfan]

Reviving this thread as I saw a Callaway Apex UT (2015 model) in good shape in my local golf shop for $35 with my exact shaft in it (KBS Tour). Seems like the general consensus is that this is a fairly forgiving, neutral utility iron?

[Haroputt]

after years playing with either utility club or 7 wood I have replaced those clubs with hybrid.  Reason was duck/pull hook in the past    My swing/throw action has changed now I can play a low running stinger that curves a bit to the draw side or a high fade with the hybrid 

[mxskier]

I just picked up an apex hybrid (the OG matte black one) in a 4H 23* for this exact reason. 4i set doesn’t go too much farther due to altitude/lack of height compared to 5i. Trying the 4H again, which I’ve played in the past, as sort of do it all club. My PXG 4H became a bit spinney as I’ve gotten more ball speed (this 4H club is around 140mph), so hoping this gives me lots of versatility that I’m looking for. 

[Kacy]

This is the hardest spot to fill in the bag imo. So many options to choose from. Players hybrid (TSi3 18* hybrid) was the answer for me, lower launching, yet predictable and versatile enough to hit OTT or from fairway. Forgiving hybrids 5w, 7w all launch too high and found myself hooking the s*** out of more forgiving hybrids. Found myself only using utility irons off the tee.

[Is Golf Fun or Work]

Can't go wrong with Apex Pro hybrids.  I find them to be long (compared to iron equivalent), still workable, not a hook machine, and even a smaller hybrid like Apex Pro will plow through the rough far easier and more consistently than a utility iron. YMMV

[Louis_Posture]

On 11/27/2022 at 6:59 PM, ernotte said:

Due to gapping, I'm going to get rid of my utility iron (410 crossover) and hybrid (original Rogue) and replace them with one club. I'm not sure if I want to go with a players hybrid (thinking Apex Pro) or a chunkier utility iron (thinking U505). Anyone have experience making a decision similar to this? I'd be curious to hear your reasoning why you went one way or another. 

 

I like the utility iron better off the tee, but the hybrid for most other situations so I'm leaning towards a hybrid. For what it's worth l, I hover between a 1 and 4 handicap. 

 

I've noticed that players of all ages and skill levels are able to strike good shots with hybrid clubs.

I've noticed that only high swing speed players are able to strike consistently good shots with utility irons.

[Mobert19]

After 15* 3 wood, I go Ping G425 19* hybrid set to 18 and pulled my 22* 4 iron for ZX 20*

 

so far, so good. 

[vandyfan]

I went ahead and got the 21* Utility Iron (Callaway Apex UT from 2014) and it is really good off the tee. Probably still in the honeymoon phase but it has been money the last two rounds. Definitely a specialty club for me but since I only carry 12 clubs (now 13 with the UT) it doesn't take a spot away from anything else. I don't see myself using it off the fairway ever but for a tight tee shot where I need to carry it 225-240, this thing is more reliable than my hybrid because it doesn't have the same gear effect risk. 

[trevor90]

Interesting topic. Lots of options in that slot of the bag. I have gone back and forth over the years but always seem to land in the "large utility iron" category. Got the SIM DHy in the bag now, it's pretty good. Launches high enough to hit greens and goes the right distance for the spot it fills. Plus it's massive and you see a lot of the back of it at address, which most people don't like but does make it seem like it's going to be easy to hit.

[Pepperturbo]

I see hybrids differently.  Most people may see a hybrid's as versatile, but unless the user has real game, they are not a percentage club.  Most people I see don't have the game to effectively use a hybrid from junk, so I can't promote it just because tour guys use them.  And from what I am seeing on tour, most guys are defaulting back to long irons.

 

Saw that demonstrated too often this past weekend.  Guy in his 30-40 kept missing fairways from tees, and pulling a wood or hybrid in hopes of getting home or real close from 4-5" of junk; only to find he didn't have the next shot skill so was still in the junk  He should have taken his punishment, and pitched out to the fairway, but nope.  He chose to add more strokes to the hole.

 

I was in the rough a few times too.  Each time I used an iron to get back into the fairway and rely on my iron/short game to save par.   Wasn't my best but walked off with 77.