If majority of the LPGA don't use 4 irons.. why do you?

[Putter Addict]

By this logic, should we spend 5 minutes lining up every shot with our caddie right behind us the entire time? 😃

[Fuscinator]

The longest iron I play is a 6. When I first switched out the longer irons for hybrids, quite frequently, a low pull hook would show up. I ended up ditching the hybrids for a 7, 9, and even an 11 wood. I realize that most of the LPGA players, who are way better than I'll ever be, use hybrids instead of high lofted fairway woods, but I just couldn't get them to work for me.

Btw, if (deity of your choice forbid) an LPGA player ever jumps off a cliff, before you join her, make sure it's the right choice for YOUR game.🙏🏻

[double_d]

6 hours ago, nichho said:

Why stop at 4i. Why not do yourself a favour and get a bag full of hybrids?

 

That's an intriguing thought.

 

For me personally, I never did a shot analysis but, I can probably hit my 4H more consistently than my 5Iron, so why not get a 5H?

Edited October 12, 2023 by double_d

[MaineMariner]

5 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

I have read the average driver SS on the LPGA tour is ~95mph though that data is 3-4 years old. Maybe it's a bit faster now

 

I swing a good 10mph faster than that , which means i can more easily generate the launch needed to maximize a 4 iron. 

 

I think the question is more about launch than how difficult it is to hit. Many LPGA players probably can't launch a 4 iron even if they hit it perfectly, it would carry less or the same as their 5

 

Well said. My driver SS is in the 105-110 range. My JPX Hot Metal (ie, game improvement) 4-iron is extremely easy for me to launch. If anything, I have to try to keep the ball flight down.

 

I also have a 3 hybrid that gets swapped out for a 7 wood every now and then. I know they aren't perfect equivalents, but I am much wilder with my 3 hybrid than I am my 4 iron. Granted it is more versatile.

 

It's kind of a pointless discussion for me though because I rarely have to use those clubs anyways.

[ilikegolf26]

6 hours ago, bombs said:

I've just made the shift from 4 iron to 4 hybrid and life on the course has never been easier.

 

Can hit it anywhere on the face and still get incredible results. Impossible to hit it fat. Goes through the rough with ease. Workable. Can hit it high/low. 100% stress free golf. 

 

Admittedly I'm not practicing as much as I used to but I feel like i've stumbled on a cheat code. 

 

SO GolfWRX.... why the long irons? Let's be honest - we know you can't hit em 😘

I hit my 23* Utility iron a lot straighter and more consistent than a spinny hybrid. 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

36 minutes ago, mantan said:

IMO, the LGPA in the title is just a click baity trap to get guys into their ego, lol!

 

 

I found that curious as well.... LOL!!!

If I'm being honest, I play a 3-4 Iron because I got tired of people and their snooty opinions on what "lesser" golfers should or shouldn't hit. It's the aversion to the "look at those rubes" attitude that grates the nerves like a cheese grater on stale cheese. So I put them back in the bag so I could learn how to better my game on the long end, and so far at least for those two clubs it's working.

Although, I'm still just a rube trying to be a better golfer....  😄 😄 😄 😄

[the bishop]

Because I'm a 4 hdcp

[DoughBack18]

I use a 4iron and still have a 3iron in the bag. I cannot hit a hybrid for the life of me. I’ve tried a handful and have just never gotten good enough results out of them to put them in the bag long term.
 

I think this is where you have to use what works for you. Some guys excel with hybrids, and end up dropping most of their long irons for them. In my case, having the long irons in my bag helps me play my best based on my abilities and skill sets. To each their own as they say!

[nitram]

I trust my 4-iron.

[Titleist_PT23]

What people say about swing speed and the ability to test/be comfortable with a club are true.

 

At the same time, people said the same thing about 3-irons or 2-irons.  And then the PGA pros started playing 7Ws and what not, and it became acceptable.  Can say the same thing about a traditional 3i/4i and some type of GI/Utility iron with those lofts; hate offset, hate the sole, can't use a lighter shaft but now these clubs work [granted, there has probably been some advancement in the designs that make them more high ss friendly].  Funny isn't it?

 

On the other hand, not everyone that plays hybrids (or high lofted fairways) does so to the 30 degree+ range (or the full set hybrids).  Why not get more help, etc?  Everyone has their cutoff point and it depends...

[phizzy30]

Technically, I have a 3.5 iron, lol.  I'm a  high ss player and have actually taken the route of having both a driving iron and hybrid in the bag.  Fits my distance gaps and I can hit different types of shots with each club.  I love that I can hit a higher shot with hybrid that doesn't run out too much and that with the driving iron, I can hit one low that runs out when need be. 

[tatertot]

18 minutes ago, the bishop said:

Because I'm a 4 hdcp

Have you ever beat Charley Hull?

[gvogel]

I love these threads, says the old man whose longest iron is a 7-iron.

[gvogel]

1 minute ago, tatertot said:

Have you ever beat Charley Hull?

Watch out now, Charley isn't playing that well at the moment.

[BombinJim]

Swinging fast and launching it high are not problems I have. Plus it is awesome flushing a 4iron.

[getitdaily]

I'll add that I spent about 3 months and about $400 trying various 4i to get the right launch, spin, and carry numbers to gap perfectly. 

 

So you'll never pry my 4i away. Don't event try it. I'll hit a crisp stinger at you.

[ranesy]

I had the pleasure of walking with several LPGA player groups in a recent tournament and had a nice chat with some of the players and their caddies during the day (very approachable people vs the snooty PGA counterparts).

 

What surprised me was how the ladies never swing all out....very measured swings...focusing more on accuracy vs all out distance. This may create the perception that they cannot hit it far. Watching Lexi T's swing is jaw-dropping!

 

I carry both a 3i and a 4i because I have a lot of confidence hitting long irons & my success rate hitting them how I intend is very high. I cannot hit a hybrid at all so have never kept them in the bag too long.

 

[the bishop]

14 minutes ago, tatertot said:

Have you ever beat Charley Hull?

within an inch of her life

/jk

[BagofToast]

6 hours ago, craz-e said:

Because I don't play on the LPGA. 🤷‍♂️

Exactly the response I was looking for 

[phizzy30]

Just now, gvogel said:

Watch out now, Charley isn't playing that well at the moment.

She finished runner up at The Open and was pretty solid at Pebble earlier this summer.  I'd say she's had a decent year(understatement).   Plus she looks damn good in a bikini. 

Edited October 12, 2023 by phizzy30

[Jeri6gt]

1 hour ago, pgheaja said:

I play a 4 iron instead of a hybrid because I know it isn't going left 

THIS^

Hybrids are a duck hook waiting to happen for me so hard pass.

And a hollow back 4 iron like a T200 just works.

[Jeri6gt]

-Delete-

Edited October 12, 2023 by Jeri6gt

[PJE]

1 minute ago, MtlJeff said:

I think the question is more about launch than how difficult it is to hit. Many LPGA players probably can't launch a 4 iron even if they hit it perfectly, it would carry less or the same as their 5

This is insightful. I can hit a 4 iron well and I think so can many golfers up to mid handicaps.
For mid caps, GI irons now have low lofts so one needs some speed to launch it. Today’s 5 iron is also yesterday’s 4 iron.
So if you can hit a 5 iron well do you even need a 4 iron much less a 4 hybrid? I think it depends on the player’s gaps and the course. 
Suggesting that amateur golfers should emulate LPGA bag set ups is too broad of a brush. Lots of amateur golfers have higher swing speeds and hit it further than LPGA players so their ideal bag might be different than a typical LPGA bag. 

[njmack]

I have both in the bag 🍻

 

I love the 4i off the tee, easier to flight if I need to. Contact rarely an issue in that scenario. I like the hybrid out of the rough & off the deck, plus I hit it maybe a half club longer (and more consistently) than the 4i so it's a good option on a gettable par 5.

[Retrop1]

I did move to hybrids when companies started making ones that did not hook a lot. I am a natrual drawer of the ball and for years hybrids just made my miss worse. The Ping G430 in flat setting, however, is a welcome addition to the bag. Much easier to hit and no fear of it going too far left.

[opensupoverthere27]

I agree to this statement, but don't knock a utility 4 iron. I recently made the switch from a 4 hybrid to a u505 4 iron and I don't think I will ever go back. Shot shape is way more consistent for me but we as golfers are all different. Both off of a tee and the turf. It's a confidence game, play whatever makes you feel more confident! I plan on picking up the u505 2i at my local golf show coming up over a 3h

[me05501]

I play with some guys who carry SGI irons and hit their 4 irons high and long. For a lot of them it's the club they use when they absolutely have to hit a fairway. 

 

But if you compare SGI 4 irons to driving irons and hybrids there are more similarities than differences. Very thin cup faces, extreme discretionary weighting, wide soles, etc. 

[Pnwpingi210]

Cause I have the club head speed to hit one with the launch and spin I want.

 

i would rather figure out how to get my chipping and putting as good as a lpga player.  Any equipment related help on that??? 🙂

Edited October 12, 2023 by Pnwpingi210

[WorkItBothWays]

I've only relatively recently switched to a 4i utility iron albeit its 1° strong and in terms of equipment/set up decisions it's one of the best I've made. The decision making process wasn't influenced by the LPGA or any other pro tours, female or male. The club, even in my hands, does everything I'd hope for.

Edited October 12, 2023 by WorkItBothWays

[PowerCobra98]

I use a 4i because I'm a glutton for punishment.  However the best feeling in golf for me is flush a long iron.  On the rare occasion it happens it makes all the other pain worth it.