5 Iron v. 5 Hybrid Showdown ... It Wasn't Close

[Millhill88]

Mid last summer I switched back to an old set of Nike Vapor Pro irons.  Hit the scoring irons really well, so they will get the start in the bag this coming season.  For the longer irons, the 5i is money, the 6i is always left, and the 7i just okay.  I was thinking of going Hybrid or Utility to replace the 5 & 6.  I have hit the New Level NLU-01 Utility, but never the Hybrid.  Anyone have experience with New Level hybrids?

[gator022]

deleted in another thread

Edited December 31, 2023 by gator022
deleted in another thread

[VA_Astra]

I put 2 new hybrids and a 5w in the bag this year. 4 and 5 are hybrids now. I swap the 5w and a 17* UW part of the time as I'm not sure what I like best. 

But my long game has never been this good. 

Not sure I could go to a 6hybrid, maybe a t350 instead.

[mantan]

The new Cleveland line looks like it's being announced next week. This will be the year I break down for a 5-hybrid. I woulda got the current version last month - but couldn't find one.

 

Looking at the Garmin data, I just have a totally unreliable gap between my 4h and 6i.  

 

Note: My Hy-wood numbers will come back.  I just bought a replacement after stupidly selling it.  But haven't hit enough shots to have it get to a real average.

 

 

Edited January 3 by mantan

[stryper]

19* and 24* TSR3’s replaced my 18* KZG and my 4 and 5 irons this year.  Swing speed was down (age) and there was just too much ambiguity and inconsistency on that end of the bag.  Really happy with the switch, but in have since reintroduced the 5i as there are a couple of shots on my home course where the TSR’s might get me in trouble but a mishit 5i will only leave me short but still among the living.  

[ryanmn4]

I'm coming to the thread late but this has been a battle in my bag for years.  5HDCP (former scratch/plus) who swings between 100-105 with the driver.  I have struggled to find a 5H that doesn't ruin my gapping, that isn't juiced, that doesn't balloon.  I have what I think is the perfect 4H - an old PING i25 that is small and square-faced, that isn't full of foam, and that I can hit high and low.  Something about adding that 4 degrees just doesn't work for me.  I've tried a TS3 series, a GAPR (cut down and loft weakened), a variety of old Adams, and the i25 26 degree version.  They either go too far or balloon and go nowhere.

 

I've been toying with the idea of getting a stronger 6i & 5i to add a few yards in that area of the bag, but all of the modern ones are juiced or too strong.  Totally ruins the gapping.  Not worth the money to experiment.

 

What other 5H options have worked for people?

[ryanmn4]

I'll also add that, for any manufacturers that may be reading (*cough* PING), give the good players some options for higher-flying mid-long irons that AREN'T full of offset, DON'T have crappy graphite shafts, AREN'T full of foam, DON'T look like Word not allowed.  The i-crossover is ugly as sin. 

[Jamie_Tee]

My main issue with 5H is wind, largely due to the higher ball flight.  Downwind can fly miles and into really does stall.

 

I've just been for a top of bag fitting and gapped a 4 hybrid off of my 5 iron so going to try the season without the 5h and see if I miss it.

[vonbonds]

54 minutes ago, Jamie_Tee said:

My main issue with 5H is wind, largely due to the higher ball flight.  Downwind can fly miles and into really does stall.

 

I've just been for a top of bag fitting and gapped a 4 hybrid off of my 5 iron so going to try the season without the 5h and see if I miss it.

This is why I didn’t post in the bag is set challenge. I play my Ping G430 26* over my Srixon ZX5 (OG) 5i most of the time..unless the conditions say otherwise which is a lot of wind. I strike my Ping better but it goes way too high when it’s a gusty day so I just deal with my 5i

[98brg2d]

I carry a 21°H, 24°H and 25° iron. I really struggle with getting the hybrids off the ground so wet conditions they go nowhere, dry is fine because I get a lot of roll out. A great strike with my 24° goes anywhere from 180 to 210 yards, whereas any halfway decent strike with the 5 iron goes anywhere from 175 to 190, so much tighter distance dispersion. As such I almost never try to hit a hybrid into a green, I'll miss 99% of the time, distance and left/right. I'm actually considering taking my hybrids out and putting my 4 iron back in the bag.

 

I also can't hit hybrids off a tee, I tend to get way too underplane and hit huge hooks. I choke up to take out some club length and drop the lie angle and it helps a bit but then I only hit it as far as my 5 iron, and still left. I can't even remember the last time I hit my 21° off a tee, its been years, like maybe close to 10 years.

 

Nothing is the club's fault obviously, but when I am swinging my normal crappy swing, hybrids don't work for me as often as irons do. I'm generally better off laying up and being in the fairway with multiple shot options, than in thick rough around the green, or a green side bunker, with few options and low accuracy/high chance for a defacto penalty shot. So course management usually leads me to irons.

[JahSteve]

On 12/14/2023 at 10:19 PM, mantan said:

It may be an offseason project. The line of demaracation in my bag is the 5-iron.  I am very comfortable with my 6-rion.  Garmin shows I average 173 with it. I trust pulling it out in any situation.  My confidence level with it is an 8.

 

My 4H is my security blanket club. Garmin shows I hit it 202 yards. My confidence level with it is a 10.

 

My 5-iron is the problem. It's intoxicating when I flush it.  But I only pull it out if there is a decent margin of error on the hole. My confidence level is a 3.

 

I need to swallow my pride and just look for a 5h.

 

 

Same as above... Finally grabbed a 5h off CPO. I feel weird about it. Leaving the 4i behind was very easy. 5i proving to be a humbling experience. I'm not young anymore and i feel this is the nail in the coffin.  

[Drivingrangehero]

Lots of good info in this thread. 
 

I’ve been thinking of mixing up the top of the bag since I dropped the 3w&5w for a 4w. 
 

I have a 22° 7w that I like a lot, but I have a 20° hybrid head that’s NOS ready to be shafted up, and may get a 25° hybrid as well while dropping the 7w, but that will have to be tested first since the 7W works so well for me. 

Prior to the 7w, I  a had a 23° hybrid in my 4i spot, but the 7W is just so versatile,…….. 🤔 decisions. 

 

 

[AC-Golf]

I'm going to do some gap checks this weekend for something similar.  

 

I'm leaning towards the following:

6i at 28*

4utility at 24* (Srixon ZX is amazing)

4H or 3U at 21*

2H at 17*

3W at 14*

 

I have a 5W and 3H to swap in as needed. I had tried the 5H but it went too high and I could see too much face.  The ZX has been a great compromise.  

[JungleJimbo]

11 hours ago, ryanmn4 said:

I'm coming to the thread late but this has been a battle in my bag for years.  5HDCP (former scratch/plus) who swings between 100-105 with the driver.  I have struggled to find a 5H that doesn't ruin my gapping, that isn't juiced, that doesn't balloon.  I have what I think is the perfect 4H - an old PING i25 that is small and square-faced, that isn't full of foam, and that I can hit high and low.  Something about adding that 4 degrees just doesn't work for me.  I've tried a TS3 series, a GAPR (cut down and loft weakened), a variety of old Adams, and the i25 26 degree version.  They either go too far or balloon and go nowhere.

 

I've been toying with the idea of getting a stronger 6i & 5i to add a few yards in that area of the bag, but all of the modern ones are juiced or too strong.  Totally ruins the gapping.  Not worth the money to experiment.

 

What other 5H options have worked for people?

I have an old cobra f7 (adjustable hosel) with the rails. Would recommend trying one with adjustable hosel so that you can experiment/plug-and-play with different shafts, to find the one that best matches your gap/launch window. You may even find useful to experiment with shafts that are longer/shorter than standard?

[vel]

Man I picked up a JPX Fli Hi 4H and I immediately took my 4 iron out of the bag. I never liked hitting it. Just couldn't get it down. Hit a few balls at the store just waiting for a friend to figure out which driver he wanted and immediately fell in love. Just played a round with it and man I felt like I just couldn't miss. I usually struggle with ~200 yard approach shots but every time I pulled that club out, I was ready for whatever. Instant fan and now looking at switching out the 5 and 6 irons for hybrids. 

[jasona93]

5i a problem spot in my bag as well. Traditional loft 30° 6i guy here, it goes 170ish. 5i at 27 for a 180+ shot but I hate it. Have a Radspeed 5h (not adjustable) at 24 but it goes 190-200, absolutely love it, it’s going nowhere. I don’t find 5h to be equal to 5i, but with traditional lofts, they wouldn’t be.

 

Anyways I try to take a little off the 5h to cover the 5i shot and that goes poorly. Thinking of buying a MP-245 or similarly loft-jacked GI or players distance 6 iron to kick the traditional 5 out. Can’t wait to hear the Scottish caddie’s comments when I show up this summer with two 6 irons.

 

I agree with the OP to replace their hardest to hit iron with a hybrid, but in my case  already have 4 headcovers, 5 including putter. Not ready to embrace a 6/7h. It’s a stupid game we play…

[sm_watts]

6 hours ago, Drivingrangehero said:

Lots of good info in this thread. 
 

I’ve been thinking of mixing up the top of the bag since I dropped the 3w&5w for a 4w. 
 

I have a 22° 7w that I like a lot, but I have a 20° hybrid head that’s NOS ready to be shafted up, and may get a 25° hybrid as well while dropping the 7w, but that will have to be tested first since the 7W works so well for me. 

Prior to the 7w, I  a had a 23° hybrid in my 4i spot, but the 7W is just so versatile,…….. 🤔 decisions. 

 

 

I hear you with the 7 wood conundrum. The difference maker for me are the shorter shafts of the hybrids. My miss is the toe strike, and fairway woods seem to bring out the worst in them. Having a club with a 2-3” shorter shaft helps me find the center more consistently. 
 

it also explains why the Cleveland Launcher XL fairway works for me, it’s probably the widest faced fairway I’ve ever hit, and I’m playing it an inch short of stock. 

Edited January 4 by sm_watts

[Drivingrangehero]

7 hours ago, sm_watts said:

I hear you with the 7 wood conundrum. The difference maker for me are the shorter shafts of the hybrids. My miss is the toe strike, and fairway woods seem to bring out the worst in them. Having a club with a 2-3” shorter shaft helps me find the center more consistently. 
 

it also explains why the Cleveland Launcher XL fairway works for me, it’s probably the widest faced fairway I’ve ever hit, and I’m playing it an inch short of stock. 

I play my fairway woods shorter than standard length. I’m dropping the 3w and 5w for a 4w that I’ll play at 41.5”, but my set up was as follows 
 

3W at 42”

5w at 41.5”

7w at 41”

I tested out the Callaway UW and commented on a thread about it, my results were far better choking up an inch plus. My dispersion was far tighter and strike location was better, so no loss of distance. 

 

[dukebasketball717]

I added a SIM 4 hybrid to the bag and kicked out the 4 Iron. It’s super easy to hit and I can bring it in high. I’m not sure if I’m ready to replace the 5I. 

[Yuck]

Something is clearly wrong with me, or I am just an old stick in the mud.  My irons are TCB 4-PW, traditional lofts and a part time 21 degree Fli-Hi driving iron.  My experience with Hybrids is checkered with a much bigger chance of bad left dispersion than a with 3, or 4 iron.  I have never hit a 5 hybrid.  I have used a 21 degree hybrid as a three iron replacement.  I would swap those two based on wind and turf conditions.  The hybrid has a definite advantage out of heavy rough, but my left / right dispersion is clearly better with an iron.  I am getting old, so this thread inspires me to take another look when it is time to replace clubs.

 

For what it is worth, my wife still carries a three iron, but she calls it her “tree iron”.  She finds it far easier to hit a low hot one under branches with that vs a hybrid.

Edited January 5 by Yuck

[jeffrey r]

50 minutes ago, Yuck said:

Something is clearly wrong with me, or I am just an old stick in the mud.  My irons are TCB 4-PW, traditional lofts and a part time 21 degree Fli-Hi driving iron.  My experience with Hybrids is checkered with a much bigger chance of bad left dispersion than a with 3, or 4 iron.  I have never hit a 5 hybrid.  I have used a 21 degree hybrid as a three iron replacement.  I would swap those two based on wind and turf conditions.  The hybrid has a definite advantage out of heavy rough, but my left / right dispersion is clearly better with an iron.  I am getting old, so this thread inspires me to take another look when it is time to replace clubs.

 

For what it is worth, my wife still carries a three iron, but she calls it her “tree iron”.  She finds it far easier to hit a low hot one under branches with that vs a hybrid.

 

Play what works. I am sure like many of us, I can certainly play a 5 iron, and do just fine with it. It is not like I am hacking up the course with a 5 iron. But with whatever shot I would be hitting a 5 iron, I just feel more at ease looking down at my Paradym X 5 hybrid, and the hybrid certainly has a higher percentage of very good shots compared to the 5 iron. But YMMV of course, and some still swear by their 5 irons. 

[fred faldo]

I went to TS1 5,6,& 7 hybrids and paired them with my T300 7,8,9,w,gw.The hybrids pretty much replace my 4,5 &6 irons due to the club lengths so this setup has worked quite well for me

[mardukes]

I was at the dome a couple of years back -- after already switching to hybrids from 7 wood and 5 iron -- when a pro explained to his students that the new balls require so much more club head speed to get aloft that most ams would see better results with hybrid heads.  I can't hit anything but, I think it helped.  I'm even considering something upwards of 30 degrees instead of the 6 iron!

[driveandputtmachine]

I used to have a @Duffner's Waggleissue with my 3 wood.  Then I solved it.

Then I had the issue with the next club, roughly 5 wood, and it is solved now.

 

I had an even worse problem with my 4 iron spot.  

In hybrids for this spot, I have tried.......

Ping(3), Titleist(3), Srixon, TM(2), Mizuno, Callaway(2), PXG, and Sub 70.

 

In 4 irons & Driving irons in this spot I have tried.....

Srixon(2), Mizuno, TM(3), Cally(3), Cobra(2), Ping (2), Sub 70(2), PXG (2).

 

Hybrid problems were bad swings carried further offline and got into more trouble.  Hook left miss, big block, but always solid and good distance.

 

Iron & DI problems were bad contact, too much offset, thin, fat, pulls block, but bad direction wasn't normally as far and not in as much trouble.

 

Finally solved with the new Srixon ZX4 MKii.  Everything else I tried either was too big on the sole, or too much offset, sometimes both.  My bad swings thus far (8 rounds) 1st, I am not looking to replace it already, which is a record by about 6 rounds.  I hit far fewer horrible fat shots, I hit some thin, but not nearly as many big misses right and left.  It doesn't have giant amounts of offset like the previous model of ZX4, and isn't as big as the ZXU on the bottom.

 

It is so good I have thought about ordering one in 5 iron hoping I can bend to get my gapping correct.

[GTiger]

I've played both a 5 iron and a 5 hybrid...and I don't have any issues playing both. For accuracy, my 5 iron is my goto club, but if I have some extra wiggle room (wider fairway, and I need distance, a 5 hybrid is a bonus for me. My 5 irons tend to be sneaky long on some par 3s so that tends to be a good option to have! I also have a 19.5 degree 4 iron so I tend to enjoy having these  clubs in my golf bag as options. 

[jlevitt9]

Like many of you, I'm an unapologetic nut job about this stuff. For the longest time I had a trusty Titleist 913hd 23*, my 4 iron replacement, that I found myself more and more leaning on for little cut shots instead of just hitting a 5 iron, from 185-205. I have also found I have a ton of 185-200 shots that I need to hit into greens, either on long par 4's, or par 5's when I've hit a bomb drive. 

 

To that point, my current set up is, off the deck....

 

- 19* UW (pull it from my cold dead hands. longest FW in the bag) - 225 - 250y

- Srixon u85 3i with Handcrafted HZRDUS 105x - 95% for off the tee...couldn't go left if I tried, if I hit it from the deck it's 215 - 230y, but low.

- 712u 4 iron at 24* - 190 - 220y

- Ping g410 5 Hybrid set at 25* - 185-200y

- Titleist t100 irons, 6-9

- Vokey 48*

 

What I have found is I don't like hitting hybrids from tees, so nearly any longish par 3 I can cover with a dialed back 4iron or smashed 6 iron, and I have a high shot I can hit into par 4's and 5's with the 5 hybrid. Great for layups on par 5's too when I've hit in the rough off the tee and have 275+ or so in.

 

Note, this may all change next week, but working as of now!

 

Josh

Edited January 6 by jlevitt9

[Luke'sdad]

Call it old school, but I still utilize my ancient TM Mid Rescue 5,I have had for years. Its not the longest, but for whatever reason it seems to never go left on me and is as consistent today as the day I bought it. Getting pretty worn, but it does the job and that's all I care about.

[Shilgy]

On 1/2/2024 at 9:54 PM, mantan said:

The new Cleveland line looks like it's being announced next week. This will be the year I break down for a 5-hybrid. I woulda got the current version last month - but couldn't find one.

 

Looking at the Garmin data, I just have a totally unreliable gap between my 4h and 6i.  

 

Note: My Hy-wood numbers will come back.  I just bought a replacement after stupidly selling it.  But haven't hit enough shots to have it get to a real average.

 

 

Odd gapping….based on you mentioned Garmin numbers I assume the “max” is based on real shots and where they ended up?  Not a “can hit it that far on demand”?

[mantan]

6 hours ago, Shilgy said:

Odd gapping….based on you mentioned Garmin numbers I assume the “max” is based on real shots and where they ended up?  Not a “can hit it that far on demand”?

 

Oh gosh no. The Max shot captured is usually something that was downwind/downhill or both. Not what I could dial up.  And usually something bad. The 6-iron shot  was me making sure I had enough to cover the water on a par 3 with a narrow green.  I absolutely flushed it and hit the cart path behind the green and it bounded down a slope on the next hole.  Nice triple bogey on that hole as I had to hit a partial wedge back to the green, hit the same cart path and it went into the water I tried to carry on the tee shot.  Good times.

Edited January 7 by mantan

[jlevitt9]

7 hours ago, Luke'sdad said:

Call it old school, but I still utilize my ancient TM Mid Rescue 5,I have had for years. Its not the longest, but for whatever reason it seems to never go left on me and is as consistent today as the day I bought it. Getting pretty worn, but it does the job and that's all I care about.

 

I've never understood the argument for "long" when it comes to hybrids and irons. long just means your gapping is screwed up and you need to add more wedges, lol. 

Edited January 7 by jlevitt9