Driving Iron

[mcnorth]

My buddy is just getting back into golf and he's a terrific iron striker but hates the woods because the woods hate him.

He's looking at getting a driving iron to use instead of a wood off the tee. He usually uses his 3 iron and hits it well - any suggestions on what to look for and what to avoid as far as design, brand, etc? Nobody we golf with really has any experience with them. Suggestions? Anecdotes? Recipes? Warnings?

[Chieflongtee]

Depends on the loft he's looking for. If he's got a 3 iron 21 degree loft he has to look for something with lower loft to really make a difference. 3 wood is usually 15 degrees. 5 wood 19 degrees so he could possibly look at a 15 degree hybrid to get maximum distance. If he's a slicer he should look for a more offset hybrid.

[mcnorth]

Thanks, Chief. He's not normally a slicer after the first few outings. Maybe one of those Cleveland LDI with the heavier shaft? I've seen them as low as 18 degrees. He naturally hits the ball high so he doesn't need a lot of loft from the club and shaft. The LDI has an Aldila NV that comes in couple of different weights - I think I saw a 105 or so. I figure something new might be better than an older Hogan model. But it's all just guesswork right now.