Too much of a gap between sticks...

[BredStik]

Hi all!

Playing the simulator yesterday, I noticed a big flaw in my actual setup. Here's the average distance with each of my clubs:

55 degree: 70yds
50 degree: 90yds
PW: 105yds
9i: 115yds
8i: 125yds
7i: 135yds
6i: 145yds
5i: 158yds
4i: 170yds
20 degree hybrid: 200yds
7 wood: 215yds
3 wood: 220yds
Driver: 240yds

Notice the gap between my 4i and my 21 degree hybrid. Also, the fact that I only have a 5yds difference between my 3 wood and my 7 wood (and I hit my 7 wood a lot better). I'm usually able to hit my irons a little better as the season goes, picking up a good 10 yards per club, bringing my 4 iron to around 180yds. Still, it's hard to choose a club when I have 190yds to go.

Should I ditch my 3 wood and get my 3 iron back in my bag?

[golfisforfun]

No, add some hybrids... they are so easy to hit and extra distance also... I used to hate 180-200 yard shots because a 7 wood was too much and I couldn't hit 3 or 4 irons off the grass... but hybrids changed my game.
Honestly, I have no problem hitting 175-200 yard shots.
Just easy swings now.

[Chieflongtee]

Sims are not accurate. Don't do anything before you actually measure real distances. I hit my 3 wood further than my driver in the sims and my lob wedge sometimes goes 100 yards.

[Big Johnny69]

Sims are not accurate. Don't do anything before you actually measure real distances. I hit my 3 wood further than my driver in the sims and my lob wedge sometimes goes 100 yards.

But that's due to all the off season weight training you've been doing.....

[Chieflongtee]

But that's due to all the off season weight training you've been doing.....

don't know if you call this weight training

[jeffc]

I do - one armed curls, also know as molson muscle!

[Chieflongtee]

I do - one armed curls, also know as molson muscle!

Look out for tendonitis

[boyabouttown]

One thing you might want to do is compare the lengths of your hybrid and 3 iron. It might be an option to cut your hybrid down to the length of your 3 iron. You will lose certainly some distance, but you will reduce the gap between your 4 iron and hybrid and perhaps gain some accuracy.

[ironmaster15213]

I would agree with the Chief, don't do anything until you hit balls outside where you can actually see how far they go. Sims are notorious for giving longer distances with long irons and fairway woods. I had a perfect club which is a 5 wood with a 5 iron shaft and I would hit it consistently 235 to 240 on the sims and I was lucky to get 195 to 200 outside. Same with the long irons, as much as 25 more yards then reality. For me the yardages started coming close to reality around the 7 iron on down. Just a little food for thought, from someone that used to practice a good deal on sims. By the way there are a lot of tricks you can use on sims to make the ball draw and fade at command without hitting draws and fades into the screen. I could write a book on putting on sims cause that can be just bizzare, sometimes it seems they have a mind of their own but there are technics that can be applied that make 3 putts rare on the long putts.

[BredStik]

I would agree with the Chief, don't do anything until you hit balls outside where you can actually see how far they go.

I think it would be wise to do so. However, I'm mostly convinced that the "one more hybrid" theory is the right choice. I hit the hybrids with so much more consistency than a 3i or 4i...

I'll see more clearly when spring comes. In the meantime, if I can find myself a nice Nickent 3dx Genex 23 degrees for cheap, I might grab it ;-)

Thanks for all your comments.

[ironmaster15213]

If your thinking about another hybrid, think about how deep or shallow of a face you want. If you tend to miss fairways and are in deep rough a lot get something with a little deeper face. Or if you tend to hit fairways but aren't that long get a more shallow faced club, I find the real shallow faced clubs are really easy to hit from any decent lie, even in the rough, but if your in the deep rough the ball may be sitting up a bit and you may pop the ball right up because of the shallow face. Just an opinion, probably not worth much more than you paid for it .

[BredStik]

If your thinking about another hybrid, think about how deep or shallow of a face you want. If you tend to miss fairways and are in deep rough a lot get something with a little deeper face. Or if you tend to hit fairways but aren't that long get a more shallow faced club, I find the real shallow faced clubs are really easy to hit from any decent lie, even in the rough, but if your in the deep rough the ball may be sitting up a bit and you may pop the ball right up because of the shallow face. Just an opinion, probably not worth much more than you paid for it .

Thanks for the tip! Having played with the original Adams Tight Lies fairway wood, I know exactly what you mean... I'm currently playing the Nickent Genex 3dx hybrid and I'm liking it a lot. I have a 20 degree and I'm looking for the equivalent in 23 degree. It's really good from the fairway and fairly good from the light rough. When I end up in deeper rough though, I usually use a more lofted iron anyways (even If I'm 200yds away).

[mberube]

No, add some hybrids... they are so easy to hit and extra distance also... I used to hate 180-200 yard shots because a 7 wood was too much and I couldn't hit 3 or 4 irons off the grass... but hybrids changed my game.
Honestly, I have no problem hitting 175-200 yard shots.
Just easy swings now.

You are absolutely right. Hybrids are the way to go. My long game has improved because of these new clubs. They are a must in an amateurs bag.

[dbleber]

I'd look into getting the lofts on your irons bent a few degrees stronger. It will help with the gaps since your 5 iron will be closer to a 4 iron and then add the 3 and 4 hybrid. I think by doing this you'll find it easier since it can't be fun having to hit 5 irons for 150ish shots. It would be better if you could get that in the 7 iron or even 6 iron range since they are easier to hit. My father in law did this becasue he was having to hit 6 irons at 150 and found it frustrating. I sent him to Don at Artisan golf and now he's back to a 7 iron. i also got hime away from steel shafts and my new quest is to get him in a set of game improvement irons instead of hogan blades. The technology is there, might as well use it.

[BredStik]

As I said in my first post, I usually hit close to 150yds with my 7 iron when I get my groove back in the middle of the season. Those distance are what I'm hitting right now... (hitting balls once a month on a mat...)

[dbleber]

In that case then learn to choke down on your hybrid and hit 3/4 shots once you get your groove back.