Do you still carry a 5-iron?

[tdroma98]

I carry a 5 iron.  My recent Titleist Iron fitting blended the set - 5 iron is a T350 & 6i - PW are T200. 
The T350 5 iron is hot! 

[Agpacman22]

I just bought a new set of Mizuno irons last year. Went with 4-GW. I use every club in the bag, and definitely love my 5-iron, although I do regret adding the 4-iron to the set. Last years LPX 923 Hot Metal Pros have the 4-iron lofted at 19 degrees, and while I can still hit it well and get decent launch most of the time, I think I would have been better served working another hybrid or wood into my bag instead. Hearing more and more people praising their 7-woods, and wish I had looked into it further. 

For gapping purposes I need a club that I can count on for 215 yds, to fit in between the 5i and my 3hy. Sometimes it's the 4i, but I just don't have the confidence I'd like with it. Maybe if I was in better shape I could hit it hard enough to get consistent launch.

[BallsLeon]

8 minutes ago, tdroma98 said:

I carry a 5 iron.  My recent Titleist Iron fitting blended the set - 5 iron is a T350 & 6i - PW are T200. 
The T350 5 iron is hot! 

I've been thinking about the T350 5i lately. My next club is a driving iron that isn't the easiest to hit off turf, thought maybe it'd fill a nice role as 2nd shot par 5/4. Did you end up sticking with same shaft between T200 and T350?

[tdroma98]

9 minutes ago, BallsLeon said:

I've been thinking about the T350 5i lately. My next club is a driving iron that isn't the easiest to hit off turf, thought maybe it'd fill a nice role as 2nd shot par 5/4. Did you end up sticking with same shaft between T200 and T350?

Good question @BallsLeon.  Yes, the T350 has same Nippon shaft as T200's.  
The cool thing about the fitting, the T200 5 iron was giving me the same speed numbers as the 6 iron.  Fitter wanted at least a 5 mph difference between 5 & 6 irons. He put the T350 head on the Nippon shaft and boom, the numbers were great.  The club feels great

[William P]

I still carry and use a 5 iron for short par fours that require a layup off the tee for optimum approach distance or to avoid a hazard. I have been considering adding a 3 or 4 driving iron to the bag in lieu of my 4 hybrid.

[Paul Hedrick]

I do not care to list my age, but looking at those who did.... you are kids!  LOL.  Yeah, I have a 5 iron in my bag, but hardly ever use it.  When I do, the results are not so great.  Once I get a couple of other things organized in my bag, I will focus my attention on what to replace it with.

[alfriday101]

Newer 5 irons seem to be where the 24/38 rule (guideline) shows up.  

 

the "rule":

 

In the world of Clubfitting there is something called the “24/38 Rule.”
Basically, it says that the majority of golfers cannot consistently hit an iron
that has less than 24-degrees of loft or is more than 38 inches in its length.
The reason is that a club like that requires swing skills that most average
golfers do not have the ability to acquire.
Thirty years ago the 24/38 line fell on the other side of the 3-iron. So,
when you bought a typical 3-iron through pitching wedge iron set, you
could reasonably expect to hit each of those clubs. Because of the “van-
ishing loft disease,” the 24/38 line has now moved to the shy side of the
5-iron—making the 3-, 4- and even the 5-iron un-hittable for most golfers.

 

From Wishon Golf.  

 

Something to think about.  Check your specs and see how your 5 iron fits the "rule."

 

 

[sirchunksalot]

I don't carry a 5 iron as I ditched having one in the bag last year simply because I couldn't hit it well. I really didn't use it then as I had a 5 hybrid in the bag at the time. I just basically carried both them for different things, the hybrid was my distance club and the iron was for those punch out shots under the trees. 

 

[agram57]

I carry 4 and 5 hybrids. I love them because they are easy to hit and carry a long way

[2puttbogey]

When I got my new set at the end of last year I decided to start irons with a 6 and carry a 25 instead of the 5. I find the hybrid to be easier to hit and more consistent.

[KC Golf]

I still carry a 4 and 5 iron.  Yup crazy.  But they work for me, so I haven’t gone to hybrids or 7 woods.  I should note that I don’t play blades.

[jaskanski]

still with a 4 and  5 iron. When summer comes and you're playing links golf, you need those bad boys...

[HSGC]

100% yes, one of my fave sticks

[jperlin]

I switched to a 5 hybrid about a year ago. I still have a 5 iron but the 5 hybrid gives me better distance 

[matt.baty79]

I have recently swapped out a hybrid in favour of long irons. I find I have more control with irons, and even though I mis-hit them sometimes, the results are nowhere near as destructive - I found with hybrids a poor strike was either a top or high right, whereas with long irons a poor strike rarely results in a lost ball. I keep a hybrid in the bag for long par 3s or fairway shots where I need distance and can miss right. I alternate between a 21 degree and a 19 degree depending on course / weather conditions, otherwise stay with 3i, 4i, 5i.

[IanCC]

Probably rather oddly I don’t carry fairways any more and mix and match the top of the bag depending on conditions between Driver, TM BRNR mini driver, 2/4/5 King Forged Tec irons, and 2/3/4 King Tec hybrids from Cobra for 5 slots. 
The irons have KBS $Taper Lite and hybrids KBS PGH graphites all in stiff. 

So yes to 5 iron but I can see why you’d switch to a hybrid or fairway from it. The scorecard never asks how, just how many. 

[JohnFP]

I'm 67, still carry both a 4 and 5 iron but most of the players in the senior league I play in  (who are not single digit handicappers) carry a 6 iron max. One thing that I found years ago is that it is very difficult to hit a hybrid low under trees and into the so keep that in mind.  I removed my 2 and 3 iron about 10 years ago in favor of a 3 hybrid and gap wedge.  That being said, the loft on my Apex 19 4 iron is almost the same as my old X-forged 3 iron.

[Usmcgyrene]

I no longer carry a 5 iron. It has been replaced with a hybrid. I have just recently gone back to carrying a 6. My last setup had a hybrid there as well.

[tgetty]

I still carry a 5 iron in the bag.  I admit that it is not used as much as it once was but it is still in use.  I find I like it for "trouble" shots more than my hybrid of the same loft.  I like having it in the bag especially on windy days because I can keep it lower.  It was going to be taken out of the bag until I got my new set of PXG 0317T irons.  It is so much easier to hit then my old Mizuno MP20 MMC's.  All that being said I think everyone's bag setup should suit their game and not be "standard" because someone else said it should look a certain way.  Play well everyone!!

[Dan Dez]

I do carry a 5 iron for now but I'm thinking of replacing it with a hybrid. 

[jpwagner279]

I turned  60 few months ago ..recently had a fitting with Ian Fraser at club champion..got fit into the ping I 530s( love them)..I still carry a 5 iron..but added a 5 wood last season  and I'm really loving it..getting same distance or more as my 5 iron..I would say depends on my ball striking that day if I use5 iron or 5 wood

[Richard Fahrney]

I don’t carry a 5 iron. It has been replaced by a 9 wood. 

[Todd Early]

I am in the midst of a trial of replacing my 5 iron with a hybrid right now. Started last week. Bought a hybrid in 2022. It was my 4th try. Didn't work out and has been sitting in my garage. I hadn't tried it in a while and took it to the range last week. After a good session I put it in the bag.  I carry a Driver, 3, 5, 7 woods, 19° hybrid, 6-9, pw, gw, 54°, 60°, putter. 

[MCW88]

Still carrying a 5 iron, stronger lofts has left me with a 13 club bag where im not sure how to fill with my 5-pw having 4/5 degrees of loft between them then going 50-55-60 wedges, having a hybrid 3 wood driver the biggest gap being between my 3wood and driver

[Ian Toynbee]

No. I have a 24 deg hybrid instead of a 5 iron and also a 28 degree hybrid instead of a 6 iron. Hit them both better than my previously gamed 5 and 6 irons 

[A.M_Big.Poppy]

I do, but I'm also still pretty new to the game. And, similar to what I said in the 7 wood thread, a hybrid is the one type of club that I haven't been able to get to work for me yet. I may give a hybrid another chance now that I've figured out the basics of a golf swing,  it for now my 5 and even 4 iron still come in handy occasionally 

[ltc.dan]

I put the 5 iron back in the bag just last year. Still have a 4 hybrid, but all the talk about a 7 wood makes me wonder...

[Randall Robbins]

Still have the 5 in the bag, with driver, 3'w, 3 hybrid and 4 hybrid.  Still works very well, even at 70.

[cptnkirkdog]

I actually just dropped my 5 iron for a 9 wood Ping G430 Max set on 25.5 degrees.  Carry it 210-215 consistently. My 6 iron is set 1 degree weak at 27 degrees, still very strong. Carry it around 195. Works out perfect! For above the 9wood, I plan to put my 5 wood at 19.5 degrees then have a mini driver between that and driver. Super happy with 6 iron as highest! Hitting way more greens from that distance with the easier carry!

[TBGumby12]

I'm 63 and still carry 4 and 5 irons. My irons are Rogue X so they are lofted stronger.  The 5 iron is one of my favorites and go to club. I generally hit the 4 well but I'm considering trying a 7 wood to replace it.