What is the longest iron in your bag?

[NmE_JR]

The longest iron I have is a 3 iron and I have a kind of weird bag, I have a 3 iron but no 4 iron, then 5 and so on 

[RetiredBoomer]

I can't remember if I answered this or not.

I'm not a long iron player from the fairway but I do bag a driving iron for tight driving holes.

I'm not a hybrid player either.
I bag a Heavenwood to hit into greens.

[IndyBonzo]

For me it’s a Ping icrossover 2 iron playing at 19°.  Love it and picked it up based on recommendations here at MGS.  It works for me from the tee and fairway. It goes really high for me off the tee too, which is super for holding par 3 greens.

If playing my Hogan ‘99 Apex irons for fun, I love to hit the 2 iron.  Should I?  Maybe not, as I’m not even 85% consistent with it, but damn it feels good and soars when hit well. 

Great topic! 

Edited October 5 by IndyBonzo

[Indy_Oz]

Right now it's a 4-iron (22 degrees loft). In the garage I do have my old 90s Titleist DCI 1-iron. I'm very tempted to stick a new shaft in it and take it on a few rounds. I also have a P790 UDI 2-iron, but I'm going to sell that. It has a HZRDUS 6.0 stiff shaft and that's a little too flexible for me and I hit my 3-hybrid much better and have that set to 18*, so not too far off driving iron loft.

[funkyjudge]

On 9/30/2024 at 11:19 PM, Vertical said:

 

Currently (and most of the time), it is a 6-iron because I generally carry a 5-hybrid. However, for some courses, including the one where I play in a 9-hole Monday evening league, it is a 5-iron and I drop the 5-hybrid.

[wely324]

Blueprint S 3 iron, and its 19* so it's nearly a 2 iron compared to traditional lofts. I sometimes get, "what driving iron is that?" Love that iron, hits bullets all day!

[RoverRick]

About a year ago, I could have said 8 iron was my longest. I had G425 3,4,5,6,&7 hybrids. I even experimented with a 7 and 9 wood.  I expected this to be an awesome set up. Sadly, the lofted fairways and the hybrids were awful when I put a bad swing on them. Misses with these clubs were directional. For me there is nothing worse than hitting a 190 yard 4 Hybrid or 9 wood 190 yards but 40 or 50 yards left. Generally that means a penalty drop.

This year the longest iron in my bag is a 3 iron. Although the Ping iCrossover just looks like an iron. I went to these because my misses with them generally it distance vs direction. A bad miss with my 4 iron may just bounce down the fairway 160-165 yards instead if the high 190 on a good strike, but it is still in the fairway. If I have to carry water or hit over trees, well, I will typically lay up. I hit the iCrossovers pretty high generally, especially with these shafts, but my forte has always been wedges and putter. I almost always lay up on par 5’s because statistically I’m much more likely to make double than eagle and by laying up, I almost always have a birdie putt, perhaps not a short one, but a birdie putt vs having to hit out of a bunker.

Edited October 6 by RoverRick

[Vertical]

18 hours ago, Middler said:

+1. Meaningless question these days. What used to be a 2i loft could be stamped 2, 3, 4 maybe even 5 today.

Sort of like asking ‘what did you hit’ after another player - may or may not tell you anything.

I always get all the clubs available in any set of irons I buy from lowest to highest lofts. Hate hybrids. YMMV

I hate hybrids too. It’s the only club I top occasionally

[ZJeb67]

My longest is my 5 but it's (I'm) shaky with it on the course.  I have a 27 degree ping G15 which is money and might just be the 5 replacement.

Based on the 27 degree hybrid, I bought a used 22 degree ping i25 hybrid.  The 22 degree isn't working for me (yet?)

[RetiredBoomer]

I understood the long iron reticence when it came into being
with the advent of high loft fairway woods
and, of course, hybrids [which some English speaking countries insist on calling "rescues," regardless of brand].

I don't understand it anymore.

Modern hollow long irons with internal tungsten weighting are no harder to hit than anything else.

[injectedcutty]

I have a Titleist DCI 981 2 iron that I swap in and out if needed. However, since getting fit for my TSR3 5 wood i haven't needed the 2 iron.....sooo the longest iron I keep is a DCI 3 iron. I've always liked long irons, and flush it pretty well.

[cnosil]

54 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

 

I don't understand it anymore.

For me, Modern hollow long irons with internal tungsten weighting are no harder to hit than anything else.

You need to add a qualification to indicate that for you modern hollow body long irons are no harder to hit.

For me,  I do not get the performance I desire with irons labeled with a number less than 6.   I don't include driving/utility clubs in the iron category as they are a bit different; though for me they still launch too low.  

[RetiredBoomer]

11 minutes ago, cnosil said:

You need to add a qualification to indicate that for you modern hollow body long irons are no harder to hit.

For me,  I do not get the performance I desire with irons labeled with a number less than 6.   I don't include driving/utility clubs in the iron category as they are a bit different; though for me they still launch too low.  

Good point.  

We cannot fully appreciate one another's personal experience with equipment.

I can get the 6-iron limit, though.
A modern 6-iron is like a vintage 4-iron,
making it essentially, at least from a loft perspective,
a long iron today.

 

[cnosil]

Just now, RetiredBoomer said:

Good point.  

We cannot fully appreciate one another's personal experience with equipment.

I can get the 6-iron limit, though.
A modern 6-iron is like a vintage 4-iron,
making it essentially, at least from a loft perspective,
a long iron today.

 

I don't support the loft argument based on seeing how different clubs with the same loft perform.  

[Vertical]

I hit my 3 wood higher than my 5 iron. 

[TK2HOUSE]

5 iron for me as well. I'm in the 190-200 range on it and then my 3h is 210-225 (225 if I really stripe it). Lost the need for going any higher. 

[TJ Hall]

Right now, longest iron is a 4 iron.  Also carry a 3 utility. 

[bens197]

It’s a U505 2 iron.  

Within the T100 set it’s a 4 iron.  The longer irons are far more forgiving than they should be and I wouldn’t be surprised if a 3 iron matching that or the T150 ended up in the bag next season.

I still hit them well and see no reason to replace them with a hybrid or wood.

[Sven Olsen]

I started out with blades, starting with #1.

These days some 60 years later, I still play real blades, but alas without the #1 and the #2 irons.
I hit the 74-mark and am not so competitive any more - just playing for fun and recreation - and maintaining a hcp of 16 - so I've had and still got a good life - and without any hybrids, but with a 9 degree driver and a real #2 wood - yessir - a brassie.
Golf is a disease - and there is, thankfully, no remedy!

[Mac attack]

My longest is now a 6 iron,I went to a 5 hybrid a year ago and have never looked back. So much easier to hit high straight shots with the hybrid.

[snapper]

At 71, with my bad shoulders and steadily climbing handicap, it was a 6 iron, but even that is on the way out. A friend made me a hybrid from a ladies 30 degree hybrid head, reweighted and on a 4 hybrid shaft that goes about 145 and kisses the moon on the way. It's super easy to hit and go over things I used to have to try and bend around. It used to embarrass me a little, but no more!

[Henri-Martin]

3 iron.  Used to have a Ping 1 iron, which I made a 222 yards hole in one.  The ball just flew directly into the hole.

["Mr. 72"]

My longest club is a 4 iron. It would be tough to take of my bag for 3 reasons.

1. I'm very accurate and can hit it a good distance when I'm trying to punch under/between trees.

2. It reminds me to swing through to a full finish on standard shots otherwise it comes out too low. This reminder helps throughout the bag. AND, most importantly,...

3. It is the second Club I used for my albatross on a par 5. 

[narock3]

7i 165

6i 175

4h 185

3h 195

Older irons, 33deg 7.  Gapping is good.  I've thought about going hollow body but that would likely mean a full bag swap.  At least, that's my fear.

I have a 2 5i's but I only fly them 175 most strikes.  1 in 10 go 185 which would just be chasing my youth, and they aren't nearly as high as 22deg 4h.  

 

[SteddyGolf]

The longest iron in my bag is a 4 iron.  I have tried to make the move to more hybrid clubs but I struggle with pulling them to the left.  The shot shape and control of a four iron is more suited for my game.  

Edited October 7 by SteddyGolf

[davewr58]

My longest iron is the pitching wedge. I discovered AGX woods and they replaced the 3-7 irons and are sooooo much easier to hit! I also use Integra Sooolong woods to replace the 8 and 9 irons. My accuracy has improved markedly, as has my confidence.

My longest iron is the pitching wedge. I discovered AGX woods and they replaced the 3-7 irons and are sooooo much easier to hit! I also use Integra Sooolong woods to replace the 8 and 9 irons. My accuracy has improved markedly, as has my confidence.

My longest iron is the pitching wedge. I discovered AGX woods and they replaced the 3-7 irons and are sooooo much easier to hit! I also use Integra Sooolong woods to replace the 8 and 9 irons. My accuracy has improved markedly, as has my confidence.

[davewr58]

Sorry about the repeats, I accidentally hit my response three times as it didn't appear to be working.

[Krls032022]

Currently it’s my 5 iron however I have a different set that has a 3 & 4 iron. The difference is the old lofts vs the new lofts

[MarvChamp]

6 iron, and I probably could ditch it as well. As a very old guy, my tee shots are not very long. So, I focus on getting 2nd and approach shots up and in the fairway. 5FW and 23, 26 and 29 degree hybrids replaced long irons. Found I had to keep my ego out of it and accept the forgiveness and playability. Best, -Marv

[LWD]

I'm in my late 60's, and my bag has evolved significantly over the past five years, when I first added a 4- and 5-hybrid.  I haven't carried a 3-iron, or 3-hybrid in a very long time.  A year after adding those hybrids, I added a 6-hybrid.  (All are PXG's).  The 6-hybrid was a game changer.  Longer and straighter than my 6-iron, I began hitting greens with regularity.  Just about two months ago, when Ping began marking down their G430 fairway woods, I took my PXG 4-hybrid out of my bag (although it made its way into the bag of a friend, who absolutely loves it!) and replaced it with a Ping G430 SFT 7-wood, joining its namesake 3- and 5-wood.  I think my bag is just where it needs to be, with my PXG 7-iron as my longest iron.  

I will say that even before adding the 7-wood, but after being fit for my PXG Gen 6 irons, I carded my first TWO sub-72 rounds in my life.  

Bottom line:  get fit, and get clubs that work for you.