Opinion & Analysis
Long irons or hybrids? The importance of bag setup
Merion Golf Club’s East Course, the site of the 2013 U.S. Open, saw players use a variety of different equipment setups in order to navigate the course’s combination of very long and very short holes.
Bag setup was one of the parts of the game I was very interested in when I started doing my statistical research. And from my experience, even Tour players have a variety of opinions on what type of bag setup to use come tournament time.
In my debut column for GolfWRX, I discussed that if you broke the game down into more finite details, you will see that shots from what I call “The Danger Zone” (approach shots from 175 to 225 yards) have the strongest mathematical correlation to success on Tour.
There are many ways to “skin a cat” when it comes to lowering a golfer’s score, but those who struggle from the Danger Zone are putting themselves behind the 8-ball and will require better play from the other facets of the game to make up for that deficiency.
With that said, I wanted to look at what the best Danger Zone players on Tour were carrying for a bag setup. To do this, I looked at the number of irons each player carried in 2010, 2011 and 2012:
Note: I left out the sixth-ranked player from the Danger Zone in 2010, Jay Williamson, due to being unable to find any record of his bag setup in 2010.
Here is the final tally of bag setups for the players listed:
As we can see, the overwhelming majority of Tour players carry a bag setup of a 3 iron through pitching wedge. The rest mostly carry a bag setup of 4 iron through pitching wedge. And only one player in the list used a bag setup of 5 iron through pitching wedge — Graeme McDowell.
What this means is that Tour players are carrying fewer wedges and/or fewer hybrids than the average amateur. I feel most of that has to do with their skill level, which alters the purpose of long irons, hybrids and gap wedges with relationship to their game.
First, the thing that sticks out with the top Danger Zone players is that they typically make sure to have their yardage gaps tight from their 3-wood to the long irons. This means that there is usually no wide gaps between long clubs, like a player having a 3 wood and then the next club being a 3 iron. They typically have another club in-between the two like a hybrid or a 5-wood. And they usually end up not using a gap wedge in order to make sure they have the proper gaps for their long approach shots.
The reason why this works is that Tour players are skilled enough that if they get into a situation where they are in-between wedges and could use a gap wedge, they can simply take some distance off with their pitching wedge, or hit their sand wedge a little harder. They’re skilled and creative enough to still hit very good shots when they do this. But, when they get into a situation where they are in-between clubs from long distance, it is much more difficult for them to execute a shot by hitting a “soft” 3-wood or a “hard” 3 iron.
Another interesting aspect is the average club head speed of the players with the certain aspect as noted in this chart:
As we can see, the more irons the top Danger Zone players carry in their bags, the higher their club head speed is.
From my experience of discussing bag setups with Tour players, they feel that the irons are more precise and accurate than hybrids. However, if they want to increase their odds of consistently hitting a shot the furthest, they prefer hybrids over irons.
So, if they get on a long par-3 where they may have some difficulty clearing the water, they are apt to pull out the hybrid instead of a long iron in order to increase their odds of doing so. But if there is no trouble that they have to carry, they are likely want to use a long iron so they can hit a shot closer to the hole. And that explains why golfers who uses 2 iron-through-pitching wedge setups have super high clubhead speeds. They simply have little difficulty carrying any trouble in front of them because they hit it so far.
Therefore, I feel that hybrids should be considered more of an “advancement” club than anything for all golfers. For the Tour player, they need the hybrid if they are trying to advance the ball from a bad lie or if they are trying to ensure that they advance a ball over trouble like water, a bunker or other types of hazards.
For the average amateur, they are not likely to be able to hit a long approach close to the hole and can even struggle to find the green from long distance. Therefore, they are better off carrying more hybrids just so they can be more consistent in their ability to advance the ball toward the hole. If they have a 180-yard shot, they will be better off using a club that they will consistently hit in excess of 170 yards even if it causes them more issues with directional control.
In the end, whether the golfer is 2013 U.S Open winner Justin Rose or 20-handicap Joe Smith, their game can benefit from a proper bag setup that matches their ability.
This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.
I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.
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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.
With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.
Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!
Club Junkie
Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast
The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.
Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.
If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.
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Club Junkie
Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie
On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.
I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.
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Scott
Jul 4, 2013 at 10:19 am
So this would require me to put some forethought into my round?
sam
Jul 1, 2013 at 12:16 am
Interesting stuff, here’s my 2cents worth…
PGA Tour players are just like other golfers, they follow trends. In the 90?s everyone on Tour jumped on the 52, 56, 60 bandwagon with Tom Kite, when he took distance control to a new level. Then along came Tiger with 48, 54, 58 and they all dumped a wedge. Lately, club lofts have changed the make up of sets, making 3 iron redundant in many cases (as shown above). The reason the DZ looks more important to scoring than the BZ is that relative to the other parts of their game the average PGA Tour Pro is poor in the BZ. The reason for this is simple: not enough tools to do the job. Modern PW clubs have become much stronger, instead of keeping the loft/distance gaps even, everyone followed Tiger and minimized the short end of their set. No doubt, more options and more full shot yardages will result in closer to the hole with wedges, it would be interesting to look at the correlation between number of scoring clubs and proximity to the hole, pretty sure you will find that guys with 3-4 wedges get it closer more often than the two club guys. Now that’s a blind spot!
Sppon
Jun 22, 2013 at 9:35 pm
so the conclusion is that the faster you swing, the more long irons you can use? Seems pretty obvious. I bet the bottom 50 in the danger zone stats have the same bag make up as the top 50 once you correct for club head speed. And I would also be shocked if having a higher clubhead speed doesn’t have a pretty good correlation with better performance from 200 yards. Luke Donald hits a 4 iron 205 yards. Dustin Johnson is hitting his 6 iron 202 yards.
The other thing to look at is the very poor repeatability in those lists. There is only 1 or 2 names that show up more than once. Is that a sign that this is pretty much a variance stat that has little to do with player ability?
Johnny
Jun 21, 2013 at 12:30 am
If belly putters are going to be banned, so should hybrids…..ill never touch one of those things…love my 3 iron
Tom
Jun 20, 2013 at 5:46 am
Hybrids are good for getting out of the rough sometimes and certain fairway shots, and especially if you don’t like or hit long irons good. But when you need to get out of trouble or carve in or draw that shot around something, or keep it extra low in the wind. I keep the 3-pw, with a 5wd too, but am now trying those Titleist utility irons, in 2,3, & 4. Hit them and felt they give the best of both worlds. 5wd may just go
Ron Hampel
Jun 19, 2013 at 2:19 pm
Don’t forget that many golfers (including pros, I think) value the ease of using a long iron (or current long iron replacements – AKA driving irons) for their superior ability to cut through tall turf vs hybrids. The smaller head simply makes the club glide through more easily.
Socorr4
Jun 19, 2013 at 2:01 pm
Thanks for this extremely interesting article. It’s very useful to a guy like me who comes from a scientific background and likes indepth analyses. BTW, I carry 3-pw, an 18 hybrid, a 54 or 56 (different bounce for different sand) and 64 wedges, driver, 3 or 4 fairway and putter.
Mat
Jun 19, 2013 at 2:28 am
It’s also worth stating that while these tour cats can whip a 3i, there are a few things you might want to mention:
* Playing from the tips might make you have more 3i shots. Play the whites, and you’ll rarely pull a 3 under any circumstance.
* Certain brands of irons are setting 4i lofts to 20 degrees-ier. Most pros consider a 3i to be 21*.
* Hybrids are an advancement tool, but at some point it needs to be accurate. If you’re hitting a hybrid only 175, you are probably going to have to go for the green.
* PRO players also like the longer irons because they land more softly. Your accuracy is often dictated in relation to the downward angle of the ball’s flight.
* Finally, many long irons pros are playing aren’t butter knives. There is a large level of forgiveness built into some of the 3 irons in play today. Angel Cabrerra comes to mind – blades, except for his i20 3i. The bag is going to Driver > Fairway > Hybrid > Drive Iron > 4-P & 2 wedges, or a lower hybrid and 3 wedges. Either way, the 3 iron is morphing just like the 5 wood did.
jb
Jun 18, 2013 at 7:31 pm
I couldn’t agree more, if you take the time to hit them all and then take the best feeling and have it fit to you, you’ll love hybrids. I hit Cobra ones and am in love with them. Able to hit from tough lies and still control and shape shots if need be. Couldn’t ask for an easier club to hit long and consistent.
Wayne Hall
Jun 18, 2013 at 6:08 pm
It is all about the shaft! Find the right shaft and the correct torque to match you golf swing and you will have a winner. I have tried most and even had some custom heads. The best performers have been Fubuki or Aerotech shafts in the Adams heads Super S (XTD) and a KZG Tour series. Make sure the shafts are heavy enough to help with flight and balance. Most shafts from the big brands are too light for the faster swing speeds.
Brian
Jun 18, 2013 at 12:23 am
Tour Players setup their bag almost exclusively for Par-5s and Par-3s. Those 6-8 holes on a course are what determines which clubs they play that week.
Cris
Jun 17, 2013 at 7:43 pm
This is a fantastic article. Always look forward to what you have to say, Richie. Thanks for sharing with us.
KCCO
Jun 17, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Is the 2 iron possibly a 712u? I could def see players carrying that……
Richie Hunt
Jun 17, 2013 at 4:52 pm
I didn’t count any Utility Iron or Driving Irons as part of the ‘irons.’ I don’t believe any of the players listed with the 2-PW where using a utility iron or driving iron as their 2-iron. They were using an actual 2-iron.
Nick
Jun 17, 2013 at 9:28 pm
I could be wrong, but I do believe Titleist confirmed Adam Scott is using the 712u 2-iron
Bailey
Jun 17, 2013 at 11:20 pm
You are correct, he is currently playing a 712u 2-iron. But in the study above when he was shown as a “2-iron” player, he was actually playing a real 2 iron. No driving iron, the real blade
Gregory
Jun 17, 2013 at 4:06 pm
The more GI a hybrid, the more likely it’s a hook machine. The “players” type hybrids with no to little offset are much different. Even players hybrids are so much easier to hit than gi long irons. Check out some of the Adams ones for better players used and cheap…like the idea pro, pro black, a12 pro.
Knallerich
Jun 18, 2013 at 2:56 am
in the last couple of years i used taylor made and ping hybrids (R11/i20)
Hooked them very badly so i tried adams and havent hit a hook ever since i bought a super xtd with the stock fubuki x-stiff shaft. if i try to hook it its a slight draw and i can even hit a fade with a hybrid now, so yeah, adams seems to be the solution for most better golfers.
bob poll
Jun 17, 2013 at 2:01 pm
who were the 3 with 2 irons?
Richie Hunt
Jun 17, 2013 at 3:02 pm
It’s in the table in the article. They were Charlie Beljan (2012), Adam Scott (2010) and Scott Stallings (2011).
Dalton
Jun 17, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Great article. Makes me want to be a sports statistician.
larry fox
Jun 17, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Great article!!
Eric
Jun 17, 2013 at 12:10 pm
I’ve always found Hybrids to be hooking machines. It could be that I haven’t yet found one that fits me. Instead I carry 4-PW irons and have replace my 3i with a persimon 5-wood.
Lawrence
Jun 17, 2013 at 1:15 pm
I agree – had a Taylormade 2011 3 rescue and called it a “prostitute” until lending it to a serial fader.
G
Jun 17, 2013 at 1:24 pm
I find that people who say that hybrids are hooking machines are also stuck with certain brands they prefer so they don’t search around enough and look at other companies to find the right club, being the fan-boy they are with their preferred brands.
Eric
Jun 17, 2013 at 2:31 pm
If you saw my bag you’d quickly realize that I’m not stuck with a certain brand or vintage. That said, it’s very possible that I just haven’t yet found the right one for me. It would be nice to get that high launch and soft landing 200-210 yards out.
G
Jun 18, 2013 at 2:56 am
You could work on your swing, can’t you? lmao
Michael
Jun 22, 2013 at 10:48 am
And you could work on your personality G. Eric, I’ve had the same issues with hybrids. Love hate relationship. I found a happy medium going to RBZ tour long irons. with their wide soles they give the benefit of hybrids with easy launch and movement through the rough, however you get the accuracy of an iron.
MP
Aug 16, 2013 at 4:27 pm
One suggestion could be to get fitted for the correct shafts or spend some money on lessons to cure the hook. so many people buy the latest driver every year and still cant hit it correctly. get some lessons and get fitted.
david
Dec 13, 2013 at 4:24 am
That’s a great point… unless you are getting paid on Sunday evenings for your 4 day performance it would behoove the average player to experiment with different brands of clubs and also with different offset/ shaft flex combos as well to see what ball flight, movability and distance each club produces for them.
I recently changed shafts in my 3 tour hybrid from an 80 gram S flex to a 65 gram R flex and shortened it’s length. This change gave me the yardage I was looking and the flight that I needed… hope this helps someone who is struggling.
NeillR
Jun 17, 2013 at 8:45 pm
I’m more than happy with my hybrids – currently have an RBZ (1st gen 3H) and a Titleist 910 (4H). Don’t have any problems with hooking and find that they are so versatile that i’m even looking at getting more of them!
Zack
Jun 17, 2013 at 9:39 pm
Yup I have the same problem. Why not try a driving iron?
pablo
Jun 20, 2013 at 2:15 am
I used to hook my 3h and 4h clubs badly until I decided to start fading them instead of drawing them. That solved everything and now they fly higher and land softer.
paul
Jan 8, 2014 at 6:30 pm
+1 to that comment. go for a fade with hybrids if they are gi. I play i20 and as long as i dont aim to play a draw, they are amazing.
Scott
Feb 18, 2015 at 12:07 pm
FYI. The older Adams PNT Tour version hybrids are not hooking machines. They have the yellow strip on the bottom and only show the loft. Awesome hybrids. You can work the ball and hit them from any condition. I have 3 (18 degree, 22 degree and 24 degree) and interchange based on course conditions. You can pick them up on ebay.