Players hybrid or chunky utility iron?

[ernotte]

Due to gapping, I'm going to get rid of my utility iron (410 crossover) and hybrid (original Rogue) and replace them with one club. I'm not sure if I want to go with a players hybrid (thinking Apex Pro) or a chunkier utility iron (thinking U505). Anyone have experience making a decision similar to this? I'd be curious to hear your reasoning why you went one way or another. 

 

I like the utility iron better off the tee, but the hybrid for most other situations so I'm leaning towards a hybrid. For what it's worth l, I hover between a 1 and 4 handicap. 

[ChristopherMcDonald]

I really enjoy my pxg DI when I’m hitting it well. I would take a look at the new cobra utility that’ll be dropping soon, she’s a beaut. 
 

If you don’t need help getting the ball in the air I would er on the side of utility/DI personally 

[Minarets]

I’m having the same issue deciding.  I have always been a hybrid guy but thinking a 4i utility would come in handy.   I do already use a 4i quite frequently.  

[B.Easy]

I've made this decision and kept both.  Driving iron for links or when there is little rough.  Hybrid when I'm playing thick or long rough.  To further expose my ho'ing-- I have the Ping Crossover and PXG driving iron.  PXG when I'm playing in the wind and using off the tee more.  Ping when I'm playing a course with long par 3's and need to land soft.  I play a lot of different tracks all over the west every year and enjoy these clubs for different course set ups.

[Hoyoymac]

The gapping in my bag is good through my irons but gets a little off on the top end of my bag.  

 

I go from a 26 degree 5 iron to a 25 degree 5 hybrid and have about a 15 yard gap between the two due to the extra length of the hybrid shaft and the hotter face.  

 

Next in the bag I switch between a 21 degree 7 wood or 22 degree Driving iron depending on the course and playing conditions.  The gap is another 15-20 yards or more.

 

The 7 wood is better off the turf and for hitting into greens because of its higher ball flight. Good carry distance but more susceptible to wind.

 

The 22 degree utility iron is better off the tee and for low running recovery shots.  The utility iron has a super hot face and in windy or very firm and dry conditions the lower trajectory causes the ball to run forever, total distance is longer than the 7 wood but carry distance is shorter.  It is a very fun club to hit.  Harder to hold greens with it when hit off the turf.  Not as good in thick rough as the hosel gets caught in the grass and the club turns over too much.

 

Then I play a club lofted to be a 4 wood.   It is so good and almost as long as my driver.

 

 

 

[Bye]

Hybrid, all day long. Even when going to a windy links course in the summer. 

[ChipNRun]

I've learned how to hit a stinger with a 4H, so I dropped the 4i.

[NZ315]

Just picked up a ZX -23degree to try in the 4i slot. See how that goes. A lot of people seem to enjoy those.

I also have a mizuno pro FliHi 3i but don’t really like that. Probably gonna list that on the BST this week. 

[chipa]

This is a great topic. I have been trying to fill the 50+ yd. gap between my 4i and 3w and tried various hybrids but they weren't consistent. Then based on the advice of many i got a 20 deg. 7 wood, and hit is good most of the time but given the perennial wind at my home course it turns out to be no longer than my 4 iron into the wind.

 

I have looked at some bulky driving irons but since I like the look of a blade at address I can't convince myself I can hit them.

 

Finally, I found an 18 deg. players hybrid with an adjustable face so I can turn it open 1 deg. I'm going to use a steel shaft too and hopefully between the two I can hit it consistently.

[jholz]

One of the toughest spots in to fill in the bag - to be sure. Lots of good options.

 

I like hybrids. Players hybrids. For my money, they offer the best combination of versatility.

[jah7838]

I've gone back and forth on Utility Irons and my Adams Super 9031 23* hybrid, and I keep coming back to the hybrid.  A heavier shaft, typically steel, allows me to keep the distance gapping between my 5 iron and my 3 hybrid.  I can hit it high or low, and I have no issues with it spinning too much into the wind.  

[Binson]

Apex UW

[ScottHutch2]

It is a great question that I feel a lot of good golfers face. I went from a set 4i to testing a players hybrid, to picking up a utility 4i (srixon zu85). The utility 4i has been the best for me, hybrid provided more versatility but I did not find myself needing that versatility often. The utility 4i is better at what I need from that yardage gap than the hybrid. The U85 launches high if i need it to and is great off the tee when I need it to be. Hybrid was a little better out of the rough, but less accurate off the tee. 

[RainShadow]

I just picked up a Z U85 utility iron to try for the 5 hybrid slot that I struggle with. ( I'm not a WRX beast)

I have a G410 26*hybrid now, but for some reason I struggle with consistency with it. I love the 3 and 4 that I have of the same model, same shaft.

Edited November 28, 2022 by RainShadow

[BagofToast]

The U505 is a good pick if you want a chunky utility 

[Jeri6gt]

Chunky utility FTW!

Hybrids are duck hook monsters for me.

[tomc262]

I went both.  20* hybrid and 24* utility club, both from New Level.  The hybrid is awesome but the utility iron is, pardon the pun, next level.  A very solid feeling on good strikes and it flies right in the window for that club/distance.  

[jt2gt]

If you have a good players hyb...it really is a true rescue club.  You should be able to go low/high, work both ways and out of thick rough.  I've gone back to my G400 3hyb on AD DI for this very reason. 

[texcellence86]

1 minute ago, jt2gt said:

If you have a good players hyb...it really is a true rescue club.  You should be able to go low/high, work both ways and out of thick rough.  I've gone back to my G400 3hyb on AD DI for this very reason. 

Completely agree with this. I recently moved to "combo clubs" (5w,4Hy,58*) found that I almost never hit my 3w 3i/4i or 60*. I was going to go with the U510 4i but the feel/sound was too sharp for me.

 

Found the Adams Pro Mini 23* and got a 100X EvenFlow white to pair with it and never looking back now. The feel and sound are perfect and as mentioned above if you get them right, a hybrid should be very workable.

[phizzy30]

I have both in my bag.  The Apex Pro is good, but if you're not opposed to DTC, I would recommend either New Level NLH-01(player's hybrid) or NLU-01(Utility).  Cost effective and perform just as well or better as OEM equipment.  I myself need both, but if you were to pick one, I'd suggest the hybrid as it tends to be more versatile overall.  The only issue is that a hybrid can potentially hook on you if that's your miss. 

Edited November 28, 2022 by phizzy30

[goudok]

I actually rearranged my bag quite a bit around that spot.  I used to go T100s 5-PW then 4i (utility build with ADDI) then 18 degree hybrid. So what I noticed was this.  I rarely hit my 4i off the turf it was my 210 tee club.  So I figured let me try a u505 2i instead of the 4i since it is 85% my tee club, then I put a 21 degree hybrid that I hit about 210-220 for par 5s and coming out of the rough and then I rotate a 3 wood and 18 degree hybrid depending on a course.  This setup has been a game changer for me.  I am a 3.8 right now.  yes I know I am using 2 clubs to accomplish what 1 club can, but this works for me.

[ernotte]

Really appreciate all the feedback from you all!  What caused the issue is that I changed irons from Mizuno MP-54s to Titleist T200s and so everything goes a bit further.  A 50* gap wedge with the 43* T200 PW was too big of a gap (110 to 130 so I switched back to a 52* gap and added a 48* Vokey PW to close that gap and this got reevaluating the top end of my bag which looks like:

 

Carry distances

T200 5i: 190-195

G410 Crossover 4i: 200

Rogue 4H: 215

19* Apex UW: 220-230

 

Being a leftie, my options aren't as robust.  Ended up ordering a 2019 Apex Pro Hybrid off CPO this morning.  Will give that a go and reevaluate as needed.   You got me curious on that New Level utility though!

[ernotte]

11 minutes ago, goudok said:

I actually rearranged my bag quite a bit around that spot.  I used to go T100s 5-PW then 4i (utility build with ADDI) then 18 degree hybrid. So what I noticed was this.  I rarely hit my 4i off the turf it was my 210 tee club.  So I figured let me try a u505 2i instead of the 4i since it is 85% my tee club, then I put a 21 degree hybrid that I hit about 210-220 for par 5s and coming out of the rough and then I rotate a 3 wood and 18 degree hybrid depending on a course.  This setup has been a game changer for me.  I am a 3.8 right now.  yes I know I am using 2 clubs to accomplish what 1 club can, but this works for me.

Love this creativity of the utility iron that goes further than the hybrid.  I hadn't ever thought about doing that. 

[goudok]

1 hour ago, ernotte said:

Love this creativity of the utility iron that goes further than the hybrid.  I hadn't ever thought about doing that. 

It's basically my second tee club.  I rarely hit/need to hit a 3 wood off the tee, and why sacrifice on distance with a 4i off the tee when the utility 2i goes further with same accuracy.  I get weird looks with this setup, but for me it works.

[PoeBarrett]

Ultimately it comes down to what club you can execute more shots with. I ended up putting a Utility iron in my bag for that reason, I can shape shots a little better and pay a wider range of distances. Bath right with a hybrid is normally higher which could be a huge bonus depending on what courses you play too. 

Edited December 8, 2022 by PoeBarrett

[cav5]

Real key is to these clubs is shaft weight. Off the rack they're way too light to hit different shots with, especially low.

 

Being able to beat down a hybrid is difficult but a real weapon if you can do it. That said I swap both depending on how the swings feeling.

 

You also need to be realistic. I don't expect to hit greens from 230+ but I also don't want to hit an awful shot that puts me out of play so pick the club that doesn't allow for that.

[SollyinGA]

I usually carry a 5 wood in this spot, but when I do , it makes the 3 wood a little redundant as most courses that I play, I can use either one. Rarely would I need both during a round.

 

I’ve been playing around with other options. I’ve tried hybrid, driving iron, and the stock 3i from my Mizuno 221s. 
 

Oddly enough, I’ve done the best with the standard 3i. I’ve even started to use it off the tee box as if it was a driving iron, but it seems to work better off the ground than a driving iron.

 

I’ve always hated hybrids due to their hooky nature, but I replaced the stock graphite shaft with a heavy KBS Tour hybrid shaft and it has done wonders to make it much more playable.

 

My driving iron (#2 Mizuno Fly Hi is long and fairly easy to hit, but it’s honestly too long in this spot. I’ve toyed with using it in combination with the 221 3i and use no fairway woods or hybrids.

 

decisions decisions…..

[wam78]

I just recently made a change and moved into a 3 hybrid from a driving iron.  Also have a hollow boy 4i, so I try to hit the best of both worlds.  The 3 hybrid is giving me so much more versatility while still having the option for utilizing a hollow body iron when needed.  With the 4i loft, it’s so much easier to hit from the fairway.  I’m finally giving in to making that part of the game as easy as possible.

[me05501]

My longest "iron" is a Srixon ZU85 5, and I use it the same way I would a 5 iron. Mostly full swings from decent lies and the occasional punch out. 

 

My next longest club is a Callaway Apex 4 hybrid with an adjustable neck. I find it to be much more versatile than the utility. 

[ernotte]

10 hours ago, PoeBarrett said:

Ultimately it comes down to what club you can execute more shots with. I ended up putting a Utility iron in my bag for that reason, I can shake shorts a little better and pay a wider range of distances. Bath right with a hybrid is normally higher which could be a huge bonus depending on what courses you play too. 

Took me a while to figure out what "shake shorts" meant. 🤣 I hear you though.