Equipment
What GolfWRXers are saying about driving irons for mid-handicappers
In our forums, our members have been discussing whether mid-handicappers can benefit from a driving iron. WRXer ‘jomatty’ says:
“I average about 230 off the tee on good drives. I can get a little more sometimes, but 230 is probably the average. I’m 42 years old and shoot in the mid to low 80’s. I do not get along with fairway woods very well, especially off the tee, and really don’t get enough extra length over my hybrid to consider using it aside from very rare situations on par 5’s (I’ve considered just going from driver to 19-degree hybrid and getting an extra wedge or something).”…
…and wants to know if he would be better served by a driving iron. Our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- MtlJeff: “If you can shoot mid 80’s, you probably hit it well enough to hit a bunch of different clubs. Personally, I think hybrids are easier to hit….but some driving irons are quite forgiving. I use a G400 crossover that is very easy to hit and looks more iron-like. Something like that you might like. Be careful with some of them though because they aren’t always super forgiving, so you’d have to hit them first.”
- HackerD: “G410 crossover is my version of a driving iron, feel like I hit it straighter than a hybrid. Just as easy to hit as a hybrid.”
- hanginnwangin: “I shoot in the low 80s normally and in the 70s on my really good days. I have probably around the same or similar swing speed as you. I have been hitting my 4 iron off the tee on tight holes, and it’s been working pretty well so far. I hit it about 190-220. I have a 4 hybrid but just can’t hit it as consistently as the 4 iron, and it doesn’t even go much farther. I have a 5 wood which I only use for 220+ yard par 3s or wide-open fairways. Basically, it’s all personal preference and what you do best with. Everyone is going to be different. Try new stuff out and see what works. But if irons are the strongest part of your game (they are for me as well), I would give the 4 iron a shot. You can get a lot of roll out on the tee shots with it,”
- Hellstrom: “Don’t laugh, but I bought a 17* hybrid with a senior flex shaft at a garage sale for $5, and I can hit it nice and easy and keep it in play without losing any distance. My driver SS is between 105 and 110 usually and swinging this thing feels like swinging a spaghetti noodle, but it works. I don’t have it in the bag all the time, but I do use it for certain courses. I take my 6 iron out and throw that in, so if I struggle with getting the ball off the tee, I just go to that.”
Entire Thread: “Driving iron for a mid-handicapper”
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Chappell WITB 2024 (April)
- Kevin Chappell what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 HL (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Cobra King LTDx Prototype (21.5 degrees @20.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: Srixon ZX (3), Cobra King CB (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (52-08F, 56-10S), Cobra Snakebite (60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron SB-2, Scotty Cameron TourType TG6.2
Grip: SuperStroke Traxion Flatso 1.0
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Chappell’s clubs here.
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Equipment
Spotted: Axis1 prototype broomstick putter
We have seen an uptick in longer putters out on the professional tours with players gravitating toward either counterbalanced or broomstick styles. As a refresher, A “broomstick” putter is a long putter that is usually built to a length that goes up to your chest. If you have seen Adam Scott putt in a tournament recently, he uses what is classified as a broomstick putter.
Axis1 might not be the most common brand in the world of putters but they have been around a while, most notably in Justin Rose’s bag.
Axis1 is known for a putter that doesn’t look traditional but a design is used to get the center of gravity to the center of the club face, aligned with the shaft. This technology keeps the face aligned with the ball throughout the stroke. More traditional putters rotate around the shaft axis, which doesn’t align with the center of the putter, making it easier for the putter face to not be square to the target at impact.
This week at the Valero Texas Open, we spotted a prototype Axis1 putter in a long broomstick version. The head shape looks very similar to the current Axis1 Tour-HM putter that the company currently makes, which is a more squared-off mid-mallet. The prototype looks to have a similar multi-material head with a 304 stainless steel face mated to a composite back. Twin site lines run together, on the topline and on the flange, to create a longer line for aligning the putter. The steel face has a fairly shallow milling to it, and the flowing heel hosel connects to the aggressive shaft bend.
A matching black shaft is installed, and at the grip end is Super Stroke’s Zenergy Tour 1.0 two-piece in white and black. No word on if or when this will come to retail yet.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Valero Texas Open
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/4/24): Mint set of TaylorMade Qi 10 irons
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Mint set of TaylorMade Qi 10 irons.
From the seller: (@ch1985): “Mint set of TaylorMade qi 10 irons 5-PW, AW (used 1 round and some range balls) with factory stiff steel shaft – $925 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Mint set of TaylorMade Qi 10 irons
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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