Instruction
Should you hit a long iron, hybrid or 5 wood from this lie?
For as long as I’ve been playing the game, I have always struggled hitting shots from the rough from about 200 yards or so. Either I just wasn’t strong enough to drive the club through the grass, my technique was faulty or I used the incorrect club a majority of the time. Whatever the reason, I can tell you that if you’re smart, you won’t have to fight the same battle I did because of the improvements to fairway woods and the advent of hybrids.
Fairway woods and hybrids have gotten so good, in fact, that I was inspired to use my Trackman so I could measure how a long iron, hybrid, and fairway wood of the same loft would perform from similar lies in the rough. As golfers know, it’s almost impossible to exactly duplicate the exact lie each time, but I’m hopeful that since our rough is consistent here at Vidanta the results will hold true.
For this test, I hit several shots with a 3 iron, 3 hybrid, and 5 wood from the lie, or something very similar to the lie pictured above. Also, each club was set to 19 degrees so we can compare apples to apples as best as possible.
3 Iron (TaylorMade RSi TP, 19 degrees)
Click to enlarge.
I’ve been using a hybrid in place of my 3 iron for years, and I forgot just how difficult it is to hit a 3 iron from lies in thick Bermuda grass. As you can see, my average carry with the club was only 151.1 yards, with a high of 164.1 yards and a low of 137.3 yards. These results show just how hard it is to make consistent contact with a long iron out of the rough.
With an average spin rate of 1586 rpm, an average height of 45.7 feet, and an average landing angle of 27.5 degrees, the ball was knuckling and landed low and hot. I’m just glad that I was NOT trying to carry this ball over a water hazard. The dispersion wasn’t too bad, but what good is hitting it straight if it doesn’t even reach the putting surface?
Hybrid (TaylorMade R15, 19 degrees)
Click to enlarge.
The hybrid jumped out of the same lies with ease and was much easier to hit than a 3 iron. My average carry went up to 186.5 yards — 35.4 yards longer compared to the 3 iron. Even my worst shot with the hybrid (176.2 yards) was 12 yards longer than my best shot with the 3 iron.
With the hybrid, my spin, height, and landing angle all went up dramatically, as well giving my shots a drastically better chance to stop on the green. While my average shot with the hybrid was farther offline, it was a matter of a few feet, which I’ll trade for 30+ yards any day.
5 Wood (TaylorMade SLDR, 19 degrees)
Click to enlarge.
The 5 wood got the ball out of the rough almost as easily as the hybrid did, but there was a feeling that I could not “get down to it” as easily as I could with the hybrid. Carry distance was around 192 yards, with a high of 204 yards and a low of 173.5 yards.
Overall, the 5 wood went a touch farther than the hybrid, but only by 6 yards. The average miss, however, was 27.5 feet with the worst shot being almost 90 feet left of the target. Shots with the 5 wood also launched with less spin than I prefer, but they had enough height and a steep enough landing angle to stop on the green — just not as fast as the hybrid.
Long iron, hybrid, and fairway wood comparison
Click to enlarge.
In conclusion, avoid hitting long irons out of the deep rough, as they simply can not match the performance of hybrids and fairway woods from similar lies. In my experience a golfer’s best bet is usually a hybrid, as it will go almost as far as a similar lofted fairway wood, except much straighter.
Fairway woods do tend to go farther, however, so if you keep finding yourself in a position where you need to hit a big ball to reach the green in regulation or make an eagle, a fairway wood may be your best bet.
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My golf learning began with this simple fact – if you don’t have a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, it is practically impossible for your body to execute a fundamentally sound golf swing. I’m still a big believer that the golf swing is much easier to execute if you begin with the proper hold on the club.
As you might imagine, I come into contact with hundreds of golfers of all skill levels. And it is very rare to see a good player with a bad hold on the golf club. There are some exceptions, for sure, but they are very few and very far between, and they typically have beat so many balls with their poor grip that they’ve found a way to work around it.
The reality of biophysics is that the body moves only in certain ways – and the particulars of the way you hold the golf club can totally prevent a sound swing motion that allows the club to release properly through the impact zone. The wonderful thing is that anyone can learn how to put a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, and you can practice it anywhere your hands are not otherwise engaged, like watching TV or just sitting and relaxing.
Whether you prefer an overlap, interlock or full-finger (not baseball!) grip on the club, the same fundamentals apply. Here are the major grip faults I see most often, in the order of the frequency:
Mis-aligned hands
By this I mean that the palms of the two hands are not parallel to each other. Too many golfers have a weak left hand and strong right, or vice versa. The easiest way to learn how to hold the club with your palms aligned properly is to grip a plain wooden ruler or yardstick. It forces the hands to align properly and shows you how that feels. If you grip and re-grip a yardstick several times, then grip a club, you’ll see that the learning curve is almost immediate.
The position of the grip in the upper/left hand
I also observe many golfers who have the butt of the grip too far into the heel pad of the upper hand (the left hand for right-handed players). It’s amazing how much easier it is to release the club through the ball if even 1/4-1/2″ of the butt is beyond the left heel pad. Try this yourself to see what I mean. Swing the club freely with just your left hand and notice the difference in its release from when you hold it at the end of the grip, versus gripping down even a half inch.
To help you really understand how this works, go to the range and hit shots with your five-iron gripped down a full inch to make the club the same length as your seven-iron. You will probably see an amazing shot shape difference, and likely not see as much distance loss as you would expect.
Too much lower (right) hand on the club
It seems like almost all golfers of 8-10 handicap or higher have the club too far into the palm of the lower hand, because that feels “good” if you are trying to control the path of the clubhead to the ball. But the golf swing is not an effort to hit at the ball – it is a swing of the club. The proper hold on the club has the grip underneath the pad at the base of the fingers. This will likely feel “weak” to you — like you cannot control the club like that. EXACTLY. You should not be trying to control the club with your lower/master hand.
Gripping too tightly
Nearly all golfers hold the club too tightly, which tenses up the forearms and prevents a proper release of the club through impact. In order for the club to move back and through properly, you must feel that the club is controlled by the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the middle two fingers of the lower hand. If you engage your thumbs and forefingers in “holding” the club, the result will almost always be a grip that is too tight. Try this for yourself. Hold the club in your upper hand only, and squeeze firmly with just the last three fingers, with the forefinger and thumb off the club entirely. You have good control, but your forearms are not tense. Then begin to squeeze down with your thumb and forefinger and observe the tensing of the entire forearm. This is the way we are made, so the key to preventing tenseness in the arms is to hold the club very lightly with the “pinchers” — the thumbs and forefingers.
So, those are what I believe are the four fundamentals of a good grip. Anyone can learn them in their home or office very quickly. There is no easier way to improve your ball striking consistency and add distance than giving more attention to the way you hold the golf club.
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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?
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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.
For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.
Setup
You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.
While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.
Get a Better Shoulder Turn
Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.
In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.
Stay Better Connected in the Backswing
When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.
Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.
Conclusion
I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.
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Scott
Nov 5, 2015 at 5:05 pm
Thanks Tom. I have actually changed out all of my woods for hybrids (15 degree, 19 degree, and 24 degree) I may have lost a bit of distance, but I have gained in versatility.
tonks
Nov 5, 2015 at 7:14 am
Peter Alliss wrote in his book Golf Master Classes `If the lie is none too frightening, your fairway woods should be much more effective than a 4 or 5 iron. Woods push through the grass , rather than cutting through as an iron does. This means there is far more chance of preventing the club head twisting. A club with a small head is better and something between a 4 and 7 wood can be ideal.` I used to use a small head 5 wood (real wood!) that out performed any other club in this situation. Unfortunately time has got the better of it and I am thinking about looking for a replacement. The area of the face is smaller and the bottom of the club if a `U` rather than the modern flat bottom.
Bob Pegram
Nov 4, 2015 at 5:36 pm
Much of the choice depends on how you swing and how strong your hands are. If you have strong enough hands to keep the face square through the rough and high enough swing speed to get the club through the grass and make a solid hit, use the 5 wood as long as that is your 200-220 club. The rough will sometimes reduce total distance. Experience tells you how much it will be reduced.
For somebody with less hand strength or lower club head speed, use a more lofted club to just get the ball out and toward the green.
Rich
Oct 31, 2015 at 7:23 pm
It would depend which direction the hole was going. If my direction of play was to the left, I might take something longer because there is much less grass right behind the ball. If it is to the right, it would be take my medicine, wedge it out and move on.
Rick
Oct 30, 2015 at 1:41 pm
Lie looks like a flyer since my average 5iron goes 184 yd Arccos determined and longest 206 I play it back in my stance to get a more descending arc
ABgolfer2
Oct 31, 2015 at 6:54 pm
Nailed it.
CD
Oct 30, 2015 at 4:54 am
Anyone else look at it and think ‘7 iron’?
Mat
Oct 30, 2015 at 12:57 pm
Yes!
SirBigSpur
Oct 30, 2015 at 4:48 pm
From 200 yds out??
IceMan
Oct 31, 2015 at 3:46 pm
Yes, my first thought was 7 iron. If it is buried in the rough, my first thought is not always “how can I get this on the green”, but “what is my safest option of getting this out of this grunge, still advance it forward pretty well, and be down there far enough to try and get up and down for par”. That up and down might be attempted from 50 yards out, but to me, that is better than hitting a wood or hybrid possibly 50 yards right or left if it comes out squirrelly or I make a bad swing leaving me in the heavy rough again, or if I catch it fat and only advance it 50 yards, still leaving me 150y out. Sometimes its best to take your medicine and use more loft to get it out and forward, try to get up and down from the fairway, and take the big number out of play….
ABgolfer2
Oct 31, 2015 at 6:54 pm
Yup.
Busterpar
Nov 4, 2015 at 1:25 pm
Yup and yup,
birly-shirly
Oct 29, 2015 at 7:49 pm
I’m pretty sure that from a decent lie I’ll hit hybrid or fw to a more consistent carry distance, but I’ll hit the equivalent iron straighter. That much seems consistent with the results here. However on balance, I think the offline shots are more damaging to my score and so I tend to stick with the irons. I’m not under any illusions though about hitting them from poor lies in the rough – from there I’ll take my medicine.
Joe
Oct 29, 2015 at 7:08 pm
Very predictable results. Mass is the obviously answer.
Mat
Oct 30, 2015 at 12:59 pm
The three iron head has more mass than any hollow head…
Joe
Oct 30, 2015 at 8:32 pm
That is weight, not mass.
IceMan
Oct 31, 2015 at 3:49 pm
If more mass is the predictable answer, why did the author conclude hybrid was the best option? The 5 wood has more mass than hybrid….. Just sayin…
Joe
Oct 29, 2015 at 7:06 pm
The outcome of this test was very easy to predict. Obviously the 3 iron would be more effected by the rough, it has less mass and the hosel will be more affected. The hybrid as more mass than the 3 iron but less than the 5 wood.
I like hybrids but replaced mine with the newer designed Callaway FW, because they are easier to hit from the FW or rough. The reason is that the woods have a rail on the bottom and it will glide through the rough and has more mass.
Some of us that are older gents may the Ginty of the 70s and 80s. This wood had a massive iron wedge concave on the bottom. Nothing, and I mean nothing ever has been as easy to hit out of the rough.
Joe
Oct 29, 2015 at 6:57 pm
A wedge, take your medicine, and try to one-putt your par.
COGolfer
Oct 29, 2015 at 9:08 pm
Can’t agree more. Trying to muscle a hybrid out of deep rough is far too unpredictable.
SirBigSpur
Oct 30, 2015 at 4:52 pm
Totally depends on what hazards are in front of you. In general though, distance beats everything (as pointed out statistically in “Every Shot Counts”). I’d rather be left with a 30-40yrd pitch from deep rough than a 150yd iron from the fairway. Your chances of hitting the green and being close to the flag are substantially higher from 30yds as opposed to 150, regardless of lie.
Lou
Oct 29, 2015 at 6:43 pm
Something seems off here to me. Maybe I am missing something. If you have a 3 iron and a 3 hybrid both of the same 19 degrees and shaft length, they should go the same distance no matter what shot you hit, correct? This is assuming you make the same contact, i.e. in perfect conditions (from the fairway) both clubs should go the exact same distance. I am I misstating that?
If the 3H and 3i are indeed the same, then this test only shows that the user is not using the clubs properly or has a mental block about the 3i. Contact at the same angle should yield the same results assuming the shaft length and type are the same. Simple physics.
So were you digging the 3i into the ground and trying to take a divit or was there something else going on with the swing and point of contact?
I agree it is probably easier to hit the 3H but the difference in distance shouldn’t be there.
ScubaSteve85
Oct 31, 2015 at 4:03 pm
A 3 Rescue has much more perimeter and back weighting than a 3 Iron. The metal wood design and thinner face also creates much faster ball speeds…..simple physics
steve
Nov 17, 2015 at 11:04 am
Sorry, but did you even read the article? It clearly states the author is testing the three clubs out of seriously deep rough, not a perfect lie. So it’s not about his swing, it’s a comparison of how the different head/club designs interacts with long Bermuda grass
Lou
Dec 17, 2015 at 4:43 pm
@ ScubaSteve, I tried to keep it simple but maybe went too simple. Weighting is different from mass. I was trying to make the point that if the mass on the end of the stick were the same for each club, the ball should go relatively the same distance. I think what has happened here is that I assumed that the 3h and 3i are equal clubs in terms of mass when they really are not. The bottom line is that he has 3 different clubs and might as well have used any 3 clubs. The fact that they are all 19 degrees is moot due to (as you pointed out) the weighting and mass are different between them all.
@Steve, yes I read the article, did you read my response? My point was that in any situation (i.e. from the rough or fairway) he is going to hit the 3h farther than the 3i so what is the purpose of this test? He might as well have tested a 3i, 5i, and 7i to see which goes furthest.
mhendon
Oct 29, 2015 at 6:23 pm
Hybrids are awesome from any lie but especially less than perfect lies. I know many of the purest on here will claim long irons are more accurate but that depends on the type of hybrid you carry. There are wood based hybrids and there are iron based hybrids. I carry a 20 degree Adams A12 and 22 degree pro black both of which are iron based, especially the pro black and would put them up against the 2 and 3 irons I used them to replace any day even from a perfect lie.
Peter
Oct 29, 2015 at 3:57 pm
I am wondering whether there is a “transition” point at which the edge switches back over to irons. Seems to me that the 3 iron/5 wood/ 3 hybrid question is somewhat easy or intuitive but I’d really start wondering what works best when you get down to a 5 iron or even 6 iron.
Christestrogen
Oct 29, 2015 at 3:03 pm
This is Golfwrx….everyone on here hits 8 irons 200 yards…
Just ask them.
mhendon
Oct 29, 2015 at 6:14 pm
I only hit mine 160
other paul
Oct 30, 2015 at 2:57 am
180
Christestrogen
Oct 30, 2015 at 10:04 am
143.75
mhendon
Nov 3, 2015 at 10:49 pm
Down to .75 damn you’re good. Lol
ScubaSteve85
Oct 31, 2015 at 4:06 pm
They must all play in the mountains or something or just have some need to try and impress people. Stock 8 iron from the fairway is about 150 for me and 155 off the tee.
ABgolfer2
Oct 31, 2015 at 6:58 pm
So, longer than average, but not “bull****” long. ????
So close to the green
Sep 6, 2020 at 11:58 am
Right! That’s on every golf message board. 200 yard 8 irons. 100 yard lob wedges.
ca1879
Oct 29, 2015 at 2:52 pm
Tom – surely the type of hybrid has a bearing on this decision too. Fairway like hybrids don’t get through the rough as well as the more compact ones, at least in my experience.
Mat
Oct 29, 2015 at 2:38 pm
There is something odd about this. If you hit it out of rough, all with a 19º loft, and you assume that the club lengths are the same, you should get a roughly equal result. The slight problem that I have is the discussion between the 5-wood and hybrid… there’d be 6 yards of length difference anyhow, so that’s not really the point. The point is he’s suggesting the 5-wood is less accurate.
What would help us wrxers is finding out what makes a 5-wood less accurate, and what makes a 3-iron *that* much shorter in Bermuda grass.
Also, it sure would have been nice to know what fairway numbers would look like on those same conditions. How much yardage was lost? Additionally, the severe lack of spin on the 3-iron might be a reason, but the 3-iron was very consistent in its apex – the two others were wildly different. One was so far off, he might have crowned it.
Ugh… my mind hurts with these small sample sizes…
Philip
Oct 29, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Sorry Tom, but the real answer to your question is – I don’t know, because the picture does not show the entire situation. I cannot tell what I am hitting into, is the ball above or below my feet, any trees nearby, etc. I had an identical lie last month and the correct club was indeed a low iron as I could not get into trouble if I hit it poorly – a hybrid though – would have created a double bogey easily based on the placement of traps and rough around the green, trees by my ball, and the cliff behind the green. However, on a flat lie with a receptive green design I will pull my hybrid 9/10 times, but I am rarely in such simple situations.
Jafar
Oct 29, 2015 at 2:22 pm
omg Philip I’m glad you were here to post such useful information.
Trees… can’t forget about trees.
Mat
Oct 29, 2015 at 2:26 pm
Yep. If he’d done something he didn’t do, he’d have definitely done it worse. Because golf.
¯\_(?)_/¯
Philip
Oct 29, 2015 at 2:59 pm
More useful than your reply – for sure – but I won’t waste anymore of your time
Jafar
Oct 29, 2015 at 3:43 pm
You are right, it was rude. So what are you having for dinner tonight? I might eat pizza…
Philip
Oct 29, 2015 at 4:03 pm
B-52s by the look of it – maybe I should have inverted my comment (I thinking of doing it before I posted) – and put that I use my hybrid 9/10 times as it is like a lawn mower in the rough. Then add that unfortunately the application is not so clear in many cases. I appreciate what Tom does as it really helps me understand what I am trying to do and is based tangible data.
Brian k.
Oct 29, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Nice. I replaced my 3 & 4 irons with 19 & 22* hybrids. Much easier, more forgiving, more height, better stoppage on greens, etc. I even ditched the 4 wood which was the only fairway wood i played because the 19* hybrid goes just as far when hit well.
Teaj
Oct 29, 2015 at 12:04 pm
I went with more of a tweener setup I use two Utility irons the Srixon U45 at 23 and 18 deg I feel like I can get down into the ruff but the added forgiveness keeps any distance loss to a minimum. A lot easier to hit then the iron equivalent thats for sure. this may not be for everyone however as I am already a high ball hitter.
good write up though, if no one else is interested in getting data from the utility iron I sure would be.
Jafar
Oct 29, 2015 at 10:55 am
I’ve been having this debate for several weeks now myself.
I think I’m gonna keep a hybrid in the bag and put a “driving iron” (Mizuno mp H5) as my 21 degree iron so I have options from the rough but also keep the versatility of a hybrid as my 18 degree club. I threw a fourth wedge outta the bag because I’m more skilled in that area than I am with longer fairway clubs. Plus the driving iron can help me with long par 3’s as well.
Geordie B
Oct 30, 2015 at 5:12 am
Depending on the course & conditions, I’ll do the same. I’ve got both a 4-iron & 4-hybrid in my bag. Call me odd, but from a less than ideal lie in the rough, I’ll hit the iron. I just feel like I have more control with an iron & can ‘muscle’ it through whatever is there.
Graham
Oct 29, 2015 at 10:52 am
Great article. I recently swapped my 3 iron for a 5 wood and because of the wet conditions in the uk have now swapped my 4 iron for a rescue club. The stats kind of back up what I thought but has really added some more confidence. I miss enough fairways so can’t wait for the weekend.