My 3's stink...

I think that the answer to this is going to be totally psychology but let me ask anyway just to be sure. For some reason I can't hit either 3. I can pull my 4 iron out at the driving range and hit it solid and straight. I'm not trying to kill it or anything just get a nice average distance out and get is straight. But the second I pull the 3 iron out of the bag it goes everywhere. Mostly I top it. Same thing with my 3 wood. Can't hit it worth a junk. The funny thing is I hit my 5 wood better than any club in my bag. I call it my miracle 5 wood because it gets me out of just about any bind. So what I've done when I'm playing is replace the 3 wood and 3 iron with my 5 wood. I just hit it really soft sometimes. Is this a viable option or should I go out and work on the 3's until I can hit them?

Thanks,

Andy

Your right Andy, it's in your head.............

Take your 4 iron and stand it next to your 3 iron.......it should be about one inch longer, ok now hit it again..........

seriously
With long irons don't try to lift the ball or hit it hard, it's a long club and you just need to feel like your giving it a little longer to get back to the ball.



Hope this helps


Ian.

Have you tried a Hybrid???? Don't go out and spend a mint on the new top of the line brand...go to Walmart and find one for about $30-40 bucks...or try one at your local golf shop.....I replace both my 3-4 irons with hybrids...I am a scratch golfer and was looking for more control and a better ball flight....they are especially useful in the rough on par 5's. The ball gets higher faster, and goes further. Odly enough, I don't carry a 5 wood anymore, don't need to...just a suggestion, I have more confidence with the hybrid than I do with a long iron....

While I like the idea of a hybrid, I also like the idea of dropping two clubs you don't hit well, and being a little more versatile with one that you do hit well.

Here's the thing - IMO, anything longer than a 5 iron is a 'positioning' club. Generally, you're not hitting these clubs close enough to the pin to one putt, so they're mainly used to put yourself into a position where you can use a club that CAN put you close enough to drop the next shot (putt) - I refer to these as scoring clubs.

Since you're dropping long irons, have you conisdered adding wedges?

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A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

I agree with the advice to try a hybrid to replace the long irons. I was reading tests in Golf magazine, showing that on average, people hit a hybrid 16 yards farther than they hit with the equivalent iron. And most people find them easier to hit. I don't see any good reason to struggle with the three iron if a hybrid can get the job done.

I would definately agree that the longer irons are "positioning" irons, but for this situation, if you can't hit them, you aren't positioning yourself anywhere except 40 yards in front of you if you top them. Personally I ditched my 3-4 iron because I really found I wasn't using them all that often, the hybrid 3-4 irons I have corrected a problem I was having with fairway woods. I am extremely long with my irons and the hybrids helped me replace the 5 wood, giving me another wedge I can carry, I currently carry 4 wedges. I firmly agree if you can't hit a club, replace it with something you can or can help improve your game somewhere else.

Well, I'm definitely far from a scratch golfer. I probably have a 15 handicap right now. I definitely don't want to get rid of my 5 wood, I love my 5 wood. And yes, I did try adding wedges. I got rid of my 3 wood and put in a 62% wedge. I really haven't found much use for it except when I end up wanting to attack the pin. I could still fit a hybrid in there too I think. If I drop the 3 iron, then I have both an extra wedge and somethign to go between my 4 iron and 5 wood. I can hit my 5 wood anywhere from 200 yrds to 250 yrds so that's why I feel pretty versitile with it. If I move it up an inch I can even make it flop so it doesn't roll far. The only reason I wanted something like a 3 iron is for when I need a low shot, like under a tree. It's worth a couple of bucks to go grab a cheap hybrid and try at least I think. What other wedges could I add that might help my game? I find myself using my sand wedge alot, for anything from 40 yrds to 100 yrds.

...when you pull the 3 iron from your bag ,pretend it's your 4 or 5 iron.

It's amazing what a thought can do to your swing.

I never used my 3 iron for years but now I wouldn't be without it as it's my fail safe "off the tee" club if I need to hit the fairway at all costs.

All down to pretending it was a 4 or 5 iron.

tall irons are for real men.

I vary my set-up between carrying a 2 Iron and a stiff rescue, I wanna try the Halo, but my club doesn't have any yet.

Its all mental man. Hit down on the ball.

What do you mean by lifting the ball?

Hi Mont,

Don't try to lift the ball means..........when you hit it don't swing with the intention to get the ball into the air.......let the club do the work.

You should hit down on the ball even with long irons, I take a few blades of grass after the ball with a 3 iron.

The biggest mistake people have with long irons is trying to get the ball high in the air.

Ian.

are you having trouble with the 3 wood off the tee or off the grass?
3 woods off the grass are difficult shots - the need to be cut a bit - club face slightly open to get loft. your 5 wood is no problem becuase it has plenty of loft on it. another alternative is to use 4 wood in place of the 3 and 5 wood - why? easier to hit than a 3 wood and more distance than a 5 wood.
related to what Ian said, try choking up on your 3 iron an inch until you gain more confidence with the club.

You're on to something here, xix.

David Lake from 1irongolf.com posted an interesting article on another board I visit.

A little background - David makes clubs that are all one length. He has a proprietary tipping process so that each shaft plays true to flex, and consistently club to club.

So he ran a little demo day, set up a swing speed radar (or a launch monitor, I forget which).

He started out handing people clubs, working with a 6 iron and an 8 iron. He noticed that swing speed was up on the 6, and comparably down on the 8. How can this be when each club in the same length?

David would block the bag with his body while selecting a new iron for the individual demoing the club. Then, he started handing the individual the 6 iron, and telling them it was the 8, and vice versa for the 8 iron (telling them it was the 6). The results speak for themselves. Swing speed was still higher with the 6 than it was with the 8.

It became obvious to David (as it's now obvious to us) that as a general rule, as golfers we swing harder with lower lofted clubs, 'because they need to go farther'.

As xix has discovered, the loft on the club will work quite well at managing how far the ball goes. One swing, 10 clubs. (I assume we swing differently for FW's and the putter).

Just an interesting point, followed up with a touch of research.

For those interested in consistent iron lengths, I believe 1irongolf.com is running a special either through until Christmas, or till year end.

__________________
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

Very ,very interesting concept. The crux of the system is an idea I mentioned to my dear Dad as I was learning how to swing around 8 years old('76).. Why can't all my clubs be like my 7 iron ? I've ALWAYS trusted the old 7. I learned with a set of Chi Chi Rodriguez jr. irons and loved the 7 & despised the nasty 3.

Me thinks I might have to get some of those irons for my family and myself.

Thanks for the " heads-up "

Elliott BTW : I sure am glad I stumbled across this forum/site .....

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You might want to try this as a drill at the range, that will also work on the course. This came out of golf magazine I believe, and it helps me get back in the groove with the longer clubs.

You hit you 4i fine, but when you go to a longer club (3i, 3w) they create problems for you.

Stand the three clubs up, side by side. On your 4i, after taking your stance, and grip, measure the distance from your low thumb, down the shaft to the club head/ground. After knowing that measurement, grip the longer clubs using the same measurement. Essentially, you are swinging the 3 different clubs using the same length while choking down on the longer clubs. Practice hitting the longer clubs at this shorter length till you get a decent ball flight. Then, a little at a time, choke "up" on these longer clubs, while still keeping the decent ball flight.

I do this sometimes when my timing is off, and I start pushing shots to the right when using my longer clubs. As I get my desired ball flight from the longer clubs, I start gripping higher up on the handle, a little at a time till I get back to where I want to be.

I did not read all the responses, so if I am being repetitious, my apologies. Is it possible you have a different brand/flex/kick point on the shafts in the two longer clubs? How about the swing weight...Is it the same? GJS