Utility Iron thoughts & suggestions

[DooZ]

I'm contemplating going down this rabbit hole to replace the 4 iron from my set. Currently still playing 718 AP2's. I don't hit the 4 iron bad, but I keep reading about how easy the utility irons play. Also, for some reason I don't get along with hybrids very well, so I'm not going to rehash that experiment. 

I kinda live in the boonies and don't have a lot of access to the latest & greatest new clubs to try, so when I get to civilization I'll have a place to start. I'm open minded to any brand.

Thoughts & suggestions?

[blades_are_life]

The AP2 4I is 24° while most utility irons are hotter faced and lower loft so I would be a little concerned about gapping.

[mjo23]

Srixon and Mizuno utilities seem to be the most popular choice on Tour. Titleist also popular. Can’t really say there’s a “best” option. Sub70’s 699 Pro Utility (original model) is hard to beat in terms of value and looks IMO

 

But finding the right build can be an experiment. Some people just don’t get along with graphite shafts in their utility irons, while some people do. The “safe” play would be going with the same shaft as you have in your irons, but certain graphite shafts work really well for some people

[mjo23]

7 minutes ago, blades_are_life said:

The AP2 4I is 24° while most utility irons are hotter faced and lower loft so I would be a little concerned about gapping.

There’s always gonna be a gap somewhere at the top end of the bag. Whether it’s with the 4iron and the next hybrid or wood, or the 5iron and 4Utility iron - it doesn’t really matter, just depends on the player and their needs.

 

Pretty normal these days for even tour players to have a stronger-lofted/hotter model 4iron, as it can work quite well for filling the gap with their next wood/hybrid

[blades_are_life]

8 minutes ago, mjo23 said:

There’s always gonna be a gap somewhere at the top end of the bag. Whether it’s with the 4iron and the next hybrid or wood, or the 5iron and 4Utility iron - it doesn’t really matter, just depends on the player and their needs.

 

Pretty normal these days for even tour players to have a stronger-lofted/hotter model 4iron, as it can work quite well for filling the gap with their next wood/hybrid

Yeah I think it would be helpful for us to know his numbers.

[BirdieBob]

I have a 4i in this UDI....very good!

P∙UDI | TaylorMade (taylormadegolf.com)

 

[DooZ]

1 hour ago, blades_are_life said:

Yeah I think it would be helpful for us to know his numbers.

I'm 57 my #'s ain't gettin' any better. I can squeak maybe 200 out my 4i from a good lie, and gapped accordingly down. I play my 7W from 210 to about 225. So the window I'm looking for is roughly 195 to 215 to take some responsibilty away from the 7W. I know these are big gaps, but the courses I play (or tees) don't call for a lot of long irons.

[Oostiesalbacore]

I found a Cobra Forged tech 3 iron with an adjustable hosel like a wood that I really like. It came from a one length set but I put a full length shaft on it. I really enjoy the club but it’s got the highest swing weight of anything in my bag. My buddy can barely swing it 😂

[Rbsiedsc]

I have a Caley DI that i swapped in for my 4i. 4i was going the same distance as my 5i and was harder to hit so the DI made sense.

[Lord Helmet]

I ended up going with a regular 4i (Srixon ZX 4 series) with the same project X shaft.  I am cursed with being real sensitive to feels - lighter weight graphite just messes me up.  I really wanted the Titleist version but it was $100 more for the basically the same thing (I hit both).  I also do not care for the look of the oversized heads on some of the utility models - its real off putting to me.

[vandyfan]

I have the 2023 Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi 21.5* utility which is AWESOME off the tee but quite hot. As an example, teed up I can get that thing out there 225-230. I hit a standard 5 iron about 205 off a tee so that is quite a ball speed jump.

 

The only other problem I have with it is the sole is so wide I don't LOVE it off the deck. Almost exclusively use it off the a tee so it is fairly one dimensional for me, which is fine, I only carry 13 clubs even with it. YMMV.

[Pepperturbo]

On 5/17/2024 at 6:50 AM, DooZ said:

I'm contemplating going down this rabbit hole to replace the 4 iron from my set. Currently still playing 718 AP2's. I don't hit the 4 iron bad, but I keep reading about how easy the utility irons play. Also, for some reason I don't get along with hybrids very well, so I'm not going to rehash that experiment. 

I kinda live in the boonies and don't have a lot of access to the latest & greatest new clubs to try, so when I get to civilization I'll have a place to start. I'm open minded to any brand.

Thoughts & suggestions?

I heard that. 🙂

 

I am using two - 17' 2 irons with different shafts, both set up as driving irons at 39.75".   

 

1: The 718 TMB blade 2 iron with Tensei AV White Am2 90S is used the most. 

2: New T200 17' 2 iron with Tensei AV Raw White Hybrid 90S, which will be replaced with one of the following: Tensei 1k Pro hybrid 80S or MMT Hybrid 80S…waffling.   One thing is evident, I like MCA shafts.

 

Additionally, I have a 21' T200 4i with MMT 95S shaft, based on distance, it replaces my T100 20' 3i and 23' 4i, and effortless to hit.  Aside from causing gapping issues, it's not nearly as much fun to hit as my long irons, so it's collecting dust.

Edited May 22, 2024 by Pepperturbo

[blades_are_life]

2 hours ago, DooZ said:

I'm 57 my #'s ain't gettin' any better. I can squeak maybe 200 out my 4i from a good lie, and gapped accordingly down. I play my 7W from 210 to about 225. So the window I'm looking for is roughly 195 to 215 to take some responsibilty away from the 7W. I know these are big gaps, but the courses I play (or tees) don't call for a lot of long irons.

I agree with the concept then, just remember you don't necessarily need to look for clubs marketed as "utility" irons since more game improvement/free distance oriented set irons (read: anything hollow body) might also fit the role.

[R.Patrick]

I’ve tried a bunch and the Callaway X-Forged, with the right shaft, is hard to beat.   
Can be found for good prices since they aren’t new.  The replaceable weight is really nice for me, as most utility irons come with ridiculously low swing weights..

Edited May 17, 2024 by R.Patrick

[Tinkerer]

Tried most, prefer them over hybrid. Our age and distances are about the same. Best for me have been the Titleist u505, which I have in 2 and 3ui. Really easy to hit. 

[Chunkitgood]

Just curious, and probably not very useful, but have you tried putting some lead tape low on your 4 iron?  The theory being that the main functional difference may be COG, which on Titleists used to be sort of high.  Even so called hot faces mostly really just allow “better” (lower/rearward) weight distribution, as I understand it anyway.

[mjo23]

26 minutes ago, Chunkitgood said:

Just curious, and probably not very useful, but have you tried putting some lead tape low on your 4 iron?  The theory being that the main functional difference may be COG, which on Titleists used to be sort of high.  Even so called hot faces mostly really just allow “better” (lower/rearward) weight distribution, as I understand it anyway.

Probably wouldn’t make a significant difference bc, say, 6grams of lead tape is like only 2-3% of the total head-weight for a 4iron if i’m not mistaken. So lead tape is not going to change much besides swing-weight; unless you put an absurd amount on, which would then also result in an absurd swing-weight

 

Also many/most utility, or more forgiving irons, have some sort of a hollow body or 2-piece construction (along with a wider sole) which is probably the biggest contributor to the increased ball speeds and forgiveness. Lower COG will mainly help with higher launch

Edited May 17, 2024 by mjo23

[halfsumo]

Going down this rabbit hole right with you for 4 iron. Right now I play a 5 hybrid instead of 4 iron and it fits the gap, just seems to be kind of wild left/right for what it's supposed to be used for. I hit a handful of utility irons and other 4 irons yesterday and ended up putting an order in for the new Taylformad P DHY. Total experiment without a fitting. 

 

-Ping icrossover: best looking, feels really good, easy to launch, kind of don't love the shaft options, almost bought one

-Titleist u505: pretty ugly, feels soft, easy to launch, great performance, too expensive for an experiment

-Titliest T200: looks great, a little bit demanding to hit vs the u505, preferred the u505

-P UDI: looks pretty good, feels solid, hits it more flat/low which is not what I wanted

-Srixon ZX utlity: owned this one before, really good all around, sole was kind of too flat/clunky for me

-Mizuno Fli HI: looks fantastic, feels soft/solid but kind of unsatisfying, owned the previous version, sole was kind of too wide/clunky, kind of a too hot/flat ball flight for what I want

-Ping i530 4 iron: way too low launch and spin, this thing is 19* for a 4iron = not for me

-Callaway Apex 21 4 iron: hit this thing great, was considering this, can see the back bar at address

-Mizuno 245: didn't get to hit, but would probably consider this over the Fli Hi if I went Mizuno

 

=Taylormade P DHY: was only able to hit the 2 iron, but soooo easy to hit. Loved the feel, super easy to launch. The look is pretty quirky. Probably the second ugliest one that I hit, but probably favorite for feel. For whatever reason, gave me the most confidence over the ball. Loved the shaft options as I was looking for more of a 4 iron replacement vs. some kind of hot driving iron, I was able to order in similar shaft/specs to my irons which seemed kind of difficult to do with a lot of the other utilities.

[poor_putting]

I’ve hit a bunch (mizuno, taylormade, callaway, ping, cobra, Titleist) to me ping was the best and the only other one to me that was even close was callaway UT. 
 

those 2 felt the best and gave the best numbers. Also, I feel like they look the best at address (besides p790 driving iron but numbers weren’t as good for me).

 

UT’s are great but some will have issues holding greens with them unless they have some speed and can hit a cut to add some spin. For just a tee club they’re great! 

[launcher]

You can't go wrong with any Srixon model utility. I've had the U65, U85, and now have settled on the ZX utility. All were good. U65 was relegated to my back up bag, and sold the U85 as it was just a little too bulky looking for me. All were really good though, and can be had very reasonably. I would look no further. 

[bekgolf]

https://shop.touredge.com/products/certified-pre-owned-exotics-exs-220-ti-utility-iron?variant=40651847336045

 

It's a starting point.  They will take it back for full price within 30 days, hard to beat that policy.  Something else to consider is that you are in your later 50's, it's time to put some Exotics in the bag, lol.

[yinzerniner]

12 hours ago, mjo23 said:

Pretty normal these days for even tour players to have a stronger-lofted/hotter model 4iron, as it can work quite well for filling the gap with their next wood/hybrid

That's kind of what I'm thinking of doing. Getting a new set soon, and I previously played a game-improvement 3 iron that I special ordered. Seems like the newest sets of game-improvement 4's are basically pumped-up 3's from yesteryear.

 

Take a look at the qi10 4 iron. It's an 18.5 loft and all reports are that it explodes off the face with amazing forgiveness, if very low spin. Seems like a good substitution for one of the designated utility/driving irons

[jlevitt9]

712u! Forgiving enough and thin sole. Love it. 

[Sean124]

The T200 4 utility comes at 23* and should blend nicely with your AP2s

[NJBigFish22]

I agree with doing a T200 4 iron.

[LukeDonaldsTiger]

4 hours ago, bekgolf said:

https://shop.touredge.com/products/certified-pre-owned-exotics-exs-220-ti-utility-iron?variant=40651847336045

I can advocate for the EXS TI Utility, and they’re selling them new on their website for $ 99.-! 

Great looks, easy to hit, feel nice. I compared them in another thread with the Cally X-Forged UT and TM SIM UDI. I prefer the Tour Edge. 

Edited May 18, 2024 by LukeDonaldsTiger

[dmeeksDC]

22 hours ago, BirdieBob said:

I have a 4i in this UDI....very good!

P∙UDI | TaylorMade (taylormadegolf.com)

 

I don’t usually last long with utilities because they generally are not as friendly off turf as they are off tees. At least not for me. Srixon, Mizuno, others are bulky. I don’t like it off a fairway. 
 

So I look for versatility. If you are looking, I’d definitely try the TaylorMade trifecta of a p790 long iron and compare it to the new UDI and UDH. I can’t recall a club quite like the UDH. Seems like the forgiveness of a hybrid but without the gear effect problems. Very much a mid flight. The demo was so good I could not pass it up. But I think both heads are going to be very popular.
 

In the same vein, the Titleist T200 long irons are also easy to hit. A lot of guys like that one. But out of all I listed the UDH is definitely the easiest. Major forgiveness across the face and on low strikes. 

[BirdieBob]

 

[JeffJ1014]

I've never been able to get on with a utility/driving iron.  I've tried multiple. I still play Mavrik SZ fairway woods and just got fit into Apex CB's 4-10i.  I only carry 2 wedges (T24 in 52 and 58 degrees), so I have an opening in the bag.  Need something between my 4i (212ish carry) and my 5W (235ish carry). 

 

I ordered an Apex Pro 3iron with same configuration as the rest of my iron set - should be here next week sometime.  Just looks and feels way better than the UT-style irons, to me at least.

 

[a_gorilla]

I play a u505 4i bent weak and it's so easy to hit off the tee as a fairway finder, and off the turf it's basically a hybrid disguised as an iron. carry 215 off the deck, around 220 off a tee. i wasnt keen on playing this during my fitting, but the results and numbers were perfect for my bag makeup.