Long irons are on the way out because of two very simple reasons.
1) The amount of ball speed necessary to make it useful is very high. If the ball speed isn’t high enough, the ball doesn’t go far enough to make it different than the next higher numbered club.
2) These clubs have also been affected by VLD (vanishing loft disease). Over the last couple decades, club manufactures have consistently strengthened the loft on its irons to claim they hit them longer. They’ve strengthened them so much that a whole new club had to be added to the set. The Gap wedge. Not to long ago, the PW had a loft around 50 degrees. Now it’s 47ish. That is almost a full clubs worth. Today’s 4 iron is pretty close to a 3 iron, so in most set make ups, that club should go.
I’m seen many a player struggle to get their 3 iron to fly farther than their 4 iron. I’m talking about golf professionals here. With trackman, we can now get an exact distance the ball flies. It is recommended that most player remove the 3 iron and replace with a hybrid. It is also recommended they strengthen the 4 iron just a hair.
Please remove those 2 irons and, for most of you, remove that 3 iron also.
