Golf Pro Drive-In EXPRESS: 5 Iron vs. 5 Hybrid vs. 7/9 Fairway Metal

How do you figure out which club is best between a 5 iron, 5 hybrid, or 7/9 Fairway Metal?

1. You have to test each club outside. Not in a net. You must see ball flight.

2. You must have a descent landing angle between 45-55 degrees. You’ll be hitting these clubs on approach shots, so your golf ball must be coming in at a steep enough angle to hold the green. A ball coming in under 45 degrees will release out and roll over the green unless you have substantial spin which is highly unlikely. Ideally your should try to get a descent angle of about 50 degrees. This also means you have enough apex height on your shot to hold the green.

3. You should have a minimum of 5 mph ball speed between each club. This is needed to create a 10-15 yard gap between each club. Example, if your ball speed with a 6-iron is 125 mph, then your ball speed with a 5-iron needs to be at least 130 mph.

So what if you hit a 5-iron and the descent angle is less than 45 degrees, and ball speed is 127 mph. Then try the 5-hybrid. Hybrids are designed with a lower CG, thinner face, and longer shaft. All of which help you get higher ball flight and more ball speed. But let’s say the 5-hybrid gets you the descent angle you need but your ball speed only reaches 129 mph, then you need to try a 7 or 9 fairway metal. Like the hybrid, the CG is low to produce a higher ball flight, and thinner face and longer shaft for more ball speed. This will allow you to maintain the apex height, appropriate descent angle to hold a green, and elevate ball speed to 130+.

What if you can get the ball speed but ball flight is still too low to hold a green?
1. Add loft to the club.
2. Try a softer flex shaft or a lower kicking shaft to help with ball flight.

If that doesn’t work, then I’d argue that a 5 iron, 5 hybrid, or 7/9 fairway metal shouldn’t be a part of your bag.