Hybrids, Long Irons or Utility Irons - help me decide?

Testing the Titleist U505 and Srixon ZXiU utility irons

Last summer, I dropped my 5 iron and moved to 3 hybrids. A Paradym Ai-Smoke 18° (set at 19°) and two Apex Pro heads at 21° and 24°, all with the same Graphite Design Tour AD-DI hybrid shaft. The Paradym has been fantastic and isn’t going anywhere, but I’m less convinced about the other two.

Gapping

In the fitting studio, the gapping is perfect, with a nice transition from my irons, through the hybrids and up into my woods. I consider the Paradym a bit like an alternative to a 5W or a 7W. It’s good off the tee and great for second shots on par 5s if the lie isn’t nice enough for my 3W. The 4H and 5H are long iron replacements, and my first iron (P770) is a 6i.

Forgiveness

This is surely the biggest benefit hybrids have over long irons. They are easy to launch from either the tee or the fairway, and they are also versatile in light rough. That, plus thinking I didn’t have the swing speed for long irons any more, is the primary reason I switched from my long irons.

My concern

Wind! This is an ever-present issue when you predominantly play links golf, and it is where the Apex Pro hybrids have shown their biggest limitation. They are easy to hit, they fly high, they land soft, but they get battered on windy days because they spin too much.

I recently put the 5H up against my 6i on a par 3 that was playing directly into the wind. The 5H shot looked perfect, flying high and straight, but it landed short of the green and stopped where it pitched. The 6i, on the other hand, landed past the 5H and also ran up the green another 10-15 yards.

Wind is less of an issue with the Ai-Smoke, which spins considerably less than the other two. The different head design and lower loft undoubtedly contribute to that.

One-dimensional. With my irons, I have more ability to flight them differently when required, but with the Apex hybrids, I find that much more difficult. Punchy recovery shots under trees or bump-and-run shots are one thing, but flighting a full shot lower is much harder to pull off.

Utility irons

Modern utility irons have come a long way and are much more forgiving than they were even just a few years ago. All manufacturers are making great strides in this area, and it’s interesting to read articles about better players switching back to utilities and away from hybrids.

At the recent launch of the new T-Series irons by Titleist, I had the opportunity to briefly try the new U505 and T250U utility irons. I was immediately impressed with how easy the U505 was to hit and the flight and performance it produced. I recently followed up with Adam Legg at Auchterlonies and booked a fitting.

Titleist U505 and Srixon ZXiU

My main purpose of this session was to try the U505, but while I was there, I also took a look at the new ZXiU from Srixon (a new brand for Auchterlonies). We tried a couple of different shafts in the U505 and settled on the Ventus Red Velocore + hybrid shaft, which provides continuity from my driver and 3 wood. With the Srixon, we stuck with the standard Mitsubishi MMT shaft.

While the results in the studio were encouraging, the real test was going to be on the golf course itself, especially turf interaction. Adam let me take the clubs away for a couple of days, and I immediately headed to the Duke’s course to try them out.

Initial thoughts

Wrong test loft. Trying these against my 4 and 5 hybrids was the wrong comparison. Off the tee, they were as long, if not longer, than my 3 hybrid, regularly rolling out to 215-220 yards (would likely be even longer on links turf). The highest loft for the Srixon is 23°, and for the Titleist it is 22°, and these would have been better comparisons to my Apex hybrids had they been available.

Looks from address. While the Srixon is the bulkier club, at address, the chrome finish on the back reflects the grass and makes it disappear. It is a clever design and makes the club look much smaller and more appealing.

Feel. I far preferred the soft but solid feel of the Srixon over the hollow and harsher feel of the U505. That really comes down to personal preference, though, and your own ears and hands will need to be the judge. There are other reviews out there that enthuse about the “powerful” sound of the U505.

Tee box monsters but tough off grass. In essence, that pretty much sums up how I found these on the course. They perform brilliantly off the tee with a mid-trajectory, penetrating flight that generates a good amount of roll when it lands. There was almost nothing between them in terms of performance and total distance, but the Titleist launched a touch higher. Off the fairway, I preferred the way the Tour V.T. sole interacted with the grass and found it easier to hit than the flatter U505. They demand concentration and require a good strike to get the most out of them.

Comparing against my 3H from the fairway, there was no competition; the Paradym was by far the easier club to hit. If I caught the utility irons well, then they were good, but the hybrid offers far more forgiveness from non-perfect strikes.

Close, but not quite right

This was a good test, but I don’t think it solves the issue I am concerned with, which is how to get more flexibility from the 4 and 5 positions. Modern utility irons have improved considerably in terms of forgiveness and playability, but I would really need to try a higher loft to decide if it could fit. Most likely, it would just replace the 4H.

These test clubs would more appropriately replace my 3H, but I would miss its flexibility and ease of use from the fairway. From studio testing, I know that the Paradym doesn’t spin as much as the Apex Pro’s and from 18 months of course time with it, I really don’t want to change it as it does its job very well.

Next Steps

Playing with the 3/4/5 hybrid setup for over a full season, coupled with this testing, has shown me the benefits and drawbacks of using more hybrids. The Paradigm’s place feels secure, but the 4H and 5H need more consideration.

Replace the 5H with a 5i. I know this may seem like a backward step, but I need a club in this position that doesn’t spin as much as the 5H currently does. While I would ideally like a bit of additional forgiveness in this club, I’m not sure the loft of the P790 5i is right for gapping and will likely stick with a P770, but with a slightly lighter version of the same Accra TZi shaft I currently use. Hopefully, that will give me a bit more swing speed to get the most out of the lower loft.

Then assess the gap. Once I have a 5i sorted, I can look at the gapping between it and my 3H to consider what to do next. Can we find another hybrid head that has adjustability and lower spin to bridge the gap? Titleist GT3 or Callaway Elyte, perhaps, or another Ai-Smoke if I can find one? Or do we go for a ZXiU in 23° to give a different option? That can be decided later.

What do readers think?

If you have gone through a similar exercise, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below.