Any fan of the PGA Tour will wax on fondly about touring pros’ proficiency with their long irons. Tiger’s most famous shot is probably his 2-iron stinger, brought to prominence with his win at the Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in 2006. It was a surgical performance and the 2-iron Tiger’s weapon of choice.
Unfortunately for the rest of us, the long iron is perhaps the toughest club to hit in golf. The lack of loft and wafer-thin topline are intimidating, to say the least. Today the long iron is all but extinct with most iron sets ending at the 6-iron. Hybrids bridge the gap to the fairway woods but their propensity to flight the ball in just one direction and only on one trajectory has proven frustrating to many.
Modern manufacturing techniques have enabled the heretofore impossible—A long iron that’s easy to hit. They’ve become quite utilitarian for the golfer with the right swing characteristics and have begun replacing hybrids in these golfers’ bags.
Using concepts used in the manufacture of fairway woods and hybrids, utility irons are now hollow and built similarly to the longer clubs in your set. The appearance of the iron retained to make it feel familiar, comfortable.
Let’s back up a bit. Driving or utility irons are bulked-up players irons that are designed to hit the ball higher and farther than the equivalent standard irons. Their trajectory will be lower than most similarly lofted fairway woods and hybrids, however, their lower launch angles and landing angles lead to a huge amount of roll. That’s perfect for windy conditions and fast, firm fairways. Perfect for most of our public courses during summer.
The flexibility lent by hollow-bodied construction means that manufacturers can design utility or driving irons do specific tasks. Some utilities are designed to be hit low and long off the tee, whereas others leverage rear centers of gravity and wide soles to help launch the ball high while providing more forgiveness. The reality is that utility irons are no longer exclusively for high swing speed, low handicap golfers. With a broad range of designs available to the public, options in this category have opened up to almost every kind of golfer.
So how do you decide if a driving or utility iron is right for you?
Long irons are the part of the bag that give most golfers fits. If you struggle to hit your long irons consistently, it might be time to investigate swapping them for more forgiving, easer-to-hit utility irons. Many manufacturers today like Srixon and others offer utility iron replacements for long irons, and several offer lofts that overlap with traditional 6 and even 7-irons. These irons typically offer wider soles and lower, deeper centers of gravity to help launch the ball high in the air while providing that extra bit of forgiveness we can all use on the course.
Utility irons or hybrids?
For many golfers, the utility iron serves as the ideal alternative to a hybrid. While some models like TaylorMade’s GAPR Mid straddle the line between categories, the appeal of the utility iron is sometimes just the fact that it’s not a hybrid. For golfers who struggle with hybrids, or simply don’t like them, the utility iron—often better-suited to golfers with steeper attack angles—may be a better option to fill that gap on the long end of the bag.
Utilities vs fairway woods
Some golfers just can’t seem to get along with their fairway woods. For this player, the utility iron might be the ideal solution. Lower lofted utilities provide solution…to a point. Most manufacturers still don’t make a true 1-iron, something capable of replacing your 3-wood. But a low lofted utility makes a decent replacement for your 5-wood. This is especially true if you’re steep coming into the ball or prefer a smaller head that will allow you to work the ball more.
Also key is shaft selection. It is indispensable to creating a consistent shot pattern for predictable results. A good fitter will help you match and integrate the utility into the rest of your set, both in terms of shaft characteristics and loft gaps. If you’re planning to just wing it or if you don’t have access to a good clubfitter, then you need to study the performance characteristics of the available shafts.
Graphite remains the best option as its manufacture and design aids the utility’s ease of use. Some are available with lightweight steel, but our observations are that graphite is more consistent from club to club and is lighter and can (potentially) be swung faster.
Adjustability isn’t really big in this space just yet, but a few (such as TaylorMade’s Gapper and Cobra’s King) do. This should grow as the popularity of utilities increases. But pay attention to the actual lofts as there isn’t really a standard that says a utility stamped with a given number has a specific amount of loft.
Above all, get out there and hit as many examples from as many manufacturers as you can. Do your homework and work with a good clubfitter to dial in your distances as accurately as you can. Don’t get a utility iron if you’re just planning to use it off the tee on particular hole only during certain times of the year. A utility iron must serve more than one purpose for you to even consider putting one in your bag.
A versatile utility iron can serve you well in any number of the conditions you’ll invariably face on the golf course. If you need to hit it low, or if you need to flight one up to hit a green, the utility should suit your game on the courses that you play.
Given the rapidly increasing number and variety of utility irons hitting the market, there’s almost certainly one out there that will fit your playing style. Make sure to properly assess your game to determine which one is right for you.