Do pros carry 3 iron?
Lily Fisher
Updated on May 01, 2026
Hell, only 20 percent of PGA Tour players carry a 3-iron that's not a utility iron. That number fades to almost nonexistent on the LPGA Tour.
Should I have a 3 iron in my bag?
Should You Carry A 3 Iron? For mid to high handicap golfers, having a 3 iron in the bag is not recommended. The low amount of loft and thin face makes a 3 iron hard to hit and is why you'd be better off playing a 4 hybrid. Just like with a 2 iron, most of the golfers you'll see on your local course won't have a 3 iron.Who should use a 3 iron?
The 3 iron is for ultimate control from the tee or fairway for better golfers. The 3 wood is the best alternative to a driver from the tee and from perfect lies on the fairway. The 3 hybrid is the perfect substitute for the 3 iron for golfers who struggle to hit the strong iron.How far does a pro hit a 3 iron?
On average PGA pros hit a 3-iron a 'carry' distance – the distance from strike to point of ground impact – of 217 yards. They hit 4-irons 208 yards and 5-irons 199 yards on average.Do pros use 4 irons?
29% of the best 100 on the PGA Tour prefer to start their iron set with a 4-iron and carry irons all the way through to a pitching wedge while 22% choose instead to use only a 4-iron through to 9-iron.Billy Horschel demonstrates how to use a 3-iron to attack the course
Do any pros use 1 irons?
None of the top 100 on Tour use a 1-iron. Some of the top PGA Tour players, including Bryson DeChambeau and Kevin Kisner, are also using more than utility club while JT Potson carries three – a 3, 4 and 5-iron version of Titleist's U-500 driving irons – in his bag.What 14 clubs do pros carry?
Professional golfers generally carry: a driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, 4-PW, gap wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge, and a putter. Depending on the pro, these setups may change slightly, including the use of a driving iron, hybrid, or other longer club in place of one of the woods.How far does Tiger Woods hit a 7 iron?
Club AveragesHis long irons (2- to 4-iron) range from 250 to 200 yards. His middle irons (5, 6, 7) range from 208 to 172 yards. His 8-iron travels 158 yards, and 9-iron flies 142.
Is a 200 yard drive good?
A 200-yard golf drive is a good distance for an amateur golf player. The distance report presented by R&A and USGA (United States Golf Association) displays golfers' distance numbers. This report depicts that an amateur male golf player's average hit is 215 yards.Is a 250 yard drive good?
The average driving distance for a golfer with a 5 handicap or less is 250 yards. You might think that's kind of low for a good golfer but it's pretty realistic for someone who isn't a professional. If you hit the ball the average distance you're really not that far away from the average distance of a scratch golfer.What club replaces a 3-iron?
Typically, a 3-iron is replaced by a 19 degree hybrid or a 5-wood, a 4-iron is replaced by a 22 degree hybrid or a 7-wood, a 5-iron is replaced by a 25 degree hybrid, and a 6-iron is replaced by a 28 degree hybrid.Does a 5-wood go further than a 3-iron?
There's a large gap for all five clubs. On approach shots, the 5-wood, 3-hybrid, and 3-iron all travel almost identical distances (~175 yards) for the players in this group, but off the tee, the 3-iron has a distinct advantage among those three clubs.Why do iron sets not have 3 irons?
The reason for not including a 3-iron in a set is simple—long irons are too difficult to hit. In order to hit a 3-iron well, golfers need a slow backswing, bring the club to parallel, open the hips and shift the weight, sweeping down through the ball. Also being young never hurts.Is it easier to hit a 3 iron or a 3-hybrid?
And on the LPGA, 3-irons aren't just dead, they're extinct. Second, as economists would point out, there's a superior “substitute good,” the 3-hybrid. These bastions of modern club design are not only easier to hit but also longer due to the additional carry they can provide.Does a 3-hybrid replace a 3 iron?
Hybrid clubs are numbered and are generally designed to replace the iron with the same number – for example, a 3-hybrid would replace a 3-iron. However, a typical golfer will likely hit the ball a bit farther with a hybrid than with an iron of the same number.What percentage of golfers can drive 300 yards?
Distribution Of Driving DistancesOnly 4% of golfers drive the ball over 300 yards. The second highest percentage of golfers drive the ball between 225 and 249 on average.