By Paul Myers

While some golfers have chosen to take their 3 iron out of the bag in favor of another hybrid, this club is still alive and well in the bags of many golfers around the world. While hybrid clubs do have their benefits, there is something to be said for what a 3 iron has to offer. Between the wide variety of shots that you can hit using a 3 iron, and the distance that can be achieved when hit properly with enough speed, it is easy to see why many golfers are reluctant to part with this club.

Expected 3 Iron Distance

A golfer who is able to generate 90 miles per hour of swing speed with their driver can expect to hit their 3 iron in the range of 170 yards. As your swing speed goes up or down from that 90 MPH benchmark, you can expect your 3 iron distance to move up or down as well. It doesn’t matter too much how far you are able to hit your 3 iron, as long as you are able to strike it consistently and get the same distance shot after shot. Ideally, your 3 iron distance will fit nicely between your shortest fairway metal/hybrid club, and your 4 iron.

Useful Off the Tee

One potentially good reason to keep a 3 iron in the bag is the ability to use it off the tee on short par fours or long par threes. Hitting a 3 iron off the tee can be easier than hitting it directly off the turf, and it can be a valuable weapon to have available to you when hitting the fairway is a must. Most of us love to hit the driver as far as we can, but some holes are not designed to be friendly to the driver. When you encounter a narrow par four with hazards lurking to one side or the other, hitting a 3 iron down the middle might be your best option.

A Punch Out Club

Sometimes the best shot you will hit during a round of golf is the one that gets you out of trouble and back onto the fairway. If you have hit a drive into the woods and you need to get the ball back on the short grass, the 3 iron could be the perfect choice for the job. Because there is so little loft on a 3 iron, it can be easy to keep your ball flight below the branches of the trees as you work to get out of trouble.

Don’t be too quick to toss your 3 iron out of the bag in favor of a hybrid club. Experiment with your 3 iron to see what kind of shots you are capable of hitting, and how those shots could help you on the course. Once you learn your 3 iron distance, you could be able to use this long iron with confidence.

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