Data Reveals This Once Popular Club Is Dying Out... But What Are Amateurs Opting For Instead?
There have been plenty of moments in golf's history where the game has subtly shifted in a different direction, and we could be witnessing one right now...
When you consider the size of the Arccos community, which collects shot data from hundreds of thousands of members around the world, you can learn some really interesting and valuable lessons from the information it collects.
I was recently shown one particular example, which looked specifically at the clubs most frequently registered with the shot-tracking service. When a member joins, they are asked to register a set number of clubs that they will use to record their data on the course... and it appears some are far more popular than others.
In Layman's terms, If you put every registered golf club from every Arccos member on a fairway (yes - you would need to be a pretty large fairway), and counted up the quantity of each club into smaller sub-sections, you would be able to see which selections amateurs make most often when collating their preferred golf bag setup.
Fortunately, we don't have to go through that laborious process, and instead I can share with you some stark data which could spell the end for long-irons...
What Are The Most Popular Clubs For Amateur Golfers?
Unsurprisingly, the driver remains king. Over 10% of all registered clubs through Arccos are drivers, further exemplifying not only their importance to the amateur golfer but also their almost gravitational appeal.
Let's face it, as soon as we hear about the best Black Friday deals or the latest product launches, we all head straight for the big sticks in a bid to hit the ball further and play better golf. But, sadly, not all clubs receive the same love and affection.
The driver is a clear favourite among golfers around the world...
The 'scoring clubs' appear next in the list, maybe due to positive experiences associated with their ability to setup a birdie opportunity or to help us get out of trouble when needed.
The fact that these clubs often come included as part of a standard set, it's unsurprising that the 7-iron (7.25%), 8-iron (7.19%) and 9-iron (7.18%) tend to appear in the majority of amateur's bags.
Sadly, the further down the irons-spectrum you travel, the rarer their sighting becomes.
Once upon a time, most golfers around the world would have carried a long-iron or two in the bag, but with the introduction of hybrids and a wider variety of fairway woods, this appears to no longer be the case.
While some long-irons appear to be hanging on in there, with a 4-iron accounting for 3.41% of registered clubs with Arccos members, a 3-iron is chosen far less often (0.8%) - ranking as the 25th most popular selection.
Interestingly, a 3-hybrid and a 5-wood at 2.64% and 2.32% respectively, appear to be the preferred choices for golfers as they curate their perfect set up and look for options at the bottom end of the bag, likely due to their ease of use in relation to their iron counterparts.
Was this the best 2-iron shot in golf history?
The biggest casualty of this particular data set is the trusty 2-iron.
I've had a short but intense affinity with this particular club, derived from witnessing Rory McIlroy majestically stinging one to 11-feet from 202 yards, as he pipped Robert MacIntyre to the Scottish Open title in 2023.
It would appear, however, that many amateur golfers do not share my enthusiasm for this iconic club. With the 2-iron accounting for just 0.31% of all clubs registered by Arccos members, perhaps we are finally witnessing the death of the long iron.
With both 3-woods and 5-woods taking a much chunkier share of the pie, and four different hybrids ranking in above the 2-iron in the popularity standings, the future looks bleak for this once sought-after club.