3 Iron Vs 3 Hybrid: What The Stats Say Is Best For You

Which club is best in your bag? Arccos has analysed its millions of shots to determine which club would work best for you

3 Iron Vs 3 Hybrid: What The Stats Say Is Best

It’s a conundrum many golfers face but it can be tricky to know which route to go down for this crucial slot in the bag.

Our data partnership with Arccos gives us greater insight into the actual performance differences of both these clubs from data set of more than 300 million shots recorded over 5 million rounds and it unearthed a few interesting trends.

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The first is that the 3-iron is not dead. In fact, handicaps of 10 and below hit their 3-iron further than their 3 hybrids. It isn’t until a 17 handicap where the 3 hybrid becomes the longer club.

And even then, it’s nominal, with 17 handicappers averaging 166 yards with their 3-irons and 167 with their 3-hybrids

This is possibly because 3-iron shots will have lower spin and therefore run out more after landing. The second trend is that golfers are selecting the 3 hybrid on shots where a 3-wood is actually the correct choice!

Handicaps of 5 and under typically pull their 3 iron or 3 hybrid facing shots of 220-230 yards but actually average 197-210 yards with their 3-wood. With a 3-wood, they could decrease the disparity between how far they think they hit the ball, and how far they actually hit it, by 10 to 15 yards.

Interestingly, for higher handicap Arccos players in the 20 to 25 range, the extra distance provided by the 3-wood’s loft, lie and shaft length is negligible (five to seven yards) over the 3-iron and 3-hybrid and with the 3-hybrid being a much easier club to get airborne off the fairway, and it’s dispersion being lower, it’s the smarter play for bogey golfers.

Arccos players with 20-handicaps (bogey golfers as defined by the USGA) select 3-irons on 213-yard shots but only end up hitting it 162 yards. For 3-hybrid, it’s 220 and 163 yards, respectively.

Food for thought!