While no two Tour pros are the same, nearly 80 percent of them take advantage of this trend with their iron sets: They use more than one model.
The idea behind a combo set is to make the longer irons, which are generally harder to hit, more forgiving, while keeping the shorter irons workable to allow for better scoring opportunities.
Let’s walk through what an iron fitting entails with a Master Club Fitter from True Spec Golf and see if a combo set would be right for you.
Where to create a combo set
We start the fitting by warming up with some wedges and short irons, working our way up to your current 6-iron.
Why 6-iron? Because that is generally a spot in the iron set where players struggle to find consistency and can also be a discussion point to explore a combo set. If we can fit you into a consistent 6-iron setup, we are confident that the rest of the set will follow suit.
Some players do not play up to 6-iron, maybe only a 7 or 8, what then? If we can find a 6-iron setup in our extensive demo matrix that you hit well, the 7 or 8 or whatever your longest iron is, we are confident they will work just as well.
The design of the club, specifically the placement of the center of gravity, will influence launch conditions, as well as stability and forgiveness of the club. The lower the center of gravity, the easier the club will be to launch, and generally more forgiving.
For example, game improvement or cavity back irons fall in this category. The higher the center of gravity, the easier a player controls the flight and works the ball right or left, but this also sacrifices forgiveness. These are the muscleback or blade irons designed for better ball strikers.
Depending on your goals, finding more distance or just focusing on tightening dispersion and consistency, your fitter will pick the style(s) of irons that will best help accomplish those goals.
An important qualifying question to determine where to split a combo set may be, “What club do you feel most comfortable taking direct aim at a flag with?” Most people may answer somewhere in the range between 6-, 7-, or 8-iron. For example, if your answer to that question is 7-iron, then the 7-iron down through PW or GW will be in a more workable style iron, and anything longer than the 7 will be more forgiving.
Optimizing peak height across the set
Optimizing your peak height and descent angle is a key element to fitting irons because we need to generate a steep enough descent for the ball to hold the green. If the ball does not come down steep enough, it will be hard to get the ball to stop where you want. Between 40˚ and 45˚ descent angle is a good target to shoot for.
When our descent angle is in the right window, that will signify that you are in a proper launch and spin window for your dynamics. Launch and spin generally share an inverse relationship. If you launch the ball high, you do not need as much spin to generate height, and vice versa. If you are too high launch and too high spin, the ball can balloon up too high and sacrifice distance. The opposite goes for being too low launch and spin, it will be hard to hold greens, and the worms will be ducking for cover.
The amount of loft an iron is an important factor in controlling launch and spin. If it is hard to achieve the necessary peak heights with the lower lofted longer irons, a more forgiving, easier launching option might make sense at the top end of the combo set.
Some club manufacturers are making different model irons easier than ever to build combo sets. Ping is a great example, as their i240, Blueprint S, and Blueprint T irons are three very different styles, but the loft configuration is the same in each model, so there is no need to adjust wherever you decide to split your iron set.
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Some manufacturers will require loft blending. A more forgiving iron and a more workable iron from the same manufacturer can have different stock loft configurations and gaps. More often than not, this will require bending lofts a degree or two around the split to ensure distances are consistent throughout the entire set.
How many irons do you need?
As for deciding how many irons you should play, do you need a 3-, 4-, or 5-iron? This may depend on your ball striking ability, and simply how confident you are with hitting longer irons.
There is absolutely zero reason you should be forced to play up to a 4- or 5- or 6-iron if you do not want to, or do not feel confident. Depending on where each player feels comfortable, or by how fast they swing or their ball striking abilities, replacing long irons with more forgiving options such as hybrids or higher-lofted fairway woods may be a better option for consistency. If you fall in this category, a combo set of irons may not be the best option. In this case, all of the irons should be more forgiving, and hybrids or fairway woods will likely be better suited to you instead of longer irons.
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During your fitting, be honest with your fitter and yourself about your iron play, especially when answering our ultimate qualifying question, “what club do you feel most comfortable taking direct aim at a flag with?” and the longest iron you feel comfortable playing in general. This helps your fitter maximize the results of your fitting to help you play better golf.
Schedule an iron fitting at your local True Spec Golf and see if a combo iron set is right for you.
Want to see if a combo iron set is right for you in 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.
