Why this club is a must-have for links golf

At the year’s final major, the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, players are facing conditions they don’t often see on the PGA Tour schedule: the baked, burnt-out fairways of summertime links golf.

That means the ball is running seemingly forever on some shots — giving players pause about hitting driver off the tee. Some, in fact, are opting to hit mid-irons instead, in an effort to exert greater control over their ball’s accuracy and trajectory.

The premium placed on executing a shot with an accurate, penetrating ball flight that cuts through the wind has long made driving irons a popular choice for play on links layouts — and Royal Birkdale is an ideal candidate to put one to good use.

But what is it about driving irons that makes them so desirable?

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'It is FIRM out here': Pro warns of tough conditions at Open Championship

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“Driving irons are typically just beefed-up players irons,” said GOLF gear and equipment content manager Jake Morrow. “Rather than using a game-improvement-style iron that may be big and chunky, a purpose-built driving or utility iron will have a much more ‘player preferred’ size and shape to it that blends more closely with the iron set they are playing, while still providing some tech to increase ball speed and make them more playable off the tee.”

You may wonder what makes a driving iron preferable to a fairway wood or hybrid. Morrow has a ready answer for that too.

“Compared to a hybrid or a fairway wood, driving irons will typically launch a bit lower and can also be more easily manipulated to create different types of ball flights,” he said. “Every year you see guys at the Open swap them into their bags because the firm conditions support lots of rollout. Hitting a 2-iron is usually going to be a much more accurate play than hitting a driver or a fairway wood. And when you can get upwards of 50 yards of rollout, a driving or utility style iron can end up going just as far as the driver would have anyhow.”

Needless to say, a driving iron can benefit a recreational player’s game in the same way it can a professional’s. Check out a selection of driving irons available for purchase below, and click on the link to customize yours now.

Shop driving irons from Fairway Jockey

PING iDi Custom Driving Iron

The iDi marks a big step forward in driving iron and long-iron performance, giving better golfers the flexibility of three loft choices to fit their distance number and trajectory window. Loft offerings are optimized for launch and spin in 2, 3 & 4 irons with a thinner, forged maraging steel face that flexes to increase ball speed and distance. The 2 is a traditional driving iron, delivering low launch and spin. The 3 (mid launch, mid spin) is designed as a driving iron or long-iron replacement. The 4 launches higher with more spin, making it easier to hold greens and is also recommended as a long iron replacement. The 17-4 stainless steel head is both deeper front to back and shallower, which allows for 15% higher MOI on high/low impacts, and makes room for the new inR-Air technology. inR-Air is a pocket of air in the clubhead that damps sound and improves feel. The covered cavity and i-Beam structure help reduce vibration. In addition, iDi is shorter heel-to-toe to make it easier to tun over. For control in shot making, each iDi is approximately 1/4″ shorter and 1° flatter. 

$269.00 from Fairway Jockey

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