I've recently decided to leave my Driver in the bag until I can learn to control it more.
I usually get 200-230 with my 3-iron and would like to know if it is worth me getting a driving iron to gain some extra yardage.
I've tried looking around and can't find a driving iron that grabs my attention, I'd appreciate any advice or info you could give....
Thanks.
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 I use a 21* Mizuno fli-hi as my safety club off of the tee and find that if you tee it high then it's good for a nice high flight and 210+ yards. If it's windy then just tee it a bit lower for a flatter trajectory.
They make an 18* version, so if you can hit your 3 iron 220 then you should be able to squeeze a bit more out of the 18* and with more consistency.
You can pick them up new for about £80 (steel shaft) or £50 second hand.
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 New MacGregor Driving Iron in at Direct-Golf. Looks good, but costs around £70.
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 The Titleist 503 might be an option too
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I bought a pair of Howson GBH Assassins to test the water.
18* and 24*, both hit long and straight and I find them easy to use off both the tee and the fairway.
At £25 each it wasn't going to be a mega-expensive mistake if they were useless.
They come complete with pretty, blu and white graphite shafts and nice headcovers.
Definitely worth looking at.
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 reading what Stu wrote, I was actually wondering how one should play those long irons.
I recently got a Ping G2 #2 HL (£25 quid on ebay) and tried it over one round only. Got a couple of good, straight shots but mostly mishits. Obviously I'll need a bit more practice to understand how to hit it properly.
Shall I try to make a sweeping strike, like I would with a fairway wood, or play it more like a 3 iron?
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That's a good point I'd assumed yo'd play it like a long iron, not like a wood.
p.s. folowing hack's example I bought a cheap one just to "tst the water" I bought a Howson one for 99p of ebay. I like good deals :D
I'll post results on saturday night after i try it out on the range......
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Larry - I started off teeing my fli-hi up as I would any other iron, almost sitting on the ground, but then decided to try it teed up a bit as the wind was behind me on the hole. I've now gradually moved it higher and higher so that the ball sits about 2cm off of the ground. That then enables me to swing the club as I would a driver (but ball back in stance slightly) and hit the ball with a sweeping action. The end result is that I get more distance than hitting it like a standard iron, but much more consistency than with a wood because of the shorter shaft. I'm now hitting the ball about 220 with a slight draw, meaning that my driver stays in the bag on any hole under 350 (unless it's driveable).
On long par 3s I still tee it low and hit it like any other iron to maximise backspin for a soft landing.
Hope that helps.
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Thanks Stu, it makes sense.
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 Ive got 2 driving irons...
1. Fazer 16.5 degrees loft
2. Donnay 18 degrees loft
Both are a little hard to hit initially, they feel like small woods to me, maybe like a 7 wood.
I would recommend setting them up on the tee similar to a 3 iron and try to swing like you would a 3 iron...
The rest should take care of itself, im not the biggest hitter and 200 yards is out of my reach at the moment (due to not taking a full swing probably).
I love my donnay driving iron, it looks absolutely beautiful but i havnt played more than 2 shots with it yet as im trying to learn how to swing a 3 wood.
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Had EXACTLY the same problem! after 4 year abscence couldn't hit a cows A*se with a banjo,....never mind a wood?
On a 3 day golf trip borrowed a cheapy Knight D1 driving iron & just couldn't hit the thing wrong! Couldnt find one in UK for love or money but got a "Controller" off ebay for £20 and its pretty damn good Also got a slazenger one but would have been better off just flushing £15 down the pan.... :( I also believe that these are pretty good for a budget buy if you just want to try without breaking the bank??
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=150114639921&rd=1&rd=1
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 Got a Benross 18' - cant get a good connection for love nor money. Stick to the fairways or rescue's.
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 I use the Mizuno MP FLI-HI as my driving iron, long forgiving and looks just like the MP60's
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 As a newbie to golf (3 months), I am currently borrowing clubs until I pick up my Ping Raptures when back in the UK next week.
I currently use a 5 wood on anything less than driver distance and get around 180 yards & pretty straight.
I have opted for a couple of rescues in my new set but have never used one before.
How do they compare to a 5 wood?
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