You should base your decision on your yardage gaps. There is probably a large gap between your 4 iron and 19° hybrid.  Do you hit a 3 iron well enough to cover that gap?  If not, you may even consider a hybrid.

54 would be a good compromise for the 52 and 56. 

The other possibility is going to a 4 wood and 21 hybrid AND keeping the extra wedge.   Diff between a 4 wood and 3 wood is about 5 yards and the 19-21 about 5-7 yards.  4 woods can be used on more lies.

I think it is possible to have both.  I currently carry an AP1 3 iron, no 4 iron, AP2 5-P, 52, 56, 60.  This setup have served me very well because I'm confident hitting more shots with the AP1 3 iron than I would an AP2 4 iron.  Find a fitter that can measure ball speeds and plot your yardage gaps to find the best solution for you. 

I was in this same boat, my wedges are different lofts but the same issue you have.  Cathi has it hit nail on the head.  When I got my Titilest fitting done, the yardage gap between my 19* hybrid and 4 iron was more than the 10-15 gap that Titleist suggests. 

With the 19* 910h, I tried the 21* but the gap there was a bit too close, so we went with the 24* in a D-1 setting bringing it to 23.25* only .25* off the 4* gap setting that the AP2's carry.  The 24* now sits and my bag and allows me to attack more pins, leaving the need for another wedge out of the equation.

Hope this helps for you too.

4 wedges is absolute max for me. Any more than that makes the short game too confusing and you lose skills on some wedges you rarely use (such as a 64).

I basically played 50-58 in the golden days of golf (1972-1990s).

Played 50-58-64  between 2006-2007 (started as Harmonized 50-55-60-64 and I replaced the SW and LW with a Vokey 258-12).

Played 47-51-58-64 from 2007-2009 (this was due to changing irons from my X31s to Golfsmith P2 player cavity irons). Shortcoming was nothing for long bunker shots. I primarily used the 51 for 50-90 yard approach shots.

I carried 47-55-60-64 from 2009-2011 (played with a set of do it yourself irons that had no gap wedge) - very good setup and got rather proficient with all but the 60 and 64 had some limitations.

Carried 51 (50-08 bent 1* weak)-55-62 through 2011 and added a 58-04 at the end of the year (my irons were Eye 2 and the 9 iron was 45*; I used the 51 as a PW).     I used the 62 quite a bit but sort of lost some pitching skills on the 55 because of rare usage (I primarily used the 51). I rarely used the 58-04 but it did well for short bunker shots in soft sand and also tight lies.

Changed irons to AP1 early this year so that made a 5 wedge setup.  Just recently changed the 58-04 and 62-07 for an SM4 60-10 (bent to 59); the SM4 stops the ball dead just like the 62 but I get a little more distance.   Just recently acquired an SM3 54-14 (bent to 53) because I want to simplify to a 3 wedge setup.  I still have the 51 and 55 available.  

Hey Sean -- I think Cathi makes a great point about yardage gaps. What I would add to her point is that the yardage gaps that are probably most important are those that you find yourself in most often. If you're hitting shots from a 3 or 4 iron yardage only a few times a round, but hitting shots from pitching wedge distance in more often, you're more likely to save shots by having tighter gaps with your wedges (i.e., four wedges with about four degrees of loft in each gap).

I used to carry a 3 iron and a PW, 54, 60 setup. The biggest problem I found was often trying to hit the 54 too hard and losing control. I've gone to a PW, 52, 56, 60 setup and like it much better. If you're reasonably long and don't play a ridiculously long golf course, my bet would be that four wedges will be more valuable than a 3 iron. (I carry a 19 degree hybrid, no 3 iron, and the wedge setup described above.)

I'll second that quote   I like my distance control and yardage gap from 135 and in I can score a lot better with the 4 wedge set up JMO

And one more thing I forgot to mention. The argument for 4 wedges is even stronger given the fact that the AP2 PW is 47 degrees (this creates a larger gap regardless of what setup you choose).

Im also in the same boat!  I just ordered a AP2 3 iron yesterday, I hit my 19 degree hybrid around 230 yards and my 4 iron about 195 so there is a gap in distances that I need at my club.  My wedges consist of ap2 pw, 50, 54, 58.  So Im planning on taking my hybrid out of the bag when i play  my home course and putting the 3 iron in play.  Im not sure if my plan is going to work, but I know i cannot afford to take any of my Vokey wedges out of my bag.

Why not change the 4 iron to a 24H?   If you wanted 4 iron distance with the hybrid, choke down on the 24H by 1/2" (that shaves 10 yards). 

You would still get 3 iron distance with the 4H.   

Well considering that you already have 4 wedges. I would guess you wouldn't need a fifth.  I'm a 4 handicap and I play 3 wedges. Works great for me and I think that 5 wedges is to much.

im a 4 handicap and i play 3 iron and and 3 wedges (PW, 52 and 58). i think that you need to fill the yardage gap because you are good enough to have those "feel shots" around the green. and if you can play the 3 iron off the tee when you need to hit a club that goes a bit farther than your 4 iron and not as far as your 19 degree, it would be a great addition to your bag.

you have a 53 and a 59 , is't that to much of a difference ? shouldn't you put a 56 between them since you only have 11 clubs ?

Like I mentioned, I can always revert to the 51-09 (50-08 bent 1* weak) and 55-12 (54-11 1* weak). 

6* loft difference is not that much.  I've played 47 PW and 55 SW for a long time and got rather proficient with the PW.  I also played 55-62 for SW and LW.

The gaps between clubs (8* between the PW and SW and 6* between SW and LW) are not hard to navigate.  I can work the pitching wedge between 90-110 on a full swing, the 53 between 70-90 on a full swing and 55-75 on a full swing with the 59.  I can do a full pitch between 60-80 with the PW, 40-60 with the 53, 30-50 with the 59.  Half swing pitches are 40-50 with the PW, 30-40 with the 53 and 20-30 with the 59. 

I've carried four wedges for quite a few years now, when people ask why I tell them because I get it up and down a few times a round with my gap wedge (chipping) and I get it up and down with my 3 iron about once a year!

I counted your bag and throwing in a putter will give you 14 clubs. If you add a 3 iron would you take out a wedge? That being said,I'm not a 1 handicapper but have you considered a 2nd hybrid?

I can hit my 18 hybrid almost as far as a 5W but I hit it much higher. I can choke down an inch or so and hit as far as my old 2 iron. I then put a 2nd hybrid in my bag which I can hit as far as a 3 iron but if I choke down only goes as far as my 4 iron. This covers my gaps at the longer end of the range and still give me 4 wedges (PW, GW, Sand, Lob) and I carry 5 - 9 irons.

Keep hitting 'em in the fairway!

This question is simply not answerable by anyone but yourself.  It is all about distance gaps on your longer distance clubs and your confidence level hitting a 3-iron.

I love my 3-iron and don't have a hybrid in my bag.  If I had a choice, I'd pick my 3-iron over a wood/hybrid any day.  My friends don't have a 3-iron because mentally they believe they can't hit it.

If you are a 1-handicapper, then I recommend more energy spent on course management, mental preparation and putting:-)

BB

I have a friend that can bang a 3 iron all day but struggles to hit a wood or hybrid off the fairway.  

Agreed with Brad - to go to the next level, spend energy on things he mentioned.  Also go out and play a few games with a reduced bag of clubs (for instance, driver and 3 woods, 3-5-7-9 irons, PW-SW-LW and putter); the purpose is to improve shot making skills.  I played on the Soph Golf Team in HS (1973) with 3-4 woods, 3-5-7-9 irons, Dual Wedge (58*) and putter and broke 90 a week before boot camp in 1975 (my Dad handed down his X31 2-PW irons in 1979).   I've also played some reasonable golf with driver-7W, 5H-7H, 8-9 Eye 2 irons, 51-55-62 wedges and putter. 

My setup listed above is basic (these are the ones I use at just about all golf courses).   In my reserve bag I have the 51 and 55 wedges, 3 Louisville persimmons (5/21 and 10/28.5 woods and 34 hybrid) and a chipping iron.   Sometimes being proficient on fewer clubs is better.  

This is the best answer I've seen yet.  Once I concentrated on course management (especially short game) and putting and separating myself from the negative remarks of friends, my scores --and consequently, my handicap-- dropped down to around 3.1.

I say 3 iron, I was thinking about getting a 4th wedge and taking out my 5 wood, but I've found it's harder to judge distance for me when your 200+ yards out. I've talked to my dad about possibly getting another wedge and he just told me to get some feel lol. And after a while, I realized that's true (for me at least) and I've found adding loft by opening the club face helped me quite a bit to gain some feel to fill those gaps. But it's all personal preference, different tour pros with different playing styles have different bag make ups. What ever makes you most comfortable, just like I doubt Luke Donald would be comfortable with Bubba's clubs lol.

I'd never take out my 5 wood - the 18 degree fww does a lot of fun stuff.  

I'm also beginning to really like the 3 wedge setup again (didn't take long to get the 53 and 59 distances nailed and I got pretty proficient out of hard bunkers with the 59).   I've been practicing my short game rather intensely the past couple weeks for my return to the golf course (I took 6 weeks off due to a muscle strain unrelated to golf; it was extremely painful trying to take a full swing a week after my trip to Chicago).  There is a  plethora you can do to control distance on wedges - choking down, backswing length, opening stance (opens clubface), lofting and delofting (ball position in stance).  You can also treat your 7-9 irons as wedges.  Have to explore the capabilities of your clubs. 

I remember my dad (who is a single digit even now at age 78) mentioning that some of the golf pros recommended a driver-4W-7W setup for fairways, 4H, 5-9 iron PW-GW-SW-LW putter.   I carried a 975F 16.5 and 20.5 FWW for almost 3 years. 

Shawny's assessment is pretty right on.  I play in San Diego County in CA and the course conditions vary quite a bit.  Most of the fairways are cut too close to give a plush enough lie to hit a 3 wood.   If you ask any "average" golfer (male or female alike), you'll find that most have difficulty launching a 15* 3 wood off the deck (one is that 43" for a shaft is horribly long for a fairway wood in addition to the lie having to be plush).  An 18* fww is reasonably easy to hit off the fairway and the delta between it and a 15* 3W would be 7-10 yards tops.  For me, the 18* fww and 21-27* hybrids is a good combo.  Really not a point in a 3* separation between hybrids. 

I played with the 3 wedge setup today.  Although I did pretty well with it, there was one shot that a gap wedge would have come in handy for (last approach shot of the day was off a tight lie; the SW got it on the green but I had a rather long putt and the PW would have probably rolled too much).  So what I am doing today is taking the GW (50-08) down for some tweaking (having the shaft length shortened to 35 1/4" and the loft to 49* to split the diff between the PW and SW).  The SM4 60-10 (59-09 after bending) proved to be a good greenside bunker weapon and even got out of "The Bunker From Hell" today.

I saw Johnny P's post in my mail but it didn't appear here. 

You need to analyze what you absolutely need, what is "nice to have", and "what you wish you would have had"

My two cents is that a PW, SW, and LW are absolutely needed.   A GW is "what you wish you would have had" (but there is the option of working a PW).  An XW (62 or 64) is "nice to have" but rarely used (as is a two way chipping iron). In regards to the 3 iron.... does one really 3* between hybrids or irons (that amounts to 5-10 yards).

Next time you play keep track of the number of times you would use your 3 iron/ 4th wedge. Do this for a couple of rounds before making the descision. if you hit one generally m ore often than the other, choose the one that is most needed.

For all practical purposes you are already playing a three iron through lob wedge because of the increased loft of modern clubs. Your 48 degree wedge is really a nine iron.

Unless you love your 4 iron I'd dump it and fill in your gaps with hybrids from your three wood (about 15 or 16 degrees maybe?). I'd use more hybrids for ease of hitting and that they hit the ball higher than an iron of the same loft and sometimes a bit farther.

Buying a contemporary 3 iron is like hitting an older 2 iron. You need to be a great golfer to use a 2 iron. Then again why not add a 5 wood and 7 wood and then use hybrids to cover the gaps to your most comfortable long iron? Remember woods suffer from the same vanishing loft disease so your 3 wood may really be a "Brassie", a 2 wood.

By the way i play a 17* 3 wood, a 21* 5 wood and a 25* 6 wood. (All persimmon) Fits my swing speed and my yardage gaps.

Vince:  I carry an 18* 5 wood, 21* 4H and 27* 6H (TM).   I have three Louisville Golf persimmons (5/21 and 10/28.5 fairways and 34H) at my disposal just in case I want to play a little nostalgia golf.  I do remember 6 woods (even back in the Seventies, people couldn't hit a 3 iron and Lee Trevino recommended a 6 wood in one of his videos) and they were the rage at the country club I caddied at in 1972 (the author of Caddy Shack looped at another IL country club about 40 miles away).  It seems to me that an old school 4 iron was a lot easier to hit vs the new 5 irons.   The AP1 7 iron is only 2* more lofted vs an old 5 iron.

Lou G.

My full set is 17 degree 3 wood, 21 degree 5 wood, 25 degree 6 wood (all Honma Big LB persimmon, low profile), a 27 degree 7 7 wood (Louise Suggs) persimmon but with a very short shaft so it plays like hybrid.

My irons are 6 (31 degrees)  through GW (51 degrees) Nakashima NP5 http://www.nakashimagolf.com/NP5_Iron.html (really they are older 5i through PW).

Sand wedge varies but lately I'm carrying the new Ping Eye 2 re-issue.

Putter is my Ping Pal bronze for the course and my Wilson Johnny Farrell 1001 blade and I mean a REAL blade putter. Here is a picture of close cousin to it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/PUTTER-WILSON-JOHNNY-FARRELL-1002-VINTAGE-GOLF-CLUB-/350176321634

I can easily play with just my top 3 woods, 1 putter and my 6i, 8i and Pw.

Of course DT90 wound when I have a swing. DT SoLo and Pinnacle for Women when I don't. I try to buy US made golf balls but it is tough. Thank you Accushnet!

My dad still uses an Acushnet Bullseye putter since at least before 1957.   I played on the high school golf team with a Spalding laminated 3-4 wood, Hagen International 3-5-7-9 irons, Haig Ultra Dual Wedge and an el cheapo blade putter and broke 90 with it a week before boot camp in 1975. 

Since my last reply I have replaced the 5-18 FW and the 4-21 H with a 910F 19* fairway set at D3.