What Is a Blended Set or Combo Set of Irons?

Have you heard the golf club terms "blended set" or "blended irons"? What about "combo set" or "combo irons"? They mean essentially the same thing, and those terms are referring to a way of building an iron set that involves mixing-and-matching clubs taken from several different sets.

For example, let's say TaylorMade has sets named X Irons, Y Irons and Z Irons. The traditional way to pick among those iron sets is to consider what types of golfers each is targeted at, then to make some swings with each, and see which of the three sets best suits you.

And then you pick that set and buy it. Traditionally, that set comes in 3-iron through pitching wedge, probably with additional wedges available for separate purchase. So if you decide on, say, the TaylorMade Y Irons, that's what you get: eight Y Irons, 3-PW, and, if you want, a couple Y wedges sold separately.

But maybe you don't want all Y irons. Maybe you like the player's feel of the short irons in the X Irons set. And the super-game improvement qualities of the long irons in the Z Irons set.

That's where blended sets come in. In a blended set, you take the clubs you like from the X Irons, from the Y Irons and from the Z Irons, and you combine them into your set.

A blended set, or combo set, then, is a combination of clubs from two or more different sets to create a single set that works better for you. If you aren't sure how to go about creating a blended set, talk to your golf pro, schedule a clubfitting, or ask as your local pro shop about options.

Another popular way to create a blended set: Replace the long irons with hybrids. Hybrid clubs have been around for decades, but really began exploding in popularity in the early 2000s. Around 2010, many golf manufacturers began offering the option to golfers to swap out the long irons in a set for hybrids. And then, many of those companies began making the sets that way to begin with — 3-, 4-, maybe even 5-irons replaced by 3-, 4-, 5-hybrids. Most manufacters, when this practice began, called these combo sets.

As noted, the terms blended irons, blended sets, combo irons, combo sets, are pretty much interchangeable today. Some golfers or companies might also use the term "split set." The term "mixed set" is also sometimes used, but that more commonly refers to the bag of a golfer who mixes-and-matches golf manufacturers, rather than several sets by the same manufacturer. A golfer who has Titleist, TaylorMade and Callaway clubs all in the same bag has a mixed set or mixed bag.

Check prices or shop on Amazon for combo sets

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