At 76, the one thing I have in common with Fred Couples is we carry the same number of metalwoods - and that is a higher number than the number of irons we carry.
At wherever stage your game is, play the best equipment for that. Ego doesn’t put the ball in the hole.

When you feel you do not have to work as hard to hit the longer clubs. As I have started to loose distance over the past five years, I have gone to all regular shafts and use a lot of hybrids. At the young age of 80 (in September) and proud of it, my longest iron is a six. My current set up GT2D 10.75, GTF2F 14.25, TRSH 17.0 TSR H 21.0, GT3H 24. Having had back surgery in Oct got my drivers back up to 220 on a very good day. It's been a long hard road. Still working on the irons. T350 6-48W, Vokey 56.10S. All custom fitted. Getting new irons nest year. You are a youngster. Play to have fun and move up to enjjoy the game. Leave the ego at home. I got rid of my 3 and four irons in my early sixties and stopped using my five iron two years ago. .

I swallowed my pride a few months ago and added the hybrids. I am happy I did. When my playing partners give me grief, I say “Freddy Couples plays hybrids!” I am 53.

MY problem with the hybrids is, no matter what I do, I am fighting a hook. I play a blended set of titleist 200/150 irons (6-gw). I also play a gt2 4 wood and 7 wood. There is a good gap between my 6 iron and 7 wood. Instead of a hybrid i went with a t350 5 iron. This seems to work for me.

I've been playing a hybrid for over 20 years (turned 60 last year). When I made the switch, there was NO ego in play. They are just so much easier to hit than long irons. I'm not a long hitter so I could use all the help I can get.

It's that old expression "work smarter, not harder". Hybrids and even my 9-wood call right into that category.

Steve