Iron distances

[moochie]

I just realized something (else) odd in my game. I hit my 5 iron about 165 and my 7 iron about 150. When I switch to a shorter iron (say a 9 iron or PW), my distances drop dramatically to 110 and 90 respectively. It seems like these distances should be higher as well.

I am using stiff shafted irons (they were given to me). Could that be a problem?

[BC MIST]

I just realized something (else) odd in my game. I hit my 5 iron about 165 and my 7 iron about 150. When I switch to a shorter iron (say a 9 iron or PW), my distances drop dramatically to 110 and 90 respectively. It seems like these distances should be higher as well.

I am using stiff shafted irons (they were given to me). Could that be a problem?

No. The shaft is not a factor in how far you hit the ball.

With an approximate 10 yard difference in distance between clubs your 9 should go about 130 and the PW, 120. I would have the lofts checked to ensure a consistent 4* difference between each. Frequently, too, I see golfers with the shorter, more upright clubs, come over the top and lose some of the wrist kock, thereby losing a little distance.

[byerxa]

I hit my 7 iron ~155 and have about 10 yards between each club. When I am swinging smooth and easy my distances are almost bang on the 10 yard per club range. When I swing poorly I usually see the opposite in that my long irons go short, i.e., a normal smooth 190 4 iron suddenly struggles to get past my 165 6 iron (usually a result of over swinging). I have forged irons and sometimes hit them off mats so I get their lies and lofts checked periodically. Also, my iron lofts are only slightly stronger than "traditional" lofts and the lengths are "traditional", i.e., my 7 iron is a true 7 iron, not actually a 6 iron.

[John]

Driver-280 Carry normally
4 Wood-255-275
3 iron 220 and down 10 Yards Per Club
4-210
5-200
6-190
7-180
8-170
9-160
PW-150
GW-130-145
LW-110-130

[Powerdraw]

some serious numbers...yikes...what are you doing on a forum?

[Indio]

Driver-280 Carry normally
4 Wood-255-275
3 iron 220 and down 10 Yards Per Club
4-210
5-200
6-190
7-180
8-170
9-160
PW-150
GW-130-145
LW-110-130

OK thats it, I was down about my distance but after seeing this, I am now going to slit my wrists!

Your 3 Iron is my Driver and your LW is my 8/9 Iron

[John]

Well i have to say i'm just being honest here. I'm a younger guy and at 6"5 230 pounds at a 4.5 handicap i can hit a golf ball a fair distance, now if only i could always hit it straight i'd be set!

[little brit]

Give me a break Indio Me thinks you greatly underestimate yourself.

OK thats it, I was down about my distance but after seeing this, I am now going to slit my wrists!

Your 3 Iron is my Driver and your LW is my 8/9 Iron

[BC MIST]

Well i have to say i'm just being honest here. I'm a younger guy and at 6"5 230 pounds at a 4.5 handicap i can hit a golf ball a fair distance, now if only i could always hit it straight i'd be set!

The honesty about your distances needs no apologies as in this day and age everyone younger than me is hitting the ball huge distances. Every par 4 is a drive and a wedge of some sort for you and if the course is wide open then you have a better chance of going low.

The honesty in your post I admire is the recognition that you need accuracy in your play to become a really good ball striker, and as hopefully more golfers are recognizing, the need to be a good putter is paramount to becoming a good player. When you further develop a consistent swing, one where you know where the ball is going, you will reap the benefits of being able to hit the ball long.

Golf is marketed as a distance game and it sure does not hurt to have power, but the reality is that golf is and will always be a game of accuracy. Balls may be flying 300+ yards but the cup is still 4.25" in diameter and you better be able to put the ball in it.

[John]

I completely agree with you BC. It's fun as hell to hit it a long way but it all comes down to putting the ball in the hole. I just can't ever string together two good nines!!

[Bidou]

pw-120
9-130
8-140
7-150
6-155
5-150
4-140 used 4 times
3-brand new never hit.
rescue-170
7 wood-180
5 wood-190
3 wood-200
Driver- 230

My swing is the same for all my clubs in terms of speed and tempo, I just can't seem to generate the power for the lower lofted clubs!

[Txxxxxxx]

These are mine..

PW: 140
9: 150
8: 165
7: 170
6: 185-190
5: 210
4: 215


I could probably hit the 4 iron another 5 yards or so, but by time I got to that club I was tired. LOL!

[Eldred]

Do we often get more distance with tee ball from same iron?
My 5 iron is apx 175 yds, but when I see a par 3 180ish yrd I feel I'm between clubs with the 5 i and my 7 wood...

[dreaded_snowman]

I tried something interesting this year. I went to Le Diable @ Tremblant, and vowed to play the course without touchting the sand (a formidable challenge, for those who know the course). I did it, and scored my best ever there. My swing is basically arms straight to level, wrist cock, turn my back, pretty much textbook. I dropped the back turn on my irons, which cut about 15-20 yards off my shots, but increased their accuracy. So now I don't ever power my irons for distance unless I need big height to go over something. (the back turn makes 'em go high as well as further).

I list with both swings here - the one where I don't turn and the one where I do - it's like carrying extra clubs... Naturally, with a 22 handicap, I have the whole overswing thing now and again where I hit my driver 220, but at a 45 degree angle one way or the other. Another reason not to overturn for distance - no one ever laughed at me for landing in the fairway! Lose a few balls, and some pretty bad players can start beating you because of the racked up drop penalties.

My distances:
LW: 50/70
SW: 85/100
PW: 100/120
9: 120/140
8: 130/150
7: 140/160
6: 150/170
5 hybrid: 160-180 (still working on this, it's new, just dropped my 5 iron)
5,4,3 iron: don't carry 'em anymore
7W: 165-185
5W: 185-205
3W: 190-220
Driver 13*: 220/260
Driver 9*: 235/275

[Txxxxxxx]

Do we often get more distance with tee ball from same iron?
My 5 iron is apx 175 yds, but when I see a par 3 180ish yrd I feel I'm between clubs with the 5 i and my 7 wood...

Well, I don't know how much you tee up your irons on the tee. Personally, I have me found broken tee in the ground so it's just giving my ball a good lie. Sometimes I'll just throw the ball down on the tee box and hit it like that.

I guess depending on what condition the course you play on is in, might give you a difference from the tee box to the fairways.

[overswing]

Driver- 265 or so
3wood- 240
18* hybrid- 220
3i- 210
4i- 200
5i-190
6i- 175
7i- 165
8i- 155
9i- 145
pw- 130
gw- 115
sw- 105

[TMWG]

This has been a big stumbling block in my first year as I find I'm wildly inconsistant distance wise with a number of my irons. For instance, on Saturday I used my 8 iron for both a 155 yd par three and then again for a 172yd par three that I carried about 180yds.

Truly frustrating. I guess I can only continue to go out there and fiddle with them until I feel comfortable with their consistency.

[bishop4]

For those first year players and those who are having trouble judging iron distances I can only suggest more practice. Swing repetition and muscle memory will aid in determining your distances with your current clubs. Change clubs, and the exercise will have to be repeated somewhat. I am a fourth year golfer with a 20 handicap. These are my current distances:

PW - 125>
9 iron 145>
8 iron 155
7 iron 170
6 iron 180
5 iron 190 - 210

4 iron 190-200 (low ball-flight)
3 iron 200-230


My 3 & 4 iron are from my first set, and the remianing irons are brand new from a buddy and have a much heavier head, hence the similar distances for my 3 & my 5 iron.

We all have our problems. Notice no driver is listed? I hit a 3 iron roughly the same distance, so I don't bother frustrating myself by watch my driver hit the ball 250 but with such a wicked slice it's in the woods 80 percent of the time.

Good luck in the future and enjoy your golf.

[Darin_CS]

It soudns like your swing changes when you hit the different shots. Try to clear your mind and try to swing the exact same for all the clubs in your bag.
Heres my distances (not 100% correct, but there the numbers that come to mind when I golf)

LW - 117
SW - 128
PW - 145
9I - 155
8 -165
7 - 175
6 - 185/190
5 - 200
4 - 210
3 - 225
3W - 250
D - 280 min

[Hank Hill]

Man you guys hit it long!!! I can hit my 7 iron 140 at best...what gives???

I thought it was my size: 5ft6in, 150lbs but I have seen youngsters who are 110 lbs bomb it.

[jvincent]

Man you guys hit it long!!! I can hit my 7 iron 140 at best...what gives???

If you hit it straight, it doesn't matter how far it goes.

Also don't forget that depending on whose clubs you are playing one person's 9i is another's 7i.

That being said, I can hit a 60 degree lob wedge 165 yards. Unfortunately it travels about 10 feet off the ground and usually skips off the green into the forest/lake/house that's behind it.

[Sakuraba]

I don't know how so many golfers I play with hit their lob wedges so long. For me to get 100 yards out of my 60 degree, I'd have to hit it aobut 1000 yards high (or have it bent to 56 degrees)
I'm too scared to hit it from a tight lie. I took a full swing with it on the 16th hole at mountain creek after I barefoot-hooked my tee shot 50 yards left of the hole, from short rough, and hit it pin high.

[zoic]

You are in a different but still common range. About half the people I golf with hit farther with irons, and the other half about the same as me, 7 iron at 140 sound just right, and in closer too if the situation fits. I often use a 6 iron from 140 and swing easier but smoother and more accuracy.

Distance is less relevant, hitting the target is what counts.

[Hank Hill]

You are in a different but still common range. About half the people I golf with hit farther with irons, and the other half about the same as me, 7 iron at 140 sound just right, and in closer too if the situation fits. I often use a 6 iron from 140 and swing easier but smoother and more accuracy.

Distance is less relevant, hitting the target is what counts.

The lack of distance only bothers me when it's a par 3 in a difficult distance range for me, say 160-175 yards. My FCs will all pull out 7i or 8i. I can't hit my 5i very well so I have to try and hit a hard 6i ora soft 7w that I normally hit 180, both are usually recipies for disaster, so I usually lay up short, pitch or chip on and try and putt for par. I think I might add a 24 degree hybrid to the bag to fill in this gap and give me a look at more birdie putts.

[zoic]

I see the problem exactly, and live it. My range is similar except my my 7W is more like 170-185, and so I have a 9W, compact head that nets me 155-170 off the tee, and 150-160 out of the rough, very small almost like a utility wood. Now I had issues with this situation from short fairway grass like at Loch March, so I switched to the 3i for the 7W and the 4i for the 9W. My 5i is lost, not turned it, and my 3i just blew up, looking at those utility clubs now, may try that instead. Think about it for sure.

[rezadue]

Hank,

I have the same problem as yours. I am not really concerned that I am a short hitter (I am 5' 7", 148lbs) and everybody and their uncle can out hit me by 2 or 3 clubs. The main problem is when I get to 175-200 yard par 3s. Those can be tricky for me since I just don't hit my 3i and 4i reliably well (I think I tend to overswing with those).

For me distance are:

LW 65
SW75
GW90
PW 115
9i 125
8i 135
7i 145
6i 155
5i 165
4i 175
3i 185

Having said all of this from time to time I seem to smack one perfectly in the middle of the sweet spot and end up hitting a 5i 195 yards!!!

[Chieflongtee]

175-200 yard par 3s. Those can be tricky for me since I just don't hit my 3i and 4i reliably well (I think I tend to overswing with those).

Why don't you try a 5 wood instead?

[rezadue]

5W is now consistently over 200 yards thanks to the Titanium magic of my R5! Damned fine club. It almost makes me want to try an R5 driver.

Besides which I am hoping that by getting the proper shaft in my irons I can make solid contact more often, which should help increase my distance. All of which would be thansk to you Andre.

[Indio]

Hank,

I have the same problem as yours. I am not really concerned that I am a short hitter (I am 5' 7", 148lbs) and everybody and their uncle can out hit me by 2 or 3 clubs. The main problem is when I get to 175-200 yard par 3s. Those can be tricky for me since I just don't hit my 3i and 4i reliably well (I think I tend to overswing with those).

For me distance are:

LW 65
SW75
GW90
PW 115
9i 125
8i 135
7i 145
6i 155
5i 165
4i 175
3i 185

Having said all of this from time to time I seem to smack one perfectly in the middle of the sweet spot and end up hitting a 5i 195 yards!!!

Yo Rez din't feel bad! I am 5' 11'' and 195. We hit the same distances on most of our irons except the PW (100),5 (160),4 (165),3 (170).

[Chieflongtee]

5W is now consistently over 200 yards thanks to the Titanium magic of my R5! Damned fine club. It almost makes me want to try an R5 driver.

Besides which I am hoping that by getting the proper shaft in my irons I can make solid contact more often, which should help increase my distance. All of which would be thansk to you Andre.

The shorter and softer shafts should help. All you need now is to get the lies adjusted