Irons distance gap

[Pingnut]

Re: Irons distance gap

Just curious.
Off the tee, do you add extra yrds to an iron you play?

I do for sure.. and because of that, on most par 3's I just drop my ball on the ground and make the same swing I would from the fairway.

[neova]

Re: Irons distance gap

Hi MGCSXR,

First, make sure you have a consistent and reliable swing first, and narrow down your yardage variation on any single given club before worrying about yardage gap between different clubs. For example, my 7-iron carries between 155 to 158 and this number was obtained on a launch monitor and 20+ years of playing the game. This number was also obtained with my normal and repeatable swing - I know some guys will say they hit their 7-iron 180 yards but that's only their MAX yardage and only happens 1 out of 10 shots. Knowing your OWN actual yardage on a consistent and repeatable swing is the only number that is of value to you. I often play with long hitters that will take an 8-iron on a par 3 when I take out my 5 or 6 iron. Each player have different abilities and equipment so really any advice we give you is only a guideline and not the absolute rule.

Also not all clubs are made the same since different manufacturers will use different lofts. The fact that you have so many different makes in your mixed set will also contribute to the inconsistent yardage gaps! Make sure you check the actual loft angles on your clubs - there should be a 4 to 5 degree difference between each club which translates to about 10 yards difference but only assuming on straight clean hits.

Here's an interim solution for your yardage gap until you can consistenly hit your long/mid irons. If you are confident with your 4H club then you can choke down on it by about 1" then swing the club the same way and it should give you about 10 yards less. Choke down 2" and it should give you 20 yards less (again assuming on a clean hit with your normal swing).

[GTWCS14]

Re: Irons distance gap

Like various people have stated...focus on making solid contact with each club you use! You should have a rough idea with your yardages!

Just remember this!

If I'm 170 from the hole ...I would typically use my 7 iron from this distance. However, this is golf and the club may not be the right choice given weather/physical and natural elements that surround each shot!

All I'm trying to say is that it's nice to know what you hit each club but don't rely on this data.

[TourIQ]

Re: Irons distance gap

10 yard gaps is a nice round number to work with but rarely ever the reality. Depending on how strong someone is the gap could be 7-8 yards between clubs or 14-16 yards.

My gaps are exactly 10 yards between clubs. I count everything from the 7-iron at 145 yards (for me), so my 5-iron is 165 and my 9-iron is 125 on the flats with no wind. Now my sons have a higher swingspeed than their pops so they get about a 12 yard gap. All of our clubs have the same loft.

Don't forget to get your lofts measured. It is not uncommon for an 8-iron to hit longer than a 7-iron due to a number of reasons, with loft being the primary cause. Getting your irons and wedges measured for loft can pin-point a lot of problems with yardage gaps.

[Bentley01]

Re: Irons distance gap

Hi MGCSXR,

First, make sure you have a consistent and reliable swing first, and narrow down your yardage variation on any single given club before worrying about yardage gap between different clubs. For example, my 7-iron carries between 155 to 158 and this number was obtained on a launch monitor and 20+ years of playing the game. This number was also obtained with my normal and repeatable swing - I know some guys will say they hit their 7-iron 180 yards but that's only their MAX yardage and only happens 1 out of 10 shots. Knowing your OWN actual yardage on a consistent and repeatable swing is the only number that is of value to you. I often play with long hitters that will take an 8-iron on a par 3 when I take out my 5 or 6 iron. Each player have different abilities and equipment so really any advice we give you is only a guideline and not the absolute rule.

Also not all clubs are made the same since different manufacturers will use different lofts. The fact that you have so many different makes in your mixed set will also contribute to the inconsistent yardage gaps! Make sure you check the actual loft angles on your clubs - there should be a 4 to 5 degree difference between each club which translates to about 10 yards difference but only assuming on straight clean hits.

Here's an interim solution for your yardage gap until you can consistenly hit your long/mid irons. If you are confident with your 4H club then you can choke down on it by about 1" then swing the club the same way and it should give you about 10 yards less. Choke down 2" and it should give you 20 yards less (again assuming on a clean hit with your normal swing).

Good answer. I would add that you rarely want to choke down 2" or even 1", because you can just use another club. Try 1/2" to drop 5 yards (the "inbetween" club). This is easier than trying to hit a 3/4 shot (which will also usually go the full distance, because you will make better contact)!

Note that it is a combination of loft and club length that creates the total yardage gap between the clubs. You are 100% correct to say that it is best to know the distance for each club with as narrow a range as possible. NOTE: When you say "consistent and repeatable" swing, the tour pros aren't swinging all out on every shot. More like 80%.

Don't be too impressed, if at all, by the guy who hits ridiculous distances with his irons. Unless the guy is near pro, I'll play that guy any day in a match. Oh, I'll be awed by a few of his shots, but we'll spend most of the day looking for them. A 5-iron 180 yards onto the green (9 of 10) is far better than a 7-iron 180 yards somewhere in the vicinity of the green (9 times out of 10).

The score card only has room for numbers, not descriptions!

[mcgsxr]

Re: Irons distance gap

Good points all.

I just had all my irons adjusted at Ping, so now I am certain they are properly spec'd.

[Weirfan]

Re: Irons distance gap

dont worry about distance gaps at this point unless you have a huge one 20 + yards.

the majority of people ( 99.9999999%) here do not strike the ball consistently enough to dial in their distances to under 10 yards let alone 2 or 3 yards like the pros do.

although they are few and far between a scratch to mid single digit capper that is a solid ball striker should be able to dial in to within 15 yards with their woods and hybrids and if they are really good to within 10 yards on their irons.

the shorter the iron you are hitting th easier it is to dial in but even still I am willing to bet that the overwhelming majority cannot even hit their 9 iron consistently ( say 8/10 times to under 10 yards distance between shots)

[sharkhark]

Re: Irons distance gap

Having played the game "seriously" for 2 seasons now, I still struggle with this distance gap thing.

The clubs I have the hardest time predicting are driver, 5 hybrid, and 6 iron, SW. I just find these tough to predictably hit.

My best bets are 5 wood, 4 hybrid, 8i, 9i, W, GW.

Let's not even get started on the putter!

I am getting a Ping fitting done at the Oakville facility, and will see if there happens to be some lie/loft issues, but suspect that it is user error for the most part.

I find the range does not indicate my distance, it is only by playing that I have learned the distances for my clubs that I can predict.

5w - 200-220
4H - 175-190
8i - 130-140
9i - 120-130
W - 100-110
GW - 80-95

We are dead on in distances, i too am going to rethink things in off season on what to carry. I on one hand dont want to look like i play on the lpga with more headcovers than irons....
...but..
...if i can use it..and hit it...the distance i want...then who cares.
i hit my five wood very well and like it...but do i hit it as well as a hybrid? i doubt it...i tried my playing companions 18 deg hybrid and found it went exactly the same as my five wood,,well actually ten yards farther, with more accuracy...so the five may go...i may add a hybrid for that 175 or so yardage..i can hit my five iron ok..but not consistently...and especially not out of rough with height...
what my bag will look like i dont know in spring. but i will definitely rethink things.

good luck in your quest.

[mcgsxr]

Re: Irons distance gap

on one hand dont want to look like i play on the lpga with more headcovers than irons

You crack me up! I never even thought of that - "bag envy"!

I already have a bit of a dog's breakfast collection of clubs from various makers, so I don't really care how the whole set looks when on the back of the cart.

Plus, with my scoring only just getting consistently below 100 after 2 seasons of play, I can live with it!

[TLT Dan]

Re: Irons distance gap

Thanks for the insights Nuts.
Could be just on OCD thing but I'm pretty preoccupied on the course trying to pick the right club. After hitting a few wrong when you thought you hit it pretty clean, you kinda start doubting yourself on the next shot and which club to hit.
8i down to the wedges, I have a pretty good idea. I do realize that these club distances are affected quite a bit by the type of balls you play. So lesson here is I have to pick a ball I like and stick with it.

I'm thinking if I know the rough theoretical distances for each club, my mind would be a bit more at ease on the courses. I can better adjust depending on the conditions, my swing for the day, and what not.

I also do suspect the gaps between my 4i-8i TM Burners are more than 10 yds. Just want to confirm this and perhaps play as they are or shorten the shafts so they play the proper 10 yds gap. Think I will get my club's specs checked out with some sim sessions at a local fitter.

My suggestion is get to know your 'on course' yardage markers.
Most courses have 100, 150 and 200 yard markers and you should develop a favorite from these blocks.

You need to know what club is your go to club when sitting at the 100 yard marker on normal conditions. Same with the 150 yard marker.

If you know these 2 the rest will come.

[phanker]

Re: Irons distance gap

This is what I know:

9i - 130
PW - 120
AW - 100
SW - 80

Beyond that, I seem to have a 12-13 yrds gap going from the 8i-4i.
If you don't play enough, it's kinda hard to remember what's what unless you keep a chart with you.

I'm tempted to shorten the shafts on the 8i-4i so that they'll play roughly the 10yds gap. This will make the long irons easier to hit more consistently too. Just have to ensure/adjust the lies fit the new lengths.

Seems so logical to me. Any downside to this at all?

[phanker]

Re: Irons distance gap

Some updates to help anyone who followed this thread.

Based on the recent GD issue, they did a test on hitting off the tee vs. turf with interesting results. The average additional carry is quite a large for us high to mid cappers since we can't make consistent contacts as the low cappers.

Mid-handicap
6i +20yds
9i +15yds

Low-handicap
6i +5yds
9i +3yds

It's all making sense with what I was seeing this past summer. I just didn't think it's such a difference.

[tomahawktim]

Re: Irons distance gap

...I'm tempted to shorten the shafts on the 8i-4i so that they'll play roughly the 10yds gap....

Seems so logical to me. Any downside to this at all?

Downside? Yes.
You'll waste your cash and ruin the set.

phanker, folks in the thread have encouraged you to improve a little before customizing (butchering) your current set.

By all means, get a customized set of clubs from a reputable and reliable fitter such as danscustomgolfshop but for heaven's sake don't cut up the shafts on your current set.
If you must shorten the shafts; grip down a little.

As you continue to improve, your can spend you cash on a properly (custom) fitted set of clubs.

[Samick]

Re: Irons distance gap

Agree with whats said above.....I would NOT cut down the length of the shafts to change the distance of your clubs, adjust the loft to get your distance gaps.

[Pingeye2_fan]

Re: Irons distance gap

You don't necessarily need 10 yard gaps in the long irons, most amatuers end up with the long irons bunching up due to poor trajectory.

They have studied amatuers and found that a 4 iron for a certain player may only go 5 yards further than their 5 iron.

Hybrids help spread out the gaps because they launch on a better trajectory.

How many times do you get up and down with a 5 iron, lets say you have a 175 yard shot and you hit your 5 iron 180 then you should finish 5 yards past the pin if you hit it perfect.