What to do when your distances don't make sense...

[JessN16]

Here's what's in my bag right now and the approximate distance I can hit each club:

* Driver (10-degree): Ranges from 210 to 280, with most plots coming in the 240-250 range but lately, a few more up around 265. This is about 10-20 yards shorter, on average, then when I was at my "peak" as a young twentysomething.
* 3-wood (15-degree): 180-200. This is the highest it's ever been since going to a new 3-wood this summer. Previously I was doing 170-190, even at my "peak."
* Hybrids (a 2-, 3- and 4-H): 185, 170, 160, as you go from 18 degrees up to 24. That means I'm hitting an 18-degree hybrid about the same as a 15-degree 3-wood. Makes no sense.
* 7-iron: 125-135, maybe a bit more off the tee.

Part of my issue is that I had to learn, as a young kid, to hit driver or else. My dad taught me golf hitting from the men's tees at our club when I was 8. We didn't have junior tees and Dad wouldn't let me hit from the women's, so it was men's blues or nothing. I learned to take a shallow-angle, sweeping swing.

This helps me off the tee; kills me in the fairway. It's rare that I take a divot, and I top a lot of shots. My issue with the 3-wood, I guess, is that I'm not catching the ball the way I should. I really don't even know why I carry one.

I posted this after reading three separate threads tonight where people were wondering how someone of a certain handicap, or a long-distance drive competitor, could hit the ball a certain distance with the driver yet stink with other clubs. Well, that's always been me, because that's how I was raised in the game. I tend to play a 400-yard hole as driver (for 270) followed by 7-iron (for 130).

Something about my swing speeds must be screwed up as I move from club to club, I guess.

Jess

[telrod11]

Here's what's in my bag right now and the approximate distance I can hit each club:

I guess I might ask how long have you been playing?

reason I ask, is when I started,I had a true baseball swing, and i would lunge into the driver and could literally kill it. My buddies helped me get over that swing, because even though it was long and really straight, the swing was killing me with every other club in the bag. I had to learn to hit the golf ball with the same swing with all my clubs. I don't know if this is really your problem, but if you hit your driver 280, you certainly should be longer with your other clubs. e.g., I'm probably 240 on a good drive, 220 with my 3 wood, 200 with my 5 wood, and 150 with my 7 iron. I would think that most folks would have similar "gaps" between their clubs, even if they are longer (or shorter) than mine.... JMHO

[deronsizemore]

Yeah your distances don't make sense at all.

If you're hitting driver in the 270 range, there's no way you should be hitting a 7 iron from 130 unless you're simply playing some kind of low, punch specialty shot.

Obviously without seeing your swing it's impossible to tell what your problem is as it could be any number of things. Generally though, when someone is topping the ball or hitting the ball fat it's because of poor weight transfer. Usually if you have a reverse pivot where your weight moves toward your front foot in the backswing and then moves toward your back foot in the downswing, this will cause topped and fat shots. The reason your able to still hit driver is because it's teed up, so it's pretty difficult to top it.

Just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about, grab a club and take your stance like you're going to hit the ball (don't need a ball). Now swing back and then swing down slowly while intentionally keep all of your weight on your back foot as you come down. Take note of where the club bottoms out at. It should be about a foot or so behind the ball. This is the same thing that's likely happening in your real swing only not as exaggerated.

Like I said though, it's impossible to tell without a video of your swing so take what I said above with a grain of salt. It's just a general statement about what usually causes these types of shots.

[Eeryck]

I am guessing that a 7-iron is the first iron in his bag based on the number of hybrids. With a flat swing plane won't that deloft the club at impact? So the 7-iron is playing more like a 9-iron for distance?

-E

[deronsizemore]

I am guessing that a 7-iron is the first iron in his bag based on the number of hybrids. With a flat swing plane won't that deloft the club at impact? So the 7-iron is playing more like a 9-iron for distance?

Having a flat swing plane by itself doesn't really do anything to deloft the club.

Assuming that for whatever reason this was the case and he is delofting his 7 iron, it wouldn't play more like a 9 iron anyway. If you deloft a 7 iron, you turn it into a 6 or a 5 iron. If you added loft to the 7 iron you turn it into an 8 or 9 iron.

[cigarnut81]

Try a 16* or a 17* fairway wood. Most of us can not hit a 15*. I use a 17* and hit it about 245. I can not hit a 15* of the deck consitently.

[Eeryck]

Having a flat swing plane by itself doesn't really do anything to deloft the club.

I meant add loft ... but since a flat swing would not do that then I guess disregard post. -E

[Kltdefer]

This helps me off the tee; kills me in the fairway. It's rare that I take a divot, and I top a lot of shots. My issue with the 3-wood, I guess, is that I'm not catching the ball the way I should. I really don't even know why I carry one.

I would try moving the ball back in your stance for your irons - topping the ball (to me) means lifting your head or the ball is to far forward

[JessN16]

I guess I might ask how long have you been playing?

I've been playing now for 27 years. I'll never be as good as most of you guys.

I don't have the same swing for my irons or fairway woods that I have for my driver. If I took a cut at a ball with a 3-wood or 7-iron the way I do the driver, I might hit the 7-iron 160, but I would be just as likely to hit it a mile left or right, or chunk it, or miss it entirely. I've developed a steeper, slower swing for everything besides the driver just so I get some control back. I'm guessing my swing speeds are wildly different throughout my bag. The last time I had my driver speed checked -- which was about six years ago, I guess -- I was well into the low 100s. I'm still pretty good but I doubt it's that high anymore. But I would be willing to bet it's much, much slower for my iron play. Jess

[JessN16]

I would try moving the ball back in your stance for your irons - topping the ball (to me) means lifting your head or the ball is to far forward

I play most everything from just inside my left heel, adjusting the ball back in my stance only if I'm trying to work it a certain way or if the stance demands it. My topping problem is more related to fairway woods than the irons. I'm more likely to take a divot with my irons and chunk them than I am to top them. But it surely can't hurt to try something different.

Jess

[JessN16]

I am guessing that a 7-iron is the first iron in his bag based on the number of hybrids. With a flat swing plane won't that deloft the club at impact? So the 7-iron is playing more like a 9-iron for distance?

Correct. My bag this past weekend looked like this:

1) Driver (10-degree Snake Eyes Tour Black) 2) 3-wood (15-degree) 3) 11-wood (34-degree) 4) 2H (18-degree) 5) 3H (21-degree) 6) 4H (24-degree) 7) 7I 8. 8I 9) 9I 10) PW 11) SW 12) LW 13) Snake Eyes Python Putting Wedge (a chipper, and I can hit this thing a full 110 if I need to) 14) putter Jess

[JessN16]

Yeah your distances don't make sense at all.

Thanks, that's very helpful. My swing for my driver seems (at least from feel) to be very different from what I do otherwise. I have no video of myself to post, or even to review on my own. I wouldn't be surprised at all to know it's a weight transfer problem.

Either I'm swinging more slowly (probable), or I'm so concerned about accuracy that I'm taking my lower body out of my fairway wood and iron play (also probable). The good news is that I can hit my 7I and other short irons very consistently for someone of my generally poor HDCP level. My HDCP is what it is due to frequent mishits. If I take, say, a 6 on a par 4, it's typically because I went the following way: Good drive, flubbed fairway wood shot, good iron shot but mis-aimed or mis-distanced, chip shot, putt, putt. Where it kills me is that I can't take advantage of my distance off the tee; this past week, I drove 282 on a par-five 487-yard hole (confirmed 205 left to the green with a laser rangefinder), but I still had to lay up with a hybrid, chip on and two-putt for par rather than going for the green in two. Reason? I'd hit six 3-wood shots to that point in the round, and they went approximately 190, 40, 190, 10, grassburner 110, 200. Jess

[JessN16]

Try a 16* or a 17* fairway wood. Most of us can not hit a 15*. I use a 17* and hit it about 245. I can not hit a 15* of the deck consitently.

Surprisingly, I'm not any better until you get up into high-lofted woods (25 degrees and above). Anything under 25 has about the same results for me. That 15-degree 3-wood actually replaced a Taylor Made 13-degree "fairway driver". I've had similar problems with 4-woods, 7-woods, etc.

Jess

[Petden]

I tested a 4 wood once,the contact was nice, however the swing iteslef felt wierd. But, whatever works for you.

I would focus on a more solid contact and then increase the speed to the point where you get reasonable distance.