Help! What can cause this?

I need some help. I just started golfing last summer so I am not to experienced in the technical side of golf. But I had one question. How does someone go from hitting a 7 iron 160 to now struggling to get 140. From hitting a 52* degree wedge 90 yards to struggling to get 50 yards. Now here is some background info. Last year I was playing with a cheap set of TM R5 XL's (never heard of them? me neither apparantly they are only sold at dicks and at the time I had 250 bucks) they were R flex and standard everything. For xmas I got a set of Nike Slingshot OSS they are S Flex and 1 1/2 inches over standard length. Everything else is standard. Now I originally was told I needed that length but I feel I dont so I do choke down about 1/2 so no biggie cause I am 6'4. And my swing speed is 95+. Well anyways there was a gap of about 2 months were I did not swing a club and that was the same time I went from old irons to new irons. I thought it might be because of the length and going from regular flex to stiff. But after playing some more I dont believe that is the case because I have used the same 52* degree wedge since I began golfing. So what can It be. Obviously It is something in my swing but I can not figure it out. I had a lesson lined up at Golf Galaxy but I forgot that was Memorial Day so I had to cancel and rescheduled it in 2 weeks. But I plan on going back out between now and then obviously. So I decided since everyone here has been helpful Id see what the teachers here or experience guys might think it could be. Any help would be great and very much appreciated. SO PLEASE HELP!!

Wes

oh but during this switch I did go from shooting 105+ to mid 90's. But I contribute that to I hit my long irons much straigher. But I have also put away the driver until I get lessons.

It's almost impossible to determine why this is happening without seeing your swing.

The most obvious would be a change in swing speed, or the angle at which the club strike the ball.

I would wait until the instructor can take a look at your swing. And then go from there.

Yeah i thought it was swing speed because these irons are a bit heavier but we are talking a loss of 30 yrds that would be a huge speed difference so i dont think it is that at all and I guess it is the angle but I am hitting the ball straight so I am really not sure. Guess I will just have to wait unitl I get lessons

In addition to the angle as far as it refers to the target direction there is also the angle of attack as it relates to the ground. The more decending the blow the more backspin that is added to the ball. Like the other posters have said unless you have pictures or video of your setup and swing it is a guessing game to your problem (if it isn't equipment related). If you still have your old irons I suggest you take them out for a round (or take the 7 irons from both sets to the range), and see if there is a noticable difference.

Yeah thats exactly what i thought it might be...how I am attacking the ball...so who knows kinda sucks tho since im not using my driver off the tee box its nuthing but 2 iron hybrid and 4 iron on ever par far...and kinda kills your man hood when your friend pulls out PW and Im sitting there with a 8 iron lol

Everybody is most definitely right that without more info or pictures/video of your swing it will just be a guessing game, but I'm sorta down to play.

This instantaneous and mysterious loss of ~30yds happened to me about half a year ago. I had just got my new irons (also going from r flex to s) and it was a big adjustment for me, and for some reason was digesting ALL the crazy swing tips I could take in through my eyes and ears at the time. I went from hitting my old 7-iron right around 145 to hitting it at best 120... I was so frustrated because I thought the new irons were just a little out of my league and that was that. So I brought my old irons out to the range the next day and BAM!...same stuff, different day. So, nothing wrong with any of the clubs, something was wrong with the operator as usual. I figured out that all that talk about hitting down on the ball (which is important, don't get me wrong) had led to me coming down waaay too steep on the ball, along with a slight casting motion. This swing would still hit the ball straight, but basically balloon every shot into outerspace with minimal distance. I worked on flattening out my swing a touch along with holding my wrist break/lag longer and distance has long surpassed what I used to hit my old 7-iron.

just a thought.

Hey just want to thank everyone for there input. I think its gotta be me coming down to steep. After my lesson I will let everyone know what the pro said. I am going to golf galaxy and they video record so I can access it at home if I can some how get posted on youtube or something I will come back for second opinions. But i think its gotta be I am coming down to steep cause I am hitting the ball awfully high

I am actually going through the same thing at this moment. Last summer, Iw as hitting the ball as good as I ever had. I had an old set of Callaway X12's and could hit a 9 Iron 155 and was really consistent. I was shooting in the mid to high 70s consistently. But, I wanted to become better, more of a shotmaker. Draws, fades, high, low, I want to do it all. So, I bought a set of Mizuno MP 30's. In changing irons, though I began hitting my 9 iron about 135 now. Honestly, I wouldn't mind it so much, but I still can't work the ball. I had a high ballflight to begin with, but ballflight is higher than ever. It doesn't really balloon either; its just high! I don't really know what to work on either, which is the most annoying part.

Let me know how your lesson goes with Golf Galaxy. I was thinking about doing the same thing. GOOD LUCK!

You could de-loft your club by 8 degrees at impact (like the pros) so a pitching wedge turns into an 8 iron...

The additional lag frequently yields better ball contact and power which could get you even more distance than your buddies ! If you only do this at impact (not at address) they will not be able to see it without a stop action camera !

I am actually in the same boat with you guys, currently lacking about 10 yards on my iron shots. But for you, dkinser, I might at least have a guess at what's happening. It's possible that you are releasing the club too soon, instead of having your hands in front of the ball at impact. This would cause the extra height (because you are effectively adding loft). I'm no golf instructor, so I don't know if that's even a bad thing. It could just mean that you hit your 7 iron like a 9 iron (same loft, everything).

I know how annoying it is though. We're all trying to approach those mythical numbers pros claim to achieve with their irons, so every step backward really hurts, even if it doesn't necessarily hurt our scores.