delofting irons vs. grip pressure

I'm trying to figure out why my irons aren't carrying farther.

The conundrum is, my regular playing partner and I are similar in driver distance. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 240 yards. But he's much longer with irons.

We both have the same make of irons, but he's got stiff shafts and I've got regular.

Funny thing is, I am typically two clubs shorter than him.

I hit my 6 iron about 150 yards. And my PW 100 yards.

Will lighter grip pressure create more lag and deloft the club more?

Absolutely. Relax with the club, and don't choke it.

Looser muscle travel faster than tense ones. Loosen your grip, ease the tension in your muscles, and you'll start hitting the ball farther with every club. You want to hold the club like a bird; firm enough to hold onto it, but loose enough not to hurt it.

I have a friend that used to hit his PW 150+ because he severely delofted his irons at impact...so much so that he wasn't very consistent. He couldn't hit a driver at all.

Do you hit high bloopers and does your friend hit more of a tour trajectory (more like a ramp)? If so then it could be the shafts.

I've got bad ballooning issues with my irons too. Same exact iron distances as you. I have a fairly loose grip as is - I think - and I am using steel shafts. I am still trying to work it all out. As soon as I can get to the range with my brother or a friend I will have a swing video up to see if it is something in my swing itself.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and help.

To add to my original question, is there anything else to delofting the club besides increased lag and lighter grip pressure? Or is there more going on with the hands and wrists?

I wouldn't care about increasing my distance, except that I have trouble on long par 3's and approach shots in the 180-200 yard range and I get to play a pretty long course often (Bethpage Black).

So the increase in distance would take a little pressure off my game. Although being shorter reduces the range my short game has to cover.

Otherwise my distances are very consistent, I replaced my 3 iron with a 20 degree hybrid for versatility, vs. comfort with the long iron off the tee and fairways. And I just haven't gotten as comfortable with my hybrid than with my irons, but the hybrid works almost anywhere, and the 3 iron is only good for me on the tee box and fairway.

I'd say your distances are more normal than his. Meaning if he hits an 8i 150, but only hits a driver 240, something is wrong there IMO. I hit my 8i 150 as well and normally carry my drives around 275.

Your distances seem more consistent throughout the set. Just worry about hitting it straight and solid, distance will come. And of course, loose is always better!!

Increase in length does take pressure off your game. I used to be around 150 with 6i not too long ago and like you struggled greatly with longer par 3's and long approaches.

Lag is basically maintaining acceleration through impact. Stop accelerating and you loose lag. Work on tempo and a smooth transition to start the downswing, accelerate through the shot and you will be amazed with how the ball jumps off the club. No wrist/hand manipulation needed. Most important, that lag with a downward strike on the ball is where your accuracy comes from as well.