dialing in distances

[imtomtomim]

I was just wondering how everyone figured out their iron distances. I'm fairly sure of my distances but I'm thinking about getting new irons soon to fit my game and I wanted to know how to find them again without playing countless rounds best guess. It's difficult at the range because they only have practice balls. What did you guys do to figure out your distances?

[klaymon]

I just went to the range and over time of hitting bucket after bucket to the markers, I figured it out. Time is the only way. So, either countless rounds as you put it or get to a range.

[Par Fore]

Good question.....due to a lot of range time, I have a good feel for my irons, but I don't know the exact yardage.....I know I am close, but it would be nice to know exactly how far.....noticed on the Mercedes coverage that they showed the pros....some of theirs were 198 and such, and some had 20 yard gaps in long irons....

[meenman]

When its slow on the course (lots of waiting) I will keep a log using distances shown by my skycaddie. It's tough to use the markers on the range since where we hit from is moved constantly.

[David in FL]

I find that if I think too hard about something it causes my head to hurt.

I just replaced my venerable 962's with a new set of 695's. Went out and played them just as if the old irons were still in the bag. I had a feel for any yardage differential before the front nine was complete. After 2 rounds, I was as dialed in as I ever was.

[PiKapp23]

I think it can only really be done (reasonably) by feel and experience. As David in FL says, if you play a round or 2 you'll get it figured out pretty quickly. Hopefully you know the distances pretty well for your current irons. When you're playing first few holes, just play same club for that distance and see where it goes. After using just a couple clubs you'll get an idea about what the yardage differential is between old clubs and new clubs and to some degree that will apply thoughout set (unless you have some stange loft gap in set somewhere). Then it's just a matter of trying that logic out. As someone else said, if no one is behind you, just hit from a few different known distances and see how far your clubs end up going. A GPS or Laser Rangefinder and log can help this.

[Dub]

I just went to the range and over time of hitting bucket after bucket to the markers, I figured it out. Time is the only way. So, either countless rounds as you put it or get to a range.

Learned under playing conditions.

[DJYoshi]

I got estimates from the range. 15 shots with each club...then took the average.
took that knowledge with me to the course...then saw how the balls react differently (like a prov going a little bit further than a range ball).
took that and readjusted.
but then as i played more and more and got better, you kind of already know your distances regarding situations: lie, slope, wind compensation, weather.
I'm not at all ashamed to say have to use an 8 iron uphill 150 in the summer but when it's cooler...that 8 iron's only going 145 with no slope.
I don't take my distances seriously with each club....b/c you know you can hit shots differently to get a different result from the same yardage.

and the OP's about a 10 handicap, so I'm pretty sure you're on point with your distances too.

[RC]

Of course you should know your standard shot, flat distance, carry with each iron. You can use a range finder to the hole, hit, then step off a good approximation of where your ball mark is compared to the pin distance -- add or substract as needed, etc. You want to know carry distance, not total distance. I use a GPS and consistently do little mental calculations of how I am hitting it on the particular day -- because my own length changes from day to day and on conditions like temperature. After a few good shots, for example, I tend to know if I can hit a club less because adrenalin or confidence or both kick in and you can feel the shot to be played.

However, you also need to develop a true feel for your shot shapes, and how wind and elevation changes will affect your distance. On the course, learn what a real one club wind means, and a two club, and three club, etc. Develop a feel for when wind will knock your shot down. Practice hitting an extra club and shortening your swing to know exactly what that change will mean. Most of the time there are two or three clubs that can hit a particular shot distance, and you need to know the shot shape and how you feel the shot should be played to decide what to do. Range time helps this process -- think of the range as your starting point, but then it is the course that really teaches you what to hit. There are no short cuts.

One thing you always hear the pros say about typical club players -- they do not use enough club. Standing over a shot, the best thing I know is to think is whether this shot going to be short unless I hit the best shot of the day -- if you are going to have to hit your best shot, then consider going down a club and taking the pressure off. How often are you actually over the green compared to short or in the bunker? Or... if the heart is pounding, and you are swinging free with confidence, go ahead and hit your best shot of the day. Odds are against that happening, but sometimes you will know you can do it.

[Fourputt]

Learned under playing conditions.

Only way I've ever done it too. This time of year around here it would be a waste of time to go to the range. Hitting frozen range rocks is even less useful than hitting warm range rocks.

[4ringslvr]

I remember thinking the same thing when I was starting but for the life of me I cant remember how I figured it out. I think I figured out my 8i first and kind of guesstimated the distances from there 10 yds up and down for each club then playing with those distances figured it out for each individual club. pw-135-140 yds 9i-150 8i-160 7i-175 6i-190 5i-200-205 4i-215 3i-225-230

[ScruffyScraper]

What GPS tells me--in no uncertain terms--is that I'm not good enough to hit the same club the same distance two shots in succession.

Regardless of that, I still have to pick a club, and thus I have to have some kind of estimate of how far I'm going to hit it. From trial and error, then, I use the estimates that work best at where my game is now.

During the season just past, I used these estimates as a rule of thumb:

Zeider Valiant 13° custom spec 375 cc titanium driver…230-245
Epon AF-901 19° driving iron……………………………200
Louisville Niblick DC custom spec persimmon
17° fairway wood………………………………………….216
20° fairway wood………………………………………….204
23° fairway wood………………………………………….192
Miura MC-102
5-iron-……………………………………………………..180
6-iron……………………………………………………...168
7-iron……………………………………………………...156
8-iron………………………………………………………144
9-iron………………………………………………………132
PW………………………………………………………...120
Scratch KLD 53° wedge………………………………….108
Scratch PDG 58° wedge…………………………………..90
Yes! Carolyne putter

I'd say that they're pretty close, but I don't break a lot of flagsticks using them.
As an aside, the linkster posting just above me smashes everything two clubs or so past me but plays at the very same level.
Thus I would assume that he clubs himself with roughly the same accuracy that I do.

[imtomtomim]

The reason I was asking was also becuase I wanted to know my average carry for those irons at full swing to under 2 yards off. I'm pretty positive to take my game to the next level, I need to know my set, and I need to know my distances better. I'm trying to add the ability to attack pins instead of just shaping into the greens and developing an accurate grid to work from would definitely prove useful. I guess I gotta get myself a rangefinder, or play by eye until then.

[jonanthans]

I have a laser rangefinder that we used. We went to a friends house who has a huge back yard, and while one of us hit, the others marked where the ball landed. We did 5-6 shots with each iron and took the average. It gives you a very close number to go by. Like posted above, due to many factors, your distances are never going to be exact. But you can get pretty close with that method.