need help with iron distance...

[itzzzberny]

i can drive the ball 270-300 yards. yet my irons distance is pretty short.
how can i gain more yardage on my irons?
my average distances:
driver- 280
3 wood- 230
3 hybrid- 210
4 iron- 185
5 iron- 175
6 iron- 165
7 iron- 155
8 iron- 145
9 iron- 135
pw- 125
sw - 115
lw - 100

[TN94z]

Those distances aren't far almost exactly the same as mine with the exception of the SW and LW. I am curious to hear the responses.

[Uber$winG]

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[DavidFehertysBike]

Yeah, those iron distances look pretty good. Im only about 5 yards longer than that and i cant hit a 60 close to 100 yards. If you can do that consistantly i would be happy where you are. But if you're not satisfied and looking for a little more, i find that iron distance is always tied to how well you trap (or compress) the golf ball. That could mean a number of things, but a early realese is usally the culprit.

[Parker0065]

Looking at your Driving and Iron distances I would say they look pretty good, especially for your handicap. The one distance of yours that looks like it needs help is your 4 iron. My 3,4, and 5 irons have more like a 15 yard spread. Just my opinion but looking at your long iron distance, I would trade in your 4-iron for a 4-Hybrid. You will probably make more consistant contact and average a few more yards.

[1Greatgolfguy]

i can drive the ball 270-300 yards. yet my irons distance is pretty short.

Interesting. I would say about 105mph ish swing speed with the driver. I would say that your iron distaces are no less that would be expected with your swing.

The only thing that I see is that is wonky is you sand wedge and lob wedge distances. Generally, PW's are 48 degrees. SW are 56. and LW 60. So at 9I at 135 PW at 125 I would expect to see your SW at 90ish and LW at 70ish. Getting back to your question, my opinion is that you wouldn't need extra distance on your irons, but if you want more, we would need to know more about your shaft length, and ball flight. Perhaps you have standard length irons, and a driver with a little extra length. I can't see your sig while I'm writing this but clubs specs make a difference.

[itzzzberny]

thank you everyone for your responses. all my clubs are standard length.
i want a little more distance on my long irons. my irons came w/ the option to pick 4-sw or 3-pw... i picked the 4-sw...
any one have good tips for hitting the long irons? should i pick up a 3 iron or maybe like parker said pick up a 4 hybrid...

i really think i could go single digit handicap, but i work full time and play basketball every weekend.... wish i had more time to hit the links...

[verse214]

err... i would be worried about the 50 yard gap you have between your 3 wood and driver...

or is that how it's supposed to be? i only have about a 25-30 yard difference, but that's because my driver doesn't average 280

[Kcas77]

Do you tend to have a high or a low ball flight?

[jamo]

it seems like you only have 13 clubs in your bag, maybe adding a 5 wood would help?

[pshizz]

You might be hitting up on your irons as opposed to hitting down. This could be the reason for the long driver distance but short iron distance. I find this weird, because i average 250 drives, but im a little longer than you in my irons, espically with the long irons. Our short iron distances are about the same, and you wedge distances are longer by about 15 yards...weird.

[itzzzberny]

You might be hitting up on your irons as opposed to hitting down. This could be the reason for the long driver distance but short iron distance. I find this weird, because i average 250 drives, but im a little longer than you in my irons, espically with the long irons. Our short iron distances are about the same, and you wedge distances are longer by about 15 yards...weird.

you know what.... i think that might be the problem... when i hit w/ my wedges i always have all my weight in the front and the ball back in my stance (encourages leaving a divot).

when i hit my irons i sometimes set up the same as i would my driver (sweeping;no divot - very small divot ). of course playing the ball a little forward than middle for 4i-5i , mid for 6i-8i back for 9i-lw.

[itzzzberny]

Do you tend to have a high or a low ball flight?

its more of a mid

[SubPar]

i can drive the ball 270-300 yards. yet my irons distance is pretty short.

These are respectable yardages. I usually hit my 7 iron 145, but if I get my hands a little more forward at impact and clear my hips, I can hit it 170. It is really a matter of good technique. Relaxed hands and arms, weight going left and extending your hands out through impact make a huge difference. Also, timing everything to get the maximum kick from the shaft unloading is key. Easy to say. hard to do.

I play golf with this guy now and then. I hit my 6 iron 160. He can hit it 210 and he swings easier than I do.

You might be hitting up on your irons as opposed to hitting down. This could be the reason for the long driver distance but short iron distance. I find this weird, because i average 250 drives, but im a little longer than you in my irons, espically with the long irons. Our short iron distances are about the same, and you wedge distances are longer by about 15 yards...weird.

Right. With irons, you should hit the ball first with a descending blow. Trapping the ball produces spin and gets the ball up in the air. Taking a divot is perfect, as long as it is in front of the ball.

Hitting up and lifting the ball with the irons is one of the most common flaws in mid-high handicappers game. The driver off the tee is the only club you hit with an ascending blow. Watch this and go forth... SubPar

[pachardos]

Those are some pretty good yardages. I wouldn't worry too much about it with your driving distance.

[Chas]

I usually hit my 7 iron 145, but if I get my hands a little more forward at impact and clear my hips, I can hit it 170.

My 7i goes about 145-150, but I'm planning on getting my hands forward a tad through the contact zone as you suggest and expect to get more yardage from the delofted club action. Not so much to increase the distance though (that's why you have a bag full of clubs ...

) but to improve the percentage of clean, ball-then-turf hits. I still hit too many fat, which is something I really hate to do. How did you go about getting this done? I'm trying to visualize the action but it isn't so easy to put it all together, is it .... any further advice welcomed. p.s. I do hit down on the ball with all my irons and take a divot (except with the longer irons), but the thing doesn't always start at or after the ball - ouch.

[Golfnub88]

As you can see, I'm not a great golfer. But I do understand a few things about the game, and what I think, is that it's not how far you hit your irons, just knowing exactly how far you hit them and keeping that consistency.

I never understand why people really want to hit their irons further. As long as you can get to the green in two, and know how far your ball is gonna go, then why worry about changing things up with more distance?

[NorCalGolfer]

Do you workout? I see you play basketball a lot, so I'm assuming you're in good shape. Once I started working out more, and I am not lying, I noticed about 10 yards difference in the driver and about 15 yards in irons. I agree with someone else about the huge gap between the 3 and driver.