Low handicappers--Iron distances?

[TN94z]

I have seen posts on here where the guy states his distance as such:

3I=200
4I=190
5I=180
6I=170, etc...

That seems to me like its more of a guess than a known yardage. My question is for the guy's distances that look like this:

3I=205
4I=198
5I=182
6I=174, etc...

For you guys that have these accurate yardages, how do you go about getting that? Is it that you hit 20 balls on the range and the use GPS to get an average? Do you do this on the course? I am just curious to know your process for obtaining these very accurate yardages. I know "about" what my clubs are but as far as a very exact yardage on my irons, I could guess but I want something better than that. I think this will be important to reaching my goals. I know you can't hit the same yardage every time obviously, but I want to get it as close as possible. Thanks

[mdvaldosta]

It's easiest if your driving range has flags/targets and you've got a laser rangefinder.

[mad max]

It's easiest if your driving range has flags/targets and you've got a laser rangefinder.

And you hit the same ball on the range as you do on the course.

[mdvaldosta]

No, but my distances aren't hard to dial in on the course. I don't notice any differences in the distance with my irons and new range balls. I'm sure they're some... at any rate if you're using a range finder and know that you've got 155 to the pin and your 8 iron routinely comes up 5 yards short... then you know it's a 150 club. Honestly, once you dial in a few clubs getting the distances for the rest are fairly easy by splitting them. For example, PW 120, 9I 135, 8I 150.... pretty easy to guess the 7I would be about 165 and 15 yards or so for the rest of the irons. They're made to be proportional like that. I think everyone just rounds to the nearest 5 yards because few people hit exactly the same on the clubface and exactly the same swing speed every time. It's more about averages and expectations.

Again, the best way is to use a rangefinder. You could use your own balls on a slow day at the course. Hit 5 shots in at a pin from a certain distance and dial yourself in for that club.

[mad max]

I agree a about rounding to 5 yards but I think you get into trouble if you say I hit a pw-120, a 9I-135 therefore I add 15 more yards per club. Maybe I need to have my lofts checked but I don't have the same distance gap between my pw-9i as I do my 3i-4i

[mdvaldosta]

I'm sure there are alot of factors, again I say the best way to dial in is to use a laser rangefinder and go flag hunting with your irons. Or, you could GPS different points in a fairway but I find the rangefinder much more accurate.

[mad max]

I agree the only way you will get accurate distances like the op wants (pw=132) is to use a rangefinder on the course for several rounds.

[goblue107501]

For you guys that have these accurate yardages, how do you go about getting that? Is it that you hit 20 balls on the range and the use GPS to get an average? Do you do this on the course? I am just curious to know your process for obtaining these very accurate yardages. I know "about" what my clubs are but as far as a very exact yardage on my irons, I could guess but I want something better than that. I think this will be important to reaching my goals. I know you can't hit the same yardage every time obviously, but I want to get it as close as possible. Thanks

For me, I use a rangefinder on the course so I know my exact distance. I then play the shot I feel is best for the situation. If I am 139 for example that could be a hard 9 or a real easy 8. It just depends on the situation. I feel I am very good in adjusting my swing and grip to get the distance I need out of a particular club.

I would say that it is a very educated guess when I pull out a club and decide on a shot. Some of them are pretty easy. 118 is a 3/4 grip full swing wedge. 125 is a full grip/full swing wedge. It just comes from knowing what swing you need for a particular distance. If you come up way short or long, you know to adjust it next time. Of course, every shot is different. Wind direction, elevation, lie, etc. are all factors that play into a shot. I don't have a stock answer for every shot distance. I have to figure out in my head what distance I want to 'play it' as, and go from there. If I say that my 8-iron is 150, 7-iron 160, etc., all I am saying is that these are my normal, stock distances. I can hit the club longer or shorter if needed. The key is to figure out the stock distance and then learn how to adjust your swing length and grip to adjust to different yardages. Once you figure that out, the game is much easier.

[David in FL]

I agree the only way you will get accurate distances like the op wants (pw=132) is to use a rangefinder on the course for several rounds.

.....and never to play in the wind, or on uneven terrain, or in varying temperatures, or at different altitudes, or in the rain, or.......well, you get the point. If asked, I'll tell you that I hit my 8 iron 145 yds, but that's a rough average. The actual distance will depend on the actual conditions that day, on that course........and it can change each and every day. No golfer hits every club the exact same distance every time. Good golfers can, however, factor in all the variables and decide which club to pull and how to hit it for the shot at hand. How do I know how far I hit a club? No GPS, no laser rangefinder, nothing fancy, I've just hit each of them thousands of times in varying conditions......and paid attention to the results each time!

[TN94z]

No, but my distances aren't hard to dial in on the course. I don't notice any differences in the distance with my irons and new range balls. I'm sure they're some... at any rate if you're using a range finder and know that you've got 155 to the pin and your 8 iron routinely comes up 5 yards short... then you know it's a 150 club.

I really don't agree with this at all...but maybe that is just me.

The reason I ask this is because my teacher asked me yesterday what my iron distances were....my response was: 3I=200 4I=190 5I=180 6I=170 7I=160 8I=150 9I=140 PW=120. etc.. He said, "Your clubs are really exactly 10 yards apart between them all? And I said I think so. He told me that was very unusual that they were so evenly split. He asked if I had ever actually checked them and I just told him that is what I usually hit them on the course. He told me that if I actually checked them that I would probably be surprised.

[Three Putt]

5Iron 200 yards

All the rest can hit 10 yards plus or minus by stance and delofting or increasing the loft of the club.

Can hit the 5 iron 215 if I deloft it.

PW is around 140, 150 if i step on it.

8 iron 160 - 168

It all matters on the swing for the day, anyone that can tell you within a yard or 2 of their distance is named Tiger Woods.

[Parker0065]

For me there's so many different situations but here's an example:

140 yard, Up Hill, Into the Wind - I grip down 1/4 inch and hit 8-iron

165 yard, Down Hill, Down Wind - I hit a stock 8-iron

155 yard, Flat Terrain, No Wind, To a back left pin - I hit a draw 8-iron

So as you see my 8-iron distance can vary by 25 yards depending on the type of shot and the playing conditions. I think sometimes higher handicappers get too caught up in choosing the same club from the same distance over and over. Understand the conditions around you and let your creativity come out!

[bogeyhitter25]

Not really the lowest of handicaps but mine is:

4I - 197
5I - 188
6I - 179
7I - 167
8I - 158
9I - 147
P - 135

Not exact numbers but the closest I can think of.

[TN94z]

For me there's so many different situations but here's an example:

I understand this and that is what I do. I am talking about flat lie, no wind, standard swing, etc...Then you can take these distances and make the changes as you suggest. That is pretty much what I am talking about.

[DBake]

For me there's so many different situations but here's an example:

Sounds like you playing the same course to much.

[shankapotamus]

Sounds like you playing the same course to much.

? That would seem more like he is creative and can adjust to different courses well.

[jimmy24]

I basically know how far I hit each club because I keep a record of the distance I hit each golf shot during each round of golf. I have a golf GPS
unit that has the ability to measure the distance of each one of my shots.
I set the mark each time I hit a full shot with a club and record the distance
once I get to the ball. I have a Callaway UPRO GPS which is great for giving
the distance for each shot. I only record full shots since I am trying to
determine how far I actually can hit each club. I record all these yardages
on my computer when I get home and over time I have been able to
determine my average distance for each club in my bag. Of course no
one hits the center of the club every time and conditions like wind and
fast or slow fairways come into play but basically over time I have been
able to determine within a few yards exactly how far each club will go
if I hit the ball properly. As I stated, I now use the UPRO GPS but prior
to buying this unit I used a Skycaddie unit for three years. This unit also
was capable to giving me the distance for each one of my shots. Since I
retired 4 years ago my handicap has gone from 11 down to a 5. Much of
this has to do with the fact I get to play 5-6 days a week now instead of
just once a week as I did when I was working. Also I feel that by
knowing exactly how far I hit each club and using a GPS system to show
me the distance to the front, middle, and back of the green and the distance
to reach and go over hazards. This has helped me as much as anything else
in my golf game. Knowing how far you can actually hit a club and how far
you are from the hole is one of the most important aspects of the game of golf. Most average golfers hit less club then they need to reach the hole because they think they can hit the ball a greater distance than they really
can.

[Slim 11]

I agree that the best way is to hit the clubs often, and pay attention. If you play a lot you can feel if you hit a ball pure. Those are the ones you need to pay attention to. If you are good enough to be dialing in to within a few yards, you should have a good idea of how far you hit each club. If you really think you need to know if you hit your 8 iron 130 yards or 132 yards, you are too good for any of us to advise you further.