How Do You Hit 170 Yards With 7 Iron?

[lionking]

Not that it matters, but Taylor Made doesn't produce "BS distances" - they just try to cater to the "how far can you hit your 7 iron"-ego of most golfers. They have made their game improvement irons

Seems like a lot of the low handies have had their feelings hurt by perceived lower skilled golfers hitting it further with the "same" iron. I mean you probably drive it 25+ yards past them with the driver and that's the ultimate (only) test of a golfer's distance, no?

Also, that last sentence is about the stupidest thing i've read in these forums.

[Randy4h]

Seems like a lot of the low handies have had their feelings hurt by perceived lower skilled golfers hitting it further with the "same" iron. I mean you probably drive it 25+ yards past them with the driver and that's the ultimate (only) test of a golfer's distance, no?

If the goal in golf is to hit it the furthest, then it might matter how far one could hit a 7 iron. If the goal is to shoot the lowest scores, then distance per club is irrelevant. If I believed the distances others have posted on this forum, I must be one of the shortest hitters here (my 7 iron flies 150-155 max). What's important is that I can hit it that distance almost every time, not 135 one time (fat), 180 another time (skull), and 155 the next (good contact). I'll take my index over distance, thanks.

[Shanks A Million]

Seems like a lot of the low handies have had their feelings hurt by perceived lower skilled golfers hitting it further with the "same" iron. I mean you probably drive it 25+ yards past them with the driver and that's the ultimate (only) test of a golfer's distance, no?

It's not about having our feelings hurt, it's about our gapping being compromised. It's nearly impossible for me to find a set that keeps the PW below 140 yards. I want my PW to fly 130 yards, and my 3 iron to fly 200 yards (225 total). This gaps a perfect distance between woods and wedges. Now suddenly any new set on the market will be too long. My option is to have them bent to the proper lofts to gap, but this now changes the bounce. I can have them reground, but at this point, I'm just pissing away money.

But even aside from that, it's a marketing gimmick, and its dishonest, which is my single largest fault with it. Delofting a club then marketing it as being better because you can hit it farther due to the "new technology" is a flat out lie.

[Randy4h]

It's not about having our feelings hurt, it's about our gapping being compromised. It's nearly impossible for me to find a set that keeps the PW below 140 yards. I want my PW to fly 130 yards, and my 3 iron to fly 200 yards (225 total).

When the clubs began to be delofted, manufacturers conveniently brought up the "need" to have a gap wedge to fill the gaps in distance between the 9/PW/SW. Sounds like you might need a gap wedge, or master the 3/4 PW, which should be around 125 for you. Since my PW only flies 115, I don't have that problem. My 9 iron = 130, PW =115, SW 56* = 90 (full swings). Any in between yardages are handled by 3/4 or 1/2 swings.

[lionking]

If the goal in golf is to hit it the furthest, then it might matter how far one could hit a 7 iron. If the goal is to shoot the lowest scores, then distance per club is irrelevant. If I believed the distances others have posted on this forum, I must be one of the shortest hitters here (my 7 iron flies 150-155 max). What's important is that I can hit it that distance almost every time, not 135 one time (fat), 180 another time (skull), and 155 the next (good contact). I'll take my index over distance, thanks.

100% agree, and I wish we just ended every distance related thread with that, and not go on about why a 44 deg PW (mine) is a sham and those that play it likely suck.

[sean_miller]

If the goal in golf is to hit it the furthest, then it might matter how far one could hit a 7 iron. If the goal is to shoot the lowest scores, then distance per club is irrelevant. If I believed the distances others have posted on this forum, I must be one of the shortest hitters here (my 7 iron flies 150-155 max). What's important is that I can hit it that distance almost every time, not 135 one time (fat), 180 another time (skull), and 155 the next (good contact). I'll take my index over distance, thanks.

You're one of the shortest hitters in this thread. Keep in mind this is a distance related thread on a golf forum, not a nationwide poll of everyone who's ever touched a 7-iron.

172 yards is a smooth 85% swing with my irons (likely not the ones in my sig). I'd take your index over that extra 20 yards too, I hate carrying 4 wedges.

[erwintrace08]

just saw Sergio Garcia hit one 204 yards.

In the WCG Match Play, Sergio hit his 6 iron 234 yards!!! crazy.. I'm sure his swing speed, lag on how he drops the club and how he's such a good ball striker has NOTHING to do with it...hehe

[Herbst]

to improve distance in general - try to play the ball back a little in your stance, hands slightly ahead, and swing down as if to compress the ball

[McGolf-Doggie]

I'm not a big hitter, normally looking 155 with a 7 iron. Dry hard ground beneath, heavy draw/hook spin, a little breeze behind, it sometimes seems to roll forever. I've had a few extreme surprises in those kinds of conditions.

I didn't even mention downhill.

[saevel25]

7 iron 174

I am 6'1", 225lbs, and i think the reason why is that i create a lot of potential energy in my shoulder turn, is about 90 degeres, with a hip turn close to 45 degrees. I also get pretty good lag in the downswing as well. That and i am good at making contact with my irons.

[The Recreational Golfer]

My 7i goes ~145. The only time I ever hit it 170 was in a three-club tournament and I had 170 to the pin with a 2-hybrid and a 7i in the bag. Taking 30 yards off the 2h seemed risky, so I hit the crap out of the 7i. Made it. Never again.

[hero12]

distance isnt always the way to score low....i dont hit my clubs all that far...drive 250....7iron 150-155

But you are at a disadvantage from the get go if an opponent is hitting a 9 iron from the same spot as your 7. This is something I see a lot of. I can out shoot some of the guys I play with, but when they hit an 8 on a 175 yd par 3, my 6 can't consistently put it inside them. I'd rather approach with an 8 than a 6.

[c. lassiter]

Driver = How far

I'm with VOX. I used to try to hit every iron as far as I possibly could, which was great fun, but not all that accurate, and my scores were merely decent. Now I swing easier and hit it where I'm aiming.

[MasterP]

170 is usually a 6i or 7i depending on the condition and whether or not I need to hit a small target or not. I'm one of those guys that gets to the top of my backswing and thinks "murder this ball!" so I usually go 7i from that distance. 7i aren't all lofted the same either, mine is pretty strong as 7i go.

[McGolf-Doggie]

I forgot to add, that if you switch to a ball that is long, you can find yourself bouncing/flying over greens you didn't expect.

Doubt the tour players are using those kinds of balls though.

That's usually a 6 iron for me, and maybe slightly short, unless the ground is hard and it's a hole that favors a draw, and there's a tailwind.

It gets weird sometimes when you get a freak hit and the 6 iron goes 195, but that's usually at the range, with bad dry grass - misleading.

[Keep It Simple]

If you were asking how to hit your driver farther I could understand, but a 7-iron is a scoring club and you shouldn't be trying to kill it. If a comfortable tempo and good contact with a 7-iron isn't long enough to reach the green, grab a longer club. Everything you do to try and speed up your swing will compromise consistency unless you are swinging too slow to establish good rhythmn. Just my opinion.

[saevel25]

I hit a 7i 175, either with the Top-Flight Gamer, or the Nike Tour, i didn't see any increase or decrease in yardage between the two golf balls.

[KEEPITSIMPLE]

depends on a few variables... temp, wind, club loft, shaft, etc. i've hit a seven iron as far as 185 on a hot summer day with a breeze behind me to as little as 150 on a cold day with a face on wind. but my avg. length is 175 with no wind. it's not necessarily how fast your arms can swing, but what you can do with the club to make it travel faster. see, sergio garcia. if you come in with lots of lag and whip the clubhead through the hitting area with good contact, you'll get good distance. anybody can crack a whip at over 100 mph. just apply the same mechanics to your swing. i don't see any reason why the avg. golfer shouldn't get over 100 mph driver clubhead speed if he practices the right things.

Right on, it is not even hard and I am like 5'9" 150 sulking wet.The sergio Garcia swing is very timing oriented though. Check out ttrang's swing in the other thread. Pretty much same concept. It is pretty much a whipping action with the hip bump and stop,as **fast ** as you can from point A to B. The hip gets ahead at first and dissconnect from rest of the body, than when it stops the hands and arm and shoulder catches up and reconnect with the hip and carry the swing to the finish.I can hit a 7 easy 175 with 3/4 swing. You don't have to be powerful,just need fast hip that can bump and stop fast and be really loose with your arm and body.one reason why Sergio likes that grip and regrip thing. It is not magic. It is just an efficient way to transfer energy.But again, timing is not easy imo.

But the other way that I can get there and I like this swing better is that you coil and stay connected with you joints and create seperation with the hip and shoulder. The analogy I like is more like a shaft lagging since the body is firmer.Upper body rebounding off lower body . Probably less efficient energy transfer and I have to swing a lot harder and with more lower body movement but I tend to be more consistent.I think when you stay connected the misses are better.