How Do You Hit 170 Yards With 7 Iron?

[Jay-Bird]

a lot of sarcasm answers here. Not a lot of low handicappers answering.

170 is pretty stock 6 iron for me, I can get a 7 iron 170, but I'm at risk to overcook it and go left. I play with plenty of golfers who hit 7 iron when I'm hitting 6 iron.

[thrasher]

How do you hit a 7 iron 170? Create lag in your swing . Back when I was playing a lot more and was a single digit (hope to be again soon!) a stock 7i was about 175 for me with a smooth swing. If you don't have lag, you're making it way too hard for yourself. It's the reason the pros look like they're swinging easy, because they are. Speed builds in the swing and is released at the bottom so that the club is traveling at top speed when it impacts the ball.

[iacas]

My stock 7I is about 165-168 depending on conditions. I've hit it 210 too (level ground - nice flier - Alan was with me and can verify :D). 170 wouldn't be much of a stretch.

Solid contact and a good swing. I dunno...

[bogeyhitter25]

The term "7 iron" is meaningless. TaylorMade and Wilson stamp "7" on the bottom of their 5 irons. Most other brands stamp a "7" on the bottom of their 6 irons. The original 7 iron was 40°.

Very well said.

To the OP: This question is kind of on the idiotic side, no offense. More clubhead speed, and solid contact will give you easily a longer 7i shot.

[jamo]

Well, distance is directly related to ball speed and optimized spin and launch angle. Ball speed is created by a fast swing and a high smash factor, which is created by solid contact. Optimized spin and launch are created by clubs that are fit correctly, an appropriate attack angle, and solid contact.

As for me, i don't really know how far I hit it right now. I've gotten stronger and i have improved my swing since the fall, when i lost a lot of distance due to the freezing weather here in MA. At one point it got so cold i was hitting 7 iron 140, but during the summer i was hitting it 160. I'm hoping to get that up to about 165 this year.

[lobsterzilla]

good impact.

[kleraudio]

My G10's have pretty much traditional lofts. The 7 iron is 34 degrees. I struggle to hit it 155. Usually 145 to 150. My swing sucks though.

Its about being in the right position and lagging the clubhead. the right positions = better lag....

Thats how these 65 year old dudes hit their 7 irons so damn far with no effort.

I remember one week where my swing was just "on". I was swinging with zero effort and hitting my 7 iron 165-170. It was unreal, of course it didnt last but it sure was fun while it lasted!

[Shanks A Million]

My G10's have pretty much traditional lofts. The 7 iron is 34 degrees. I struggle to hit it 155. Usually 145 to 150. My swing sucks though.

34° is pretty strong for a 7 iron. 36° is the 48° PW standard.

[shortstop20]

having a divot that starts behind the ball

what????????

[zeg]

what????????

I think he meant "behind" from the perspective of the club before impact, i.e., looking down-course. The club hits the ball first, so the divot is behind the ball. I had to read it twice before I realized this... I think "after" is a clearer description.

[Zeph]

I did of course mean the divot starts in front of the ball, I mess up the analogy from time to time. I use front as towards the target, but sometimes it goes a bit fast and I mix it up.

[Meddle]

I hit my old Callaway 7 iron 170, but I tried my friend's Armour 845s and it went more like 150-155. The club has so much to do with it.

Also, don't forget to factor in elevation. No way I hit my Cally 170 if I'm at sea level, Albuquerque is almost a mile high!

[Chief Broom]

The pursuit of distance is a fast way to get you in trouble on the golf course. But everyone wants to hit the ball a long way, and it's not just on the internet where you see this! Always remember it's not how far you hit any particular shot but how many strokes it takes you to get the ball in the hole. I play occasionally with a 4 hdc who is impressed by how far I can hit my clubs, but he never seems to have much trouble shooting lower scores than I do?

[Shanks A Million]

The pursuit of distance is a fast way to get you in trouble on the golf course. But everyone wants to hit the ball a long way, and it's not just on the internet where you see this! Always remember it's not how far you hit any particular shot but how many strokes it takes you to get the ball in the hole. I play occasionally with a 4 hdc who is impressed by how far I can hit my clubs, but he never seems to have much trouble shooting lower scores than I do?

Amen! I have a golf buddy, he's 15, and he can destroy me. He shoots 76 on a bad day, and he hits his 7 iron 130. He always hits the same draw, and his short game is phenomenal.

[erwintrace08]

I believe technique is #1, then how fast you can swing as #2

It's obviously all physics, but if you can supinate at impact like Hogan says in his 5 Fundamentals and the "magical device," you have part of it down. Lag is big too and it's not swinging hard, but fast.

I say technique is #1 because you have 6-4 guys in the long drive (for example) hitting 380+. You have Jamie Sadowski at 5-10 hitting it the same or even 400+. Why? Technique. Probably #3 would be learning how to do a Dim Mak like Van Damme did in the movie Blood Sport

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[Gioguy21]

I have a 31* 7 iron and hit it about 165-175 on a given day...it's lofted stronger than it should be.

[IceDave]

I was once very hooked on distance and on getting my iron shots as far as I could, until a friend of mine who is the best golfer I know, asked me if I really needed a 170+ yard seven iron?

Since then my focus is more on control than distance. But if you are really into getting it that far i would reccomend holding the release of the club as late as possible, can be practiced with a wedge in a reverse backswing manner(keeping both arms straight up to 9 o'clock and then full wrists down to impact) . Also in the gym, focus on large leg muscles, and back and shoulders, will have you blasting seven irons as far as the eye can see :)

[sean_miller]

What's the mystery and the issue? Some people have efficient swing, generate a little more clubhead speed, and hit the ball a bit farther. It helps if your sticks and your ball match your swing speed/type. It doesn't mean you're any better or worse - accuracywise - on medium length shots.

I play with a couple guys who are consistently 1-2 clubs shorter with their mid irons. One guy uses a 2-club difference to gauge his club selection compared to mine. We hit about the same number of GIR on approaches < 190 yards. When I game my old MacGregors, we hit the same club - those irons are 2-clubs short in the mid irons (3 clubs for the 9 and only 1 club for the 2, 3, and 4).