Long irons tip pls

[Sai-Jin]

I carry 5i - pw .

Then 3H and 4H .

I don't hit my 5i though...

Today I decided to try out my 4i and 5i

and compare it with my 4H .

It feels as if I really have to smack the bejeezus out of my 4i and 5i  for it to "spank" my ball and make it take off well.

My 4H however is much easier to hit.

What is it about long irons that make them hard to hit? Are they the hardest to hit out of all clubs?

Is it because you require a lot tighter timing and swing power?

WHat is the actual proper way to hit them?

[Kieran123]

How do you not hit your 5 iron?

[Sai-Jin]

I'm too inconsistent with my 5i, 4i .

If I need a distance of a 5i, I grab my 4H and do a 3/4 swing or choke down.

[golf4fun12]

they are harder to hit because they are longer. it takes practice. I like hitting my 4i compared to the hybrid because of the ball flight. I like to keep it low and run the ball with the 4i. the hybrid I use for getting out of the rough.

[inthecup]

Funny I am loving the long irons lately.  My last time out I was driving poorly so the 4 iron saw more use then normal.  I was also hitting it well so I went to it for long layups instead of the 5 iron.

The key to the long irons for me is to slow down the swing.  It is a long club that takes longer to come around.  You may look down at a hybrid and get a three wood or driver thought that slows you down.

[Sean Dainty]

Long irons are harder to hit because the sweet spot is much smaller due to lower loft. The key is to keep your head very still and swing smoothly (per above advice). You can also get 3, 4, and 5 irons that are more forgiving (larger club heads) if you really can't hit your current ones.

[sean_miller]

There are a lot of reasons why people struggle with them. The shaft is longer so the head is moving faster (or at least it should be) and it's farther away.  Being less lofted, swing flaws that sap power or end up with a misaligned clubhead are magnified. The same misguided impact with a wedge still end up on the green, With a long iron, the ball simply has more time to go off line, whether that's due to aim or spin or both.

You really have to swing long irons with conviction to get them to work properly. Trust your setup and your swing and make a full powerful turn (in both directions). If you try to steer them bad things tend to happen. If you find yourself more worried about where your long iron (btw - a 5 iron is a mid-iron) is going to end up, rather than just thinking about your target, then you might want to stick to the hybrids.

Originally Posted by Sai-Jin

WHat is the actual proper way to hit them?

[boogielicious]

Sai-Jin,

I find with long irons and fairway woods that a relaxed smooth swing will give me the best results.  I don't try and force a hard swing and just let the club loft do the work.

[inthecup]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

Sai-Jin,

I find with long irons and fairway woods that a relaxed smooth swing will give me the best results.  I don't try and force a hard swing and just let the club loft do the work.

I agree, when I get the two hybrid in my hands sometimes the distance I am going for makes me swing for the fences.  Which results in a 100 yard topped dribbler.

[BigDaddy]

Slow down and shorten your backswing

[Sai-Jin]

Oh, 5i is a mid iron? LOL

Oh dear, then I'm in trouble. Well, I finally started using my 5i today, it wasn't bad.

Hmm... went to the range yesterday with my 4i and I just tried a new ball positioning... seems to work where

I put my sternum 1inch behind the ball for all clubs aside from Driver then just widen my stance depending which club I'm using (Anyone can confirm this is a good and solid way for ball position?)

I think I'll stick with my 4H raylor and 3H.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

... The key to the long irons for me is to slow down the swing.  It is a long club that takes longer to come around. ...

You need decent clubhead speed to hit longer irons properly. Also, you have to use good form and not try to muscle them.

Players who get dynamic club fittings get "cutoff point" information on irons. Dynamic fitting involves several hours of overall swing analysis using computers, launch monitors, etc.

The cutoff point is the place in your iron set where you "hit the wall."  The wall is the point at which can't seem to pick up any more distance by going to the next longer club. People on Sand Trap sometimes say they can't hit their 5i any farther than their 6i. This would be their cutoff point. Clubfitters suggest that you bridge the gap between your "wall" iron and fairway woods with hybrids.

Now, there's a couple of things you can do to increase your longer iron distance:

• Develop a smoother downswing, and increase amount of lag in your swing. This would help you benefit from the longer club length.
• Shaft1.  Have a clubfitter softstep the shaft - you put a 2i specification shaft into a 3i, and butt trim it to 3i length; 3i shaft into 4i, etc. This softens the tip of the shaft, and helps you get more whip from the shaft. (According to other posters, you are decreasing the stiffness of the softstepped shafts by about one-third to one-half a flex.)
• Shaft 2. Get flighted shafts in longer irons (gives extra lift in lower irons).

Naturally, developing a smoother swing costs less than shaft adjustments.

[Sai-Jin]

You know what, I was wondering about that myself.

It feels like I have to kill the ball with 5i and up all the way to my driver to

get the ball distance and trajectory I want.

THe easier I swing, the more fat / thin I hit the ball.

But when I bomb it and not worry if I'll push / fade the ball... it goes well.

[xxsoultonesxx]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

Quote:

You need decent clubhead speed to hit longer irons properly. Also, you have to use good form and not try to muscle them.

Players who get dynamic club fittings get "cutoff point" information on irons. Dynamic fitting involves several hours of overall swing analysis using computers, launch monitors, etc.

The cutoff point is the place in your iron set where you "hit the wall."  The wall is the point at which can't seem to pick up any more distance by going to the next longer club. People on Sand Trap sometimes say they can't hit their 5i any farther than their 6i. This would be their cutoff point. Clubfitters suggest that you bridge the gap between your "wall" iron and fairway woods with hybrids.

Now, there's a couple of things you can do to increase your longer iron distance:

Develop a smoother downswing, and increase amount of lag in your swing. This would help you benefit from the longer club length.

Shaft1.  Have a clubfitter softstep the shaft - you put a 2i specification shaft into a 3i, and butt trim it to 3i length; 3i shaft into 4i, etc. This softens the tip of the shaft, and helps you get more whip from the shaft. (According to other posters, you are decreasing the stiffness of the softstepped shafts by about one-third to one-half a flex.)

Shaft 2. Get flighted shafts in longer irons (gives extra lift in lower irons).

Naturally, developing a smoother swing costs less than shaft adjustments.

Interesting post. I finally got myself a 4H for this reason. I just wasn't hitting my 4-iron any further than my 5, and with mixed results. I kept the 4 in the bag for a long time simply because I'm stubborn, and I've got a pretty decent punch shot with it. I'm much happier with the hybrid, though, and better out of the rough with it, too.

[Stretch]

Sai-Jin, the easy answer (and I know we don't always want the easy answer) is to go get a 5 hybrid. In club fitting there is an established axiom called the 24/38 rule -- which states that very, very few ordinary golfers can consistently hit any iron with a loft of 24 degrees or less and length of 38 inches or more. In the 60s and 70s, that used to be a 3 iron but with the modern marketing trend to stronger lofts it is now the 5 iron in many sets. The Burner 2.0 5 iron, for example, is 24 degrees and 38.25". Good luck with that "mid iron"!

[Sai-Jin]

good info, thanks.

I think I'll keep my 5i and just do the 4-raylor and 3H R11.

But now that it seems I"m getting better at hitting 4i and 5i , I'm thinking of buying the

real 2i, 3i and 4i for my MP68 set. Just to have fun with them.

btw, those long irons you still hit down on them right? It's not a sweeping motion like the 3W ?