How far do you hit your 170 yard club?

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

Is this a "thread" or a "group" where people gather to fantasize about hitting 160 yard pitching wedges 5-10 feet from the pin?

Hard to tell.  I used up the last of my internet testosterone a couple of years ago.

My 175 club is my 5 iron, but I'm so inconsistent with it that I guess I'd have to say that I don't actually have a 170 yard club.  I will either play a hard 6I if the pin is back and hope for some roll, or I'll play a choked down 25° hybrid and hope I don't air mail the green.  On days when I'm hitting my irons particularly well, then I'll use the 5I.

[mdl]

Originally Posted by NuclearMike

I bought a set of Wilson Staff Di9s and they are longer, but they're also more strongly lofted.  The PW loft is that of a 9 iron, but I still hit it as far as I used to hit my 8, so I'm two clubs longer by number and one club longer due to improved technology.

Exactly the same thing happened to me.  My "new" clubs are lofted a club stronger, but I hit them 1.5-2 clubs stronger than my older, lower quality clubs.  So I'm 3/4-1 club longer due to lofts and 3/4-1 club longer due to improved tech as well.

[Gioguy21]

If i hit a smooth 7i (33*), 170's the right yardage...hard is 175 and light is around 160/65.

[poser]

I hit my 170 yard club usually about 169-171 so I have alot of work to do to close the gap...

[parbreaker]

Increasing distance does a lot, for the whole game really. I found this out a few years ago when fixing a major swing flaw. When it "clicked" I had instantly gained 25-30 yards on my drivers and all my other clubs proportionally.

1. It changes the way you play the holes. On older courses you can find yourself not playing them as designed... you will fly right over traditional landing areas and into more trouble, or being able to avoid traditional trouble all together. My home course is like this... In the last 30+ rounds of golf I can't remember the last time I was even in a fairway bunker....

2. It gives you more options on your tee shots. You can start going over some obstacles more easily.

3. It gives you more options on approach shots. You can reach more par 5's, and can turn a fairway wood shot into a mid iron shot.

4. It allows you to get more height on shots more easily. You can land the ball from farther away. I think this is minimal however, as most of this will come from a proper swing. With a proper swing, you can lower the trajectory more easily in windy conditions as well.

Overall, there is one major place where increased distance makes a significant distance. That is when you get to the edge of your range. Short of that range it just changes the number on the club. (Watch the pros, some will hit 5 where others hit 7 and their shot patterns don't change that much). Above that range you're not hitting something to lay up in any case. That means your drives and approach shots on long holes will be where this will have the largest impact. The difference in laying up or easily reaching a par 5 is significant, as well as the difference between hitting a mid-long iron into a par 4 or having to whale on a fairway wood and hope for the best.

[CuppedTin]

I hit my 170 yard club exactly 170 yards... Lots of advantages to being "consistently" longer... Much better to have scoring clubs in your hands on long par 4's.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by parbreaker

Increasing distance does a lot, for the whole game really. I found this out a few years ago when fixing a major swing flaw. When it "clicked" I had instantly gained 25-30 yards on my drivers and all my other clubs proportionally.

1. It changes the way you play the holes. On older courses you can find yourself not playing them as designed... you will fly right over traditional landing areas and into more trouble, or being able to avoid traditional trouble all together. My home course is like this... In the last 30+ rounds of golf I can't remember the last time I was even in a fairway bunker....

2. It gives you more options on your tee shots. You can start going over some obstacles more easily.

3. It gives you more options on approach shots. You can reach more par 5's, and can turn a fairway wood shot into a mid iron shot.

4. It allows you to get more height on shots more easily. You can land the ball from farther away. I think this is minimal however, as most of this will come from a proper swing. With a proper swing, you can lower the trajectory more easily in windy conditions as well.

Overall, there is one major place where increased distance makes a significant distance. That is when you get to the edge of your range. Short of that range it just changes the number on the club. (Watch the pros, some will hit 5 where others hit 7 and their shot patterns don't change that much). Above that range you're not hitting something to lay up in any case. That means your drives and approach shots on long holes will be where this will have the largest impact. The difference in laying up or easily reaching a par 5 is significant, as well as the difference between hitting a mid-long iron into a par 4 or having to whale on a fairway wood and hope for the best.

I agree with all this. At my current course, length is very little advantage due to the course layout. A 290 hitter has maybe 2-3 strokes advantage over a 240 hitter. Most courses I played last year the advantage was ~ 6-8 strokes. Hence the difference in my index this year (higher). Regardless of how far out there a long hitter puts his drives, the putter is the great equalizer.

[trackster]

Another thing that I don't get is having a set distance for each club.  This leads to you thinking you need to swing harder or softer.  If it is a 150 yard shot.  And you consistently hit your PW 140-145 you should play that club with your normal swing.  How many times a round are you exactly pin high?  Probably not that many.  Missing short or long is just as effective as being pin high but right or left of the hole.

[Justineasp]

Agreed, I feel like I figure out my distances during the round, rather than have a locked distance in my mind going into the round

[MEfree]

Originally Posted by trackster

Another thing that I don't get is having a set distance for each club.  This leads to you thinking you need to swing harder or softer.  If it is a 150 yard shot.  And you consistently hit your PW 140-145 you should play that club with your normal swing.  How many times a round are you exactly pin high?  Probably not that many.  Missing short or long is just as effective as being pin high but right or left of the hole.

The PW might make sense if the trouble is all long and the pin is in the back.  However, if the trouble is short, seems like a 9 would be a better choice- I would go with the club I hit 150-155 NOT the club I hit 140-145 (that would give no chance to be pin high)