is it better to be straight than longer?

[5ironkid]

hey guys. i went to the driving range yesterday and realized im hitting dead straight but not very far maybe 140 with my 7 iron. is this ok? also i was wondering how i can make my iron shots go farther. right now my swing is pretty slow but i can hit it straight easily.

[jshots]

Straighter > longer... this summer I started taking 3/4 swings and completely removed my driver from my bag and have been shooting the best scores of my life.

[clubchamp]

Always and 140 is probably average for how far most people hit their 7 iron. A lot of people on here will tell you they hit a 7 iron 165 but from playing golf with a lot of people reality is most people hit a 7 iron around 135-140.

[Precis1on]

An pin-seeking 7 iron that goes 140 is nothing to be ashamed of.

[The Recreational Golfer]

For a recreational golfer, straight beats long provided you play from the set of tees that fits the length you have.

[trackster]

I don't like this debate.  If someone hits 100 yards straight every drive and I hit 250 but am off into the rough, obviously the 250 is the better play.  Length is a very important part of golf.  If it wasn't we wouldn't carry 14 different clubs for different length shots.

One thing I will say is that distance is the easy part.  If you have accuracy adding distance later isn't a problem.  How ever if you lack accuracy it is very hard to gain.

[luu5]

Originally Posted by trackster

I don't like this debate.  If someone hits 100 yards straight every drive and I hit 250 but am off into the rough, obviously the 250 is the better play.  Length is a very important part of golf.  If it wasn't we wouldn't carry 14 different clubs for different length shots.

One thing I will say is that distance is the easy part.  If you have accuracy adding distance later isn't a problem.  How ever if you lack accuracy it is very hard to gain.

Maybe you should not compare 100yd and 250yd drives? Rather compare straight 140yd and woods bound 170yd 7i. I am not saying that the length is not important but let's keep it realistic.

Nicklaus thought it was more easier to train accuracy than length.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

Maybe you should not compare 100yd and 250yd drives? Rather compare straight 140yd and woods bound 170yd 7i. I am not saying that the length is not important but let's keep it realistic.

5ironkid, if I remember right, you're a beginner. As you play more, you will gradually build up your swing muscles and should pick up a little yardage. Also, you get more yardage if you hit the ball squarely, than if you miss the sweet spot a lot.

Besides hitting the ball squarely, the more you can add hip drive and hip turn to the arms leverage, the farther you can hit the ball. Above all, it comes down to having a swing which you own, and which works for you.

After you've been playing awhile, a driver fitting to get the best head/shaft combo might help you pick up some tee distance.

Still, 140 yards on the 7 iron is a good distance for the average golfer.

[Gioguy21]

I'm with those that believe straighter is indeed greater than distance. I've come to realize this year i'm longer than i've ever been and yet my fairways hit percentage is down quite a bit...even though my misses aren't by alot (very few penalties in trees, ob, etc)...and have found that from 175 and in i'm better accuracy wise, but hampered around 120-135 (for whatever reason, i think b/c i'm hitting a 50* approach wedge or even a 54* from these distances) when really i should be throttling back and hitting a PW or a 9i...

[5ironkid]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

Quote:

thanks. ive been playing for around 3 years but this year i have realy been getting into it practicing every chance i get. ill try to do more of what you said and i would like to thank everyone for leaving these helpful comments.

[Deryck Griffith]

Continue grooving that 140 yard 7iron swing as that is nothing to be ashamed of.

The more you groove that swing and become confident with it, the better chance extra distance will come naturally to you.  Trying to "hit the ball futher" is the worst thing you can do to your golf game.

[5ironkid]

thanks guys! ill take into account everything you guys said.

[x129]

Why not compare 100 yard drives (PW) and 250 (driver) ones? Pretty much everyone is much more accurate with their PW but pretty much everyone plays the longer clubs. Some increase in distance is worth a loss in accuracy.The reverse also holds. Where that trade off happens depends on your individual skill level.

To some extend accuracy is all about getting a couple thousand hours of practice in. Length can definitely be improved but certain people have better biomechanics (flexibility, limb lengths, and fast twitch muscle ratios) which enable them to generate a lot more power that no amount of practice will help with..

Originally Posted by luu5

Maybe you should not compare 100yd and 250yd drives? Rather compare straight 140yd and woods bound 170yd 7i. I am not saying that the length is not important but let's keep it realistic.

Nicklaus thought it was more easier to train accuracy than length.

[inthehole]

I've taken 2 inches off my driver & swinging 3/4 speed - hitting it so much more accurately & still get it out there around 220-230 ... it's a much more enjoyable game hitting your 2nd shot from the fairway than the deep rough.    I make the fairway close to 1/2 the time now & even if I miss, it's usually in the first cut & not a catastrophic miss like before.     Hardest thing I've encountered in golf is to swing easy - I tell myself repeatedly on each stroke to go easy & still, it's always a struggle, but one that has rewards.    Only thing is that I have to relearn all my distances now - I'm hitting my irons quite a bit shorter, but much more accurate.   For me, it's working ...

PS - also remember you're basing your distances on driving range balls - they are "limited flight" balls & always significantly shorter than real balls.

[Precis1on]

We're looking at a single club's distance and accuracy tradeoff. If we want to compare something off the tee, the realistic approach would be to look at a 220yd straight 3w to a 250yd erratic drive.

But in this case it's a 140yd straight 7i to a 160-170yd erratic 7i. If you can make consistent contact and hit it straight every time, don't let anyone talk you out of it.

[inthehole]

I've been tempted to do that ... what club are you hitting in the tee box for longer holes ?

Originally Posted by jshots

Straighter > longer... this summer I started taking 3/4 swings and completely removed my driver from my bag and have been shooting the best scores of my life.

[Precis1on]

I would guess a hybrid or 3w.

One of my friends can't hit woods to save his life, but is annoying pin seeking with his irons so he just takes a 3i off the tee and hits to the green with another long iron (his 3i carries about 185-195). He makes up for the long par-4,5s by having a fantastic short game.

Originally Posted by inthehole

I've been tempted to do that ... what club are you hitting in the tee box for longer holes ?

[LankyLefty]

Im gonna go against the grain here, for a beginner Ill take length over straightness any day. Especially in irons.

If you learn to compress the ball effectively with your irons, even if they fade or draw(or hook/slice) a bit its much easier to come back and straiten that out, then it is to teach someone who hits it strait but sweeps or scoops at the ball how to hit down on it.

That said if you can hit a 7 140 your probably OK plenty of people use their 7 for 150 so you aint to far behind.