Just don't hit my irons that far

[longbow]

Ok I said it.  I am accurate but I don't hit them far.  My avg drive is probably 230 yds and 3 wood maybe 215-220 depending.  Sometimes I hit these further but I would say the avg is about what I stated.  Now I can live with these distances with the driver and wood but my irons sometimes are so frustrating it isn't funny.

Case in point.  I played a parks course yesterday next to where I live.  Durand Eastman.  Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed course and cheap enough to walk although it is very hilly.  Anyways I come to the first par 3, #3.  Playing from the blues cause the course isn't that long to begin with.  I figure I am about 185 to the pin.  You are hitting from a slightly elevated tee.  Hit over a good sized hill across a valley back up to the pin.  I nut a 4 iron, nice and solid and it goes about 170 yds.  I didn't swing hard but  smooth.  I couldn't hit the ball more solidly and about 170 is what I get.  You don't get a whole lot of role either cause of the mounding around the green.  Now I am 58 yrs old, and in very decent shape cause I work out.  But I for the life of me just don't understand why I can't get more distance out of my irons.

I might have 10-15 yds between clubs for the long and mid irons(3-6) and a bit more distance between my short irons and wedges.  I go to a driving range and talked to a couple of pro's there and they just say it is age related.  But seriously when I played back in the 90's before quitting I played to a solid 9 maybe a bit less depending on the course.  But I practiced a ton and played a couple of times a week.  I just can't believe I lost 30 yds in distance avg save for my short irons.  My one saving grace is I am decent around the greens and don't have alot of 3 putts.  I am avg'ing a bit better than bogey golf at this time.  Well just kind of frustrated is all with my distance.  Like I said I am accurate but I ain't long and maybe never was "long" but I was most definitely longer than I am now.  thanks for listening and I feel the need to play another 9 this a.m. to prove to myself that I ain't that short!

[carpediem4300]

I would get back to a pro and get fitted,.....I would imagine a softer flex shaft would correct this issue

just one of those, age cant be outrun unfortunately

[inthecup]

Originally Posted by longbow

Ok I said it.  I am accurate but I don't hit them far.  My avg drive is probably 230 yds and 3 wood maybe 215-220 depending.  Sometimes I hit these further but I would say the avg is about what I stated.  Now I can live with these distances with the driver and wood but my irons sometimes are so frustrating it isn't funny.

Case in point.  I played a parks course yesterday next to where I live.  Durand Eastman.  Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed course and cheap enough to walk although it is very hilly.  Anyways I come to the first par 3, #3.  Playing from the blues cause the course isn't that long to begin with.  I figure I am about 185 to the pin.  You are hitting from a slightly elevated tee.  Hit over a good sized hill across a valley back up to the pin.  I nut a 4 iron, nice and solid and it goes about 170 yds.  I didn't swing hard but  smooth.  I couldn't hit the ball more solidly and about 170 is what I get.  You don't get a whole lot of role either cause of the mounding around the green.  Now I am 58 yrs old, and in very decent shape cause I work out.  But I for the life of me just don't understand why I can't get more distance out of my irons.

I might have 10-15 yds between clubs for the long and mid irons(3-6) and a bit more distance between my short irons and wedges.  I go to a driving range and talked to a couple of pro's there and they just say it is age related.  But seriously when I played back in the 90's before quitting I played to a solid 9 maybe a bit less depending on the course.  But I practiced a ton and played a couple of times a week.  I just can't believe I lost 30 yds in distance avg save for my short irons.  My one saving grace is I am decent around the greens and don't have alot of 3 putts.  I am avg'ing a bit better than bogey golf at this time.  Well just kind of frustrated is all with my distance.  Like I said I am accurate but I ain't long and maybe never was "long" but I was most definitely longer than I am now.  thanks for listening and I feel the need to play another 9 this a.m. to prove to myself that I ain't that short!

How is your ball flight?

[longbow]

Actually it is decent.  Nice and boring with my mid and long irons and high with my short irons.  Seems like that is how it should be.  I have a ton of irons to choose from.  Bought up over a dozen sets since last year and the best for me seem to be Hogan Edge GCD's or believe it or not Founders Club Traditional Royale with a firm graphite shaft.  The Hogans have a S3 shaft in them.  thanks

PS  case in point today.  I went out to Hamlin NY and played a little 18 hole muni that will make you feel good about your game for the most part.  Greens are excellent.  No surprises when putting.  If it looks like it goes right it does.  So I played the back nine and am on 17.  It is a longish par 4 up hill tee shot, severely so.  Pulled my tee shot left, then hit a 7 wood out of the rough and carried it a bit to much right and ended up down the hill on the right side in  the rough and about 145 out.  The hill is fairly steep but I could see the top of the pin and flag for the most part.  Maybe a 20' incline top to bottom, I don't know like 25 deg or a bit better.  Now normally  it seems to me I would hit an 8 iron but I decided to hit a 7 and voila, off the green about 10 yds dead nuts pin high.  Pitched on and one putted.  It just seems to me that I shouldn't have to hit a 7 iron till I am about 150+ out.  I hit it good too not laying off it.  Does this sound reasonable?

[Double Bogey]

It seems about right to me if you are taking a slower, more controlled swing.  I have purposely lost distance to use a more controlled swing.  Leave the ego at home and play with what club is needed to get the job done.  That is what I am currently doing and the handicap is dropping.  Ego is for suckers

[Motley01]

I can't figure out why you are complaining? So you hit your irons 10 yards less than you think you should.

1) You''re playing well,

2) got good equipment,

3) your 58 years old.

Have you tried a distance golf ball like the Titleist Velocity? That should give you 10 more yards easily.

Just be happy you can still play golf at a good level.

[jamo]

I know this is supposed to be about irons, but a 230-yard average drive really isn't bad at all, especially for a 58-year old 12-handicap.

[David in FL]

I'd also question your shaft flex.  You said "S3" shaft.....did you mean a DG S300?  If so that strikes me as a little stiff for the distances you're talking.

May be time to drop down to softer flex.....maybe an R300.  Certainly worth getting it checked.  The True Temper website has a "fitting" function that certainly won't take the place of a proper fitting, but my be a place to start.

FWIW, I'm 54 playing S300's......about a club and a half longer than you in my irons and figure I'm getting close to a little softer shaft myself.

[longbow]

I misspoke on the shaft flex for the Hogans, they are a 3 but they are APEX 3 which is regular flex from what I understand.  APEX 4 are stiff.  I played 4 days in a row last week.  Mon-Thurs.  Each day was bit better than the one before it, so that ain't bad I guess.  Matter of fact Thurs was the best day of all especially driving. I found a Srixon ball and played with that the last 4 holes.  I was playing at Churchville in Monre County, it is a County course and has 3 9 hole courses.  The east is the hardest by far for me.  Sand and water.  The south is the easiest it seems for me.  Long but no surprises and the west which I played Thurs. I think is the longest of the 3 with a couple of sneaky holes on it.  Haven't played it that much but was 4 over after 2 holes which is never good.  Then went 1 under for the next 3 holes and +2 for the last 4 holes.  It seems that's the way I do it in groups.

I did drive the ball very well for me though.  I find the biggest thing is for me is to pick a target.  As long as I have a target in mind then I seem to do farily well with accuracy.  Sometimes though especially Thurs which was hot here I would loose concentration.  Then I would pull the booger.

Now as stated I have over a doz sets of good clubs to choose from.  I was playing the Tradition Royales last week and the thing about these thin soled clubs is the shaft thing.  I can feel it kick when I make contact.  I like that.  But I also this a.m. went over to Big Oak with a set of X16's(Memphis 10 shafts) I had bent down to 2 deg flat and actually hit them really good.  Maybe I should just stick with one set and make a go of it.  Thinking of donating a bunch of the sets I have to the First Tee.  I've several I don't play like Titelist 981's and DCI's, along with HONMA clubs, some Hogans, MARS I made up etc.etc. Anyways thanks folks for listening gotta love the game.

[x129]

170 yard 4 iron for a guy that driver's 230 seems right in line with what I would expect. Depending on your lofts maybe 10 more yards.  Next time your on the hole, take the 3 hybrid instead of the 4 iron. Doesn't matter that Tiger would pull the 9 iron. For you it is 3 club.

If you want to be longer there are a couple thing to look at in rough order

1) How bad does your swing suck? Even on the most foregiving iron, missing the sweet spot costs you distance. If you have only been playing for a little while in your comeback you probably are not hitting it as cleanly as you used to.

2) Does your equipment fit your swing? GIve your driver and 3 wood have a 10-15 yard difference, I am guessing a driver fitting might help you get . You could also try lighter shafts and different flexes to try and tweak out 10 more yards.

3) Physical fitness. Working out doesn't do much for you if it doesn't work out the golf muscle. Stretching is also big.

4) Make sure you are using a ball that works for you. Play a couple rounds with different ones and find one that works for you

Quote:

Ok I said it.  I am accurate but I don't hit them far.  My avg drive is probably 230 yds and 3 wood maybe 215-220 depending.  Sometimes I hit these further but I would say the avg is about what I stated.  Now I can live with these distances with the driver and wood but my irons sometimes are so frustrating it isn't funny.

Case in point.  I played a parks course yesterday next to where I live.  Durand Eastman.  Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed course and cheap enough to walk although it is very hilly.  Anyways I come to the first par 3, #3.  Playing from the blues cause the course isn't that long to begin with.  I figure I am about 185 to the pin.  You are hitting from a slightly elevated tee.  Hit over a good sized hill across a valley back up to the pin.  I nut a 4 iron, nice and solid and it goes about 170 yds.  I didn't swing hard but  smooth.  I couldn't hit the ball more solidly and about 170 is what I get.  You don't get a whole lot of role either cause of the mounding around the green.  Now I am 58 yrs old, and in very decent shape cause I work out.  But I for the life of me just don't understand why I can't get more distance out of my irons.

I might have 10-15 yds between clubs for the long and mid irons(3-6) and a bit more distance between my short irons and wedges.  I go to a driving range and talked to a couple of pro's there and they just say it is age related.  But seriously when I played back in the 90's before quitting I played to a solid 9 maybe a bit less depending on the course.  But I practiced a ton and played a couple of times a week.  I just can't believe I lost 30 yds in distance avg save for my short irons.  My one saving grace is I am decent around the greens and don't have alot of 3 putts.  I am avg'ing a bit better than bogey golf at this time.  Well just kind of frustrated is all with my distance.  Like I said I am accurate but I ain't long and maybe never was "long" but I was most definitely longer than I am now.  thanks for listening and I feel the need to play another 9 this a.m. to prove to myself that I ain't that short!

[longbow]

My brother is saying the same thing!  I don't know maybe just can't accept the fact I ain't what I used to be.  Want to play today and maybe I will but it sure is freaking hot and humid.  I don't take carts, I walk for the exercise.  The one thing I'm stoked for is my driving.  Thurs. like I said I actually can say I pounded the ball!  A couple of holes like the first 2 sucked but then got in a rhythm.
Maybe I"ll play with the X16's I have.  They are pretty forgiving it seems, or so it seemed when I was at Big Oak on Sun.  I just found an old Dyna Craft SW I made up like 15 yrs ago and just regripped it so I want to try that out too.  That has an S300 shaft in it which is what I used to play in my wedges and 9 iron.  We'll see.  Thanks for the support and info./advice

[lumpuckeroo]

Originally Posted by longbow

Ok I said it.  I am accurate but I don't hit them far.  My avg drive is probably 230 yds and 3 wood maybe 215-220 depending.  Sometimes I hit these further but I would say the avg is about what I stated.  Now I can live with these distances with the driver and wood but my irons sometimes are so frustrating it isn't funny.

I am in the same boat, over the last 2 years I have lost 20 yards ( I turn 54 in late summer).  It was kind of slow, but it was a big jump over last winter.  While I was never real long, my brother and I where almost dead on for distances with all our clubs, driver thru wedge, now it's a 2 club difference.  At first I was pretty frustrated/worried/mad, and really focused on hitting it longer and my game suffered.  I have found I'm just as good as a player as I was before, I just have to hit a longer club.  I'm still a solid ball striker and never had problems hitting long irons, so I've learned to adjust.  I know I can't really play a 6700 yard course and enjoy it, so I don't. I stick to less that 6500 yard courses and know I will have to hit a 3 wood into at least one par 4, but I kind of relish pulling that off and seeing my playing partners faces!

Just last week I was on track to beat my lowest score ever, 5 over after 15, but we got a huge pop-up storm and got in a hurry to try and finish the last 3 holes and went double bogey, quad bogey, par.  Still shot an 82 on a pretty tough course, I'll take that every day of the week!

[allin]

I notice more variation in my day to day distances as I get older. Golf weather in my area isn't consistent until May. When I was younger after 7-10 days hitting balls I would know what my yardages were going to be for the season. Now it takes 4-6 weeks, and still varies more than it used to. I think it is hard to keep good rhythm and timing when your flexibility varies and a bit of fatigue sneaks in on hot days.

[pixel5]

I am 23. I hit my 3 iron 205 and my PW about 130. I would hope that when I am 60 years old, I can hit my 3 iron at all and my PW about 110.

[longbow]

I played 9 yesterday, which is pretty much what I always play, just 9 holes.  East course in Churchville, a Parks course.  I played well too for me.   the 5th hole is a par 4 from the whites and a par 5 from the blue/yellows.  I was playing from the blues.  So par 5 for me.  Hit a drive about 240 yds. in the fairway, that includes roll.  Might have been a bit less.  Anyways there is a very large pond that winds along the fairway and comes into play if you want to shortcut the hole.  I wanted to shortcut the hole.  I have an old 5 wood,  in an Orlimar tri metal.  Long story short I hit the best 5 wood of my life.  Ended up about 125 out and carried a good portion of the left side of the pond.  By about 3 feet as a matter of fact, but I carried it.  Geez I said to myself as I looked around for a witness, but to no avail.  My deceased buddy and I used to yell out SHOT, when we hit a really good one.  So I yelled SHOT!  So that is the shot I remember the most.

As for distance on my irons with the X16's I have that seemed to improve too with these irons.  I hit a couple of 7 irons a solid 155 carry.  It's kind of wierd too with these irons in that a not so nice shot say with a 6 iron when nit low on the club face isn't that far off from one hit on the sweet spot.  Accuracy suffers a wee bit but distance disparity isn't all that different, maybe 10-15 yds from what I have noticed.  Case in point the 9th is an uphill straightway about 380 yd par 4.  Bunkers left and right and tilted green left to right, back to front with a hump in the middle.  Hit my drive straight but I ended up about 170 out.  So it didn't go that far.  So second shot was my 6 iron, thinned it and ended up about 15 yds behind the right bunker maybe a little closer to it but not much.  No one was really there playing on the 3 courses this set up has so I says crap.  Drop another ball and nutted it.  I mean one of those shots where you feel the shaft kick and work and the ball just feels solid coming off the face.  Well landed about in between  the two bunkers square in the middle of them.  Point being is that this shot was only about like I said maybe 15 yds longer at most.

About 10 yds before the green and few in front of the apron.  The first shot was actually closer to the hole just the way the pin was tucked on the right of the green behind the bunker.  I played the first shot for score and hit a really nice high pitch and ended up 3' behind the pin.  Putting down hill though and missed the thing so bogeyed the hole.

The second ball I pitched up and had about 9' or so up hill and made the putt so go figure.  Will play it again tomorrow weather permitting.  thanks

PS  it is only 8 bucks walking for 9 holes usually on your choice of 3 courses.  The east course is the shortest but hardest.  The south is pretty long as is the west but both are easier.