Odd Yardage Gap in Irons

[fluxcapacitor]

Hey everybody,

I had a few days off last week, so I went on a local golfing binge playing 3 different courses in 3 days (a lot of golf for me). I started to notice something very odd about my 7 iron on the last day of play. I typically hit my 7i right at 150 yards. I can choke up on it to make a 140-145 shot if i need to. My 8i maxed is about 140ish.

Twice on sunday, my ball was about a foot behind the 150 marker in the middle of the fairway. So I figure i'll play it safe, pull out the 7, and aim for the center of the green. Both times the lines to the green were great, but when i found my ball it was about 5-10 yards behind the green. Now, I know i got decent shots off, and I wasn't trying to just kill the ball (especially the second time i was in this situation).

I guess my question is, what would you guys do with a 160 yard 7 iron, and a 135-140 8 iron? Thats kind of an odd gap with the lower irons for me. I guess i could choke up on my 7 iron to lower it, but i'm not sure if that will still put me at 150, or lower. Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for any advice.

Cris

[itzzzberny]

if you hit
6i - 160
7i - 150
8i - 140

the yardage to the flag stick is 155 yds.
i would use the 6i and use a slightly smaller swing.
of course the yardage between clubs varies, but i would use a club that could get the the place i want to be. rather take a nicer slower/smaller swing rather than try to make harder fast swing( which will mess w/ the accuracy and possibly distance).

[cbe_golfer]

if you hit

I would keep my tempo pretty much the same. I have a difference of 7 to 10 yards on each iron depending on whether i hit a draw or a fade. ( well..i can hit both with 80% success rate with the mid irons.). That is what I would try. I would also try choking down instead of changing my tempo. Again, that is just me.

[clstrat]

I would keep my tempo pretty much the same. I have a difference of 7 to 10 yards on each iron depending on whether i hit a draw or a fade. ( well..i can hit both with 80% success rate with the mid irons.). That is what I would try. I would also try choking down instead of changing my tempo. Again, that is just me.

either you bent the face on 7 iron which is a very real possibility or...the yardages were wrong. either case is highly likely. also, did you actually carry the green or did it hit and skip? because a 145 yard 8 iron that lands just short of the green might hit and stop dead but a 155 yard 7 iron that lands just at the back of the green could take one hop and gain momentum as it rolls off the back crown of the green. all very real things to consider. if you're still unsure then test it at the range.

[5ironDraw]

Take into consideration elevation changes, wind, spin etc. I HIGHLY doubt you have that big of a change in distance between your 7 and 8. Do the math, literally, and you will see that your clubs should be consistently spaced in yardage.

Also take into consideration consistency....do you have trouble with your 8? Did you hit your 8 fat, thin?

As for the 160 yard shot...have to play the shot. It's not all about, "gage the distance and fire away." Downhill, uphill, sloping green? Would it be better to come up short (perhaps par is all that is necassary) or long?

[fluxcapacitor]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

The yardage markers couldn't have been too far off. They just re-modeled the course about 3 months ago, and both of these shots were within a foot of the 150y marker that is in the ground (not just a colored stake or stripe on the cart path, it was in the middle of the fairway). So I don't think thats a problem.

I live in SE Louisiana, there is zero slope here, especially on this course. Its a public park with very little challenge/engineering. The green on both shots were elevated about 5-8 feet, thats about it.

Also both greens sloped from back to front, and on both of them I found my ball mark on the back side of the green. So I'm assuming it hit and rolled off, and my intital landing spot was about 5 yards past the center of the green.

As for my consitency, my 7-SW were hitting beautifully. My ball striking was as good as it has ever been. I guess, I need to start doing like 5irondraw said and start playing the course if i want to see improvment. An 8i shot in those situations might not have had me at the flag, but on the green.

I'm not crazy about changing tempos just because I'm finally hitting the ball pretty well. I think it would be easier to stay with the same speed and adjust my setup somehow. Either that or learn how to really put backspin on the ball!!!

Thanks again for all the advice, and sorry for the long post again, just wanted to give you all the details i guess.

Cris

[Logie]

I would say that your ball striking has improved or timing etc. Its happened to me and its a pain... i suppose but in a good way perhaps?

After a session of working on contact on the range my distances improved roughly 30-40 yards per club!

I was 155 out and i thought "Easy 6i to the green". Took my shot and i went over the green and in the middle of the tree's!

My 7i has gone from 150 to 175~180 and can be hit further although anytime i try hitting the ball further it ends up slicing but i wouldnt rule out the fact that from playing quite a bit in a short space of time has improved your game, im a strong beliver that when you reach a certain point that you cant beat playing.


I get to the range and try re-working out your distances, i've had to do it

BTW, it was'nt like i woke and BAM! all my clubs started going further. Started with the 9 and 8, then the 7, 6, 5. My PW went from 120 to 140, then the 9 went from 130 to 150 etc etc over the course of 2-3 months

[fluxcapacitor]

I'm heading out there tonight :)

The only thing i'm worried about is at the range I usually hit about 10 yards shorter on every club compared to the course. I think its the balls they have out there. But I can compensate for that!!

Thanks again.

Cris

[cbe_golfer]

either you bent the face on 7 iron which is a very real possibility or...the yardages were wrong. either case is highly likely. also, did you actually carry the green or did it hit and skip? because a 145 yard 8 iron that lands just short of the green might hit and stop dead but a 155 yard 7 iron that lands just at the back of the green could take one hop and gain momentum as it rolls off the back crown of the green. all very real things to consider. if you're still unsure then test it at the range.

It is entirely possible to hit a fade to make it hit and check with the mid irons. It is also entirely possible to draw it to hit and release a bit further. Trajectory and spin decide where the ball stops. And yes.. I am talking of hitting greens (dry). Also a draw

carries more and runs more than a fade. Please go ahead and test it on a range.

[fluxcapacitor]

Well the range was a disaster Wednesday night. I think I was putting too much pressure on myself, and somehow just completely lost my swing.

BUT...We went to a course this morning (shot a personal best 108 and had 2 birdies, that makes a career 3 total birdies, lol). I just relaxed and hit the ball pretty well. I was about 165 from the pin (GPS in cart) on a par 4 and pull the 7i out. Pin high on the fringe. Then we had a 152 yard par 3. I choked up on the 7i about 2.5 inches, pin high again 12 feet from the pin.

So I think I've got my yardage down, I'm just still confused on why I can't hit my 6i more than about 160, and my 7 is going further than that. I guess its a good thing because I hit 7i-SW better than any other irons in the bag.

Thanks again for all the help.

Cris

[janzaruk]

I'm just still confused on why I can't hit my 6i more than about 160, and my 7 is going further than that. I guess its a good thing because I hit 7i-SW better than any other irons in the bag.

If that is true, and it's not mental, i.e. your hitting both the six and seven the same, then, my friend, you have a bent club I'm guessing.

....and I prefer the hand wedge to the foot wedge LOL

[JtotheD]

Work on your 3/4 shots with all your clubs to narrow down your yardage gaps. NEVER change your tempo, only your backswing length.

[TourSpoon]

I keep thinking that your loft is off for your six. If you are hitting your five iron 20 yards (or the equivalent of 2 clubs) farther than your six/seven then you can be sure it's the club and not you.

[fluxcapacitor]

Ok, per my last driving range experience these are my gaps (all in yards):

3h: 195-200
5i: 180-185
6i: 170-175
7i: 165-170
8i: 135-145
9i: 125-135
pw: 120-125
sw: 100-110

This is the best I could tell by the markers at the range. I hit 10 balls with every club, and full swing. And obviously I only kept track of the solid hits, not the shots where I cut a piece of sod before the ball. Its just that gap between the 7i and the 8i that is still confusing me. I can hit 150 if I do about a 3/4 swing with my 7i, or choke up on it about 2 inches. I'm just a bit confused.

EDIT: I wonder if its not my new setup now that I'm thinking about it. I quit moving the ball around in my stance for every club and just put it in the middle for all my irons. I got my set up from http://www.golfswingguru.com/onlinesetup.php . Thanks again for all the help.

[TourSpoon]

I would still check the lofts. Twenty yards between an 8 and a 7 iron is way too much.

[fluxcapacitor]

Its confirmed, the shaft of my 7 iron is bent going into the head. According to the pro at the range, this makes it anywhere from a high lofted 5i to a 7i depending on how i set up an hit the ball. Just in case anyone was wondering, lol.

[TourSpoon]

Just as we suspected. Well now you can get that gap fixed. You should give everyone who said you had a bent club a rep point.

[fluxcapacitor]

Not a bad idea!