Can it be a bad thing to hit Irons "too" far?

[ajw426]

I have a bit of a story, but it will get to a serious question before long.  So, partially in thanks to the resources here at TST, my swing and ball striking has come a long way.  My Handicap Index is down to 5.1 from 8-10, and I have been hitting the ball with consistency and distance with driver and irons like never before.  

Driver carry is up from approximately 220-30 to 250-60 (about 10-15 yards of roll right now in soft conditions), and I started hitting 1 and then 2 clubs longer as I started grooving my swing more and more.  This took a lot of adjusting to, and it was both frustrating (lots of flying the whole green) and fun at the same time.  I DO swing at a controlled 90-95% (as i have my whole golfing career), and i never try to crush the ball with any club.  I simply try to hit full swing shots with a tad of "umpf" to get good distance and keep timing.  

 

This morning I was even par through 12 holes and I had been striking the ball very well.  As the round went on, I had a few approach shots bounce over the green (no short approach shots all day) even when considering my new found distance during club selection.  On hole 13, I found myself 163 out with a 5 yd breeze in my face, and decided to hit an 8 iron (8 iron used to be my 150, and i would typically hit a 6 in this situation last year).  With seemingly good trajectory from an 8 iron (i usually hit the ball high), I flew the green and ended up 28 yards past the pin (and no, it didn't kick off of back of the green.  It landed in a flat rough area and actually climbed up onto a teebox in what was soft/wet ground conditions).  195 in total with my club that used to go 150.  

 

Fast forward to 16, I'm hitting my second shot on a par 5 out of light rough.  I have 210 to the edge of a water hazard and want to keep my ball in the 180-190 range for a 50 yard approach to the green over the water.  I pull out a 7 iron and smoke it 215 into the hazard (200 on the fly) - that slight breeze was at my back this time, but it really was slight.  I fail to get out of the hazard, then take a drop and end up with a triple bogey. I finished +4 on the round.  

 

I know i won't hit the ball that far consistently, but lets say I can swing "firmly" and hit my 8 iron 180 and my 7 190, is this even a good thing?  Based on trajectory of my irons (4-PW), it doesnt appear that I am turning my 7 down into a 4 or anything like that.  My 190yd 7 iron still had a higher trajectory compared to when i used to hit a 190yd 4 iron.  I have concerns about consistency at this point.  I definitely don't feel like I'm swinging any harder than ever (and I have never had issues with over swinging), but i am having trouble figuring out how far my clubs really do go now.  My iron distance is truly fluctuating (although mostly with an upwarf trajectory) based on how well I'm swinging that particular round.  I'm also seemingly getting a few balls which come off unexpectedly hot and get me in to trouble (although this could still just be me not selecting the right clubs as I'm learning to generate more club speed).

 

The way I see it, I can embrace my new distance and try to hone and make it as consistent as possible.  I can start trying to swing easier (I did this a few times today out of fear of blowing it over).  Or, I can hit more flighted shots (I probably hit them half the time from 150 and in currently).  I dont think the flighted shots are as much of an option for my longer irons though.  

 

1.   Is there any reason why I shouldn't try to keep hitting my irons as far as possible as long as I'm not over swinging?  

2.  If so, how do you recommend one go about toning things back in an accurate and consistent manner?

 

(Note: these distances were all shot with a rangefinder, and I'm not bragging in any way - no one on the internet knows me and no one really cares if I hit the ball far.  All that I care about is shooting low scores.  Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance).

Edited August 6, 2016 by ajw426

[freshmanUTA]

Spin numbers are the only thing I can think of. If you get too much distance it might be caused by low spin which would make it near impossible to stop balls on the green.

[allenc]

It sounds like you just had a couple of flyer lies and that you normally hit your 8 iron 160 - 170.  That's how far many of the best players in the world hit it so I would not call that a bad thing.  I may be wrong, but I believe there are many great players that mostly swing away with all their clubs and only make partial shots if they are inside of some wedge range.

On that par 5 you just flat out chose the wrong club.  You already hit your 8 185 earlier and you've got a flier lie.  You should try and lay up 30-40 yards back from a water hazard, not get as close as possible without going in.

[Natural Patrick]

No such thing as hitting your irons to far. You just need to get consistent with your choice of club at your distance.

[ajw426]

2 minutes ago, allenc said:

It sounds like you just had a couple of flyer lies and that you normally hit your 8 iron 160 - 170.  That's how far many of the best players in the world hit it so I would not call that a bad thing.  I may be wrong, but I believe there are many great players that mostly swing away with all their clubs and only make partial shots if they are inside of some wedge range.

On that par 5 you just flat out chose the wrong club.  You already hit your 8 185 earlier and you've got a flier lie.  You should try and lay up 30-40 yards back from a water hazard, not get as close as possible without going in.

I've never had trouble with fliers or balls coming out hot in the past.  I've always heard about it, but never experienced it often.  Can it happen out of the fairway as well as the rough (the first one was on the short stuff, and the second very light rough)?  I always thought it happened out of the rough.

Yeah, obviously the 7 iron didnt work out and went too far.  In order to keep things more brief, i didnt mention that i really needed to advance the ball at least 160 to keep from being blocked out by another tree (i had an odd angle after a misdirected tee shot).  160-200 was my range, and i picked what WAS my 180 based on prior rounds, but today seemingly was 190 + flier distance.  Maybe an 8 would have been better, but i was afraid it might not get me 160 if i mishit.  I could have never imagined my 7 going that far, but now i can prepare for the possibility.

27 minutes ago, freshmanUTA said:

Spin numbers are the only thing I can think of. If you get too much distance it might be caused by low spin which would make it near impossible to stop balls on the green.

Holding greens was one of my concerns.  I think my trajectory was normal, although not really high like it has been at times.  Greens were very soft today and everthing was sticking.  I'm a little afraid that i will have trouble holding firm greens, so i will keep the possible spin factor in mind as well.  Thanks!

[allenc]

 

 

19 minutes ago, ajw426 said:

I've never had trouble with fliers or balls coming out hot in the past.  I've always heard about it, but never experienced it often.  Can it happen out of the fairway as well as the rough (the first one was on the short stuff, and the second very light rough)?  I always thought it happened out of the rough.

Yeah, obviously the 7 iron didnt work out and went too far.  In order to keep things more brief, i didnt mention that i really needed to advance the ball at least 160 to keep from being blocked out by another tree (i had an odd angle after a misdirected tee shot).  160-200 was my range, and i picked what WAS my 180 based on prior rounds, but today seemingly was 190 + flier distance.  Maybe an 8 would have been better, but i was afraid it might not get me 160 if i mishit.  I could have never imagined my 7 going that far, but now i can prepare for the possibility.

My iron shots sometimes sail 10-20 yards farther out of light rough.  Not usually the fairway.  16 sounds like a tough hole.

[Jeremie Boop]

The only real drawback to hitting irons and such too far is the larger gap you end up with at the bottom end of your bag. For shorter yardages you'll need to learn to hit a lot of different partial shots.

[natureboy]

In addition to fliers it could be the relative tree cover and height here. How much land contour does that course have and how open is it on a range of flat open links style to hilly terrain with lots of really tall trees?

[Ernest Jones]

Full disclaimer: I didn't read any of the thread, so my apologies if I have missed some nuance. 

Having said that, there is no such thing as hitting your irons too far; your distances are your distances provided that you have an acceptable trajectory. You absolutely need height so your ball drops down with some control. If your hitting it 10-15 yards further than you used to, but with a flat trajectory that just skips across the green and into the junk - that's no good.  You need height to hold greens from a distance. I hit my PW around 120 yards or so, I'd love to be able to hit it 150, but not if it's a flat trajectory (ie: thin), if that's the option I'd rather hit every club 20 yard shorter but with enough height to drop and stop in a predictable manner.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[onthehunt526]

Have you tried gripping down a smidge?

As for your question, No.... You can't hit your irons too far. My 150 yard club is usually my 8-iron. So yours is probably wedge??? As someone stated above your spin is probably too low... A good rule of thumb is to take the number on the bottom of the club and multiply by 1000.

I would get on a good launch monitor and check your backspin rate on your irons... If it's "OK"... Your distance is fine.

[Jeremie Boop]

1 minute ago, onthehunt526 said:

Have you tried gripping down a smidge?

As for your question, No.... You can't hit your irons too far. My 150 yard club is usually my 8-iron. So yours is probably wedge??? As someone stated above your spin is probably too low... A good rule of thumb is to take the number on the bottom of the club and multiply by 1000.

I would get on a good launch monitor and check your backspin rate on your irons... If it's "OK"... Your distance is fine.

Really? I didn't realize spin should be quite that high. I don't remember if I've ever really checked what the spin on my irons is. I'm pretty sure it's not that high and I don't have problems holding greens. Of course I do have a pretty high ball flight so that could be part of the reason.

[Piz]

Somewhere in Ben Hogan's book, Power Golf, is a list of his yardages with each club: a minimum, an average, and a maximum.  Mr. Hogan selected clubs by (said he) picturing the trajectory he wanted and then pulling a club that would give him that trajectory.  It doesn't matter so much how far you hit a club.  The nuance is in the flight of the ball.

Edited August 6, 2016 by Piz
Verbose

[billchao]

5 hours ago, freshmanUTA said:

Spin numbers are the only thing I can think of. If you get too much distance it might be caused by low spin which would make it near impossible to stop balls on the green.

Spin rate won't matter as much if the trajectory is good. High apex height and descent angle will more than make up for lower spin for holding greens, which is generally how irons are designed these days.

[Gunther]

You answered your question in your post.  Yes, it is bad to hit your irons too far.  You flew greens, that's not good.  Figure out your gaps.  If the pin is back, play the smaller club.  Front, play the longer one.  Dial it in and you won't hit them too far any more.

[onthehunt526]

8 hours ago, Gunther said:

You answered your question in your post.  Yes, it is bad to hit your irons too far.  You flew greens, that's not good.  Figure out your gaps.  If the pin is back, play the smaller club.  Front, play the longer one.  Dial it in and you won't hit them too far any more.

Well that was not his question... His point was basically is 170 yards too far for an 8-iron... The answer is NO... His spin rate might be low, it seems like he had a few flyer lies. 

However your advice is good. It also depends on the firmness and depth of the greens. His are relatively soft... So his height should stop the ball.

[Gunther]

1 hour ago, onthehunt526 said:

Well that was not his question... His point was basically is 170 yards too far for an 8-iron... The answer is NO... His spin rate might be low, it seems like he had a few flyer lies. 

However your advice is good. It also depends on the firmness and depth of the greens. His are relatively soft... So his height should stop the ball.

I suppose you're right, just seemed a bit gratuitous and obvious so I guess my cynicism kicked in.

Flyers happen, hell, I hit a 165 yard PW last time out.  Actually carried 145 but pin was back and it flew the green, hitting a downslope and kicked another 20.  Dumb move on my part, had 125 to a back pin out of light Bermuda rough, shoulda hit the gap wedge.  If the rough is light and downgrain, club down.  Live, play, and learn.

[TourSpoon]

It sounds like you need to hit the range and figure this one out. In order to score consistently you need to make sure you have confidence in how far you will hit each club.  For me, the mid-shortish irons from light rough can create a flyer, so you need to guard against that. It mostly happens in light rough where the grass does not slow the club down, but there is enough to get caught in between the club and ball making it jump with less than ideal spin for holding the green. 

[Valleygolfer]

Obviously you were out playing on a day of intermittent gravity. You should have checked the forecast before playing...

Seriously though, I have a similar  issue. My irons have been off all year. Last year when I was healthy I was hitting my clubs a pretty consistent distance. My normal 5 iron was 195 yd for example. This year most of my 5 iron shots are in the 180 range and although I still have 195 shots as well as a few over 200.

If you think you are striking consistently enough, this is what I did in the past which worked well. Go late to a quiet course and take 10 good balls and number them one though ten. Scope the distance you expect to the hole and hit all ten while noting the ones you felt you hit well. Take the average distance of the good shots from there or do it a few times and take that average like I did.