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Accuracy/Distance with irons

dustklose

dustklose

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This may be the wrong spot for this, so mods feel free to move it if it is. I am not asking for tips or anything so I didn't know where else to put this.

I have always struggled with consistency in my iron game. From not being able to control fades/draws, to hitting thin/fat shots. I find that I was always swinging at 110% but never sure why, and I couldn't get myself to slow down... until this past week that is.

For some reason this weekend I found 'my swing', and I am hitting every iron shot pure, and with a very slight fade. However I noticed that I dropped about a club length with each iron and wedge. My hybrid, FW and driver have all stayed at the same distances.

I am currently gaming the 2012 Srixon XV, and I was thinking that maybe this is causing my loss of club distance because my iron swing smoothed out, or maybe it's just because I am now swinging at '80%'.

Regarless, I was just curious as to if any of you would be concerned about a club length less distance, while gaining tighter dispersion/shot control.
 
Accuracy over distance anytime . Then you can wave at your buddies from the fairway why they are looking for their ball a long way in the woods . Congrats on the swing fix !
 
I am probably as short as anyone here but I would still give up a club length for measurable improvement in shot control.
 
If you know you went from swinging at 110% to 80%, that's your answer right there. And that's also most likely the answer to why you're hitting them well now.
 
Intimadator2007 said:
Accuracy over distance anytime . Then you can wave at your buddies from the fairway why they are looking for their ball a long way in the woods . Congrats on the swing fix !
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+1

Couldn't agree more with your comments. A small loss in distance is an acceptable price to pay for a better strike of the ball and hitting fairways and greens.

As you progress and your ball striking continues to improve you should also find your distances start to improve slightly as well.
 
^^^ Agree with all the above. Accuracy > distance. Obviously distance with accuracy is an advantage. You never know, sticking with the more accurate swing, you might get some of that back. I've been doing a similar thing, and I honestly believe that my average distance has increased by cutting out some of the really bad shots.
 
I wouldnt wory about it and actually be thankful you found your nitch. This is why we have different clubs. So what if you lost a club legnth. No one cares except for ego. You slowed down some and are hitting better because of it. This is now your game and your area of comfort to perform better vs trying to kill the ball. Hitting a 7 where you use to hit an 8? Believe me no one cares and the only thing that matters is the ball is going where you want it to more consistently.

To me , there is a curve that must meet at a happy medium between how fast we swing and how hard we hit the ball and where our control is. Instead of worrying about the extra club legnth you should be very proud and glad its working and that you found that grove or happy medium for your swing. Even pros imo have this happy medium. Its just that the curve is at a higher place then ours. Whatever the case imo you can be even prouder to know you have sacrificed a clubs legnth in order to improve your game and find that place. And as someone mentioned, in time you may find you might slowly move back up to that place and still have the control but if not it doesnt matter at all. Thats how I would view it.
 
I honestly wouldn't worry about what club I need to use to give me the best shot at hitting the green.
 
OK, so here's my answer to your question but feel free to dismiss it, I'm no pro. When you were at "110%" you were using your strength to muscle the ball to where you hit it. That's fine, most of us do it. But at some point, you start to realize that tempo is MUCH more important. When your tempo and ball striking is on, you can hit the ball where you need it very well and your lack of "muscling it" leads to decent distance and better accuracy and striking. But what scratch and pro golfers do is take tempo and add lag so that they can consistently get club head speed without interrupting their tempo. Then the REALLY good golfers (i.e. Tiger) can add strength and momentum back in to get even more distance without losing their tempo.

So on your swing, you've discovered your tempo. That's great because it's key to good iron play. If you continue to work on your swing, you can add lag. It will destroy your new found accuracy for a while but if you're successful in rebuilding your swing, your distance will come back and, in theory, even improve. Whether you add strength and momentum after that is up to you. I'd probably leave well enough alone with where you are and be happy with accuracy.

That's my $.02.
 
Thanks everyone. The ego is what hurt most, but I'll get past then when scores drop :)
 
dustklose said:
Thanks everyone. The ego is what hurt most, but I'll get past then when scores drop :)
Click to expand...

Once your body gets used to the new tempo, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of that distance come back. The best tip I ever received from my instructor on this is "don't try to hit your clubs as far as you can. Try to hit your clubs to a yardage."
 
I would happily take the reduced distance if I was consistently hitting the fairway / green and just because you might be hitting a longer club into a green than your playing partners means absolutely nothing - play to YOUR club yardages, not the club that everyone else pulls out
 
I just wanted to add on top my last post that i've struggled with irons this year more than before and it was after some lessons that this happened more so. It really sent me further backwards at first. I also slowed my swing down some due to the instrucer advise and lost about club legnth. But it got me eventually hitting more consitent again and then finaly the last 2 or 3 rounds my distance is back and to boot has actually gone up a bit. I'm still not swinging as hard as i use to but better contact and more precise sweat spot contact has resulted in (when well struck) the ball traveling just a bit futher than it was prior even though my swing is not as strong. Sometimes as my instructer put it "less is more" and i agree with that. Its almost amazing sometimes to experience this happen and its happeneing moe and more just a little at a time.
 
Low handicap players rarely swing more than 85%. Good golf is about tempo and rhythm. I find that my distance is the same or greater when I swing at 85% as it allows me to keep my legs/body/arms in sync and hit the sweet spot. When my tempo gets fast I try to visualize the swing of Davis Love or Ernie Els to get my swing slowed down.
 
Not at all I could lose two clubs and still be ok with it if I was sticking everything on the green. I recently toned down my already toned down iron swing and lsot one club but improved accuracy. Of course I have always been pretty long with my irons even with my toned down swing I am still hitting my 9 iron from 150 it used to be my pw but I never knew where it was going I was swinging so hard.
 
When I got fit yesterday I went with the shaft that gave me the ball flight I wanted, gave me the ability to flight the shot, and the feel I wanted. That shaft was probably 6-9 yards shorter than the other option. But it also hit the 175 sign 3 times too... So accuracy over distance for this guy.
 
I know they have long drive contests for drivers. Do they have the same thing for irons? Like where you try to hit the longest 7-iron? If they do, and I was going to participate in such a contest, I would be concerned about the loss of distance from swinging an iron with a smoother tempo. You might need to really whale at that 7-iron to see if you could really catch one and hit it maximum distance.

OTOH, if the object is to get the ball near the pin to shoot lower scores, I would think that a smoother consistent tempo that is more accurate would be the way to go. :smile:
 
blugold said:
Once your body gets used to the new tempo, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of that distance come back. The best tip I ever received from my instructor on this is "don't try to hit your clubs as far as you can. Try to hit your clubs to a yardage."
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This. Even if it doesn't all come back. Accuracy is so much more important. I've tried to drop the ego this year as I've always been one chasing the long drive or a 200 yard 5I. Since I've done that, I've started having way less severe misses and my scores have benefited from it. Don't hit nearly as many shots fat/thin either.
 
As a low guy myself I can only echo Tahoebum's post as I rarely lash at anything. Accuracy, especially the shot to the green, is king for me.

Accuracy comes from a repeatable, stable swing. Distance comes from a repeatable, stable swing and good technique. With accuracy(and good putting) generally comes good scoring, which at the end of the day is what the aim of the game is.

Great distance is always relative to one's ability. Obviously accuracy is also relative to one's ability, but it is the side of the game that can be made easier for the average Joe by them swinging within themselves. Once they can get to grips with swinging within themselves, the confidence will increase along with technique and so distance will also increase naturally.

Just remember that any fool can bang the ball a long way(relative to their normal distance) every now and then with poor technique, but that will not translate to good scores.

If you get out on to the course by yourself when it is quiet try this. Hit from the tee with your normal club then when near your ball, play another ball from either the fairway or 1st cut, but 10-15yds back and in a place where the green/pin is most accessable for you. You will soon see which is the best game to have.
 
JonD said:
Accuracy is so much more important. I've tried to drop the ego this year as I've always been one chasing the long drive or a 200 yard 5I. Since I've done that, I've started having way less severe misses and my scores have benefited from it. Don't hit nearly as many shots fat/thin either.
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I really struggle with this, and I'm sure a lot of other male golfers do also. We watch the PGA Tour on TV and see these 160 pound guys who are 5' 8" hitting driver 320 and their 9-iron 175. It can't help but get in your head. If you hit your 9-iron 130, you feel like a wuss. You tend to direct your practice sessions and your approach to the game to trying to squeeze out 10 more yards out of every club.

Recently, I've started watching the LPGA more on TV. These women tend to have swing speeds and carry distances that are much more typical of the average male amateur, and the yardages of the courses they play are much closer to what most male amateurs play (i.e., the par 4's on the LPGA tour are 380, not 480). If you watch the LPGA, you see these women hitting driver 250 and 9 iron 130 yards, and yet their accuracy and game management is such that they still shoot 68. If I could shoot 68 day in and day out, I don't think I'd care too much that I hit my 9 iron 10 or 20 yards less than the guys in my foursome who are hitting it all over the place.

But I think it takes a real mental adjustment for most men to get the logic of this and imprint it on one's brain. At least it does for me.
 
Lots of really great advice! once again thank you to all who have helped to tame my ego. :)
 
Ain't it the truth. I went from the G-15s to I-20s and my 150 club went from the 9i to the 8i. I wasn't mad about it because my ball striking was better. I always watch the LPGA because how technical their swings look. You never see them making a drive and the club swinging around over their heads like you do on the PGA. They dont swing out of their shoes and they strike the ball better than most of the males on tour. Why, because they pay attention to the basics and swing smooth and easy.


double-hoo said:
I really struggle with this, and I'm sure a lot of other male golfers do also. We watch the PGA Tour on TV and see these 160 pound guys who are 5' 8" hitting driver 320 and their 9-iron 175. It can't help but get in your head. If you hit your 9-iron 130, you feel like a wuss. You tend to direct your practice sessions and your approach to the game to trying to squeeze out 10 more yards out of every club.

Recently, I've started watching the LPGA more on TV. These women tend to have swing speeds and carry distances that are much more typical of the average male amateur, and the yardages of the courses they play are much closer to what most male amateurs play (i.e., the par 4's on the LPGA tour are 380, not 480). If you watch the LPGA, you see these women hitting driver 250 and 9 iron 130 yards, and yet their accuracy and game management is such that they still shoot 68. If I could shoot 68 day in and day out, I don't think I'd care too much that I hit my 9 iron 10 or 20 yards less than the guys in my foursome who are hitting it all over the place.

But I think it takes a real mental adjustment for most men to get the logic of this and imprint it on one's brain. At least it does for me.
Click to expand...
 
I wouldn't be, and am not concerned, because the same thing happened to me in the past year or so. I used to hit a 7i around 160, now it's around 150, but I hit it so much cleaner. I take a shorter (45 degree) backswing now, and while I've lost a little distance, I very rarely find myself in a bad spot when I make that swing - my bad shots happen when I get too quick. The biggest thing I was worried about was whether my iron shafts would now be too stiff for my swing - haven't had a problem with that to date, but I may follow up on the issue whenever I get lofts/lies adjusted.

dustklose said:
This may be the wrong spot for this, so mods feel free to move it if it is. I am not asking for tips or anything so I didn't know where else to put this.

I have always struggled with consistency in my iron game. From not being able to control fades/draws, to hitting thin/fat shots. I find that I was always swinging at 110% but never sure why, and I couldn't get myself to slow down... until this past week that is.

For some reason this weekend I found 'my swing', and I am hitting every iron shot pure, and with a very slight fade. However I noticed that I dropped about a club length with each iron and wedge. My hybrid, FW and driver have all stayed at the same distances.

I am currently gaming the 2012 Srixon XV, and I was thinking that maybe this is causing my loss of club distance because my iron swing smoothed out, or maybe it's just because I am now swinging at '80%'.

Regarless, I was just curious as to if any of you would be concerned about a club length less distance, while gaining tighter dispersion/shot control.
Click to expand...
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
I wouldn't be, and am not concerned, because the same thing happened to me in the past year or so. I used to hit a 7i around 160, now it's around 150, but I hit it so much cleaner. I take a shorter (45 degree) backswing now, and while I've lost a little distance, I very rarely find myself in a bad spot when I make that swing - my bad shots happen when I get too quick. The biggest thing I was worried about was whether my iron shafts would now be too stiff for my swing - haven't had a problem with that to date, but I may follow up on the issue whenever I get lofts/lies adjusted.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing, that maybe the shafts I currently game are going to be to stiff. I don't mind the wyay they play now, but if I could pick up a few yards and keep the dispersion where it is, that would be awesome.
 
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