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Analyzing Irons: How Important is Distance to You?

SuperStroke
fupresti said:
For all of you saying distance doesn't matter I ask you this: you are looking at a 180 yard shot, would you rather be hitting a 4 iron or a 6 iron? People who get the difference between the two understand the importance.
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Catching up here, but from my perspective I want my distances to hold true based on what I've been previously seeing from set to set. I want to know my yardage gaps remain consistent regardless of the number on the club or stated loft. So if a 7i is my new 6i distance, that's fine and I'll adjust, but that isn't the reason I'll be gaming that set.

To answer your question, no doubt the 6i.
 
I have some friends that all brag about distances with irons. For me I care more about forgiveness and accuracy over distance. I rather hit 150 yards and stay in the fairway than hit 200 yards to the right
 
liquidcowboy said:
I have some friends that all brag about distances with irons. For me I care more about forgiveness and accuracy over distance. I rather hit 150 yards and stay in the fairway than hit 200 yards to the right
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Why does the one that goes further have to be less accurate?
 
JB said:
Why does the one that goes further have to be less accurate?
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Took the words out of my mouth. Was just reading through the past couple of pages and that was exactly what I was about to post.

I don't get why that connection keeps being made.

You have two irons, both go straight, launch similar, yet one goes 8 yards further, what do you take?



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I'd also think that you're more likely to be more accurate into greens with the longer irons - if you've got a 150 yard shot, and you're taking a club with the launch properties of a 7i vs one with the properties of a 9i into that green, I'll take the 9i every time.
 
JB said:
Why does the one that goes further have to be less accurate?
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It doesn't have to be we know this science/data proves that one can be long and accurate

Golf Ghost said:
Took the words out of my mouth. Was just reading through the past couple of pages and that was exactly what I was about to post.

I don't get why that connection keeps being made.

You have two irons, both go straight, launch similar, yet one goes 8 yards further, what do you take?



Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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The connection keeps getting made because few get fit for clubs and with out proper fitting a club will not perform properly especially where dispersion is considered.

Lie/length and shaft will effect where the ball goes in my opinion more so than how far for most. If all three are correct than the ball will go farther and more accurately aka win/win.

If the set fits my eye and doesn't screw up the rest of my bag I'm taking 8more yards.
 
mpeterson said:
I'd also think that you're more likely to be more accurate into greens with the longer irons - if you've got a 150 yard shot, and you're taking a club with the launch properties of a 7i vs one with the properties of a 9i into that green, I'll take the 9i every time.
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The backspin created by a 9i vs 7i says the ball will stay straighter with the 9i even if the side spin is the same for both.
 
golfinFF said:
The backspin created by a 9i vs 7i says the ball will stay straighter with the 9i even if the side spin is the same for both.
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Agreed. Plus a steeper angle of descent. I'll take a 9i that goes the distance of an "old" 7i any day.
 
I have been playing my clubs at a certain distance for many years with exception of my time with the TM R11s. as long as my distances stay the same, I could care less of the lofts are strong. I don't want to retool my bag.
 
mpeterson said:
Agreed. Plus a steeper angle of descent. I'll take a 9i that goes the distance of an "old" 7i any day.
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Hit, bounce and stop is more predictable than, hit bounce bounce roll especially on front pins

Tadashi70 said:
I have been playing my clubs at a certain distance for many years with exception of my time with the TM R11s. as long as my distances stay the same, I could care less of the lofts are strong. I don't want to retool my bag.
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Nailed it I'm not changing the other clubs cause I gained yardage too much $$$ involved in that.
 
Distance in irons is not as important as forgiveness and accuracy. Drivers are for distance. Most of the time with irons the lofts are jacked up and the club is longer so in effect instead of say a 7 iron you are really now hitting a 6 iron or even a 5 iron.
 
Gus R said:
lofts are jacked up and the club is longer so in effect instead of say a 7 iron you are really now hitting a 6 iron or even a 5 iron.
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Loft does not dictate what the number on the bottom of the club says launch angle and spin dictates what gets stamped on the bottom.

If your properly fit the length will be adjust to what it should be for you.
 
I may have to rethink what I wrote earlier. After going to GS and hitting some new irons there I have to say I was pretty excited it see the 6 iron go 195. I'm not sure, all else being equal, I can ignore distance.
 
Accurate/consistent distance is more important than being uber long. I have never been a long hitter so I am more concerned with consistent yardages and accuracy... long doesn't help if ends up in the long grass/hazard/OB, etc...
 
Father Time is taking care of the distance problem for me. Right now my scoring distance is from 145 yards in. That for me is soft 7 iron. Any thing between 150 out is just a advancement shot. I have six clubs(7-LW+3 x 4 swing) to cover all the gaps. I will be 70 in may so I am only going to lose more distance so I have to plan for that event as it happens. I do hit all my iron shots high, even my long irons. I am just on the cusp of having to use regular shafts. Since I can not reach par 5s anymore in 2 I have to consider which club to hit to put me in the best scoring position to hit the flag. Distance is more important for me at this stage of my golfing life than in the past, when I had it to burn.
 
fupresti said:
For all of you saying distance doesn't matter I ask you this: you are looking at a 180 yard shot, would you rather be hitting a 4 iron or a 6 iron? People who get the difference between the two understand the importance.
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I would prefer to hit whatever club I can consistently hit 180 yards. I don't care what number is stamped on it.
 
JB said:
Why does the one that goes further have to be less accurate?
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I don't know why it has to be but it just does. There is more room for error.
Why is a driver less accurate than an 8 iron?
I realize that is an extreme example but the principle is the same. The farther a club goes the harder it is to stay accurate with.
 
Barberakb said:
I don't know why it has to be but it just does. There is more room for error.
Why is a driver less accurate than an 8 iron?
I realize that is an extreme example but the principle is the same. The farther a club goes the harder it is to stay accurate with.
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Well, no. That is assuming one is longer in length than the other. While true in some examples of distance irons, not in others. Drivers are less accurate than an 8 iron (for many) because of the physical length of the club. Example, a low spin forward CG driver that is 12* is going to be less accurate for many than a forgiving model in 9* regardless if the clubs are the same length or the low spin one is an inch shorter.
 
I think about consistent distance. I don't want flyers. If I know my 8 iron goes 160, I don't want random 170s or 150. That causes me blowup holes. It's the main reason I want to ditch my Burners.
 
What I am after is consistent distance. I'd love more if the consistency was there. When I hit my friend's RBZ or SpeedBlade irons, the ball absolutely LAUNCHES off the face, but I could never dial in the distance with the short irons.
 
Added distance is nice, I'm not concerned about the loft or the number on the bottom of the club it is the other numbers and performance that I look at. I recently hit the APEX PRO vs XR PRO, and my Mizuno MP-63's. The XR pro went higher and five yards further on the fly. In the end I ordered the APEX Pro because of the feel and looks. The extra 5 yards wasn't worth it to me, and I already hit the ball high enough. I tested all 7 irons with the DG X100.
 
After my round this weekend, I'm starting to think that I need to figure out how to get a few more yards out of my irons. Too many times, I'm hitting hybrids into greens that other guys are hitting 6 iron into...a lot harder to be precise with 2 clubs longer in your hand. Not sure whether the way to it is different irons, lessons, or both, but another 10 yards would help me big time.

Hoping to get a fitting pretty soon that should give me some hard numbers to work with.
 
SkiBumGolfer said:
After my round this weekend, I'm starting to think that I need to figure out how to get a few more yards out of my irons. Too many times, I'm hitting hybrids into greens that other guys are hitting 6 iron into...a lot harder to be precise with 2 clubs longer in your hand. Not sure whether the way to it is different irons, lessons, or both, but another 10 yards would help me big time.

Hoping to get a fitting pretty soon that should give me some hard numbers to work with.
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Move up a tee box?

Maybe a lesson with a good launch monitor are in order.
 
blugold said:
Move up a tee box?

Maybe a lesson with a good launch monitor are in order.
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It's not so drastic that I need to move up I don't think (ArmyGolf, tell me if I'm wrong), I just don't get to attack as much as I'd like to really go low.

I agree on the lesson though. The launch monitor at the fitting will also be a great starting point. I feel like I have good distance with driver, but I'm a little shorter than most with irons and especially wedges.
 
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