Knowing One's Yardages

[WillingToListen]

hey guys, this thread may have been done in the past, but I cant seem to find it. Im new here so I guess Ill give it a go myself. I dont know why but my iron distances are way different than my driver distances. I mean, If someone were to be able to hit a 300 yard drive, you would think theyd be able to hit theyre 8 iron (lets just say) about 165 (vice versa with shorter irons and longer drives). For me, I have a drive about 255-260 and today I dropped a few balls at the 150 mark and I hit a 9 iron from about 145-150 and I also hit a 175 yard (carry) 7 iron. Now I dont know if thats average, so thats why I came here, I want to know how far you guys hit each club (roughly) so that I can get a comparison to where I stand.

lw- 85
sw-100
gw-115
...I dont know why the big gap in distance, but its true.
pw-135-140
9-145-150
8-155-160
7-165-170
6-175-180
5-185-190
4-195-200
3-205-210
Hybrid (5 wood)-233 (according to virtual yardage net at golf town)
3 wood (230, carry; 250 total)
Driver- 255-265

Would You guys say Im at average in distances with my irons?

EDIT: Sorry about the thread placement, I think I put it in the wrong thread.

[gord962]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

I would suggest you are above average. The average player hits their PW 100 yards.

As for you distance in your PW to GW - check for a few different things:
shaft material - if your iron set is graphite and wedges are steel, the graphite is lighter, therefor increasing swing speed, in turn increasing distance with your PW - that could be one reason.
shaft length - there should be about a 1/2 difference in length between each club. If there is a larger gap in distance between your PW and GW, shaft, which could be another reason.
shaft flex - I can only assume that your wedges aren't part of your iron set. it could be that your irons are a softer flex than your wedge set, creating more distance, that could be yet another reason.
clubface loft - PWs can have 44* - 50* loft. Most GWs are 52* to 54*. If the PW is 44* - 46* and the GW is 52* - 54*, that could be another reason as well.

[WillingToListen]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

I would suggest you are above average. The average player hits their PW 100 yards.

As for you distance in your PW to GW - check for a few different things:
shaft material - if your iron set is graphite and wedges are steel, the graphite is lighter, therefor increasing swing speed, in turn increasing distance with your PW - that could be one reason.
shaft length - there should be about a 1/2 difference in length between each club. If there is a larger gap in distance between your PW and GW, shaft, which could be another reason.
shaft flex - I can only assume that your wedges aren't part of your iron set. it could be that your irons are a softer flex than your wedge set, creating more distance, that could be yet another reason.
clubface loft - PWs can have 44* - 50* loft. Most GWs are 52* to 54*. If the PW is 44* - 46* and the GW is 52* - 54*, that could be another reason as well.

Well Gord, I would say your right on the money with my Gap and Pitching wedge. I do have a graphite set (jazz) and I have wilson harmonized wedges (3 wedge set for like 80 bucks) so they arent the greatest.

Gord, what are your distances with your clubs?

[gord962]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

My distances (in yards) are:

Driver: 320
3W: 275
3i: 230
4i: 210
5i: 200
6i: 185
7i: 175
8i: 165
9i: 155
PW: 145
SW: 125
LW: 100

[WillingToListen]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

My distances (in yards) are:

Driver: 320
3W: 275
3i: 230
4i: 210
5i: 200
6i: 185
7i: 175
8i: 165
9i: 155
PW: 145
SW: 125
LW: 100

gordie, how much do you weigh? how tall? Do you hit the gym?

lol, may sound weird but I just wanna get some insight. You wanna give me some lessons because by looking at those yardages, it looks like you got a solid golf swing.

[LowPost42]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

...because by looking at those yardages, it looks like you got a solid golf swing.

BINGO!

There, to a large degree, is the answer. In golf, size does NOT matter - look at guys like K.J. Choi and Mike Weir. Tiny men that hit the ball a heckuva lot further than I do.

To address your yardage gap, I'd say check your lofts. I'm willing to bet your PW is ~ 47º, and your GW is ~ 53º if your SW is 56º. If your sandy is 58º, then I'd assume your GW is probably 54 or 55º.

Length plays a role (as Gord has mentioned) as well, but if the lengths between your PW and GW are close, loft will more than likely be the culprit.

But more important than how long you are compared to anybody else is that you know how far you can carry each club. I don't care if you've got tour length, or tool length. If your accuracy is spot on, it won't make a difference if you don't know what club to pull to put the ball the distance you need.

[RobotDoctor]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

People seem to forget the most obvious need for hitting the golf ball and that is solid (and square) contact. You can swing slower with great contact and hit the ball a long way. However, a person swinging faster and contacting the ball not so solid will not hit the ball longer. Thing of a hammer and nail. You can swing a hammer fast and with a glancing blow, the nail will not be driven into a board that far. However, a slower, and more deliberate swing with dead solid contact will drive the nail into the board a lot farther.

It is not how fast but how solid the contact with the golf ball is struck.

[Simon Woo]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

I can hit the ball pretty squarely (nice contact) and I am sure I am not a very slow swinger. But my 7i is only hitting 110yd. So I am pretty sure it boils down to the finer techniques that I am lacking - timed release, weight transfer etc?

[RobotDoctor]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

I can hit the ball pretty squarely (nice contact) and I am sure I am not a very slow swinger. But my 7i is only hitting 110yd. So I am pretty sure it boils down to the finer techniques that I am lacking - timed release, weight transfer etc?

Yes, fundamentals are a must in making a solid swing and making solid contact. When in doubt, video tape your swing (preferrably with high speed video) either yourself or at some golf learning center. Most people do not swing or make as solid contact as they presume, myself included. My yardage for my 7 Iron (at sea level) is approximately 165 yards - carry (180 yards where I play in Colorado). My swing speed (for 5 iron) has been measured between 93 and 94 miles per hour. I suspect my swing speed for the 7 iron is around 89 miles per hour. I play mid-stiff shafts (Dynamic Gold S-300). A shaft too stiff for a swing will produce a shorter shot due to the golfer not able to load the shaft to generate power. What shaft flex are you swinging? Is your 7 Iron distance carry or total?

[Simon Woo]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

Please pardon me if I am not familiar with all the terms. Only picked up golf about 3 months ago I bought myself a set of Maruman Proliner G1. It says flex shaft - what other information can I provide?

Does carry refer to the distance where the ball drops? At the range, I can usually hit the ball so that it lands on the 100m sign (which is about 109yd). So that's the distance that I am quoting for my 7i. A 3/4 swing, a slower more relaxed swing, can already place me at around the 90m (99yd) mark.

I have not taken a updated video recently, will be sure to do so when I get the opportunity so that I can get some advice on what I need to work on.

Thanks!

[RobotDoctor]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

Please pardon me if I am not familiar with all the terms. Only picked up golf about 3 months ago I bought myself a set of Maruman Proliner G1. It says flex shaft - what other information can I provide?

Steel shafts usually have a lable on them just under the grip. That will tell what flex the shaft is. If it just says S or R (for Stiff or Regular) without some number, like 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500, then look at the part of the shaft about 125 - 135 mm from the clubhead. There should he some black silkscreened lettering there. If the shaft is made by True Temper, look for Dynamic or Dynamic Gold. If the shafts simply say Dynamic and the shaft lable says S then the shafts can be anywhere from S-100 (weak Stiff flex) to S-500 (very strong Stiff flex). If these shafts are in the S-500 range then those would be way to stiff for you. Heck, S-500 shafts are way too stiff for me. A decent golf repair center will have a frequency analyzing machine that will tell what the flex of each golf club is. I highly recommend finding a place that has a frequency analyizer.

Does carry refer to the distance where the ball drops? At the range, I can usually hit the ball so that it lands on the 100m sign (which is about 109yd). So that's the distance that I am quoting for my 7i. A 3/4 swing, a slower more relaxed swing, can already place me at around the 90m (99yd) mark.

Carry distance refers to how far the ball from impact to where the ball first lands. I find this distance crucial to know because knowing this distance allows me to plan to carry hazzards or what part of the green I want to land the ball.

I have not taken a updated video recently, will be sure to do so when I get the opportunity so that I can get some advice on what I need to work on.

Thanks!

I would recommend that you ask some people near you to locate a great golf pro to take lessons from. Golf lessons, especially for a person just taking up the game is probably the most important thing a golfer can do for their games. I would recommend taking a series of lessons, not just one or two. If your budget allows, I would take lessons and continue them for many years. Remember, even Tiger Woods takes lessons on a regular basis AND he is the #1 ranked golfer in the world. If lessons are good enough for Tiger, they are certainly good for any of us. Good luck in your pursuit of this silly game.

[Simon Woo]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

Ok let me go back and check my clubs later. I think it says something like Dynaflex (but could be a proprietary Maruman term)...

Yep I'm currently taking a 10-lesson beginner course. I'm thankful that a large part of that is focused on the short game. My last two lessons will be on a 4-hole mini course Will move on to the intermediate after this, which includes another golf swing analysis as well as the longer clubs.

So now I'm stuck at a point where I can hit my 7i 110yds pretty consistently. But I can't get it any further, so I am trying out the longer clubs just to get a feel for them, before I continue with the intermediate lessons...

[WillingToListen]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

Yeah, I can carry my clubs pretty much those distances that i stated. Im judging those distances on where the ball lands on the green, cause i have quite a bit of backspin which means i have to carry it those distances. I hate the wind though, When its windy I cant even get a 7 iron from 155, which is normally a 8. It gets frustrating playing on a wide open, wind prone course. How far do you guys carry your shots INTO THE WIND on average??? Because thats key, you need to know different carries through different weather conditions, and thats something Im still trying to manage.

[LowPost42]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

I prefer to know calm carries, myself. Then on the range I can see the variation for wind. No range? I'll often hit my normal club, and see what the wind does to it, then adjust from there.

[RobotDoctor]

Re: Knowing One's Yardages

If I play into a wind, I tend to use at least one more club, depending on the wind speed, and choke down. I want to play the ball lower than my high trajectory. I find that a knockdown shot will often hook more than I desire (maybe real practice for this shot would help ) so I stick with the low loft option when I can. Taking one more club reduces the tendency to swing harder which will impart more spin and make the ball balloon and fly shorter.