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**LowPost42** · 02-03-2006, 02:32 AM

Re: 7 iron

Check their lofts. Not what's stamped on the bottom, but actually hold a protractor up to them (or take 'em to a clubmaker). They might be very close. That's usually the #1 reason why two clubs hit close to the same yardage - similar lofts (~ 2º of seperation)

**Simon Woo** · 02-03-2006, 02:42 AM

Re: 7 iron

Yikes I hope that's not the case. My currents clubs are a set (Maruman Proliner G1). I'm trying to get my distances with the 7i, 6i, 5i, 4H and 4W (all part of the set). And you know what, they don't even have the loft specified.

I do intend to upgrade when I get better, but I know I'm missing something if I can't even get the yardages spread out with these few clubs in the same set?

**shootin4par** · 02-03-2006, 03:23 AM

Re: 7 iron

just upgrade now

**Simon Woo** · 02-03-2006, 06:38 AM

Re: 7 iron

Seriously, I would do it any day if not for the fact that I'm not sure what I should upgrade to. I'm still trying to fix my swing and starting another round of lessons, so really not sure if this is the best time to get new clubs. Only played on the course about 4 times, driving range about 2 times a week on average.

Would of course appreciate any further advice on clubs. Thanks!

**GreeBoman** · 02-03-2006, 09:33 AM

Re: 7 iron

There "should" be about 10-15 yrds difference between each club
if you are hitting 7 125 then it *should* be
6 140
5 155
4 170

but a 4 is harder to hit properly than a 7 is.
If you only hit your 4 90% then you are already less than a 100% 5 iron.
150 from your 5 is fine, work on the 5 now and lay off the 7 a bit
a lower club (like a 4) will show up problems in your swing more than a higher lofted club will.
You dont need better clubs in my opinion, you need a better swing.
I can take any old set of clubs and hit them just fine, it might not be my best round ever but thats the swing, not the clubs.

**Simon Woo** · 02-03-2006, 12:02 PM

Re: 7 iron

Thanks Gree. Indeed, at this stage I am in a way trying to use my yardages with the different clubs as one form of gauge of my swing.

Ok speaking in yards (sorry my using meters was a bit confusing!), I am getting around 135 for 7i. So it should be
6i - 150yd
5i - 165yd
M4 - 187yd (I think this is a mid 3-4 hybrid)
4W - 210yd (correct?)
1W/Driver - 255yd (correct?)

I'm making some rough naive calculations here, I know. Just want to have some kind of gauge to roughly know what I should be aiming for

I've worked hard the past 2 months to bring my 7i from 110yd average to 135yd average. So from your suggestion, I should start to focus on the 5i and aim to get 165yd with it, right?

**GreeBoman** · 02-03-2006, 12:06 PM

Re: 7 iron

no worries about metres, my home course in metric so its not a problem to convert.
To answer your question, yes and no.
You dont really need to work on distance, what you need to do is practice the areas you are weak in.
Good distance comes from solid ball striking, good scores come from playing smart and well.
If you focus on gettting the last few yards out of every club you are spending your time in the wrong area (in my opinion)
Unless there is a real problem with distance for every club (indicating a swing flaw) forget about it and enjoy scoring.

Its not how far, its how many.

**james.welsh** · 02-03-2006, 12:17 PM

Re: 7 iron

http://www.csgnetwork.com/golfclubdistancecalce.html

Try this! There's more to yardage than the club's loft.

**LowPost42** · 02-03-2006, 12:36 PM

Re: 7 iron

Originally posted by james.welsh

There's more to yardage than the club's loft.

Certainly. Club length also plays a factor, albeit a small one. More important than club length is the ability to hit the sweet spot. This is the real distance maximizer.

However, there's not much more to gapping than loft.

**msklar92** · 02-03-2006, 01:01 PM

Re: 7 iron

If you are hitting your 7 iron 125, you may need softer than regular shafts.

**Simon Woo** · 02-03-2006, 02:51 PM

Re: 7 iron

Good point there. I just might not be getting the sweet spot with the irons clubs except my 7i, which I have been practising 85% of the time so far. Based on the chart and based on my personal goal when I started out, I should be able to hit about 230yds with the driver. I am sure I can get more than 135yds with the 7i as my swing is definitely still heavily work in progress

And I'm definitely eager to go out on the course more often to work on course management, the short game, etc. But at this stage, I have hardly even tried my driver and I'm not even managing 165yds with the 4W (and that should be the distance of my 5i given I am currently managing 135yds with the 7i right?).

I guess I will focus on getting clean hits with the 5i, and more lessons to sort out my swing. I hope my target of 230yds with the driver and consistent yardage difference of the other clubs will materialize soon, and then it will be onwards to the short game course management for a good handicap!

**pnearn** · 02-04-2006, 02:04 PM

Re: 7 iron

Simon

As you know im a firm believer in forgetting mechanics and just swinging the clubhead, focus on the target, rythmn and tempo

I wonder if you have become confident in your 7i and are relaxed enough that you trust your swing and swing through to the target with a full release. Could it be because its a longer club you are slightly more tense, perhaps trying to 'hit' it harder and maybe a little quick?

Simple physics says that if youre 7i and 5i go the same distance then your swing speed with the 5i is less. My guess is thats because you are slightly more tense and ball focused simpy because you dont feel as confident

Maybe on the range just take 10 balls with the 5i and conentrate on being really loose, a full swing and think of swinging the clubhead to the target. You'll know becuase you will finish in a good position with your right shoulder facing the target. Forget if 3 or 4 balls go amiss, just concentrate on that full swing through the ball with everything relaxed. My bet is that 1 of those 10 you will hit great which should tell you that its as much a mental problem as anything else

If you are hitting your 7i straight and long then you have a good swing. Now its about trusting that, becoming target focused and staying loose

For a good read on this try Manuel De Le Torre's book. He talks of there being a forward swing rather than a "down"swing and I think thats very true

**vp27519** · 02-04-2006, 08:03 PM

Re: 7 iron

Pnearn,

Your comments are very insightful and informative. It's a matter of confidence with the club you have when addressing the ball. I generally practice at the range with only a handful of clubs. After warm up, I'll now practice hitting with clubs I'm not comfortable with.

Cheers

**30yearlayoff** · 02-05-2006, 02:02 PM

Re: 7 iron

Simon....I've just started back this summer after 30 years off. Might as well say I was a beginner because I lost all I had before.

Personally, I think you need to play more rounds of golf. Most all improvement I have made in my game over the last 7 months is from experiences on the course.

If you hit a 7i 3 times...starting from the Tee, you are 405yds off the tee. You can hit most the greens in 3 from these distances. Definitely in 4 shots. Learning how to play boogie golf...that gives you a 2 putt (if you hit the green in 3) for par (boogie). This is where you will learn to get better at the range. You want to focus on the 150yd and in shots and try to learn to get up and down. You are going to expose things about your swing and game that need work at the range that you are not experiencing now. I equate it to the kid that shoots foul shots in his drive all the time expecting to learn to play basketball.

Go out and play a few rounds and watch things happen more rapidly. And, don't worry about the score. You are still practicing!

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