irons going the same distance!

[acq111]

It seems that I can tell the difference in distance with my PW - 7 iron. When I get to the 6 - 4 there is very little distance change it seems. i was at the range yesterday shooting for one of the greens. I think the green was maybe 180 - 190. I was shooting at it with my six iron and landed a little short if not just on the front. then I went to my 5 iron in hopes to reach the middle of the green. I seemed like it was landing in the same spot???? I felt I was hittign it solid with a nice trajectory, and a little baby draw if not straight. Anyone know what may be causing this, or am I just dillusional...

Thanks in advance!!!

Nick

[GregJWillis]

Re: irons going the same distance!

Never trust range balls. They to not fly the same, have the same compression, or are even close to the same type as a normal ball you would play on the course.

Come back here with this question after you play a round and you still have the same problem.

[LowPost42]

Re: irons going the same distance!

Greg makes a solid point - and I'd look to it as the culprit first.

However, if you play a round, and suffer the same problem, it's your equipment.

Trivia time:

What is the tolerance for loft and lie between clubs of all manufactuers - OEM or component (save the Ashton E3)?

+/- 1°

Now, you say, what difference does 1° make?

Well, at the longer clubs, the loft spacing often looks like this: 24° 4 iron, 28° 5 iron, 32° 6 iron. Now, if the 6 iron is -1°, and the 5 iron is +1°, now the lofts are 29° and 31°, respectively. And they hit close together. The other factor is that even though the tolerances are +/-1°, out-of-spec heads still get out there. So you might even have both a 5 and 6 iron at 30°.

[bloodredsun]

Re: irons going the same distance!

I think that Greg might have it,

A driving range near me has just changed their range balls to ones designed to only fly 70% of the normal distance (they are in the middle of London). One of the side effects is that anything less than a 6 iron tends to fall out of the sky

[acq111]

Re: irons going the same distance!

I kind of questioned the balls myself. I haven't noticed this on the course. I guess I'm always just thinking I'm the one doing something wrong where in this case it wasn't me. Thankks for the input...

Nick Acquaviva
Manteno, IL
Handicap: 8.7 (I went up since last revision (7.4), due to a swing change I have recently made, but I have it dialed in now.)

[james.welsh]

Re: irons going the same distance!

I think this topic has been covered many times. I've always wondered if the balls are worn out after so much use or if they're DESIGNED to be shorter. Either way it doesn't help you judge distances on the course.

I bought a little black note book. I made a grid with each row being a different club. Each time I take a shot (and I can take a reasonable estimate of the distance) I write down how far I hit the ball. I might put down "t" for a tee'd shot or "r" for out or the rough etc. It's helped a great deal.

As you get better your distances will change too so this helps kee track of that aspect too.