Iron Help

[whiskey golf]

I'm trying to get a little more distance out of my irons but I'm struggling a little bit right now. I can get it the distance I want but I'm either left or right. I'll have the occasional good shot but it's too inconsistent to try on the course. I've been trying faster swing speeds on my clubs and it works on the woods and my SCORs but it doesn't work for my irons. My driver speed is probably about 100-110 now, today I was swinging about 105-110 but my iron swing speed is probably not proportionate to the driver. 

 

Driver distance- old carry 200-210, old roll 230 max, new carry about 225-240 (hard to tell), new roll 245-260 max

6 iron- old carry 150-155, new carry 160-170 (inconsistent dispersion)

9 iron (41* SCOR)- old carry 125-130, new carry 135,140 (improvement, got the distance and maintained accuracy)

PW (45* SCOR) - old carry 120, new carry 125-130 (improvement, same as 9 iron)

 

 

I'm thinking that my distances aren't ideal because when I compare myself to my friend, we can drive the same distances and I sometimes outdrive him but when we are on a par 3, let's say 150 yards, I'll hit a 7 iron which probably has his 6 iron loft (he plays MP 69s) and he'll hit a 8 or 9 iron. That makes me think I'm doing something really wrong or something is off with the shafts or something. I don't blame equipment for bad performance but it's been a year since I've had my irons and I'm a lot stronger and things have changed. I also noticed that the SCORs maintain the accuracy and I'm hitting them better than my irons. My 41 degree works good but my 8 iron would have more dispersion. Could a smaller head like an MP iron help accuracy?

 

Are there any drills or techniques you guys could recommend? Could part of this be the current shafts in my irons? Any similar experiences? 

 

I'm also thinking if I should just play my normal iron setup and forget the distances with the irons and just take advantage of the longer drives I have been hitting. 

 

Another thing is I do plan on getting refit for irons but I need some advice in the meantime, I'm trying to decide how to go over my plans for the bag right now, I have a lot of things I want done.

[Blade]

Are you wristy and scooping at it?  Good distance with irons comes from decent forward shaft lean and a slight negative attack angle.

[Paul S]

My first hunch is in your weight transfer. It may be inefficient or incomplete and robbing you of some power. A good way to prevent yourself from swaying in the backswing and forcing a good transfer of weight is to slightly bend your right (or back) knee in toward the center of your stance at address. That should keep your right hip from moving outside of your foot and it should allow you to build coil resistance against your right leg. It may also result in a slightly shorter backswing, but that's advantageous because if the club travels less distance, it should be easier to keep it from getting out of control, resulting in more consistent ball striking.

[Paul S]

As a side note, don't worry about your lag. It should work itself out if you get the other stuff right.

[whiskey golf]

Are you wristy and scooping at it?  Good distance with irons comes from decent forward shaft lean and a slight negative attack angle.

 

I don't think it's this. I hit down on the ball and take a nice size divot but thanks for the suggestion. 

[whiskey golf]

My first hunch is in your weight transfer. It may be inefficient or incomplete and robbing you of some power. A good way to prevent yourself from swaying in the backswing and forcing a good transfer of weight is to slightly bend your right (or back) knee in toward the center of your stance at address. That should keep your right hip from moving outside of your foot and it should allow you to build coil resistance against your right leg. It may also result in a slightly shorter backswing, but that's advantageous because if the club travels less distance, it should be easier to keep it from getting out of control, resulting in more consistent ball striking.

 

This is possible. I'm not flexible so it's harder for me to get a nice full turn and in videos in the past, I had a pretty good sway going on during the backswing. If it's still going on now then it's not as bad but it is possible that it still exists. I haven't taken a video of my swing in a while and I don't feel a sway so I can't confirm or deny if this is the problem. Thanks for the advice.

[DanUsh]

I was going to agree with Blade that the lack of distance could be a result from you not compressing the ball with your irons.  The distance is going to come from proper turn, good weight transfer and the compression of the ball.  Also a smaller iron head will not help with accuracy.  A smaller head means a smaller sweet spot.  If you have a larger iron head that is more forgiving and you are still less accurate you need to focus on creating a swing you can recreate and make consistent contact on the iron face.  A larger face is going to be more forgiving to off center hits.  

[whiskey golf]

I was going to agree with Blade that the lack of distance could be a result from you not compressing the ball with your irons.  The distance is going to come from proper turn, good weight transfer and the compression of the ball.  Also a smaller iron head will not help with accuracy.  A smaller head means a smaller sweet spot.  If you have a larger iron head that is more forgiving and you are still less accurate you need to focus on creating a swing you can recreate and make consistent contact on the iron face.  A larger face is going to be more forgiving to off center hits.  

 

You're right on the iron head. The only reason I suggested that was because my SCOR PW and 9 iron which are blades are very accurate but this most likely because they are short irons. I probably could play an MP iron but my game would most likely suffer or be the same which is a complete waste of money. 

[DanUsh]

Yea the only reason to switch is if you do not have the ability to shape the ball you want to with the swing you are putting on the ball.  I had that problem with the rocketbladez i bought.  I went from titleist 704 cb  to the rocketbaldez and couldnt shape the ball anymore.  It went straight when i played for a draw.  

 

 

This is possible. I'm not flexible so it's harder for me to get a nice full turn and in videos in the past, I had a pretty good sway going on during the backswing. If it's still going on now then it's not as bad but it is possible that it still exists. I haven't taken a video of my swing in a while and I don't feel a sway so I can't confirm or deny if this is the problem. Thanks for the advice.

 

You said you are not flexible.  Do you stretch regular.  I have about the same swing speed as you and I am about ten yards longer with my irons.  I too lack flexibility but have been working on it.  I think you should get your self on video and look at your hip rotation and look at your leg movement int he swing.

[RoverRick]

I was going to agree with Blade that the lack of distance could be a result from you not compressing the ball with your irons.  The distance is going to come from proper turn, good weight transfer and the compression of the ball.  Also a smaller iron head will not help with accuracy.  A smaller head means a smaller sweet spot.  If you have a larger iron head that is more forgiving and you are still less accurate you need to focus on creating a swing you can recreate and make consistent contact on the iron face.  A larger face is going to be more forgiving to off center hits.

 

I agree totally with this.  The only thing I would add is that I have heard and read where the faster the body the faster the swing speed etc. etc. etc.  However, I want to point out a fast body and fast swing speed is useless.

 

Focus on purring your swing to make proper contact. Speed is a naturally occurring event that can come after you have developed the proper swing.  All you are doing now is making the same errors, faster.

[whiskey golf]

Yea the only reason to switch is if you do not have the ability to shape the ball you want to with the swing you are putting on the ball.  I had that problem with the rocketbladez i bought.  I went from titleist 704 cb  to the rocketbaldez and couldnt shape the ball anymore.  It went straight when i played for a draw.  

 

 

 

You said you are not flexible.  Do you stretch regular.  I have about the same swing speed as you and I am about ten yards longer with my irons.  I too lack flexibility but have been working on it.  I think you should get your self on video and look at your hip rotation and look at your leg movement int he swing.

 

I'm not much of a shot shaper and I can hit draws or fades so my irons are good.

 

And for stretching, I am naturally unflexible compared to the average person and I don't stretch at all. I know I need to but it's one of those things that I just never do. There was a phase where I did stretch but that went away fast. 

[whiskey golf]

Focus on purring your swing to make proper contact. Speed is a naturally occurring event that can come after you have developed the proper swing.  All you are doing now is making the same errors, faster.

 

I'm striking the ball very well lately and my GIR have gone up. The main thing that has been holding me back is putting but I have been going after school to putt and I changed my setup slightly and the results are looking good. I haven't played since I started practicing more on the putting so I'll see how that goes next time I play. Just clarifying, you're opinion is that I should not focus on the distance if it's hurting the iron game, and just let it happen naturally, correct?

[hckymeyer]

Isn't that the story of golf, swing harder to go longer and get wilder?  I'm in a similar position, my drives generally hang with the guys that I play with, sometimes longer.  But they are always a club shorter when hitting irons from a similar distance.  You're going to be much better off if you learn to swing at about 80-90% and just play accurately.  Forget how far you hit a 7i compared to the guys you play with.  Focus on making sure you are able to hit the green from 150.

 

I guarantee if you start knocking down sticks and hitting 15 or 16 GIR a round nobody is going to mention that you hit a 7i when they are hitting 9i's.

[Rickles]

Isn't that the story of golf, swing harder to go longer and get wilder? I'm in a similar position, my drives generally hang with the guys that I play with, sometimes longer. But they are always a club shorter when hitting irons from a similar distance. You're going to be much better off if you learn to swing at about 80-90% and just play accurately. Forget how far you hit a 7i compared to the guys you play with. Focus on making sure you are able to hit the green from 150.

 

I guarantee if you start knocking down sticks and hitting 15 or 16 GIR a round nobody is going to mention that you hit a 7i when they are hitting 9i's.

+1 , as long as you feel confident that your swing is good. Also, if you are still in high school you'll probably continue to get longer and more accurate in college if you keep playing regularly. I know I did. Now that I'm in my mid thirties that's a different story. You've got lots of time to get stronger, longer, and better at ball striking. And the journey will be fun.

[jaxbeachpackerfan]

This may be presumptuous of me being a much higher handicap with multiple swing flaws, but I too have had stretches where the irons just don't go as far as they should.  Most of the time, I find that I've slipped into the old bad habit of not fully extending my left arm on the backswing, instead bending the left elbow as I near the top.  Concentrating on extending the left arms often brings the distance right back.  With the Driver, this doesn't happen as often since I'm usually concentrating on a full turn and extend the left arm naturally in trying to accomplish that.    

[Kor.A.Door]

i think there are other things wrong as well, even with the driver, with a swing speed upwards of 105-110, your carry ad max distance should be much farther. you are losing distance off the tee as well. its not just your irons you are losing distance with.

 

my driver ss is 105, from 150 its kind of between 8 and 9, 39* 8 iron and 43* 9 iron, i usually go with the longer 8, its really about 155. so i think whatever you are doing you are losing distance with all of your clubs not just irons

[whiskey golf]

i think there are other things wrong as well, even with the driver, with a swing speed upwards of 105-110, your carry ad max distance should be much farther. you are losing distance off the tee as well. its not just your irons you are losing distance with.

 

my driver ss is 105, from 150 its kind of between 8 and 9, 39* 8 iron and 43* 9 iron, i usually go with the longer 8, its really about 155. so i think whatever you are doing you are losing distance with all of your clubs not just irons

 

Disregard what I thought the swing speed was, I got on the monitor the other day and it said I was only going 95. Another monitor I tried a different time said 105 so I haven't been getting accurate results. I was thinking I was going 105 to 110 based off of those results and based off of what I was feeling and seeing at the range. A more accurate assumption is about 95-100 mph so I was way off in my original assumption. That should make more sense for my distances.

[Kor.A.Door]

i see in another thread that you are looking into having the lie checked for your irons, i think you should also check the loft as well, the JPX 825 pros are already 1* strong compared to the MP-69 that you mentioned earlier, and you bent them even stronger by 1 more degree, your 8 iron loft is 36 degrees, delofting your irons doesnt always mean more distance, you lose bounce when you de-loft, it sounds like the distance you are losing could be a combination of many little things and not just one big one. i asked our golf pro about de-lofting my 68's and he told me that would be a mistake, he said to add a club. i hope you find the fix you are looking for.

[whiskey golf]

i see in another thread that you are looking into having the lie checked for your irons, i think you should also check the loft as well, the JPX 825 pros are already 1* strong compared to the MP-69 that you mentioned earlier, and you bent them even stronger by 1 more degree, your 8 iron loft is 36 degrees, delofting your irons doesnt always mean more distance, you lose bounce when you de-loft, it sounds like the distance you are losing could be a combination of many little things and not just one big one. i asked our golf pro about de-lofting my 68's and he told me that would be a mistake, he said to add a club. i hope you find the fix you are looking for.

 

I do plan on getting the lie checked out as well. I was fit for 1 degree strong due to launch angle but lately I've been thinking that having a little bit higher launch wouldn't hurt.

[MarcKilgore]

Try drinking more scotch - or wearing better cologne. Sex Panther by Odeon. It's illegal in nine countries you know. Yep, it's made with bits of real panther, so you know it's good.

 

Oh... crap I'm in the golf forum - I forgot...  I've got Ron Burgundy on my mind today for some reason.