210 yards distance with 7 iron?
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Kevin Shields
Super Moderator
Maybe a few but the average last I saw was like 172
johnnymarlboro
New
Ahh, so THAT'S how you hurt your shoulder...
mgranato
New
duckjr78
New
Bah.
Example. Mickelson's irons are 2 degrees strong, so his 7 is a 6 1/2 iron. Add to that, his iron shafts are +1/2 inch as well (I believe, maybe a bit more), and you have a guy with a grooved swing, hitting a club and ball that are perfectly optimized for him. Figure 1 extra club just because they are better than us. Half a club extra because his irons are jacked up, and half a club because all his equipment is ultra optimized. There is the majority of the difference.
Also, don't forget, the announcers are paid to fib a bit. Taylormade wants to sell clubs. They jack up the lofts on new irons. They buy advertising time. Advertising pays announcers salaries. Announcers fudge a bit on how far pro X just hit it with a 7 iron. We find out he is playing new Taylormade irons. We want to hit the ball farther. We go buy new Taylormade irons. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Example. Mickelson's irons are 2 degrees strong, so his 7 is a 6 1/2 iron. Add to that, his iron shafts are +1/2 inch as well (I believe, maybe a bit more), and you have a guy with a grooved swing, hitting a club and ball that are perfectly optimized for him. Figure 1 extra club just because they are better than us. Half a club extra because his irons are jacked up, and half a club because all his equipment is ultra optimized. There is the majority of the difference.
Also, don't forget, the announcers are paid to fib a bit. Taylormade wants to sell clubs. They jack up the lofts on new irons. They buy advertising time. Advertising pays announcers salaries. Announcers fudge a bit on how far pro X just hit it with a 7 iron. We find out he is playing new Taylormade irons. We want to hit the ball farther. We go buy new Taylormade irons. Rinse, lather, repeat.
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mgranato
New
Just so happens that all his club specs are the subject of this months Golf Digest What's in the Bag...
Club.... Yds.... Loft
Driver.. 300.... 8.1
3wd.... 270.... 15
5wd.... 250.... 18
4i....... 230.... 21
5i....... 215.... 26
6i....... 205.... 29.25
7i....... 190.... 33
8i....... 175.... 36
9i....... 160.... 41
PW..... 145.... 47
GW..... 125.... 53
SW..... 105.... 60
LW...... 85..... 64
Jim Kobylinski
Super Moderator
Pure guessing here, but you need roughly 115-117mph with the driver and the ability to deloft your 7 iron into roughly a 5 iron (which isn't that hard). Now when you think about it that way, is a 210 yard 5 iron that crazy?
jenhaoyen
New
COME ON BROHAM, I UNDERSTAND THEY SWING FASTER, BUT NOT THAT MUCH FASTER.
It's like sometimes the commentator makes me not want to watch golf channel. LOOK AT THIS GUY, hitting 9 irons 190.
Unless I see it in person, I have my doubts. I have seen bombers hitting 350 with drivers and not even close hitting 200 with 7 iron.
jenhaoyen
New
lol
A 7 iron carried 200 yards on a flat surface? Sadlowski could do it, but not sure if more than 5 guys on tour could do it. I have 118 mph max clubhead speed and I can only carry my 7 iron 185 yards on a flat surface if I aim way right and play a pull draw. There's so much spin generated with a 7 iron loft (ex. 32*) that the extra clubehad speed generates diminishing returns given the spin. I suspect you need 125 mph+ max clubhead speed with a driver to carry a 7 iron 200 yards on a flat surface (and not with a pull draw). Announcers lie because fiction is more entertaining than the truth sometimes when it comes to distance.
I find this loft configuration to be really strange, given the inconsistency in some of the gapping, and some of the larger gaps coming between the 9 and PW, as opposed to some of the longer irons. Anyone else?
210, without delofting with a standard loft 7 iron. NO WAY. I have, I believe, standard lofts with my irons, and I have a swing speed that is somewhere in the 120's with my driver, and I can hit my seven iron just between 194-196 when I really take a good cut at it with medium trajectory. I have A LOT of swing speed, and I can't come close to 210. I just don't see it. Unless there are some pros swinging in the 130's
What the announcers also fail to note is how far short of the pin the ball landed. "Its 200 yds to the pin and "gee whiz" he is hitting a 7 iron. It is slightly down wind and down hill, temps in the 90's, ball lands on the green 20 yds short of the pin and bounces up to 30' (10 yds short of the pin)." "Man, he really mashed that one - can' believe it - back when I was playing that distance was a 3 or 4 iron".
Back in my "younger days" with a balata ball and Hogan Apex Irons (7 iron was probably 38 deg) - I could get maybe 155 in the air. Now days at almost 70 yrs with the new clubs and balls (my 7 iron is 35 deg) - I can get 160 ish in the air - no problem with todays tour pros getting 180 if they push it a little. For most, 165 to 175 is a comfortable - "controllable" 7 iron - flat ground, no helping air.
In golf, just like in life, "sex" sells and in golf "sex" = length (and no, not that kind).
Back in my "younger days" with a balata ball and Hogan Apex Irons (7 iron was probably 38 deg) - I could get maybe 155 in the air. Now days at almost 70 yrs with the new clubs and balls (my 7 iron is 35 deg) - I can get 160 ish in the air - no problem with todays tour pros getting 180 if they push it a little. For most, 165 to 175 is a comfortable - "controllable" 7 iron - flat ground, no helping air.
In golf, just like in life, "sex" sells and in golf "sex" = length (and no, not that kind).
SPmoser87
New
I always thought it was the motion in the ocean... Had to say it... Sorry. You do have very valid points. As firm as the greens are on tour, it makes perfect sense.
Dariusz J.
New member
A very good post. Wishon called it the vanising loft syndrome, because people were so naive to believe OEMs that claimed that their new irons are the longest. Stupid people believed that #7 is always #7. The truth was they made #5 from their new #7. This craziness caused, among others, the necessity to "invent" a gap/approach wedge because of too huge a loft gap.
If only I could I'd force manufacturers to put the loft number on the sole near the club number. Then they will think a bit how ridiculous would look e.g. #9 with 40* on the sole.
Cheers
Joe Miller (2010 relax long drive winner) was in the studio on one of the golf shows a couple of months ago over here in the UK on Sky Sports.He was hitting balls on the golf simulator in the studio and chatting a bit to Denis Pugh (Monty and Molinari brothers coach).At the end Pugh hit a driver about 239 yards and asked Miller what he would hit to beat that.He reckoned a 7 iron.He then hit a 7 iron 235 yards.Here's a link to the segment, with the 7 iron at the end. Grip it and rip it! | Golf Features | Sky Sports
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