A quick equipment question....

[duckjr78]

How do you decide on your yardage gaps between clubs?

Some pros have exact distances between all their irons. Peter Hanson has exactly 13 yds between each club from lw up to his 3 hybrid.

A former poster used to talk about having your tightest gaps in what he referred to as your "danger zone." (Basically, how long you are vs. the length of courses you typically play determines which group of clubs you will hit into the most greens.)

I was thinking of making my wedge gaps 10 yards, my iron gaps 15 yards, and my hybrid/wood gaps 20 yards.

So, golfers, how do you like your gaps? And instructors, how should we have our gaps?

 

[mgranato]

Good question...

I've never tried to manufacture certain gaps. They are what they are, but I do make sure there are gaps. Even when the clubs are in spec, there can still be oddities in your gaps. IMO, that is what you should try to avoid or remedy.

But whatever the consensus, my experience is that good golf is played between whatever those gaps are.

 

[Tony D'Antonio]

I like 8 and 3/4 yards between my irons. Then I remember that I can hit a 5 iron, say, 160 on one swing and 185 on another (while trying to hit them both 175) and so I just take what I get from the manufacturer.

 

[softconsult]

I agree with the other two guys and offer up a couple of things. First of all, don't assume that the loft on the manufacturers spec. They may have never been right, and even if they were, they can change over the course of a season. This particularly true with the softer steels. Next, it's really pretty simple to figure the important gaps without resorting to an expensive trackman fitting. In my opinion, you better know how far you hit everything from Lob to say 7 iron (the scoring clubs). Beyond that it's still important, just not as important.
Take this as just my opinion and approach. I want to know how far my, say Wedge goes with no wind and a normal swing. Rightly or wrongly, I have always have the numbers in my head. In past decades, 8 iron was 140. Current equipment 8 iron is 150. Progression is Ping standard except for having 5 degree gap between Wedge 46, Gap 51, Sand 56, Lob 60.

But as Mgranato says, you are constantly hitting in between yardages. Then factor in all the other variables, and you just might conclude that going with regular loft progression of 4 degrees works just fine now, and has for a long, long time.

 

[dschultz6072]

Find your driver and your most lofted club carry distance, subtract the distance (i.e. 265-85 = 180). Divide that number by 12. That should be your goal for yardage gaps. Trackman Newsletter 6, Jan 2010.

But whatever the consensus, my experience is that good golf is played between whatever those gaps are.

That.

 

[finncox]

As far as yardage gaps go, Tom Wishon once told me via email that loft/gapping is actually somewhat backwards with current equipment specs. Ideally, Wishon told me that the long irons should have larger gaps (4-5) degrees, to ensure consistent yardage differences. On the other hand, as the loft gets higher, the gaps should get smaller, maybe (3-4) degrees. Apparently it has to do with the compression differences between the flatter faces of lower lofted irons, versus the higher lofted, more angled faces of short irons.

With this in mind, I find it a little odd that modern clubs have the loft gaps that they do. At this point, 3 irons can't really get much lower in loft, as they are all hovering around 20-21 degrees. But, in order to advertise that clubs are "longer" each year, the 4,5, and 6 irons have all gotten a little stronger, with the loft gaps between those clubs being as little as 2 degrees sometimes. Then, by the time you get down to the PW, the gaps are as much as 5-6 degrees. Really, it should be the other way around.

I guess the moral of this story is that, regardless of the specs of set you buy, figure out your yardage gaps, and don't be afraid to have them bent. The only problem with that is, sometimes the clubs require so much bending that it becomes impractical. Manufacturers have gotten a little carried away.

 

[duckjr78]

...my experience is that good golf is played between whatever those gaps are.

This is indeed true, therefore, would it not make sense to make those gaps as small as possible between the clubs we use most to get birdie putts?

I like what finncox is saying. I see no reason to have 15+ yard gaps between my wedges and smaller gaps between my longer clubs. With them I am just trying to get on the green and make par anyway.

 

[mgranato]

Swing speed is an important factor to consider. I don't usually get gaps below 15 yards with the standard iron spacing. If I were to play with a "standard" set makeup, I'd have just 2 to 3 clubs from 150 and in, and 10 clubs for everything beyond 150. That's a bad set for me. I like 5 clubs (5 full swings) that I can hit from 150-160 and in. I see it as adding (or removing) the right lofts/clubs versus adjusting my gaps, but both accomplish the same goal. I would suggest customizing the toolbox first, then focus on fine tuning the tools.

If you fancy a certain set of gaps, it costs very little to give those a try. If it works, great... if it needs tweaking, it's a pretty easy thing to do. The ideas is for you to be as dangerous as you can with as many clubs as you can when you're in your go zone. For you, that's 250 and in.