Any Golf Players?

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

A buddy of mine is giving me some pointers so it's not like I'm just going out there on my own (and my father in law also gave me some pointers) but just don't have time this summer for formal lessons.

thanks for all the tips guys

Can you explain to me what to expect from the different irons? I know in some cases height is better than distance in regards to the irons, correct?

Each iron is meant to achieve a different distance. It depends upon how fast you swing and your form, but for the average beginner golfer a 3 iron might go 180. 4 iron goes 170, 5 iron 160, 6 iron 140, and so on.

Once you get your swing down, try your irons at the driving range to get a feel for how far each flies. It's important to know your distances if you want to hit greens with semi-regularity.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Each iron is meant to achieve a different distance. It depends upon how fast you swing and your form, but for the average beginner golfer a 3 iron might go 180. 4 iron goes 170, 5 iron 160, 6 iron 140, and so on.

Once you get your swing down, try your irons at the driving range to get a feel for how far each flies. It's important to know your distances if you want to hit greens with semi-regularity.

Should the all go relatively the same height though, or are some meant to give a higher lift on the ball?

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Should the all go relatively the same height though, or are some meant to give a higher lift on the ball?

The peak height that the ball reaches, believe it or not, doesn't vary all that greatly from club to club. There's some variance but not that much. What changes is how fast the ball gets up in the air.

A 9 Iron is a high-loft club, and thus will pop up in the air very quickly. A 3 Iron is a low-loft club and will take longer to reach its peak trajectory. But it also travels further than the 9, taking longer to reach the peak.

So if you're hitting the clubs the right way, the trajectory of the ball as it falls towards the green should be about the same whether you hit a 9 or a 3. What makes holding a green so tough with a 3 Iron and so easy with a 9 has more to do with the spin on the ball than the trajectory.

Sometimes a 9 iron or P wedge is called for when you have a tree 40 yards in front of you and you need to get up over it.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

The peak height that the ball reaches, believe it or not, doesn't vary all that greatly from club to club. There's some variance but not that much. What changes is how fast the ball gets up in the air.

A 9 Iron is a high-loft club, and thus will pop up in the air very quickly. A 3 Iron is a low-loft club and will take longer to reach its peak trajectory. But it also travels further than the 9, taking longer to reach the peak.

So if you're hitting the clubs the right way, the trajectory of the ball as it falls towards the green should be about the same whether you hit a 9 or a 3. What makes holding a green so tough with a 3 Iron and so easy with a 9 has more to do with the spin on the ball than the trajectory.

Sometimes a 9 iron or P wedge is called for when you have a tree 40 yards in front of you and you need to get up over it.

Have to say I totally disagree with what Schneed has said in this post. If you watch the pros play yeaterday the announcers commented about hitting longer shots into the greens with a lower trajectory and them bouncing through the green. What he said might pertain to his game but I'd say most golfers hit a 9 iron much higher then a 3 iron.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Have to say I totally disagree with what Schneed has said in this post. If you watch the pros play yeaterday the announcers commented about hitting longer shots into the greens with a lower trajectory and them bouncing through the green. What he said might pertain to his game but I'd say most golfers hit a 9 iron much higher then a 3 iron.

Depends, there are tons of ways a pro can hit a 4 Iron. They can cut it and take it high or draw it and keep it low to bore through the wind.

There's a difference, but if you're hitting your 3 Iron only half as high as you're hitting your 9, then you're not hitting your 3 correctly.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Depends, there are tons of ways a pro can hit a 4 Iron. They can cut it and take it high or draw it and keep it low to bore through the wind.

There's a difference, but if you're hitting your 3 Iron only half as high as you're hitting your 9, then you're not hitting your 3 correctly.

Well first off I'm not a pro. I agree I might hit my 5 iron as high as my 9 and maybe my 4 might go as high but my 3 iron I know does not go as high.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Have to say I totally disagree with what Schneed has said in this post. If you watch the pros play yeaterday the announcers commented about hitting longer shots into the greens with a lower trajectory and them bouncing through the green. What he said might pertain to his game but I'd say most golfers hit a 9 iron much higher then a 3 iron.

The difference isn't the height it is the trajectory and ball speed. It will go a similar height but a 3 iron will maintain velocity on a high plane for a longer time while a 9 iron will reach peak height quickly and come down sooner (due to a loss of efficiency in energy transfer because of the greater angle of the face of the club). Throw a ball straight up at x speed and it will reach a certain height and come straight down in the same spot as it was launched. Throw the ball out towards the horizon at a slightly greater speed (accounting for energy loss) and it will reach a similar height but come down much further away of course and take a bit longer to reach the ground. Plain physics. Of course golf shots don't all take place in a vacuum and there are dozens of variables that contribute to the height and speed of a struck ball.