What are optimum gaps for irons?

[RainShadow]

Wondering what are considered optimal yardage gaps for iron play? Full shots.

I'm thinking 15 yards? Thoughts?

[Golfrnut]

Going to depend a lot on swing speed. Slower speeds will decrease gaps. 15 yards is effectively in tour speed territory and is not going to be achieveable for most without increasing loft gaps.

[RainShadow]

> @Golfrnut said:

> Going to depend a lot on swing speed. Slower speeds will decrease gaps. 15 yards is effectively in tour speed territory and is not going to be achieveable for most without increasing loft gaps.

 

Well, I'm definitely not "tour speed" LOL 150-155 yrd 7 iron.

My gaps are about 10-12 yards, or at least that's how my bag is put together.

9.5 index, 57 years old.

 

[Golfrnut]

> @RainShadow said:

> > @Golfrnut said:

> > Going to depend a lot on swing speed. Slower speeds will decrease gaps. 15 yards is effectively in tour speed territory and is not going to be achieveable for most without increasing loft gaps.

>

> Well, I'm definitely not "tour speed" LOL 150-155 yrd 7 iron.

> My gaps are about 10-12 yards, or at least that's how my bag is put together.

> 9.5 index, 57 years old.

>

 

I would call that "normal"

[ChipNRun]

Key thing is to have even yardage gaps in middle of numbered irons. Sometimes you will find an iron that flies a bit long or short, even though its loft is within factory spec. In that case, a clubsmith can tweak it plus-or-minus a degree to even things out.

[RogerinNewZealand]

Head to a sports field early or late with bucket of balls. Hit ten balls at 70% look at the circle the form and distance variation and or draw/fade.Its a great way to really understand your distances.Then write min av max yardage on a piece of tape you put on just below grip for refeŕence

[molecularman]

It's generally 10-15 yards achieved by 3.5-4* loft difference (assuming standard progression on length). Personally I don't worry too much about it. 1) I'm not good enough and 2) there is almost always other variables - be it wind, elevation or swinging slightly harder or easier.

[Pittknife]

It will also depend on the type of swing but a good gap 12-15yds up until about the 5i. On your lower lofted clubs as a better player you will want more spin and higher angle of decent to hold greens. There isn’t a point to hitting a 4 iron 215 if it can’t hold a green. So those gaps between 5-4-3 maybe a few yds closer, especially if you aren’t great at making contact. That’s why hybrids are a really good fit in long irons to help you get the right gap.

 

But I’ve also seen a lot of high handicappers that flip too much and have 5-10yd gaps in short irons and hit their long irons a little more. That’s all do to inconsistency though.

[raynorfan1]

15 yards does not sound optimal to me.

 

I hit a 49* pitching wedge 120. Ten yard gaps through the 5 iron to 170. 15 yard gaps to the 4 and 3. And I very rarely would want or need to hit an iron 200+. Everything 100 and in I hit lob wedge.

 

The way I see it, you have 9 clubs to cover 100 yards. Being around 10 yards per club has always worked for me.

[Aviador Naval]

I’m in the 11-13 yd range from set PW through 19 deg hybrid but use irregular degree gaps in the longest three clubs to get there. My yardage gaps are actually longer between set PW and my gap and sand wedges but I’m quite comfortable (and reasonably effective...) with partial shots in that range.

[Chuck905]

I’m not to keen on spacing but know what yardage my clubs hit to:

 

58-75

54- 90

Choke Down PW - 105

PW (48*) - 115

9 (43*) - 130

8 (38*) -145

7 (34*) - 155

6 (30*) - 165

5 (27*) - 175

4 (24*) -185

3 (21*) - 195

2 (17*) - 210

3W (13.5*) - 225

D (11*) - 250

 

[serveitup911]

Optimum would be between 10-15 yards

[gdb99]

I was just over on the Ben Hogan website, and their clubs are 4* loft gaps throughout the sets. Most companies have wider gaps at the lower end and shorter gaps at the top.

[sniper]

> @gdb99 said:

> I was just over on the Ben Hogan website, and their clubs are 4* loft gaps throughout the sets. Most companies have wider gaps at the lower end and shorter gaps at the top.

 

I go with 4 degree gap thru PW then I might have a 4 or 5 degree gap. I play my Gap, SW and LW at the same length as my PW. I find this gives me more versatility to choke down or stretch a couple extra yards when needed. I’ve also played a 3I bent a degree weak and a 5I bent a degree strong leaving the 4I out to create the 4 degree gap. This gives me more versatility with the 3I and adds a touch of bounce compared to playing a stronger 4I.

 

[uwhockey14]

Whatever gets each club to go the yardage you need it to go....

[mantan]

> @gdb99 said:

> I was just over on the Ben Hogan website, and their clubs are 4* loft gaps throughout the sets. Most companies have wider gaps at the lower end and shorter gaps at the top.

Yep. 4* gaps make things really simple. I think these posts pop up because a lot of sets having larger gaps at the bottom of the bag...which doens't make sense since those are the 'scoring' clubs. Most players aren't expecting to be as precise at 175 yards as they are at 120 yards. Yet some companies will set up 5* gaps between 9i, PW and GW.

 

 

[trilerian]

> @mantan said:

> > @gdb99 said:

> > I was just over on the Ben Hogan website, and their clubs are 4* loft gaps throughout the sets. Most companies have wider gaps at the lower end and shorter gaps at the top.

> Yep. 4* gaps make things really simple. I think these posts pop up because a lot of sets having larger gaps at the bottom of the bag...which doens't make sense since those are the 'scoring' clubs. Most players aren't expecting to be as precise at 175 yards as they are at 120 yards. Yet some companies will set up 5* gaps between 9i, PW and GW.

>

>

 

Funny that you mention it...

Low 80s chs with a 7i

49* 115

44* 128

39* 142

34* 155

30* 170

27* 180

24* 185

22*h 195

 

These are optimal carry numbers off a perfect lie in the fairway.

 

[RainShadow]

Getting a lot of comments here about loft.

I understand how that affects distance, so that was not really what I was asking about.

My question was about what is optimum **YARDAGE** gaps.

Seems to be 10 -15 yards between irons, with 15 being in the high end or most common in long irons, 10 to 12 for short irons/scoring clubs.

Thanks all for the answers.......

[IamMarkMac]

I like keeping it at around 10. I started with Callaway distance irons and once the fliers were coming in at 20 yards long, I switched to something less SGI.

On the wedges, I've been finding more success using two wedges and feel than multiple lofts. But right now that may just be my perception.

[Georgie Z]

I think 10 would be ideal

[smithy23]

Just whatever works best for you its a bit of trail an error , i gap 4* between 4/5/6/7/8/9 then 22-42 then 5* for my PW at 47 then 2 wedges 53 and 60

it just evens out the bag well for me and i dont like carrying lots of wedges

 

[MountainKing]

Optimum is really up to the individual and what they're comfortable with, I don't think there's really a wrong answer. Part of why I hate switching irons is dialing in each iron to the distance I want it to go takes up a lot of time. I mess around with my lofts until each iron hits the specific yardage I'm looking for on a normal shot. I typically like about 10 yards on my shorter irons, 12 yards through the middle and around 15 yards on the longer irons.

[mantan]

> @MountainKing said:

> Optimum is really up to the individual and what they're comfortable with, I don't think there's really a wrong answer. Part of why I hate switching irons is dialing in each iron to the distance I want it to go takes up a lot of time. I mess around with my lofts until each iron hits the specific yardage I'm looking for on a normal shot. I typically like about 10 yards on my shorter irons, 12 yards through the middle and around 15 yards on the longer irons.

 

 

I would agree with this. And it's where short iron lofts become frustrating. If a pin is 150 yards or less, I want to feel comfortable that I can take dead aim...and if I'm between clubs the gap is relatively small. 150-180 yards I'm fine if it's a 12-15 yard gap, I'm usually going to aim to a spot that gives me the most room for error. 180-210 I'm just trying to on the green or close enough for a reasonable up and down.

[tgoodspe1991]

I think there's a difference between what's "optimal" and what's "comfortable" to a player. To me, optimal would be 13-14y between clubs, that's achieved by 3y for each 1* of loft, and 1-2y for every 1/2" length increment. If you are a slower swinging player then you might need hotter irons, hybrids, or fairway woods in the upper range to achieve this gap. I have larger gaps in the way upper range but consistent throughout the rest of my set:

 

Club______Carry

Driver____295

3W_______265

2hyb_____235

4i________220

5i________206

6i________192

7i________178

8i________164

9i________150

PW______136

GW______122

SW______108

LW______94

 

However, these yardages are also what is comfortable to me. I will hop on a launch monitor and tweak lofts until I achieve this gapping. You might be comfortable with a much smaller or larger gapping, like 10y between clubs or 18y between clubs.

 

What's most important is that you know exactly how far you hit each club, because then you can actually get out there and play golf and hit your distances. Your clubs can be set up with perfect loft gapping (or whatever gapping you want) and all that, but if you don't know how far you _actually_ hit your clubs, then it's not going to matter.

[raynorfan1]

> @tgoodspe1991 said:

> I think there's a difference between what's "optimal" and what's "comfortable" to a player. To me, optimal would be 13-14y between clubs, that's achieved by 3y for each 1* of loft, and 1-2y for every 1/2" length increment. If you are a slower swinging player then you might need hotter irons, hybrids, or fairway woods in the upper range to achieve this gap. I have larger gaps in the way upper range but consistent throughout the rest of my set:

>

> Club______Carry

> Driver____295

> 3W_______265

> 2hyb_____235

> 4i________220

> 5i________206

> 6i________192

> 7i________178

> 8i________164

> 9i________150

> PW______136

> GW______122

> SW______108

> LW______94

>

> However, these yardages are also what is comfortable to me. I will hop on a launch monitor and tweak lofts until I achieve this gapping. You might be comfortable with a much smaller or larger gapping, like 10y between clubs or 18y between clubs.

>

> What's most important is that you know exactly how far you hit each club, because then you can actually get out there and play golf and hit your distances. Your clubs can be set up with perfect loft gapping (or whatever gapping you want) and all that, but if you don't know how far you _actually_ hit your clubs, then it's not going to matter.

 

What are the scenarios where you hit 2H/4i/5i? There are precious few 500+ yard Par 4’s.

 

Three clubs for recovery from bad drives?

[MountainKing]

> @raynorfan1 said:

> > @tgoodspe1991 said:

> > I think there's a difference between what's "optimal" and what's "comfortable" to a player. To me, optimal would be 13-14y between clubs, that's achieved by 3y for each 1* of loft, and 1-2y for every 1/2" length increment. If you are a slower swinging player then you might need hotter irons, hybrids, or fairway woods in the upper range to achieve this gap. I have larger gaps in the way upper range but consistent throughout the rest of my set:

> >

> > Club______Carry

> > Driver____295

> > 3W_______265

> > 2hyb_____235

> > 4i________220

> > 5i________206

> > 6i________192

> > 7i________178

> > 8i________164

> > 9i________150

> > PW______136

> > GW______122

> > SW______108

> > LW______94

> >

> > However, these yardages are also what is comfortable to me. I will hop on a launch monitor and tweak lofts until I achieve this gapping. You might be comfortable with a much smaller or larger gapping, like 10y between clubs or 18y between clubs.

> >

> > What's most important is that you know exactly how far you hit each club, because then you can actually get out there and play golf and hit your distances. Your clubs can be set up with perfect loft gapping (or whatever gapping you want) and all that, but if you don't know how far you _actually_ hit your clubs, then it's not going to matter.

>

> What are the scenarios where you hit 2H/4i/5i? There are precious few 500+ yard Par 4’s.

>

> Three clubs for recovery from bad drives?

 

If he's carrying it those distances, he's probably playing back tees everywhere, I'd guess those three clubs would be the go to for most mid length par 5's and longer par 3's. Similar places you'd see them used on tour.

[tgoodspe1991]

> @MountainKing said:

> > @raynorfan1 said:

> > > @tgoodspe1991 said:

> > > I think there's a difference between what's "optimal" and what's "comfortable" to a player. To me, optimal would be 13-14y between clubs, that's achieved by 3y for each 1* of loft, and 1-2y for every 1/2" length increment. If you are a slower swinging player then you might need hotter irons, hybrids, or fairway woods in the upper range to achieve this gap. I have larger gaps in the way upper range but consistent throughout the rest of my set:

> > >

> > > Club______Carry

> > > Driver____295

> > > 3W_______265

> > > 2hyb_____235

> > > 4i________220

> > > 5i________206

> > > 6i________192

> > > 7i________178

> > > 8i________164

> > > 9i________150

> > > PW______136

> > > GW______122

> > > SW______108

> > > LW______94

> > >

> > > However, these yardages are also what is comfortable to me. I will hop on a launch monitor and tweak lofts until I achieve this gapping. You might be comfortable with a much smaller or larger gapping, like 10y between clubs or 18y between clubs.

> > >

> > > What's most important is that you know exactly how far you hit each club, because then you can actually get out there and play golf and hit your distances. Your clubs can be set up with perfect loft gapping (or whatever gapping you want) and all that, but if you don't know how far you _actually_ hit your clubs, then it's not going to matter.

> >

> > What are the scenarios where you hit 2H/4i/5i? There are precious few 500+ yard Par 4’s.

> >

> > Three clubs for recovery from bad drives?

>

> If he's carrying it those distances, he's probably playing back tees everywhere, I'd guess those three clubs would be the go to for most mid length par 5's and longer par 3's. Similar places you'd see them used on tour.

 

Yep, longer courses with longer Par 3’s and going for Par 5’s in two, or playing for position on shorter Par 4’s etc.

 

I also have those clubs because they fill in the gaps. If I didn’t have them then I would have huge gaps in my potentially distances to cover all scenarios. What’s the alternative?

[MountainKing]

> @tgoodspe1991 said:

> > @MountainKing said:

> > > @raynorfan1 said:

> > > > @tgoodspe1991 said:

> > > > I think there's a difference between what's "optimal" and what's "comfortable" to a player. To me, optimal would be 13-14y between clubs, that's achieved by 3y for each 1* of loft, and 1-2y for every 1/2" length increment. If you are a slower swinging player then you might need hotter irons, hybrids, or fairway woods in the upper range to achieve this gap. I have larger gaps in the way upper range but consistent throughout the rest of my set:

> > > >

> > > > Club______Carry

> > > > Driver____295

> > > > 3W_______265

> > > > 2hyb_____235

> > > > 4i________220

> > > > 5i________206

> > > > 6i________192

> > > > 7i________178

> > > > 8i________164

> > > > 9i________150

> > > > PW______136

> > > > GW______122

> > > > SW______108

> > > > LW______94

> > > >

> > > > However, these yardages are also what is comfortable to me. I will hop on a launch monitor and tweak lofts until I achieve this gapping. You might be comfortable with a much smaller or larger gapping, like 10y between clubs or 18y between clubs.

> > > >

> > > > What's most important is that you know exactly how far you hit each club, because then you can actually get out there and play golf and hit your distances. Your clubs can be set up with perfect loft gapping (or whatever gapping you want) and all that, but if you don't know how far you _actually_ hit your clubs, then it's not going to matter.

> > >

> > > What are the scenarios where you hit 2H/4i/5i? There are precious few 500+ yard Par 4’s.

> > >

> > > Three clubs for recovery from bad drives?

> >

> > If he's carrying it those distances, he's probably playing back tees everywhere, I'd guess those three clubs would be the go to for most mid length par 5's and longer par 3's. Similar places you'd see them used on tour.

>

> Yep, longer courses with longer Par 3’s and going for Par 5’s in two, or playing for position on shorter Par 4’s etc.

>

> I also have those clubs because they fill in the gaps. If I didn’t have them then I would have huge gaps in my potentially distances to cover all scenarios. What’s the alternative?

 

I was trying to figure out the question myself. Those longer clubs serve a purpose regardless of your length you hit them. They should be more limited use clubs, if they're coming out of your bag a lot to hit into par 4's you probably need to move up a bit.

[Chex]

I always try to keep my gaps at 12 +/- 1 yard in 5-PW and 15 +/- 1 in my longer irons