What's your most challenging iron gap and how do you breach it?

[pktaske]

Off Ebay, I recently got a combo set of  Apex 19 (5-8) and Apex 19 Pro (8-A). I was wondering why the guy had two 8 irons and after a single round I found out. That extra 8 iron really fills in that gap nicely. Now I get that great Pro feel with the short irons with the added forgiveness of the standard Apex.

 

Does anyone else have to use a 'gap' club to fill in any sequence between their 3 and PW? Choke up on a lower lofted iron? Modified swing speed?

Edited October 7, 2020 by pktaske

[NoTalentLefty]

My challenge has always been between 90 and 105 yards. Never figured it out much.  was a swing fault , with wedges. Until this year. I compensated with using a 1/2 8 or 9 iron. Never was a club fault . But wonder what the specs were for each 8 iron?
 

Edited October 7, 2020 by NoTalentLefty

[thaar]

I kind of have a large gap between my 7i and 8i, but it doesn't usually come into play all that often to cause me trouble. I have a bigger gap than I'd like between my 50* and my PW, which forces me to make questionable decisions at times lol. I don't do great on hitting 'soft' iron shots, so the gapping can create issues. If I have a 135-140yd shot, I tend to want to step on a 50* rather than take a smooth, easy PW shot. It doesn't work as much as I'd like it to, so one would think I would learn 🤣

[ChipNRun]

23 minutes ago, NoTalentLefty said:

My challenge has always been between 90 and 105 yards. Never figured it out much.  was a swing fault , with wedges. Until this year. I compensated with using a 1/2 8 or 9 iron. Never was a club fault .

Uhhh... sounds familiar! I went to three wedges a couple of seasons back. Picked up the MD3 48* to split difference between old 46 + 50. Good point: it simplified my 7:30/9/10:30 wedge matrix, and my planning and practice. Bad point: I have a gap between 98 and ~120.

 

Here's the fix: Variously I grip down on the 9i, or play the 48* back a half-inch to deloft it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

 

I'm considering going back to four wedges: 46-50-54-58... I'm more of a mechanic than a touch player on wedges, and the 6* gaps between 9i, 48* and 54* leave me too many 15-foot putts.

 

To stay at 14 clubs, I would omit either the 4i or the 4H depending upon the course I was playing that day. 

Edited October 7, 2020 by ChipNRun

[RedKloud]

The iron gap I have is because I can’t hit anything longer than my 6I (26*). So I use hybrids at 23* and 20*.

[tannyhoban]

4-5-6 on typical set. Cobra F9 4 hybrid then F8 5 & 6. They have sensible loft gaps.

[MattM97]

That 75-100 yard shot I have nothing for and really best way to breach it is never hit into that situation if possible. Then again easier said than done at times. 

[MelloYello]

I'll hit a 46-47^o Pw about 135 while only hitting a 56^o Sw about 105 so for me, it's imperative to have a 50-52^o Gw which will go about 120. 

 

On the top end, I'm hitting my 25^o 5i about 190-195 carry and my 21^o 7w about 220 carry, so I'll stick a 21-22^o iron or hybrid in there depending on what shots I think I need. Iron is preferable off the tee, hybrid off the deck. 

[pktaske]

10 hours ago, NoTalentLefty said:

But wonder what the specs were for each 8 iron?

 

Apex Pro 9:   41 degrees

Apex Pro: 8:  37 degrees

Apex 8:   34.5 degrees

Apex 7:    30.5 degrees

 

Staying on the themes of some of the other posts, I find myself grabbing my gap wedge, which I strike well, for shots 10 to 15 yards beyond its normal swing yardage. It simply imparts confidence.

Edited October 8, 2020 by pktaske

[Jwin323]

I did the opposite of what most manufacturers are doing. I have a 4  degree gap on the short irons and a 5 degree gap in the mid irons. Gives me a consistent 13-14 yard carry gapping

[kcstock]

Of course. 
 

skill and clubs never mesh completely. I (like many others I suspect) struggle to pure my longer irons. So I have a few clubs that overlap in their gapping to give me a boost of confidence from a particular lie or yardage.

 

[2bGood]

I guess I have two:

 

Gap wedge = 110 Pw = 130. Bent my gap 2* strong. Still a bit of a gap but a little better

 

I also have 20 yards between 4 iron and Hibred. Typically not a big issue as at that distance I am not super dialled in anyway.

[Crimson25]

This season I went driving iron at *18 to help on those accuracy tee shots, and then a 22* hybrid for the long approaches.  That leaves my next club a 5i T100 at 27*.  That leaves me a big gap at a tough yardage, bc hybrid is probably ~220 and 5 iron is ~195.  Those ~210yd par 3s are no fun.  

 

Fix?  Probably bending the 5 iron a couple degrees strong or getting a 100s, just haven’t gone to the trouble.  Not fully sold on the reverse driving iron / hybrid setup, but that iron is so valuable on certain holes.   Need to figure it out this offseason.  

[naj959]

100-110 yards is no man's land for me. Stock PW is 120 yards and a stock GW is 95 yards. If I really step on the GW I can squeeze it out to 100 yards but the probability of hitting a pull goes up substantially. I've gotten better at hitting a 3/4 110 yard shot with the PW but it's more likely to go 115 then 110. Just an awkward yardage for me.

 

Also have a large gap between Pw and 9 iron (140) but for whatever reason I have a much easier time hitting a hard PW for a little more or a soft 9 to get closer to 130. I should probably get the lofts adjusted as the J15 DPF's are fairly strong but It's more fun shopping for a new set of irons.

Edited October 9, 2020 by naj959

[Redbird]

SW to LW for me, gets worse the closer I get to the green.  Sometimes the LW only goes 6 inches while the sand wedge goes 180 from a green side bunker.  🤣

Edited October 9, 2020 by Redbird

[MuskieCy]

Adams XTD Forged 5-LW. Turned my 18* Adams XTD Ti  down to 20*.

 

180 to 205 gap.🤔

 

Tried my old TM Burner 5 iron. Strong lofted shovel,.....PERFECT! Maxed out at 194. 🤪

[Jace_bkr]

On 10/7/2020 at 9:08 AM, thaar said:

I have a bigger gap than I'd like between my 50* and my PW, which forces me to make questionable decisions at times lol. I don't do great on hitting 'soft' iron shots, so the gapping can create issues. If I have a 135-140yd shot, I tend to want to step on a 50* rather than take a smooth, easy PW shot. It doesn't work as much as I'd like it to, so one would think I would learn 🤣

 

This seems to be a common issue for all of us, at least in the groups i play with..  Say i have the 105-110 shot,  I can soft a 50 which usually leads to a bit of a pull shot for me or stand on 54. Questionable every time, works half the time 🤣 you think I would spend some time perfecting that soft 50 shot but for some reason i tend to go with the " Are you silly, I'm still gonna send it"  full shot...

[B_of_H]

PW to Gap is a problem sometimes for me as well, 130-135.  If I step on the 50 degree it spins a ton and if i'm not swinging well I sometimes take too much off the pw or pull it.  I think the problem is my gap has a s300 in it and my pw has a kbs130.  I'm planning on swapping the shaft out for the same that is in my irons and hoping that lowers the spin and gives me a few more yards.  

 

The other major gaps I have are 4 wood (265) to 2 iron (245) to 4 iron (220) but that isn't that big of a deal to me.  I'd like to have a hybrid that goes a little higher (than 2 iron) and I can hit accurately (especially from light rough) but haven't found one. 

Edited October 10, 2020 by B_of_H

[evoviiiyou]

PW (45*)130yards and GW (50*) 110yards was the issue. 
 

My fix was have the latest set built with same length PW and GW and magic. GW is now 115-120, SW (55*) is 95-100.  I feel much better with this set up and system. Either taking some off or hitting a full shot. 

[FormerDimer]

Ditching the 3 iron, jacking the 4i a bit and carrying 4 wedges has been the equipment revelation of the decade for me. Two basic swings with each wedge (3/4 and full) has me feelin’ pretty confident with most yardages between 75 and 130; I feel like my wedge game is now a strength.

 

Kicking myself that I didn’t try it sooner.

[getitdaily]

My gap used to be 112-125. I was pw at 46 then 54. Always had to play pw from 115 in some sort of abbreviated swing. Pw carry is 135.

 

I did a gap test and found that 5i, 4i, 3i all carried within 20 yards of each other. I dropped the 3i, bent the 5i 1 strong, and found a 4i at 22*. That allowed me to add a 50* wedge. 

 

Now my gap is at 212-220. But i can manage that yardage a ton better than pw from 115-120. My wedge play immediately improved.

[LCP]

The only large yardage gap in the wedge-iron range I have is between my strong lofted 5 iron and my 2 iron.  The 5 is a 205-210 club.  The 2 is a 225-235 club.  It's really hard to take more than about 5 yards off a 2 iron, because the slower swing just lets it fly lower, land shallower and bounce almost as long.  Gaps from 5 to U wedge are about 15 yards.  I'd rather it be 12, but that would require carrying more clubs.  Then U-S-L wedges are probably 18 yards apart, but partial 75-80-85-90-95% swings are no problem for me.  My "odd" partial wedge distance is probably 55-65 yards.  I probably hit my L wedge long most of the time at that distance.  I think it's where I start to transition from a chipping wedge to a legitimate partial swing wedge. I'm comfortable hitting the L wedge nearly always.

Edited October 12, 2020 by LCP

[Adamjoyce15]

On 10/7/2020 at 1:37 PM, MattM97 said:

That 75-100 yard shot I have nothing for and really best way to breach it is never hit into that situation if possible. Then again easier said than done at times. 

I feel this pain. Find myself inside that gap way too often and am not smart enough to stay out of it, 64 degree wedge seems unavoidable. Pray for me.

[chipa]

I'm really poor with the wedges especially 50 yards in. My course has small, elevated and hard greens and I'm throwing shots away so I'm going to get a 68 degree wedge - should be good for about 70 yards max. For other gaps I have tried a shorter swing but keep on getting the distance wrong, over the green sometimes or short.  I am trying to make some swing changes to be able to hit a fade by opening my open stance and swinging maybe just a little easier.

[benclab]

For me, it was 3 thru 6 iron. Problem wasn't contact, it was distance gapping despite them being 4 degrees apart. They were just too close. So I bought a 4 and 5 iron that were a bit bigger than my blades, adjusted the lofts, and now it's perfect. Also allows me to carry 4 wedges now.

[bombs]

5 hours ago, chipa said:

I'm really poor with the wedges especially 50 yards in. My course has small, elevated and hard greens and I'm throwing shots away so I'm going to get a 68 degree wedge - should be good for about 70 yards max. For other gaps I have tried a shorter swing but keep on getting the distance wrong, over the green sometimes or short.  I am trying to make some swing changes to be able to hit a fade by opening my open stance and swinging maybe just a little easier.

 

Buying the wedge is a really bad idea.

 

Put some time in on the range or find a local par 3 course. I'm fortunate enough to have one which is full of 50-80 yard par 3's. Perfect for practicing these shots. 

 

[bombs]

6 hours ago, Adamjoyce15 said:

I feel this pain. Find myself inside that gap way too often and am not smart enough to stay out of it, 64 degree wedge seems unavoidable. Pray for me.

 

Full swing 64 degree wedge as an approach shot? 

 

Unless you are hitting it over trees from the next fairway this not sensible golf. 

Edited October 12, 2020 by bombs

[bombs]

I hate anything between my driver and 4 iron, so essentially any shot beyond 210m. About time I went and got fitted for that section of the bag. 

 

For now I should consider laying up on par 5's but I don't wear panties so.. 

[ode]

Full SW - 100

Full GW - 120

 

Cannot get more out of the SW .... 100 is the max.  Getting better at throttling down with the GW by shortening/narrowing my stance.

[chipa]

2 hours ago, bombs said:

 

Buying the wedge is a really bad idea.

 

Put some time in on the range or find a local par 3 course. I'm fortunate enough to have one which is full of 50-80 yard par 3's. Perfect for practicing these shots. 

 

 

Unfortunately that's not an option. I only have one course where I live and can play only once a month plus I have no where else I can hit balls. I have been playing for many years and have never been able to master the wedges because I think is due to poor lower back flexibility due to surgery. Everything else is ok and if I can find a solution for the lob shots and wedge approaches I feel I can get down to a single digit h.c. so I think it's worth a try.

 

Besides, people pay hundreds of dollars for all types of technology to hit their drivers, irons etc straight or hit better putts because of swing flaws so I think $10 for a cheap lob wedge that I can buy once a year for my own personal flaw is a worthy investment.