Driver and 7 iron distances

[joekloo]

What distance do you typically hit them?  I feel like my iron distance is short relative to my driver.  Typically I am with or past most of the people I play with off the tee, but a club less when hitting irons.  Driver is 240 avg (ranges from 230-260 depending on where on the face I hit it and how bad I spin it).  7 iron is 140-145 off the fairway, maybe +5-10 yards off the tee.  (so 7 iron is 60% of driver distance) Joe

[b.mattay]

I have a 60% ratio there as well!

[North Butte]

Carry distances about 190 versus 145. 

 

Total distances depend entirely on course conditions, I've had rounds where my driver averages 190 total (wet) and rounds where it averages 225 total (firm). Same with 7-iron, about 145 is its wet or closer to 150-155 if the greens are firm.

 

On my home course, warm-to-hot weather, reasonably firm and dry conditions I'd consider my total 7-iron distance to be around 150 and my total driver distance 205-210.

[OnTheBag]

24 minutes ago, joekloo said:

What distance do you typically hit them?  I feel like my iron distance is short relative to my driver.  Typically I am with or past most of the people I play with off the tee, but a club less when hitting irons.  Driver is 240 avg (ranges from 230-260 depending on where on the face I hit it and how bad I spin it).  7 iron is 140-145 off the fairway, maybe +5-10 yards off the tee.  (so 7 iron is 60% of driver distance) Joe

What loft is your 7i?

[rgk5]

Driver 220-230, 7-iron 135-140. Age 75.5

[AdamMH]

Lofts matter and this is not an all-else-equal scenario.
That said, driver is 290+ when it's in play and struck well, and a flush 7i (vintage lofts) is usually 160-165 carry on a good day.

[jomatty]

Driver is around 250 and seven iron (Mizuno 225, so strong) is 160.

[Chunkitgood]

It’s possible that relatively long drives and short irons is the result of hitting up on both, which a lot of people seem to do.

[PowerPlayer]

19 minutes ago, Chunkitgood said:

It’s possible that relatively long drives and short irons is the result of hitting up on both, which a lot of people seem to do.

If you're hitting up on a 7 iron you'd be fully living up to your name: chunking it up real good all over the course.

[596]

Driver is about 225 and I hit my 7 iron from 130 but a full 7 is about 150. I'd hit a 6 or even a 5 from 150 with a 3/4 swing. I never hit a full iron. 

[Nard_S]

Driver @ 275, 36* #7i @ 162. 

[Pepperturbo]

9.5' Driver is 245+ carry, depending on bones, and 35' 7i is 148yds carry.

[Valtiel]

@Howard_Jones had a whole topic about this around the Driver/PW relationship and the cleaner 50% distance relationship between them. 

[SteelieD]

240/150

[MelloYello]

165 / 265 carry

 

62%

Edited November 20, 2022 by MelloYello

[b.mattay]

54 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

@Howard_Jones had a whole topic about this around the Driver/PW relationship and the cleaner 50% distance relationship between them. 

Gotta be smashing the living daylights out of a PW or have really strong lofts for to be true methinks.

 

I find 50% 9 iron to driver would be more appropriate. 

[North Butte]

5 minutes ago, b.mattay said:

Gotta be smashing the living daylights out of a PW or have really strong lofts for to be true methinks.

 

I find 50% 9 iron to driver would be more appropriate. 

My driver carry distance is around 190 yards. My pitching wedge carry distance is a little more than 110 (I usually figure on 112). The loft is strong at 43 degrees but even when I had a 45-degree PW it was still 105 or so.

 

Heck, twenty years ago my Titleist DCI pitching wedge was 49 degrees and that was my 100-yard club. I doubt my driver back then (Cleveland Launcher 460 with the gold shaft) would carry much more than 180-185 at most.

I'm talking typical carry distances for well struck, nothing special shots. Once every couple rounds I might hit a 200+ yard carry driver shot but then again once in a while the PW goes 120 so the ratio is still pretty similar if we're talking "smashed driver" versus "smashed PW".

 

All these rules of thumb are general patterns that can't possibly take into the quirks of individual swings and equipment. 

Edited November 20, 2022 by North Butte

[Nard_S]

The Howard Jones thread was more about weight ratios than distance ratio.

[Valtiel]

53 minutes ago, b.mattay said:

Gotta be smashing the living daylights out of a PW or have really strong lofts for to be true methinks.

 

I find 50% 9 iron to driver would be more appropriate. 

 

36 minutes ago, Nard_S said:

The Howard Jones thread was more about weight ratios than distance ratio.

 

@b.mattay Not based on what Howard laid out above which definitely rings true for me at least, and I have a 48* PW. 

@Nard_S Sounds like you were thinking of a different thread. 

[b.mattay]

6 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

 

@b.mattay Not based on what Howard laid out above which definitely rings true for me at least, and I have a 48* PW. 
 

People are different for sure. I have a 46 degree pitching wedge that carries about 135, and a driver that carries about 295. 

[Roejye]

Hmm good question. Looking at my stats driver averages 228 yards, and my 7 iron is 147. Now I have days when I can average 230+ but then there are days when I average 200-210. I think for the 7 iron the variance is a little smaller.

[cardoustie]

carry
Driver 260-265

7i 174-178

pw 142-146

 

[Nard_S]

14 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

@Nard_S Sounds like you were thinking of a different thread. 

Maybe. There's strong correlation of ideal PW mass to ideal driver mass. It's near 2:1 and in my case it rings true.

[North Butte]

I would actually find it mildly surprising if that ratio scaled with clubhead speed. It seems entirely plausible that at very low clubhead speeds the ratio would be small and at very high clubhead speeds it would be larger. But at the very least, there's enough difference in ball compression aerodynamics over a 2:1 range (or more) of clubhead speeds it won't all necessarily work out linearly. 

 

[Valtiel]

10 minutes ago, b.mattay said:

People are different for sure. I have a 46 degree pitching wedge that carries about 135, and a driver that carries about 295. 

Right, and the purpose of Howard's observations there is to highlight that fact that in your case your PW is quite short compared to what it should be (assuming the driver number is accurate) and that could indicate a fit or technique issue. 

[ohjims]

My driver carry is average is around 260 and  7I is around 172

[gsrjc]

6 hours ago, joekloo said:

What distance do you typically hit them?  I feel like my iron distance is short relative to my driver.  Typically I am with or past most of the people I play with off the tee, but a club less when hitting irons.  Driver is 240 avg (ranges from 230-260 depending on where on the face I hit it and how bad I spin it).  7 iron is 140-145 off the fairway, maybe +5-10 yards off the tee.  (so 7 iron is 60% of driver distance) Joe

240 carry. 155-160 carry. 

[b.mattay]

1 hour ago, Valtiel said:

Right, and the purpose of Howard's observations there is to highlight that fact that in your case your PW is quite short compared to what it should be (assuming the driver number is accurate) and that could indicate a fit or technique issue. 

Has more to do with how hard you hit your short clubs relative to driver. I have no problem comfortably hitting PW 150-155 if need be but don't most times. Hence my original comment about smashing the daylights out of wedges. 

[joekloo]

58 minutes ago, gsrjc said:

240 carry. 155-160 carry. 

That is about what I see from others as well.  I have the old Rogues from a few years back, so they are not that old.  Could just be I am getting old (55) and all the work in my driver swing the past few years has prolonged the inevitable decline there as well.

[gsrjc]

Just now, joekloo said:

That is about what I see from others as well.  I have the old Rogues from a few years back, so they are not that old.  Could just be I am getting old (55) and all the work in my driver swing the past few years has prolonged the inevitable decline there as well.

Stealth 9 degree driver with Ventus Blue stiff. ZX7 7 iron standard loft with LA golf graphite shaft 105g. Driver SS 101-102. Not sure about 7 iron but my 6 iron is 86-87.