Whether you are playing on a daily basis or are a professional golfer, it’s important to understand what are the differences between golf irons and how to select a set that will help you play to your full potential. There are three basic types of golf irons: long irons, mid-irons, and short irons.
The long irons include the 2-, 3-, and 4-irons. The mid-irons include the 5-, 6-, and 7-irons. The short irons include the 8- and 9-irons and the pitching wedge.
The differences between short and long irons are based on the length and loft of the clubs. The loft of the club is the angle between the clubface and the hitting surface and affects the trajectory that the ball travels. If a club has a lot of loft, the ball will travel at a higher angle but for a shorter horizontal distance. Drivers have the lowest loft while wedges have the highest.
The shorter the shaft, the easier it is to control. Short irons have a shorter loft than long irons, making them easier to swing. Long irons will help you achieve greater distances, while short irons will consistently get the ball close to the flagstick. Hybrids can be used by both long and short players and they are becoming a more popular option over the past decade.
The short irons have the smallest clubhead of all the golf irons, and they are used to hit the ball close to the hole. Short irons have the shortest shafts and lowest lofts of all the golf irons, and are used for very precise shots, like those around the green.
The short irons are commonly used in situations where you need to carry over obstacles. The short irons are used for shots that require high loft and are less than 125 yards away from the green. They are designed to help you hit the ball as close to the hole as possible.
Short irons are generally easier to control and are best suited for putting. The larger the sweet spot, the more spin is imparted. As a result, short irons are easier to hit than long or mid irons.
The 5, 6, and 7 irons are categorized as mid irons. The mid irons are designed to hit the ball medium-length distances, and they have a clubhead that is around 120 cubic centimeters. Mid irons have a shorter shaft and lower loft than the long irons, and are used for shots that are in between long and short range.
They are typically used for longer approach shots that require a medium trajectory from the fairway or rough. They are also good for getting out of sand traps. The mid irons are typically used for shots that are around 125-200 yards from the green. They have a moderate amount of loft and are designed to give you a lot of control over the ball.
Mid irons are the most common club for approach shots and par 3s, but their range can vary depending on the golfer’s power. For example, a male golfer can hit a 7 iron at around 140 yards, while a female can hit it at about 120 yards. Short irons are generally the 8-iron or 9-iron. Some of the better golfers even consider the 7-iron a short iron.
The most basic irons are the long irons, which have a longer shaft and higher loft than the other types of irons. The longest irons are the 2, 3, and four irons. The long irons have a larger head that is around 158 cubic centimeters, and they are used to hit the ball long distances, typically from the fairway. The long irons are used for shots that are more than 200 yards away from the green.
They have the lowest loft of any of the irons and are designed to help you get the ball up in the air quickly. These clubs feature the lowest loft and longest shafts. Their main purpose is to hit the ball a long distance with low launch angles.
Wedges are a sub-set of irons and they have the shortest shafts and highest lofts of all of the clubs. They put a lot of spin on the ball which will cause the ball to stop quickly on the putting green.
There are different types of wedges. The most popular ones are the sand wedge, gap wedge, and pitching wedge.
The names vary, but they all follow the same loft progression as irons. Wedges are typically shorter in length and have heavier clubheads and more severe angles than irons, but they’re the most versatile of all. They are used for short-range shots. Some golfers use wedges for approach shots and par 3s.
The loft of a wedge is usually indicated by a two-digit number. If you want to have 10- to 15-yard gaps for your wedges, the difference in loft angles between the wedges should be between 4 and 6 degrees. The loft of a pitching wedge normally ranges from 43 degrees to 47 degrees. The loft angle for a gap wedge is typically between 47 degrees and 52 degrees. The loft angle of a sand wedge is typically between 54 degrees and 56 degrees. Sand wedges are typically used for shots from a sand bunker and chips around the green. Lob wedges have the highest loft angles ranging between 58 and 62 degrees. Lob wedges are mainly used for high-arcing shots over water hazards or sand bunkers that land softly and quickly stop on the green.
The pitching wedge will give you a higher loft on your shots than the 9-iron would but it will give you a lower loft than the gap wedge. The 9-iron is about a 1/2-inch longer than the pitching wedge, 1-inch longer than the sand wedge, and 1.5-inches longer than the gap wedge. You should speak to your fitter if you want to better understand the relationship between your irons and wedges.
Hybrids combine the characteristics of an iron and a fairway wood in one club. They’re commonly used for short and mid-range shots and are also used as utility clubs. The hybrid is the best of both worlds and can improve your accuracy and distance. As long as you play safely, you can hit a high-arcing shot with a hybrid iron. This type of club has higher spin rates and softer landings than woods.
