Should I Be Worried If I Am Not Hitting My New Irons Further?

When most amateurs buy new irons they are looking for one thing – distance. Very rarely do you hear an amateur say, “I got my new irons and I hit them about 10% shorter but they are straight as an arrow.” Nope, instead you hear, “I am hitting my 8 iron 15 yards further than I used to hit my old irons.” So, if you have purchased new irons and they aren’t going as far, should you be worried?

Absolutely not! The goal of irons is distance control and accuracy. Unless you are hitting a 4 iron or a 5 iron, distance should not be a huge concern. Most amateurs will be playing a course at 6500 yards or less so they won’t be hitting long irons into every green. If that is the case, you likely need to move up a set of tees.

Rather than worrying about the distance of your irons you should worry about the consistency and accuracy. Who cares if your 8 iron only goes 120 yards compared to your old 8 iron that used to go 135. As long as it goes 120 every single time, you will be just fine.

I would also argue that the shorter you hit your irons it is likely the case that they are more accurate. Every time an amateur tries to “muscle up” or “flush” a short to middle iron they end of blading it over the green or chunking it. When they try to hit it easy then end up hitting it even better. Stop worrying about distance and concern yourself with ball striking and contact. If the contact is great and you hit a 9 iron 110 yards, it doesn’t matter.

Keep this in mind before you turn in the new set of irons you just bought. I know you want to hit a pitching wedge 150 yards but it really doesn’t matter if you can’t hit the ball straight.