Irons Distances

It is said that you drive for show and putt for dough. By comparison, Irons are the work horses of golf clubs. Even professionals do not often sink an iron shot nor do they hit the irons as far as they go. Irons are all about precision. You want your iron to land close to where you are aiming, and that is why knowing the distance of your irons is so important.

Irons are rarely hit with full strength, and can often be hit with a half swing or less, depending on the exact job for which you are using it.

The table below shows indicative distances for irons when hit with their normal swing. The distances are displayed in yards. You can also estimate iron distances with our club distances calculator.

Yards Metres

Club	Loft (degrees)	Distance for men (yards)	Distance for women (yards)
1-iron	15 - 18	177-215-242	108-139-177
2-iron	18 - 20	161-195-219	98-126-161
3-iron	21 - 24	148-180-202	90-117-148
4-iron	25 - 28	140-170-191	85-110-140
5-iron	28 - 32	132-160-180	80-104-132
6-iron	32 - 36	124-150-169	75-97-124
7-iron	36 - 40	115-140-157	70-91-115
8-iron	40 - 44	107-130-146	65-84-107
9-iron	45 - 48	95-115-129	58-75-95
Pitching wedge	48 - 52	87-105-118	53-68-87
Gap wedge	52 - 54	78-95-107	48-62-78
Sand wedge	54 - 58	66-80-90	40-52-66
Lob wedge	58 - 62	58-70-79	35-45-58

Here is a complimentary tip for you. When you hit your irons, move your back foot so it is angled at right angle to the direction of the target. This will slightly restrict you back swing, giving you more consistency over the distance that you hit the ball.