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. However, for reach iron you have a normal swing, which will be a little less than the full power swing with which you can hit the club.
The table below shows indicative distances for irons when hit with their normal swing. The distances are displayed in yards.
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.
Improve at Golf
Join The Golf Mentor. It is a 24x7 golfing coach powered by Artificial Intelligence. It can answer any golfing question, provide you with a handicap, guide you to set goals and plan practice sessions, diagnose weaknesses, improve your mental game and much more. Using it for just ten minutes a week can make a huge difference to your game. The monthly cost is about the price of golf ball. You can have a free seven day trial, no credit card needed. You can get started by filling out the form below and click Join Now.