re: 190 yards. What you hitting?

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That's one thing I don't understand about the golf community, especially the people that have been playing this game for 20 plus years. A) equipment improvements B) fittings becoming more common C) people are bigger and stronger than in the past D) some people have fast twitch athletic backgrounds outside of golf E) most people can generally improve contact and distance with practice F) Sim tech offering instant feedback and data on each shot G) Internet has a ton of information on how to gain distance among other things H) average sized baw of 5ft 9, 160 pounds vs bigger baw at 6ft 2, 210 pounds (or even larger). The bigger baws, with the longer arms are typically effortlessly able to add on distance from stock, bc they don't have to do that much to generate average clubhead speed with their levers. It's not a difficult concept. I think it just boils down to jealousy and ego at the end of the day. I am a bit surprised that IHighway dude is always talking about playing golf tournaments and he can't conceive someone hitting a 7 iron 205 yards. Must not be serious comp out there if that number baffles you. And again, I'm not a numbnuts trying to hit that number every time I swing the club. If the back of the green is 205-210 and the front is 185, then 7 is the club. If I hit 6, I risk hitting it over the green into bunkers, water, etc. It's just simple course management baw.

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190 is a smooth 6 for me (I play older AP2’s), and I’m 5’11” 155 lbs and a 30-something father of 3 kids. I’ve been playing since I was eight, so I hit it pretty hard for my size, but I have no issue buying that plenty of decent players can hit a 7 190. I’ve played with and against a ton of guys 10 handicap and below in mid ams, member members, member guests, etc. who can hit that.

That’s effectively stock for most pro guys right now.

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Full 9 or backed-off 8. Depends on wind, elevation and/or other conditions.

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Riiiiiight

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or spec’d down lofts

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Bingo

And here are the tour averages for each iron just as a reference point for some of the responses ITT

9 152
8 164
7 176
6 188
5 199
4 209

(source: trackman data from the 2024 PGA Tour season)
LINK

Much of that has to do with how much they spin it and hit controlled shots rather than full. It’s why you see many of them hitting 8 or 7 iron to the 12th at Augusta which plays 150. They rarely play flat courses. The greens are much harder and faster where spin is more important. They’re hitting hit far off the tee with woods but they want that control elsewhere.

My 7 iron is 33°. It’s my 185 club. I’m a 3 hdcp. It’s the control and short game that separates the pros.

Yea if I hit an absolute perfect 11/10 strike, I might get an extra few yards out of it, but I'm not in the business of leaving more than a full club in the tank. When I'm making a full swing, I'm generally never "stepping on it" or laying off. My swing speed is my swing speed and aside from short game finesse shots, I'm always trying to hit it about as far as I can with the respective club. If I need to squeeze out another 20 yards, I hit the next club up.


If I'm ever in a situation where I'm really in between clubs on a longer approach, I'm making the same swing, just choked down an inch or so on the longer club.

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A thin 56* from green side bunker with woods around me

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I legitimately came here to make this joke

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9 152
8 164
7 176
6 188
5 199
4 209

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these are my distances, except I cant hit my 4 or 5 worth a poop right now.

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every one of us here can probably hit it significantly further in the middle of a range session than what you can reliably expect when pulling out the 7 iron for the first time in 5 holes during your once a week round.

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The reliability of hitting a clean shot is certainly way lower for me on course compared to hitting 15 in a row with the same club on the range. But I still base my club selection on what it should carry if everything goes well. I'm not going to club up to protect from hitting it fat. If it happens and I'm short, so be it...I need to get better

I pay attention to my club head speed on the launch monitor when pulling the data too. If my averages are creeping up for a club, but so is the club head speed, it's not more consistent strikes, it's me loosening up and/or swinging too hard as I get in a groove. I look for clean strikes at the right club head speed to pick my distances. I won't be carrying the high end club head speed on the course

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The reliability of hitting a clean shot is certainly way lower for me on course compared to hitting 15 in a row with the same club on the range. But I still base my club selection on what it should carry if everything goes well. I'm not going to club up to protect from hitting it fat. If it happens and I'm short, so be it...I need to get better

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For sure. Maybe I'm just dumb, but I've never subscribed to the "just club up" mantra that is told to amateurs. I never plan to make a shitty swing or a poor strike, so when deciding which club to select on a given shot, I'm always picturing a "perfect" swing. Now I may decide on a different strategy if my miss brings in serious trouble, but I'm never defaulting to the longer club just assuming I'm going to make a poor strike.


I'm just saying I know I can hit 190-195 with a 7 iron on a trackman sim after getting into a groove, but that's probably gonna max out at 185ish on course simply due to the fact that I'm rarely, if ever, going to have a lie as good as a range mat and it's much easier mentally to swing free with a wide open range in front of you vs aiming at a target protected by trouble.


I'm mainly wondering if the data is on course data vs range because on course introduces a ton of variables that will effect distance no matter who you are.

I do take temperature into account. Not body wise, but I just know the ball is going to go a club or so shorter at 65 degrees vs 95 degrees.