Apex of irons

[HPIMG]

I was at the range today just back from holiday and it’s first time I’ve hit a ball in around 3 weeks so I wasn’t expecting much. I noticed my 6 and 5 iron were not really going much further than my 7 iron even though the strike felt nice and solid. They were rolling out quite a lot further than my 7 but not carry. I noticed my apex on 7 iron was pretty consistently around 75ft then 6 iron 60ft and 5 iron 50ft so I’m guessing I need to maybe launch the 6 and 5 higher ?
What should the apex be for they clubs ?

 

[Orikoru]

Must be age catching up with you - time to get yourself some 5 & 6 hybrids.

 

[Bratty]

I was at the range today just back from holiday and it’s first time I’ve hit a ball in around 3 weeks so I wasn’t expecting much. I noticed my 6 and 5 iron were not really going much further than my 7 iron even though the strike felt nice and solid. They were rolling out quite a lot further than my 7 but not carry. I noticed my apex on 7 iron was pretty consistently around 75ft then 6 iron 60ft and 5 iron 50ft so I’m guessing I need to maybe launch the 6 and 5 higher ?
What should the apex be for they clubs ?

That's a very difficult question to answer, as swing speed, strike, launch, spin and angle of attack will all have an impact on the apex. And off a mat compared to turf will make it differ again.
I went for an indoor distance gapping session with a ProV1 RCT ball. I need another one, as I made the mistake of walking off the 18th green and going straight into the session!
However, as it stands, there's a 3 yard difference between my 6 iron and 5 iron and not much more between 5 and 4!
That is not reflected on the course, but it has led me to book a lesson.
I'd have a check in with a pro and ask them to advise. As I said, it could be any nunber of reasons.
This was an interesting take on it, and it may surprise you:

Apex Height

If you would ask a common golfer, “what’s the difference in apex height between driver and pitching wedge” I bet they do not realize how close these two shots are in height. Based on our PGA tour a…

blog.trackmangolf.com

 

[Lord Tyrion]

@Bratty good link, and yes I was very surprised. I'd say I'm not convinced but the numbers are there to see. Interesting stuff.

 

[Bratty]

@Bratty good link, and yes I was very surprised. I'd say I'm not convinced but the numbers are there to see. Interesting stuff.

Yeah, well check these numbers out. I don't really recognise these from my on course numbers, but computers don't lie... apparently.

 

[HPIMG]

That's a very difficult question to answer, as swing speed, strike, launch, spin and angle of attack will all have an impact on the apex. And off a mat compared to turf will make it differ again.
I went for an indoor distance gapping session with a ProV1 RCT ball. I need another one, as I made the mistake of walking off the 18th green and going straight into the session!
However, as it stands, there's a 3 yard difference between my 6 iron and 5 iron and not much more between 5 and 6!
That is not reflected on the course, but it has led me to book a lesson.
I'd have a check in with a pro and ask them to advise. As I said, it could be any nunber of reasons.
This was an interesting take on it, and it may surprise you:

Apex Height

If you would ask a common golfer, “what’s the difference in apex height between driver and pitching wedge” I bet they do not realize how close these two shots are in height. Based on our PGA tour a…

blog.trackmangolf.com

Thanks for the link. So my 7 iron is even low, looking at them going 75ft looks pretty high to me but they should be almost 100ft so I’m guessing that will also increase carry ? My 7 iron is my 175/180 carry clubs not sure I would want it going any further to be honest.

 

[Bratty]

Thanks for the link. So my 7 iron is even low, looking at them going 75ft looks pretty high to me but they should be almost 100ft so I’m guessing that will also increase carry ? My 7 iron is my 175/180 carry clubs not sure I would want it going any further to be honest.

I also found this link, which gives you an idea when adding swing speed into the equation.

Fully Equipped mailbag: What are the ideal launch and spin numbers for your irons?

The latest edition of GOLF's Fully Equipped mailbag takes a closer look at the ideal launch and spin numbers for your irons.

www.google.com

What irons do you play?

 

[HPIMG]

I also found this link, which gives you an idea when adding swing speed into the equation.

Fully Equipped mailbag: What are the ideal launch and spin numbers for your irons?

The latest edition of GOLF's Fully Equipped mailbag takes a closer look at the ideal launch and spin numbers for your irons.

www.google.com

What irons do you play?

Mizuno pro 225

 

[Lord Tyrion]

@Bratty this type of thing is a reality check for us all. I dropped my 6 iron after working out I hit my 7 iron further and more consistently so, what was the point? Same with a 19 and 23° hybrid.It's good to check your numbers every so often, just to make sure that what you think is happening really is happening.

Incidentally, I was not genuinely questioning the apex numbers, it just seems to go against what you think would be the case. Perception and reality..........

 

[Bratty]

Mizuno pro 225

Loft is 30°, which is 4° stronger than a traditional 7 iron and built for less spin so you will be hitting it a decent length if you've got a decent swing.
Tester of these at launch from golfalot.com had an average of 73.8 with the 6 iron, so you're not far off them.

 

[Bratty]

@Bratty this type of thing is a reality check for us all. I dropped my 6 iron after working out I hit my 7 iron further and more consistently so, what was the point? Same with a 19 and 23° hybrid.It's good to check your numbers every so often, just to make sure that what you think is happening really is happening.

Incidentally, I was not genuinely questioning the apex numbers, it just seems to go against what you think would be the case. Perception and reality..........

Just reread my post, sir. Apologies. Didn't think for a minute you were questioning the numbers (or me). I should have led with "I agree. Check these numbers out!".

 

[Imurg]

@Bratty this type of thing is a reality check for us all. I dropped my 6 iron after working out I hit my 7 iron further and more consistently so, what was the point? Same with a 19 and 23° hybrid.It's good to check your numbers every so often, just to make sure that what you think is happening really is happening.

Incidentally, I was not genuinely questioning the apex numbers, it just seems to go against what you think would be the case. Perception and reality..........

I had a 5i, a 4h and a 5h that all went within 4 yards of each other...much as I suspected....other gaps were decent.
On the height thing I was always under the impression that, ideally, all clubs should have a similar peak height but reach that peak height at different distances
Backed up by the PGAT numbers....whether we can actually do it though.......

 

[Hobbit]

The first thing I’d get checked is loft. I had a similar experience a number of years ago. It turned out to be an issue with the loft.

 

[BiMGuy]

The first thing I’d get checked is loft. I had a similar experience a number of years ago. It turned out to be an issue with the loft.

Was just going to say the same.

I’ve had two irons in the set with the same loft, and they go the same distance.

 

[Crow]

As Imurg says, assuming a well struck ball then the apex for all clubs should be similar.

This relies on increasing the shaft length as loft is reduced to give increased ball speed. If your shaft lengths and lofts don't correlate across the set (and your swing is not consistent!) then you'll see different apex heights.

 

[Andy]

Apex should be consistent, ball speed should increase 5mph per club as you go up thru the bag.

You may not have the swing speed to get any more out of a longer iron.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

If club loft varies, why does apex remain consistent? Greater loft should throw the ball up higher, shouldn't it?

 

[Smokey Lomcevak]

With a more lofted club, launch angle should increase, and ball speed should decrease, due to the decreased shaft length and the more glancing contact between club and ball. In addition, spin should increase. The landing angle will naturally increase as a result of the increased spin and reduced forward ball speed.

There is no innate need for more lofted clubs to reach a higher peak height. There will however come a point where a given player is unable to impart enough energy on the ball (because of a lack of speed) to cope with the lower launch angle of stronger clubs - often around the 4/5/6 iron mark. At this point, the player can benefit from help with launch - often achieved by pulling the centre of gravity back or down - which is where hybrids and fairway woods come in. The player can keep their speed, because of the longer shaft and often the springier face of these clubs compared to traditional irons, but enjoy increased dynamic loft, launch angle, and often “forgiveness” to boot.

 

[harpo_72]

Interesting trackman stuff but it’s a bit peculiar maybe it’s should be quantified by the distance travelled to attain peak height ..
I only carry what I need so max distance I will have on a second shot. I use the yardages of the holes, I carry 170 yard iron as my longest currently that means I am on a 400yard hole relatively easily and given there are 2 par 4s above this I am either going to push harder on the driver or accept I may need to chip up ..
I made this decision on the load carrying , hasn’t harmed my scores.