One of the great things about getting custom-fitted for golf clubs is having a better idea as to how your clubs will perform and how the statistics can help you become a better player.
One of the factors that you will learn about when getting fitted for clubs is the launch angle.
Understanding the proper launch angles and other factors will ensure that you choose the right club and that you can keep an eye on your statistics as you grow your golf game.
We will take a look at some important fitting factors with the seven iron and help you ensure that you are swinging one of the best clubs in your bag as efficiently as possible.
What Is The Ideal Launch Angle For A 7 Iron?
A golfer on the PGA Tour will have a launch angle of around 15 degrees for their seven iron.
Those on the LPGA Tour will have a slightly higher angle at around 20 degrees.
Most average golfers will fall somewhere around the 22-degree mark, but it all depends on the player’s club head speed.
A launch angle is an important fitting factor because it will not only determine the height that your ball travels but also the distance.
When you have a proper launch angle, you can get both distance and proper ball flight.
If your launch angle is too high, you may end up hitting the ball up but not getting it to go very far.
The professionals on the PGA Tour get quite a bit of distance, even with a high ball flight.
This is partly because of their ability to launch the golf ball at the proper angle.
The more club head speed you have, the easier it is to learn to control launch angle.
In addition, the equipment that you play will help you properly learn to control your launch angle as well.
If you are using golf clubs that are not the right fit for you, it gets very difficult to hit the ball towards your target.
Many golfers start to make changes and compensations in the golf swing to accommodate their equipment, but this is not the right strategy.
If you want to get better at the game, you must choose equipment that works for you and swing how you know how to reach success.
How Far Should A 7 Iron Go?
A seven iron should go about 140 yards.
This is considered to be the standard distance for an average male golfer.
For women golfers, the distance is going to be closer to 120 yards.
The bottom line is that distance is entirely related to the swing speed at which you approach the golf ball.
When your golf swing speed is fast, you can get more distance.
When your speed slows down, expect the distance of the golf ball to decrease.
For many professional golfers, the distance of a seven iron can be closer to 175 yards or more.
This is why these players carry so many wedges in their bags to help fill in the gaps in the short irons.
If you are getting your seven iron to fly 140 yards or so, you will likely be able to become more aggressive when it comes to scoring.
Many of the new golf irons on the market are built with lower lofts to help golfers get some extra ball speed.
The lower loft will sometimes produce a slightly lower launch, but the overall result tends to be more distance.
If you have been playing the game for many years, and you decide to update your golf irons, chances are the lofts are going to be much different on your new set of clubs.
The newest golf irons that are available have many different specifications because of the latest technology that has been brought to market.
The loft on your seven iron can be lowered, but you will not have a hard time getting the ball up in the air because of the placement of the center of gravity.
Should I Play A 7 Iron Or A 7 Hybrid?
For golfers who struggle with irons, it may feel as though the clubs just keep coming out of the bag to be replaced by hybrids.
When hybrids first came to the market, they were pretty much available in the three iron and four iron lofts.
Today, there are options for hybrids in the five, six, and seven as well.
In fact, some sets of irons are complete hybrid iron sets to appeal to those who struggle with a more traditional golf iron setup.
Depending on your golf game strength and weaknesses, the seven hybrids could be a good choice.
The major advantage that the seven hybrid will have over the seven iron is the performance out of the rough.
If you struggle with the strength necessary to get a golf ball out of the rough, the hybrid will make a world of difference.
Those who also have a hard time making clean contact to get a ball up off the ground, the hybrid can sometimes make things easier.
If you put a seven hybrid in the bag, the only downside is going to be the workability.
If you like to hit a fade or a draw type shot into a pin, it can be hard to do with a hybrid in your hand.
Irons tend to have much more workability, and they do a great job of allowing golfers to hit shots that are close to the pin.
However, if you feel as though you can’t get the performance necessary out of your seven iron, it certainly makes sense to change things up.
If you go as low as a seven iron hybrid in your set, it may be time to consider a complete set of hybrid irons.
Who Should Play One-Length Irons With All Clubs The Same As The 7 Iron?
One interesting option for golfers is a set known as a one-length iron set.
With a one-length iron set, all of the clubs in the set are made the same length as a seven iron.
The length of the seven iron was chosen as it is one of the easier lengths and lofts to choose.
The concept of every club being the same length as the seven iron is an excellent option for those who struggle with consistency.
In order to stay consistent, you must ensure that your setup and stance are accurate each time.
However, when the lengths of your clubs are constantly changing, this gets quite a bit harder to do.
The one-length iron sets have brought about a lot of good changes in the game of golf.
Players have learned that consistency, control, and comfort are all critical factors in the world of golf irons.
Potentially the most important thing we have learned from the one-length iron release is that the length of the golf irons is not the only factor that is going to determine the distance you can hit the ball.
Why Is My 7 Iron So Easy To Hit?
When asking golfers what their favorite golf club is, many times, they will tell you it is their seven iron.
This is quite common because of the loft and launch angle of the seven iron.
It is set up to a very forgiving angle, and because of that, the seven iron is one of the easiest golf irons to hit.
Here are a few reasons that you may love your seven iron.
1. Great For A Variety Of Swing Speeds
If your swing speed is slower, you will still have enough strength and power to get the seven iron into the air.
The lofts that golfers really start to struggle to see the performance from are the five and four irons.
At the seven iron loft, even those golfers with a swing speed of less than 80 mph can easily get the ball in the air and headed towards the target.
Part of what helps make a seven iron so popular is that it is still a well-known and well appreciated club in the bag across the range of all golfers.
2. Easy Loft
The loft of a seven iron is a very middle of the road loft.
When you think about the loft in golf, you must also relate it to forgiveness.
The more loft a club has, the more forgiving it typically is.
When you have a low loft on the club, you have to make precise contact to be able to hit it solid.
Think about the loft on the driver compared to the loft on your pitching wedge.
The pitching wedge has much more loft, so it is quite a bit easier to hit consistently.
If you hit ten golf balls with your driver and ten golf balls with your pitching wedge and looked at the dispersion, the pitching wedge is going to win almost every time.
The seven iron is so popular because the loft on the seven iron is going to be much closer to that of a pitching wedge than that of a driver.
Therefore, the results are easier to obtain, and golfers will see more positives.
Even with the loft changes that we are experiencing in the game of golf, the overall result is that the loft of the seven iron has not changed enough that it has become difficult to hit.
3. Shorter Approaches
Sometimes a seven iron is preferred because it is a club that is hit from a shorter distance.
Most of the time, when you approach a green from less than 150 yards, your chances of hitting that green are increased considerably.
When you get closer to the hole, it is easier to be more accurate, the swing is not going to be as big, and players tend to feel less pressure to hit the ball hard.
Therefore, you see better results with much less effort.
4. First Club To Learn With
Some people love their seven-iron because it was the club with which they learned how to play golf.
So many people start the game by having a seven iron in their hands, and from there, they learn how to incorporate wedges, other irons, drivers, and more.
When you take the time to learn with a seven iron, it will forever feel as though it is a home base for you.
This is really your middle club with short irons below and long irons above.
Teaching young kids to play with a seven iron is a really smart concept because they will learn how to control it and have that same positive introduction to the game.
The seven iron gives golfers just the right mix of challenge and positive results.
How Much Loft Does A 7 Iron Have?
The loft on a seven iron is going to be right around 34 degrees.
This has changed quite a bit in the recent years with the introduction of the lower lofts in golf irons.
In years past, you would have expected that the loft on a seven iron would be closer to 38 degrees.
The loft of the seven iron is going to determine both the ball flight and the distance that you can hit your shots.
Another tricky part of the loft that you can expect from a seven iron is that it is going to differ from one manufacturer to the next.
Some manufacturers are going to try and get the loft lower to increase the distance, and others will get the loft a bit higher to try and help golfers with the launch.
One thing that all amateur players need to start to investigate before they make a golf iron purchase is the loft.
If you don’t know the lofts of the club you are purchasing, you could end up having issues with loft gapping in your bag.
Essentially, you will end up with large spaces between wedges or between irons and hybrids.
Pay attention to the loft gapping when you go for your custom fitting on your golf clubs.
Tell the fitter it is one of your concerns, and they will give you suggestions for getting it to work out with the clubs you have.
Another important factor to consider is how the shaft and the style of the club are going to impact the launch.
A blade style seven iron with a heavy steel shaft is not going to go as high as a cavity back seven iron with a graphite shaft.
Understanding how these factors impact the launch angle and loft of your golf shots is essential.
For golfers who worry about distance and launch, always look for lighter weight, higher lofted clubs.
Conclusion
A seven iron is a critical golf club in the bag.
Whether you have a hybrid seven iron or you stay with the traditional iron, it is a club you need to learn to perfect.
The time you spend working on hitting a seven iron well is going to help you lower your scores and stay more accurate with your golf shots.
If you struggle to hit your seven iron, start spending some time on the range perfecting this club.
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