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Are shorter irons easier to hit?

Author

Mia Kelly

Published Jan 14, 2026

Long irons are considerably harder to hit than short irons, and it is good to have a general understanding of this concept. The more prepared you are to take on these long iron shots, the better your chance for success.

Are shorter length irons easier to hit?

While longer clubs can help increase speed and launch angle, shorter clubs can be easier to hit solid due to the reduction in swing arc.

Are shorter golf irons better?

A shorter club technically should improve control and accuracy. A longer club technically should increase distance. A club that is properly fitted in terms of the length of the shaft will maximize accuracy and distance.

Why do I struggle with long irons?

Update from a scratch golfer

The main reason hitting long irons is difficult for an amateur is the fact that they do not turn their shoulders to hit the golf ball. They use their hands and arms to drag the body back on the backswing and pull the body forward on the downswing.

Do you lose distance with shorter irons?

The most important thing to remember about the distance when you shorten your irons is that it does not always mean a decrease in distance. If your irons were too long for you to be confident or to have the right swing speed or posture, chances are you would gain distance if you shortened them.

39 related questions found

Do pro golfers use shorter clubs?

Most pro golfers use shorter shafts on their drivers than recreational golfers. Is this true? Absolutely true.

How do I know if I need shorter golf clubs?

If a player has clubs that are too short, they will usually bend over too much from the waist in their address position. Conversely, clubs that are too long will require the player to stand too erect. Both of these subconscious adjustments could potentially make their swing motion less effective than it should be.

Why can't I hit my irons very far?

One reason you might not be hitting the ball very far is that you have too high of a spin rate with your driver and irons. An easy way to spot this is watching how high your shots go in the air. Golf shots that get hit with high back spin rates tend to climb higher into the air.

Should you hit down on long irons?

The long iron shot is more of a 'sweeping' stroke and many players will barely scuff the ground, rather than take a divot, when playing with a longer club. One thing to note here, however, is that the strike on the ball with a long iron should still be downward.

Why can I hit a 7 iron but not 5?

Each club is about three or four degrees less loft than the club before them. This means that your seven iron is going to have considerably less loft than your four iron. The longer a golf club is and the more loft that it has, the more difficult it is to hit.

How do I know if my irons are too short?

6 Signs Your Golf Clubs are Too Short

  1. You need to bend too much at the waist before swinging.
  2. You also have to bend your knees pre-swing.
  3. You keep hitting the ball with the golf club's heel.
  4. The swing path is in to out.
  5. The tempo is too quick.
  6. The ball tends to veer off to the right.

How do you hit short irons better?

To work on it, make some less-than-full swings with a short iron where you do the opposite of what you might have heard when it comes to using a headcover under your trail arm as a training aid. Instead of holding it under there for the swing, start with it tucked there and make sure you drop it early in the backswing.

Should shorter golfers use shorter clubs?

Shorter golfers are often better served with shorter clubs, while the lie angle (how the club sits on the ground) may also need tweaking. If your clubs are too long and/or upright, you'll be forced to adjust away from a swing that's natural for you.

How do I know if my irons are too long?

How to Tell if Your Golf Clubs are Too Long

  1. Completely upright posture.
  2. Improper golf swing.
  3. Odd ball flight.
  4. Feels cumbersome and unmanageable.
  5. Shaft feels weak.
  6. Consistency hitting with the toe.
  7. The measurements are wrong.

Does height matter for golf clubs?

Because golf is a game of repetition and your swing should not vary in most circumstances, your stance will be the same. It doesn't matter how tall you are if you have a deeper crouch in your swing because your wrists will then be closer to the ground, which means you need slightly shorter clubs.

Why can't I hit my 5 iron?

Some golfers make the mistake of playing the five iron with a ball position that is right in the middle of their stance. This will make it very difficult to even get the ball up off the ground. A proper ball position with a five iron is closer to your left foot than it is to the middle of your stance.

Is a 5 iron a long iron?

Long irons are the 2-, 3- ,and 4-irons; mid-irons, the 5-, 6-, and 7-irons; short irons, the 8- and 9-irons and pitching wedge. (Two-irons are becoming obsolete and are exceedingly rare for recreational golfers. Because of this, some sources now count the 5-iron as one of the long irons.

How far can a 5 iron hit?

The average golfer should be able to hit a five iron 160 yards. This is for a player with average swing speed. The faster swinging players should be able to get 170 to 180 yards out of their five iron. Golfers with very slow swing speeds may only see 150 or fewer yards out of their five iron.

Why are my iron shots so short?

Practice your alignment, ball position, posture and balance with the help of a professional instructor. Poor fundamentals can cause short shots. Failing to complete your follow through or not properly shifting your weight during the swing also can cause iron shots to fall short.

Why am I hitting the ground first with my irons?

Generally speaking, a thin or fat shot is caused by having your swing center too far behind the ball at impact. This error causes your club to bottom out too far behind the ball and will cause you to hit the ground first (a fat shot) or hit the top of the ball (a thin shot).

What length irons do I need?

Using the ratio of every 6" of height there should be a 1" change in length then there should be a 1 ½" difference between their 5-irons. For example, recommend 36.5" for the lady and 38" for the man (or 36.75" / 38.25").

Why are golf irons different lengths?

As a club is longer (as well as lighter), then it can be swung faster up to a limit. The increased length provides greater leverage and speed to hit the ball further if solid contact is to be made. Shorter clubs are designed not for length, but rather precision.