Losing Distance with Irons? Here’s What You Need to Know to Fix It

Hitting a 7 iron 150 yards is much different than hitting a 7 iron 135 yards. The longer you can hit your irons, the more short iron approach shots you will have into a green, and that’s a good thing!

Although we can fully agree that distance in golf is not everything, if you are losing distance with irons, you are losing strokes off your game.

Losing Distance with Irons (Key Takeaways)

If you don’t have the time to read our entire guide on losing distance with irons, here are the key things you should take away with you right now.

• The main reason golfers lose distance with their irons is that their lead wrist is too extended through the impact position. The extra extension decreases speed, increases launch angle, and decreases consistency in the shots.
• Having the proper setup and ball position can increase iron distance; move the ball more toward the middle and add just a little weight to your lead side.
• Gain some extra speed by increasing your overall body strength; there is a direct correlation between body strength and the ability to generate clubhead speed.
• Check your clubs and make sure they are the right fit for you, and they have some new technological advances that help improve overall speed.

Prefer watching instead of reading? Watch the video below as Rob Cheney breaks down one key move to help you hit your irons longer and more consistently.

Why Am I Losing Distance with My Irons?

Losing distance with your irons on a consistent basis is a sign that there is something not quite right in your golf game.

If you have one bad round, chalk it up to being tired or weaker that day, but when it comes to consistent distance loss, here are the most common reasons you will see this happen.

Losing Ulnar Deviation on the Downswing

One of the things we have discovered from analyzing more than 1,000,000 golf swings of professionals and incredible amateurs is the ulnar deviation angles on the downswing.

Professionals are able to keep their wrist angles, and then just before the ball, they are able to rotate and hit square and solid shots. The amateur player tends to lose ulnar deviation and flip the club just before impact.

The result is not just a lack of distance with the irons but also a loss of consistency in the strike.

Too Much Lead Wrist Extension at Impact

At impact, the lead wrist needs to be flexed instead of extended. Most amateur golfers get to impact, and they have too much extension in their lead wrist.

This extension changes the angle of the clubface, adds more loft, and sometimes creates a shot that travels from left to right with less power.

The key is to be in a position of flexion at impact.

Loss of Swing Speed

To hit the ball far, you need speed. Slowing down your swing will create a loss of distance. Of course, most golfers are not intentionally decreasing their speed.

Instead, old age or a lack of fitness activities makes players lose distance.

Tempo and accuracy matter, but if you want more distance, you need more speed.

Golf Clubs that No Longer Fit Your Game

If you are playing with clubs that are not properly fitted to your swing, it will cost you distance.

I’ve seen many amateur players choosing irons that are simply too heavy for them.

This naturally slows down the speed and makes it very difficult to get the ball’s flight and distance needed.

Check your golf club weights, lie angles, and shaft flex.

Incorrect Ball Position

Having the ball too far back or forward in your stance can lead to an incorrect angle of attack.

This angle of attack will either launch the ball too high or too low. If you don’t find that optimal peak height in your golf shot, you won’t end up with the optimal distance.

How to Gain Distance with Your Irons

Here are the best ways to gain your distance back with your irons and improve your scoring at the same time.

Use Ground Forces

When gaining distance with your irons, the ground is your friend.

The best players in the game utilize the ground to help increase resistance and power. As you move through the golf ball, you will want to ensure that you are pushing down and through the ground.

The more you can do this (instead of just trying to stay balanced or on your feet), the easier it is to generate extra power, traction, and control.

Start to change your concept of what the ground is there for, and your iron shots will benefit greatly.

Perfect the Setup

To dial in your ideal iron setup, follow the steps in the printable below. This simple test can help you discover the most consistent ball position for clean, reliable contact.

Control Your Wrist Angles at Impact

The biggest reason golfers lose iron distance is too much lead-wrist extension at impact. Extension adds loft, opens the face, and turns your 7-iron into a 9-iron.

To hit your irons farther, you need more lead-wrist flexion at impact, this delofts the club, strengthens the face, and increases ball speed.

With HackMotion, you can actually measure this: your graph should show a move from extension at the top of the swing into flexion at impact. That’s the difference between a weak, high shot and a penetrating, powerful one.

Swing with Extra Weight

Warming up by swinging two clubs together is a simple way to activate your muscles and prep your body for more speed.

Find a speed training program that you enjoy working with and can do consistently. This is the best way to add some yards to your irons.

Swing mechanics is a major issue in why golfers lose distance with their irons, but so is a lack of strength. Putting in a little time to gain leg and arm strength will lead to longer iron shots.

Use Extra Weight on the Lead Side

With an iron shot, you do want to create a descending angle of attack. One of the best ways to do this is to add a little weight to your lead side as you set up to hit.

The extra weight on the lead side creates a better turn and shift and increases the downward angle of attack.

Keep 60% of your weight on your left side when hitting wedge shots, and then gradually move it back a little so that when you get to your fairway woods and driver, the weight is evenly distributed.

Increase Shoulder Turn

For some reason, when golfers get irons in their hands, they try to manipulate them more with their hands and wrists.

It’s really quite common because of the shorter club length, but it’s not going to help you when it comes to distance.

To maximize distance, increase your shoulder turn and get your shoulder to fit fully under your chin as part of the backswing. Sometimes, when trying to increase shoulder turn, you will have a tendency to pull your golf iron shots.

Drills to Work On Getting Your Distance Back

These three drills can be found in the following HackMotion video. Each one will help you work on gaining some distance back in your golf iron shots. See which one helps you the most.

Feet-Together Swish Drill

This drill teaches you to release the clubhead at the bottom instead of holding on too long. It’s a simple way to train timing and wrist release with HackMotion feedback.

Step Drill

The step drill improves sequencing, weight shift, and wrist angles. It helps you land pressure forward early so your wrists can release properly into impact.

Hit Hard, Stop Quick (Recoil)

This drill teaches you to transfer speed into the ball and then immediately brace your body. The recoil version adds even more awareness of sequencing and release.

Summary

Wrist action in the golf swing will cause you to lose distance. If you can’t quite square the clubface, don’t expect that a new club or a little wind behind your back is going to make the difference.

Get out to the range with your HackMotion and immediately feel the difference in your iron shots created by proper wrist action and control.