Understanding a golf hit distance is important; otherwise, it may become a challenging issue for golfers. Some players think they have hit the right distance required for a particular hit under certain situations. If we particularly talk about a normal 5 Iron club, the ideal hit should travel a distance of around 160 yards on average. However, it further depends on the swing speed, the type of player, and his skills or talent set.
Let us find out how far a 5-iron can hit.
How Far Should A 5-Iron Hit?
It’s complicated to say how far a 5-Iron should hit. As it varies from player to player, the course conditions and even the skill sets play a vital role. However, generally speaking, male golf players hit a distance of 160 yards on average. As for female golfers, they should hit a distance of 140 yards at least.
Further, a golf player with good experience should go for a 195-205 yards distance. Those who play extremely well may even reach a distance of 235 yards.
Next, the players have a different range of swing speeds. On average, a player with fast speed should cover 180 yards distance and perhaps even more. A square strike can add a few more yards to the hit distance.
How Far Should PGA Golfers Hit Their 5-Iron?
Players with good skill sets and experience should cover a farther distance than an average golfer. Due to their higher smashing factor, they can hit the ball with a higher speed. It doesn’t necessarily mean that average golfers should not or aren’t capable of hitting a higher distance with a higher smash. They just don’t come up with that far hit too commonly.
PGA Tour Golfers
Mostly, PGA tour golfers can achieve a distance of around 200 yards from their 5-Iron hit. On average, it ranges between 190 to 210 yards. But some PGA golfers can even cover a little more distance than average numbers. An interesting fact about these PGA golfers is that they use many different types of lofts as compared to average golfers.
Let’s be straight; it’s all about talent and skills. Some PGA golf players have a 5-Iron with 2 or 3 degrees more loft than average golfers. Despite that, they still manage to hit the ball at a far distance comparatively.
LPGA Tour Golfers
LPGA players usually don’t hit the ball at the same speed level as the PGA players. But that doesn’t mean they are any less of a player. They can attain the club head with a comparatively higher speed. On average, most LPGA players with a normal speed can achieve a hit distance of 175-200 yards.
Compared to male players, the distance gap of hit is greater for LGPA amateur and professional players. This is probably due to their training or the PGA tour golfers’ efforts to achieve their desired distance coverage.
Can You Hit 200 Yards With A 5-Iron?
Achieving longer distance hits is possible if the players have the right factors to add up. Check a few things below required to complete a 200 yards hit.
Right Golf Shaft
Your 5-Iron golf shaft should be a match for the game. Try considering the impacts of longer shaft length instead of relying on the shaft weight and flex. This can affect the hit carry distance range. A lot of good players recommend going with a golf shaft that can best match your game, which is true to achieve good performance.
Increasing The Ball Speed
Another effective way to increase the hit distance is to increase the speed with which you hit the ball. Obviously, the higher the speed, the farther the ball can cover. It can produce a par-distance golf hit if you can achieve more swing speed.
However, most amateur golf players must work properly over the swing speed. They rather swing it out at their shoes. Of course, if the swing isn’t balanced, the hit will not come from the center of the clubface, which will not give a better distance.
Center Strike
A hit in the center of the clubface can make a huge difference in the distance coverage. Most golfers who hit the toe or the heel part of the clubface tend to lose 10 yards or even more distance.
Try hitting the center of the clubface, as it can optimize the spin rate and launch angle to give a far-distance hit result.
The Right Loft on The Club
As mentioned above about the PGA golfers who use an Iron with blade style, each iron will have a different set makeup and loft. A lower lofted 5-Iron may have a lower spin but can make the ball travel farther away than a higher lofted Iron.
Tips to Hit Further With Your 5-Iron
There can be different issues you can face in a far-distance hit. Therefore, you must figure them out to correct them for better results. Below are some tips you can use to hit further with your 5-Iron.
1. Position of The Ball
Try positioning the ball a little forward at the center. This way, when the ball is back in your stance, you probably would be struggling with its accuracy and unable to exert enough force you had produced with the backswings.
2. Try A Club That Has More Forgiveness
Many golfers, even amateurs, realize that playing with a long Iron is relatively more difficult than wedges or short Irons. It is because of their length and a lower loft that makes them unforgiving to play with.
So, any player who wants to hit a further distance shot should try something more forgiving. In addition, it can help to make it easier to increase the speed of those club heads.
3. Transfer Your Weight Forward
Keeping your weight on the back foot may also make you lose swing and, ultimately, the hit distance. Therefore, you must transfer the body weight forward to achieve further distance hit. A golf player should work to make enough room from backswing to down at impact.
This way, they can have some weight transferred on the left at impact. You can even check some professional golfers playing with a 5-Iron to see how they move their distance to achieve far-distance hit results.
My Favorite 5-Iron
Below is my favorite 5-Iron that helps me get far-distance hit results.
Callaway Golf Rouge St Max Os Individual Iron
The Callaway Golf Rouge ST Max OS Individual Iron is my favorite 5-Iron available in the market. It is better and faster than the Golf Rouge ST Max model. With more forgiveness, it gives me the right required length for higher speed release and the right trajectory.
The 450 steel and AI Flash Face help for a high launch to get more swing for far-distance results with consistent spin. It further optimizes landing angles and boosts the ball speed to unthinkable levels.
Moreover, it locates its center of gravity at the center with its high-density tungsten. This helps further to improve launch conditions along with the speed of its entire face.
With the microspheres being shifted farther, they benefit from urethane that can absorb unwanted vibrations and improve the feel and sound.
However, it still retains a huge COR of flash face cups, next, up to 49g of tungsten usage ( which is 188% higher than MAVERIK), plus wider soles, Great offset with the thick top line. All these features make it one of my best 5-Iron to achieve a far-distance hit.
Why Is It Hard To Hit With A 5-Iron?
The reason why some golfers struggle to hit with a 5-Iron is that it relatively has a longer club with less loft. The 5-Iron is less forgiving compared to other Iron types. It requires more precision and only sometimes provides a high and right trajectory. Most amateurs usually need help to play with a 5-Iron and fail to achieve far-distance hit results.
Where Should A 5 Iron Be In Your Stance?
Before you get to the 5-Iron, you should be at one or two balls at the center or with a club head inside the left foot with a wide stance. However, it will again lead towards a shallow but downward attack to ensure the contact is not chunky and leave hands wringing.
FAQ’s
Start playing in the middle of the stance if you struggle with long irons to hit a solid ball. You can go to the center for a ball or two ahead with an 8-Iron.
The farthest distance tiger wood has covered with a 5-Iron is 210 Yards.
Yes, although hitting a distance of 200 Yards is difficult but not impossible. Some skilled and experienced PGA golfers have been able to achieve this distance.
Carry a 5-Iron only when you can achieve a distance of 150+ yards with your 7-Iron. Otherwise, try a hybrid or a 6-Iron as an alternative to hitting longer distances.
Yes, you can certainly hit a stinger with a 5-Iron. It can be a great way to learn to shoot longer distances before moving toward a longer iron.
A 5-Iron, if handled correctly with skills and experience, can deliver a farther hit on the green in three compared to a 7-Iron that only takes you to 120-130 yards least at the green in four.
Conclusion
If you want to achieve big scores, you must start to learn and practice hitting the ball at a far distance. So, to achieve that with 5 Irons, you must first learn how to handle and play with it. Otherwise, there are other options to use for similar results. Every golfer has their own game. Therefore, you must first know your potential before choosing a certain option.
We hope our guide has helped you to understand 5-Irons well and how to use them effectively. Keep them in your bag only when you are ready for them.
Read more:
- What Are The Different Types Of Golf Irons ?
- 10 Best Irons For 10-Handicap
- How To Choose The Right 9-Iron Golf Club For Your Game ?
Matt Stevens is the founder of Golfrough.com. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf since he was four years old. Having experienced every high and low golf has to offer, his writing helps the average golfer avoid the mistakes he has made in 28-years on the course.