Golf Irons FAQ

Golf Iron History

Golf irons get their name because unlike their fairway wood cousins, their clubheads have always been made of metal. Though the choice of construction material has moved to steel for modern irons, the purpose of the clubs has remained unchanged -- to help golfers maximize distance and control to manage the course and get the ball closer to the hole.

A golf iron generally has a thin clubhead and grooved face, ideal for hitting the ball from both the fairway and the light rough. These grooves can be designed to either maximize or minimize spin. More spin generally benefits better players, because it increases the ability to stop the ball short on the green.

Types of Golf Irons

There are two main types of irons, "muscleback" (or "blade"), and "cavity back." A muscleback design is generally suited to more skilled players, because it is a solidly-constructed club that offers more distance but less forgiveness. The hitting zone of a muscleback iron is small and the feedback large, so it’s obvious right away if the ball isn’t struck perfectly.

On the other hand, cavity back irons take weight and mass from the back of the clubhead by hollowing it out, and redistribute that to the perimeter. This “perimeter weighting" increases the size of the hitting zone as well as the moment of inertia (MOI), which means that an off-center hit will still result in a shot that gets airborne and generates some distance. That level of forgiveness makes cavity backs the choice of most golfers.

Iron Sets - Iron numbers and typical composition

Most iron sets come with eight clubs, a 3-iron  through 9-iron, plus a pitching wedge. Some start at the 4-iron and include a sand wedge or gap wedge, and others replace the longer irons with hybrid clubs. Each iron type is labeled on the club sole so it’s easy to see in the golf bag.

What are Long Irons?

It is a little counterintuitive, but the smaller-numbered clubs are called the long irons (3-irons and 4-irons mostly, though there are 1-irons and 2-irons available for purchase as individual clubs for very advanced golfers who can actually hit them). These irons have the least amount of loft  and the longest shafts, but generate the greatest distance.

What are Mid Irons?

Mid-irons are the 5-, 6- and 7-irons, with short irons or “scoring irons” the 8- and 9-irons and wedges. As the set of irons progresses from long to short, the lofts get greater and the shafts shorter, and the distance decreases while the control for most players increases.

Short Irons - what are they for?

Most golfers find short irons the easiest to hit, and many find long irons difficult enough that they remove them from their bags entirely and replace them with hybrids. The longer loft and shorter shafts of the short irons make it easier to get the ball airborne and to hit it more accurately. One caveat: it’s important to let the clubs do the work. A pitching wedge is designed specifically to hit the ball high in the air, but many beginners torpedo their chances by trying to use their wrists and arms to lift the ball, with subpar results.

A perfect set of Golf Irons

A well-made set of irons has a consistent distance progression. That means that a well-hit 3-iron should go approximately 10-15 yards farther than a 4-iron, which is that much farther than a 5-iron and so on. In addition, the shorter irons have more loft and therefore a steeper trajectory, which is how top golfers can get those 9-irons and pitching wedges to practically touch the clouds before stopping on the green.

Spending time at the driving range will give a golfer a sense of how far they can hit a particular club, and that knowledge is essential for club selection. There are plenty of guides with general distance ranges – for example, one might say that a typical mid-handicapper and male golfer will hit a seven-iron about 140-150 yards. But those guides are much less important than knowing how you as an individual hit the ball.

It’s also important to know not just how far you hit the ball when at your best, but also how far you’re likely to hit it on a normal day, or in a particular set of conditions. A longer iron will be needed for shorter distances, for example, when the wind is blowing in your face.

Short vs Long irons - when to use each of them

Another factor to consider is the course condition, and where the ball is in relation to the hole. Trying to hit the ball over a tree, for example, requires a higher-lofted club even if the hole is far away. It does no good to power the ball with a three iron if it hits a tree branch and bounces right back at you. Pick up the nine-iron, loft the ball over the branches and onto the fairway, and live to play again.

Irons can also be used on the teeing ground. An iron is often used on shorter holes like par-threes, or on holes with a dogleg that require greater course management. Many golfers struggling with their drivers or woods will often tee off with irons on every hole, sacrificing some distance for greater control.

However, the traditional use for irons is on the fairway. They are designed with a leading edge that is sharply rounded to pick up divots. As long as the ball is going where it’s aimed, a well-struck iron shot that picks up a chunk of turf as well as the ball is simply doing what it’s supposed to do.  It’s actually a sign that the ball is being hit correctly, on the downswing. (For a more detailed description of the proper ball position, check out the article "Setup for Success").

How important is custom fitting?

Some golfers choose to have their irons custom-fitted, in order to make sure the set is right for them. However, this generally makes the irons more expensive. Many beginners wonder if this is worth the expense, especially if they are just casual players.

The answer to that is usually yes. Even a golfer who plays just a few rounds a year can benefit from a custom-fit set of clubs, since those few rounds will be a lot better than they would be using a random set.

A good fitting session doesn’t just take a tape measure and mark the distance from your arms to the ground at the address position. It looks at your swing, your strengths and weaknesses, your grip, your setup … everything associated with your golf experience that can get the set of clubs best suited to your abilities.

In fact, a high-handicapper or mid-handicapper often benefits more from custom fitting a set of golf clubs, as they can help mitigate the flaws in their game. Considering a poor-fitting set of clubs can lead to shorter and less accurate shots, it’s worth the extra money to get equipment that gives golfers the best chance at scoring low.

What is a driving iron?

A driving iron, generally a 1-iron, is a longer-distance club that is long enough to be hit off the tee even on longer holes.

However, if you have to ask what it is, it’s probably a bad idea to buy one. They are notoriously impossible to hit. One of the classic golf jokes is one Lee Trevino tells of what to do if caught on the golf course in a rainstorm. Hold up a 1-iron, he said, because not even God can hit one.