To many amateurs, the five iron conjures thoughts of snap hooks and stinging hands. With a longer shaft and a flatter club face, it simply takes more coordination and commitment to hit one on the screws than, say, a nine iron. In this Q&A, we will dive into how we can turn that club that you want nothing to do with into one of the most useful tools in your bag.
We’ll be covering these common questions, feel free to jump to your specific questions using the links below.
- How to hit a five iron
- How far will a five iron go?
- What is a five iron used for?
- How many degrees of loft is a 5 iron?
- What is standard 5 iron length?
- What did a five iron used to be called?
How to Hit a Five Iron
When hitting a five iron, the critical first step is to make sure the ball is placed correctly in your stance. For most players, the ball should be towards the middle of the stance with a slight favor to the front foot. Placed too far back and your swing path will still be going downward at impact, meaning you’ll either need to adjust to open the face way up (hello, balloon slice) or you’ll end up ramming your club into the ground (not great on your back). If placed too far in front, a pull hook or topped ball are likely outcomes. As with all your other clubs, the idea is to have the ball in a spot where your swing is just starting on its upward trajectory when it meets the ball.
Speaking of swing trajectory, your five iron swing is going to be closer to that of your driver as opposed to your pitching wedge. A pitching wedge may take out a long divot whereas a five iron should simply leave a scald mark in the grass, at most. The swing path of the five-iron should be a sweeping motion, swinging out at the inside half of the ball while making sure that the clubface stays square to the target through impact. That last point is crucial. With the five iron being a lower lofted club, any looseness with the clubface will accentuate side spin to the left or right and send it careening towards those nasty red or white stakes.
The above advise is simply if you want to hit ‘em long and straight, however the five iron is quite useful for a variety of other shots as well. We’ll touch on some of those shortly.
How far will a five-iron go?
A five iron will typically go longer than your six-iron and shorter than your four-iron.
Okay, that was a bail out. The truth is, obviously, it depends. The average male golfer might expect to be between 140-180 yards while the average female golfer might be between 110-140 yards. Or maybe you have pro-level swing speed and have no problem sending it 200 plus. Good for you. As with all clubs and shots, sacrificing accuracy for distance is almost never a good idea. Don’t belittle a ball in the middle.
What is a 5 iron used for?
The better question is: what is a five iron not used for? Five irons are versatile. Say you sky your driver and it goes 50 yards. A five iron is going to be a prime candidate to get you back into the hole. Or, maybe that’s the third drive in a row where you’ve done that and it’s time to give the driver a timeout for the rest of the round. Your five iron can be the club you lean on to get you off the tee box and out into the fairway, within striking distance of the green. On the flip side, maybe you have just bombed your drive on a par 5 and you need a club that will hold the green to give you an opportunity at a score with feathers and a beak (sorry, dad jokes). The five iron is there for you.
Then we can get creative. The five-iron seems to always be just the right amount of loft to escape from underneath trees, low enough to stay below the branches but high enough to get some carry distance. Or, maybe around the tree is your only option. The five iron is ideal for bending the ball left or right due to the sidespin that can be generated from the low loft of the club. Lastly, the five iron can be used for bump and run shots from the fairway or fringe, essentially turning into a long-distance putter. All of the shots mentioned in this paragraph require practice but can be extremely useful in navigating the golf course, once mastered.
How many degrees of loft is a 5 iron?
A typical five iron is about 28 degrees. A four and six iron will typically fall three degrees on either side of that.
What is standard 5 iron length?
For men, the length of a standard five iron is about 38 inches. For women, typical length of a five iron is about 37 inches. As with all clubs though, the best thing to do would be to get custom fitted by a trained club fitter. In golf, as in life, one size never fits all.
What did a five iron used to be called?
Prior to the 19th century, the five iron was called… a “mashie.” What I want to know is who changed the name to “five iron” and why? So basic and boring. I demand answers.
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