If a golfer wants to play golf at the scratch level they will want to hit a 7 iron at least 150 yards. If a golfer is simply trying to reach the single digit handicap level, they should hit a 7 iron at least 140 yards. If you want to break 100, the goal should be to hit the 7 iron in the air each time at least 120 yards.
The best golfers in the game of golf have turned to increasing the distance they hit each club in the bag. Of course as a golfer increases driver swing speed, he or she will also hit their irons further.
Distance dominates at this point over the course of many rounds. The shorter hitter can win a match or two or a tournament or two, but the golfer with additional swing speed and distance has the advantage week in and week out.
Did you know?
The average carry distance of a 7 iron on the PGA Tour is 172 yards with a ball speed of 120mph.
The average carry distance of a 7 iron on the LPGA Tour is 141 yards with a ball speed of 104mph.
https://blog.trackmangolf.com/trackman-average-tour-stats/
How Far Should You Hit A 7 Iron?
Quick Breakdown:
- Scratch Level: At least 150 yards
- Single Digit Level: At least 140 yards
- Break 100: In the air every time and 120 yards.
Related Post: How far should you hit a 5 iron?
My Journey: I currently carry my 7 iron right around 167 yards. If I really go at it, I can hit it close to 180, so the 167 yards is a controlled 7 iron that allow me to control the ball flight and the overall distance. I want to stay in control with my irons and make an aggressive, yet controlled swing that has a consistent ball flight!
Below, I will dive into how you can increase your distance with your 7 iron and also control your distances at a quality level! But first, some key information on how far a 7 iron should fly.
Did you know that the average driver distance of a scratch golfer is 251 yards? To reach more about playing golf at the scratch level, check out this link: How to become a scratch golfer
Here is a quick reference chart for many of the common golf clubs found in a bag:
| Senior | Average | Low Handicap | Tour Pro | |
| Driver Swing Speed | 91 and Below | 91-101 | 102-112 | 113-123 |
| Driver Distance | 210 and Below | 210-235 | 235-275 | 275-300 |
| 3 Wood Distance | 200 | 220 | 230 | 243 |
| Hybrid Distance | 190 | 205 | 215 | 225 |
| 4 iron Distance | 170 | 185 | 195 | 203 |
| 5 iron Distance | 160 | 175 | 185 | 194 |
| 6 iron Distance | 150 | 163 | 173 | 183 |
| 7 iron Distance | 140 | 153 | 163 | 172 |
| 8 iron Distance | 130 | 143 | 153 | 160 |
| 9 iron Distance | 120 | 131 | 141 | 148 |
| pw Distance | 110 | 121 | 131 | 136 |
| sw Distance | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 |
| lw Distance | 70 | 80 | 90 | 105 |
How long does it take to become a scratch golfer?
If you are someone looking to hit your 7 iron further, consider the different factors that influence distance with every club in the bag.
Factors That Influence Distance with a 7 Iron
- Clubhead Speed
- Ball Speed
- Spin Rate
- Launch Angle
Clubhead Speed
This is the single most important factor when it comes to distance. You can have great spin rate, launch angle and the perfectly custom fit club for your game, but if you can’t produce the right swing speed, you will struggle with distance. Even with everything else being optimum, you will struggle to hit the ball as far as you might wish.
How to hit a 7 iron 200 yards? (4 Recommendations)
The most elite golfers on tour with the highest swing speed can hit their 7 iron over 200 yards when needed. The great news is that amateurs can increase their swing speed and hit their club over 150 yards when needed.
The longest drivers on tour will swing their driver between 120 and 130 miles per hour, producing an impressive ball speed of between 170-195 miles per hour. When they are swinging the driver this fast, they will also swing their 7 irons well above the average.
Check out below our number one tip to gain additional clubhead speed. With this training device below, you can expect to gain 5-8 miles per hour in clubhead speed as early as your first training session.
With the SuperSpeed System detailed below, you can expect new distance with your driver and every club in the bag.
| Original Swing Speed | After 4-6 Weeks | New Carry Distance | Total Distance |
| 95 | 102 | 245 | 265 |
| 100 | 108 | 259 | 279 |
| 105 | 113 | 271 | 291 |
| 110 | 118 | 283 | 303 |
Ball Speed
Once you get the right swing speed, now we have to find the center of the clubface. If you can swing a 7 iron at a 120 miles per hour, but only hit the sweet spot 50% of the time, but at 117 miles per hour can hit the sweet spot 95% of the time, swing at the 117mphs. The key is to train at higher speeds and then play below your max speed to have max distance and control.
Ball speed is a combination of your clubhead speed combined with how centered the hit is. High club head speed with an off center hit will rob you of your highest potential ball speed.
The golfer that can find the right combination of clubhead speed and centered hits will have the highest ball speed. Some golfers will gain ball speed by slowing down 1-3 miles per hour with their clubhead speed and maximize their on centered his, also known as the smash factor in golf.
The best way to increase your ball speed is to increase your clubhead speed and train at fast levels and then when on the course settle in at about 90% of your maximum speed, helping you to strike the center of the clubface.
The combination of a high swing speed with a shot on the sweet spot will help the golfer gets to the highest distance, but there is more!
Spin Rate
For a 7 iron, most golfers will want to have a spin rate in the 7000 RPM range. If the spin rate gets too high you will lose distance and come up short. A spin rate that is too high will often cause difficulties with shots into the wind.
If your spin rate is too low, you will get extra distance, but struggle to stop the ball on the green or to have consistency in the distance you carry your irons. You will find yourself carrying shots too far if your spin rate is inconsistent.
How far should you hit a 3 wood?
When it comes to irons, you want to hit your irons within a certain range. For example, if you hit your 7 iron between 150 and 155 yards that is fine, as long as one time you don’t hit it 170 and the next time 140. Having the precision and a shorter range will help you score better.
Launch Angle
There is an ideal launch angle with every club in the bag to maximize distance. Too high or too low and you will lose distance. You also have to be aware of the wind on every shot. The professional golfers are known for hitting their long irons high and their short irons low. They control the launch angle through the loft presented at impact.
How to hit a 7 iron (5 Keys and Tips)
The best golfers are able to hit both lower shots and higher shots with every club in the bag to play the course and the conditions for that day.
How To Hit Your 7 Iron Further?
The number one tip is to swing faster. How do you accomplish this? Through training!
What is the best training option? SuperSpeed Golf! The three speed sticks that come with the purchase of the SuperSpeed System have a club that is 20% lighter, 10% lighter and 5% heavier. The protocols are simple to follow and take 15-30 minutes per training session and you train every other day.
Golfers can expect to see a 5-8% increase as early as the first session and the speed will become more permanent after about 30 days of training. Stick with the training for a continued increase in swing speed, which will come at about a 1-2 miles per hour increase every several months. The thought process or science behind this approach is known as overspeed training.
The idea is that you are training both your mind and your body to swing faster than you normally do. The mind and body start to adapt to this new speed as the mind builds confidence in doing this safely and the body trains to move faster.
The SuperSpeed System will help you experience additional speed through every club in the bag and you will soon find yourself hitting the ball further, hitting the ball closer and making more putts.
The analytics are pretty clear in golf! The further you hit your driver, the shorter approach shot you have left. The shorter approach shot, results in a closer proximity to the pin on average. With the final outcome being more made putts because you are putting putts closer to the hole. The make percentage on the PGA tour from 8 feet is significantly better than 15 feet. The bottom line is that you need shorter putts to make more putts and this starts on the tee by hitting your driver further!
Check current price on SuperSpeed Golf, here!
MAJOR KEY: Understanding How Far You Hit Each Iron
I would highly recommend each golfer create a distance chart like the sample below:
| Club | Carry Distance (100%) | 90% | 80% |
| 2 Utility Iron | 210 | ||
| 4 iron | 190 | ||
| 5 iron | 181 | ||
| 6 iron | 171 | ||
| 7 iron | 163 | ||
| 8 iron | 153 | ||
| 9 iron | 143 | ||
| P Club | 130 | 123 | 115 |
| Pitching Wedge | 118 | 110 | 102 |
| SW Club | 105 | 97 | 91 |
| LW Club | 90 | 82 | 74 |
This might be the most important information you can use to help you play quality golf. I have heard so many stories and have seen it first hand where golfers completely over estimate how far they hit each iron.
They hit one 7 iron 165 yards one time and think this is their carry distance. So they step up to a 165 yard shot, hit the 7 iron and end up in a bunker. They blade it out of the bunker and are looking at a double bogey as their reality. Instead, if they had the right club and hit the 6 iron, their chance of hitting the middle of the green would increase greatly!
How can you create your own chart?
BEST OPTION: I would highly recommend a launch monitor!
These portable devices can be used at the driving range, golf course or set up in your home net or golf simulator. These devices are game changers not only on being able to map your bag and know your distances, but they also provide quality feedback after on every shot and provide the following information:
- Carry Distance
- Spin Rate
- Launch Angle
- Spin Axis
- Total Distance
- Ball Speed
This information will help you map your bag, decide on which clubs are best for your game, develop a stock shot and much more. I love using my SkyTrak 365 days a year in my golf simulator setup.
The process for mapping your bag can looking something like this:
- Hit 5 shots with each club in your bag.
- Log the carry distance and total distance for each shot.
- Eliminate any outlier numbers (poor hits or low spin rates).
- Take the average and create a map of your bag.
If you visit any PGA Tour event you will see plenty of golfers utilizing their launch monitors. While most can’t afford a Trackman, there are some very affordable options in the 500-2000 dollar range. I own the SkyTrak and think the world of it.
Here are the top 3 options to check out:
Final Thoughts: Have Fun!
Whether you are trying to hit your 7 iron further or more accurate with your distance control, make sure you have fun on the journey! HItting quality shots makes golf fun and the more you hit, the more fun the game becomes. Distance is vital in today’s game. No longer can we use the excuse that we are just getting older and losing distance. Golfers in their 50s and 60s continue to compete and win through adding distance even as they age.
Wish you hit the ball further? Here are two great resources:
My Secret To Golf Improvement
Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About four years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.
This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.
It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.
Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:
Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
4 – Practice Frequently
Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.