5 Easiest Irons To Hit For A Beginner

If the golfing bug bites, it’s difficult to let it go. As a beginner golfer, start on the right footing as it’s hard to unlearn poor golfing techniques, styles, or equipment choices. Knowing which irons are the easiest to hit as a beginner is a good start.

For a beginner golfer, the easiest irons to hit are irons conventionally used for playing shorter shots. Most beginners can get away with using the 3, 5, 7, and 9 irons and a sand wedge. Generally, the lower-numbered irons hit longer shots and the high-numbers shorter ones.

Golf has just under 67 million players worldwide, and with the newcomers joining annually, the numbers keep growing. The sport’s attraction is open to all ages. Knowing the best irons to use as a beginner is as fundamental as learning the technique of playing golf.

A selection of golf irons. Easiest Irons To Hit For Beginners

Easiest Irons To Hit For Beginners

Professional coaches recommend novice golfers start with irons. The easiest ones for beginners to use are those listed as short hitters.

Coaches also recommend that beginners start practicing and gaining skills by playing closest to the green. Then beginners can gradually work back to the tees saving the longest shots for last.

A good tip is to start playing par 3 courses first if you have one in your area. They are usually just 9 holes and can be completed in 90 minutes, and most operate a simple pay-as-you-play system.

A typical beginner’s easiest set of golf irons are:

  • 3-iron
  • 5-iron
  • 7-iron
  • 9-iron
  • Sand wedge

Let’s look in more detail at these clubs.

3 Iron  

This iron is a usual choice for beginners. With practice, a rookie can use this iron to reach 160-180 yards. The 3 iron’s angle between the iron’s face and the ground (the loft) is 21 degrees. The loft will directly impact how far the ball travels in proportion to the swing’s power.

With a 3 iron, even a beginner can hit a ball to travel a fair distance. It’s the loft that will directly impact how far the ball travels.

A well-struck 3 iron, therefore, has a low flight allowing the ball to gain distance instead of altitude. This trajectory will also enable roll after the ball has landed, thus achieving a few extra yards.

5 Iron

A beginner will soon learn that a 5 iron’s loft of 28 degrees also affects how far you can hit a ball. With a loft of almost seven degrees higher than a 3 iron, the 5 iron has a less oblique angle.

When playing with irons, beginners need to know that the lower the loft on the iron, the higher the impact between the iron and the ball. The ball will travel further with irons with a lower loft. A beginner can hit a ball an average distance between 140 and 150 yards with a 5 iron club.

A beginner golfer will be able to observe the ball’s flight and look for natural draw or fade. Therefore, the 5 iron is a great club to practice with when learning how to ‘shape’ the ball.

7 Iron

The 7 iron is probably the most versatile club in the bag. A loft of 34 degrees allows for shots of about 130 yards in distance. So it’s a great club to use when playing approach shots to the green.

Many players also use it for ‘bump and runs’ to the pin from about 30 yards, especially if there are no hazards in the way when they do not feel confident to chip. This is also a tactic in high winds and is often used in Scotland. The 7 irons’ nickname is the ‘Scottish wedge!’

9 Iron

In general, a 9-iron has a loft of 38 degrees, but lofts up to 43 degrees have been known. With this iron, beginners will realize at the maximum that they can hit a ball anywhere between 90 and 110 yards but achieve a high altitude.

Thus the angle of drop on to the green is very steep and will allow less carry or roll enabling the ball to stay on the green to allow a putt.

This iron is most commonly used for pitch and chip shots around the green when playing in over bunkers, and water hazards are necessary.

Sand Wedge

A sand wedge, or sand iron, is an open-faced wedge designed to get the ball out of sand bunkers and short chip shots to the green. This iron has a loft of between 54 and 58 degrees.

Every beginner will find a bunker or two, so it’s a necessary tool to have and learn how to use early on!

Golf Irons

Iron Play Made Easy With Irons For Beginners

There are between 7 and 11 irons, including wedges marked with numbers 1 to 10, but most commonly, these are from 3 to 9. Before the 1940s, irons were known as mashies and niblick, but these names are now obsolete.

In short, irons typically have shorter shafts and smaller heads than woods, are made of stainless steel and are flat and angled.

A beginner golfer is also a high handicapper, and with this comes loads of frustration. Knowing the uses for the easiest irons to hit with will reduce strain to avoid disappointment. And this can be daunting in a standard set of 14 golf clubs.

A novice golfer will benefit from lessons from a professional golfer as most pros have the know-how on courses and what shots are best on certain holes. If you want to know more about whether you should take golf lessons, check out this post, Why Golf Lessons Are Worth It.

Simply put, beginners can learn from professionals how to read a course like reading a book. To start, a beginner golfer needs to understand the principles of using irons.

Beginners Golf: Know How To Master Easy Irons

A beginner will learn that the lower lofts (like that of the 3 iron), the bigger the impact between the iron and the ball and the further the shot will be. With the 3-iron, a beginner can tee off and hit the ball at least 160 yards.

What happens on the tee and what is needed for the fairway will become apparent as beginners master their iron play. On the fairway, a beginner will use a 5-iron or a 7-iron. Most golfers say the easiest club to master is the 7-iron. Others differ. Some use a 5-iron to hit further.

A 5-iron and a 9-iron can be interchanged, and as a beginner will soon learn, the loft of these will affect the choice. As the 5-iron sits at 28 degrees, and a 9 iron has a loft of 41 degrees, the further shot will be by using the 5 iron.

Mostly, a 9-iron (which is one of the short irons) is used by beginners for shots around 50-60 yards. The 7-iron is favored too. Once beginners get the hang of how irons work, their selection can be reduced. It’s said that Tiger Woods knocked out most professionals with two golf clubs – a 5-iron and a putter.

A Child Learning Golf

Why Iron Choice Is Important For Beginners

Golf will be more enjoyable if a beginner learns what iron play means, and mastering iron shots will mean low scores. Beginners need to know from the start what the easiest irons are. Playing with the wrong irons, mostly through ignorance, could make golf harder than it already is!

Related: How Long Does It Take To Learn Golf?

Beginners need to know that using the right irons at the right time is as important as learning the right techniques, like stance and swing in golf.

Irons are the fairway’s daring knights, and some irons have descriptive names like ‘forgiveness and control.’ The 6 and 9 irons are the ‘forgiving’ ones when your ball lands in a thicket or the rough.

Irons might not be as powerful as drivers or as accurate as a putter. But, playing well with irons is a first principle for enjoying golf.

Starting with the right set of irons is having the right mindset for golf. Beginners soon tell a good shot by the sound it makes when hitting with an iron – colloquially, this contact point is the sweet spot.

Do you want to know how many golf clubs a beginner should have? Check out this article, Essential Guide To How Many Golf Clubs A Beginner Needs.

Final Thoughts

There’s a science behind every iron. As a new golfer, you need to know the easiest irons to hit for beginners. The principles on which irons have been designed are fundamental to how to hit the ball.

It’s not just a case of what iron hits the hardest or farthest. Though the distance an iron can hit matters, the best ones are those whose functions you know.

Once you’ve mastered what each iron can do, you can set out without frustration to steadily improve your iron play, score, and handicap.

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