What is a 9 Iron Golf Club?
A 9 iron club is listed among the short iron category of golf clubs. The 9 Iron has a short shaft and a high-mass clubhead. It is known for its versatility and can bail golfers out of trouble when they need a club to hit from a short distance.
9 Iron Golf Club Specs
| Used for | Short distances |
|---|---|
| Distance | 132 yards |
| Loft | 41° |
| Length | 35.5" |
| Material | Steel |
Tips:
The 9 iron helps to pop the ball near the flag as much as possible. As you improve your skills with this short iron, you will have more opportunities for easy pars or birdies.
With a little practice, knowledge of the correct stance and ball position, club placement and swing style, you can use your 9 iron like a pro.
- Keep your feet as close as possible to each other with just a little gap between them. This gap must be lesser than your shoulder width.
- Position the ball so that it is below your sternum and in the middle of your stance.
- Lean slightly towards the left so that your weight is more that side. This will help you render an excellent divot and a descending angle of attack.
- The next step after getting the position of the ball right is to place the club properly. Position the club so that its head is behind the ball and the shaft leans forward. This will help you to produce a good downward strike on the ball. Also, in this position, the ball will be between the ground and the clubface. It will generate a significant backspin when released and pop up straight into the air.
- Once you ensure the right stance and deliver an easy and soft backswing, the ball will be spot on the target.
- Ensure that your wrists are firm and straight while you stay steady when performing the swinging action.
- Keep in mind that a descending strike and a divot get the ball right into the air and not an upward swing.
The short shaft combined with the increased loft makes the 9 iron golf club easy to master by amateurs.
- You will also find it easy to control your swing. The shafts of a 9 iron is usually made of steel to reduce clubhead torquing.
- Short game irons like the 9 iron, help golfers lower their handicap and shave shots off scores.
What is a 9 Iron Used For?
A 9 iron club is used for the same purpose as that of a short iron. It is ideal for hitting short and moderate distance shots with a full swing or a shot that needs high loft. The club is a good choice for approach shots from about 140 yards inside of the pin.
The 9 iron golf club can be used when the ball has to go over tall obstacles such as trees. The 9 iron is also suitable if you’ve to deliver airborne shots, pop the ball right up into the air, and want good control over your shots. The short iron can be used when you want a golf club that is easy to master.
When to Use a 9 Iron?
There are a few instances when you will find using a 9 iron to be really beneficial. One example where a 9 iron is handy is when you want your golf ball to have a soft landing and not roll out like how it usually does with irons. In other words, when a ball is hit with this iron, it tends to stop moving when it touches the ground because of its high trajectory.
The 9 iron golf club should be used to hit the ball close to the flag to sink birdies. The club is quite helpful when you want to hit the shots with accuracy and consistency because of reduced flex and less torque in the clubhead. The golf club helps to reduce any aftereffects because of mishits.
A 9 iron is a good choice if you want to hit a bump and run shot like a chip shot or a pitch shot when you’re very close to the green. You can also use the club to hit out of the bunker shots as well as to hit shots that rise and fall at a steep angle.
The golf club will prove to be helpful if you’re a golfer with a high handicap because it gives you good control apart from being easy to hit and master.
What Degree of Loft is a 9 Iron?
The loft of a 9 Iron golf club is 41° degrees. This makes the 9 iron the highest lofted golf iron.
The 9 iron is a short iron type of golf club. As the name indicates, this club has the shortest shaft among a standard set of irons.
In the past, a few manufacturers offered their 9 irons with a slightly higher loft that often went up to 48°. Most of these clubs have lofts ranging between 40° and 48°.
There are golfers who have opted for 9 irons with lofts of 40°, 42°, 43°, and 44° from different manufacturers and have been successful with their shots.
How Far Should a 9 Iron Go?
The distance that your 9 iron shot should go is usually about 120 yards for males and 70 yards for females. Based on the clubhead speed, your short iron may go a lesser distance of 55 yards.
However, the actual distance that you can achieve depends on several factors. Some of these factors include your skill level, gender and whether you’re a short hitter, a mid hitter, or a long hitter.
For amateur male players, the9 iron golf club will on average go as far as 95 yards, 115 yards, or 130 to 140 yards depending on whether they’re short, mid, or long hitters.
Female amateur golfers will be able to make their 9 iron club go an average of 55 to 58 yards, 70 to 75 yards, or 95 yards respectively based on whether they’re short, mid, or long hitters respectively.
Some players have managed to hit 110 yards with their 9 iron golf clubs while a few others have succeeded in making their shots go a bit farther to about 135 – 140 yards. There are also golfers who have achieved carry distances of 150 yards to 155 yards depending on the flight.
Average 9 Iron Distance
The average distance of 9 iron shot is about 132 yards.
The distance rendered by a 9 iron golf club varies from player to player. This can usually be determined by analyzing the swing speed that you achieve with your driver.
If you swing your driver at the rate of 100 miles per hour under normal conditions, you can expect to hit a 9 iron 132 yards.
LPGA tour players cover an approximate distance of 119 yards to 132 yards with their 9 iron clubs. In the case of senior tour players, the average short iron distance ranges between 140 yards and 145 yards.
This distance is more in the case of PGA tour players who cover an average distance of 148 yards to 185 yards.
Standard Shaft Length
The shaft of a 9 iron is mostly made of steel. However, some manufacturers do offer graphite shafts. Like any golf club, the graphite shaft version is slightly bigger than the steel shaft club. Also, the length of a women’s 9 iron is an inch shorter than the one used by men irrespective of the shaft material.
The standard length of a steel 9 iron for male golfers is 35.5 inches. The standard length of a 9 Iron for female golfers is 34.5 inches.
The standard length for a graphite 9 iron for male players is 36 inches. The standard length of a 9 iron with a graphite shaft for female players is 35 inches.
A few manufacturers offer a slight variation to the above lengths. They offer a 9 iron for men with standard lengths of 36 inches and 36.5 inches for steel and graphite shafts respectively. Hence, their steel short iron for women is sized at 35 inches while the club with a graphite shaft has a length of 36 inches.
The maximum length of a 9 iron offered by any manufacturer is 40 inches.
How to Chip
A 9 iron is a good choice for chipping or hitting an approach shot. When you use this short iron, you must focus on getting the golf ball nearer to the hole as much as possible. A 9 iron is a very easy golf club to hit with. Moreover, you’re not expected to have high speed to get the ball up in the air with this club.
With repeated swings and putting the fundamentals of the game into practice, you can chip efficiently with a 9 iron. It’s worth keeping the following points in mind when using a 9 iron.
- Hit your 9 iron downwards so that you’re able to generate sufficient backspin on your ball when it leaves the clubface. Keep your head over the ball position all through the swing. Remember that a 9 iron does not need a big swing for quality shots. You must focus on control and balance always.
- You can also achieve downward contact from your 9 iron by ensuring that your hands are kept past the ball at the time of impact. Make sure that your hands keep moving throughout the downward swing and that they are before the ball when a contact is established. This will be easier to achieve if you lean your body leftwards throughout the swing.
- Shorten your swing as much as you can. Use the same strategy as you would do for a backswing. It is enough if your 9 iron swing is half of the standard one. Once you swing, ensure that the club is still before your body.
- Avoid using 100% effort on the 9 iron because you must focus on the control when playing shots with this golf club. Swinging with slightly less power using a rhythmic and smooth motion can help in getting shots on line and clean contact.
9 Iron Vs PW
There are some differences between a 9 iron and a pitching wedge that are worth noting.
The 9 iron usually has a slightly lower loft than a pitching wedge that makes it possible for golfers to achieve a little extra swing speed with the short iron.
The 9 iron offers an approximate distance of 120 yards whereas the average distance that can be achieved with a pitching wedge is around 100 yards.