What is a 9-iron? Plus, how to hit one

A 9-iron is not just a golf club—for many avid golfers, it’s their best friend. It’s a reliable club you can go to when nothing else is going well in your round. In golf, you are legally allowed to carry 14 clubs in your bag. Some clubs you will grow to hate, some clubs will become your favorites. In this article, I’ll help beginners understand when and how to hit a 9-iron. But first, a quick overview of golf clubs.

Golf clubs are broken down into these six types or categories:

  1. Drivers
  2. Woods
  3. Hybrids
  4. Irons
  5. Wedges
  6.  Putter

The best way to explain the spectrum and correlation of golf clubs is to gauge how far the club is designed to be hit. Drivers are designed to hit the ball the farthest, then woods, then hybrids, then irons, then wedges, then your putter.

What is a 9-iron and its purpose?

A 9-iron is a golf club that falls in the “iron” category. Irons are differentiated by numbers and range from 1-9. In a standard golf set, you have a 4-9-iron. The 9-iron is a significant iron because it is the highest-numbered iron before you get into the “wedges.”

You’ll usually use the 9-iron when “approaching” the green. After stripping your drive off the tee, you pull the 9-iron out of your bag with the hopes and dreams of knocking it close and tapping in for birdie. 

The 9-iron is a highly lofted club, and, like your wedges, you can hit it high. Because you can hit the 9-iron high it is easier to get the ball to stop and land softly near the pin. If you’re a skilled player, you might even deliberately put backspin on the ball with this club.

What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive.”

A famous quote from one of golf’s most iconic players: Arnold Palmer.

You can hear your club making crisp contact with the ball as you take the perfect divot. Your eyes widen, you might lick your lips as you watch your ball take flight. In midair, the ball starts to track, heading straight towards the pin. Could it go in??? That’s why we love the 9-iron.

What’s the difference between a 5-iron and a 9-iron?

If you are just beginning to play golf, the difference between a 5-iron and a 9-iron is that a 9-iron will be SIGNIFICANTLY easier to hit.

Technically speaking, the lower the iron number, the lower the loft of the club.  A 9-iron is commonly lofted at a 40- to 45-degree angle in correlation to the ground, while a 5-iron is commonly lofted at a 25-to 30-degree angle. The 25-degree 5-iron is closer to being perpendicular with the ground than the 9-iron, making the 5-iron very hard to “compress” the ball with when making contact on your swing.

When should I use my 9-iron?

While a 5-iron may be harder to hit (because it has a lower loft), if you make good contact, it will travel farther and generally not as high. Therefore, players will swing a lower numbered iron (3, 4,5,6) the farther they get from the hole and a higher numbered iron (7,8,9) the closer they get.

Secondly, lower numbered irons and woods have a lower trajectory; therefore, they are harder to stop near the pin, as they often need room for the ball to run out. This can make it hard to “stick it close” with a 5-iron when hazards like bunkers or water are in front of the green.

Contrary to that, a 9-iron (when hit well) will travel high in the sky. You can get the ball to carry over the hazard, and it will stop easier. So, use your 9-iron when you are in close proximity to the hole, still a full swing away, and when you want to stop the ball close to the pin.

What’s the hardest iron to hit?

“If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron.”

– Lee Trevino

In a standard golf set, you will have a 4-9-iron. A 1-3 iron is not often included because “hybrids” serve the same purpose and are typically easier to hit. In my 20+ years of golfing, I have seen maybe three 1-irons—and they were all hanging up on a wall in the clubhouse. They are RARE and usually used as a relic rather than a functional golf club.

How to hit a 9-iron?

The biggest impediment to golfing well is proper contact with the ball. Before you worry about the direction of your shot, you should be working on hitting the ball correctly. The key word there is “hitting.”

The biggest misconception, especially with wedges and high-lofted clubs like the 9-iron is you can “scoop” and try to lift the ball to get it to take flight. This IS fundamentally WRONG.

“Hit down on the ball.” This is the mentality I want you to have. In order for you to have good contact, you must hit the ball first and then the ground second. 

The best indicator of good contact is to look at where the divot starts. If it is in front of where the ball was, you made good contact. Contrary, if it’s behind the ball, you will have hit it “fat” or “thinned it.” 

9-iron: Stance and addressing the ball

The 9-iron is shorter than the driver and lower numbered irons. Therefore, you do not need as stable and wide of a stance. Your feet should align with your shoulders, and it’s totally okay (and in some cases ideal) if your feet are narrower than your shoulder width. 

When addressing the ball, you should be in an athletic stance with your knees bent, and the butt of the club shaft should be about six inches from your body. A common mistake is standing too close or too far from the ball.

9-iron: Ball placement

Because it is vital we hit down on the ball, when addressing the ball, you want the ball to be closer to your back foot, but not too close! If the ball is in the middle of your stance (between your front and back foot), this is sufficient too. Just avoid the ball being in front of your stance (closer to your front foot). This puts us in a position where it is more likely we hit the ball in the upswing leading to thin or fat shots.

9-iron: Sizing

The higher the number is, the shorter the golf club will be. This is why irons are often categorized by length: 

  • Long irons: 2, 3, 4
  • Mid irons: 5, 6, 7
  • Short irons: 8, 9

Length of the club is another reason why higher numbered irons/short irons are easier to hit! And another reason why we love the 9-iron.

Is hitting my 9-iron 150 yards good?

Reframe that above question and you will be better with your 9-iron. If you hit your 9-iron 150 yards, it’s on line, and the pin is also 150 yards away, then perfect. 

But if you hit your 9-iron 150 yards and airmailed the green, which was 125 yards, then I would say…not good. It’s not how far you can hit the ball, it’s how well you can control those distances and keep good accuracy. 

And we didn’t even mention conditions. Downhill, uphill, wind at your back, wind in your face. What’s the temperature? Is it rainy? What about the lie???  Distance control is everything. Conditions will drastically impact how far you can hit it.

How far should I hit my 9-iron?

Anywhere from 110 yards to 150 yards is average. However, it’s not how far you can hit the ball, it’s how well you can control those distances and keep good accuracy. 

Again, distance control is everything. Conditions will drastically impact how far you can hit it.

How far can a PGA tour player hit a 9-iron?

According to TrackMan, the average PGA tour player carries their 9-iron 148 yards. Some of the longer hitting players like LIV’s Bryson Dechambeau can hit their 9-iron up to 190 yards in perfect conditions.

How far can an LPGA tour player hit a 9-iron?

According to TrackMan, the average LPGA tour player carries their 9-iron 119 yards.

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