Is It Harder To Hit A Driver Or Iron

After my round of golf last week, I was left wondering, and slightly frustrated with why I hit my golf irons well but struggled to hit my driver as well?

To help me understand what the cause of this might be, I have been researching the different reasons and looking into what affects the golf swing with irons and drivers.

I’ve found several differences between drivers and irons which could impact the swing performance and your contact with the golf ball. If you are having the same issue as me on the course, please keep reading – hopefully I can help you too.

Drivers vs Irons?

Drivers and irons are fundamentally different golf clubs, from the way they look, the way they are used to hitting the ball, to the way they perform on the course.

Why Is an Iron Easier to Hit than a Driver?

To start with the setup, ball positioning, and angle of swing are different for drivers and irons. Average golfers find hitting a driver harder than hitting an iron for a number of reasons.

A driver is the least lofted club, and the margin for error is much greater. Tee shots often miss the aimed target with drivers. Iron shots, because they are more lofted can often be controlled and more forgiving.

Why Is My Driver So Hard to Hit?

Drivers are the lowest lofted clubs; they have the longest shafts and are usually swung with a high clubhead speed.

Due to this the area of attack on the ball is difficult to maintain with accuracy and it is difficult to keep the line of target. You need to have a very stable swing with a driver.

Most average golfers have an out-to-in or in-to-out swing which causes the ball to draw or fade and miss the target.

Why Is Your Iron So Hard to Hit?

Longer irons have lower lofts which can be harder to hit properly. A few iron shots can go astray, but if you are continuously mishitting the ball, then the ball position or the setup is wrong.

Stability, shoulder movement, and correct weight shifting might be a problem. With a longer iron, any off-center shots can be very unforgiving.

Also, it has been said that in order to hit lower lofted irons well a faster swing is required – this might be why so many high-handicappers struggle with these clubs as their swings are a lot slower.

Do I Swing a Driver the Same as My Irons?

The swing plane for a driver is 45-50 degrees, and for iron is 50-60 degrees. However, the approach and setup of the shot are different.

For drivers, the ball should be placed just inside the leading foot whereas for irons it should be placed near the center of the stance. Drivers have the lowest lofts, that’s why the ball is placed forward to give optimum launch angle.

If you treat these shots the same, you will find it very hard to enjoy your golf. Why not have a look at this very useful YouTube video which will help explain the differences.

How Much Does the Type of Club Affect How Easy It Is To Hit?

Every club has its own specific loft, shaft length, and shaft material. Driver and fairway woods have longer graphite shafts. Irons have shorter shafts, which usually have metal shafts.

For each club, the setup and swing stance changes slightly. Low lofted clubs require the ball to be placed forward in the stance. On higher lofted clubs, the ball is placed more towards the center of the stance.

Low lofted clubs are harder to hit compared to high lofted clubs and therefore like me, you might find it easier to hit one more than the other.

Game Improvement Irons vs Players Irons?

Game Improvement irons are designed for high and mid handicappers. Mostly, these irons have a cavity at the back of the clubhead.

Game Improvement irons offer better distance, trajectory, and control with low swing speed. The Players’ Distance irons are a newer technology. These offer a better feel, precision, and controlled distance with high swing speed.

Therefore, these are ideal for low handicappers, if you are a higher handicapper, it’s probably worth testing them out thoroughly first.

What do I need to Know About Club Shaft Configuration?

Club shaft configuration is very important, slight changes in the length, flex, weight, and material of your golf club will cause considerable change in how your golf ball performs.

All of the below details can quickly and easily be checked by a qualified club fitter, and if you get the configuration right it can take strokes off your game!

Length

The longer length of the shaft will result in farther distances, vice versa. The length of the shaft also determines the swing angle of the club.

Recently top PGA professionals such as Bryson DeChambeau have made one-length irons popular. These are where every club is the same length as the seven iron and they can offer many benefits to the mid-handicap golfer.

Flex

The flex of a club is determined according to the player’s swing speed. Higher swing speeds require stiff and extra stiff flex.

If the swing speed is moderate to low, regular, and light flex shafts are recommended. If inappropriate flex is used, the ball direction will be impacted, and you could find your shots going left or right depending on the margin of error in your swing speed.

Weight

Weight is the most important feature of the shaft. Heavyweight shafts will provide low trajectories and low spin. Lightweight shafts allow higher trajectories and high spin. If you have a club that is too light or too heavy, you will struggle to control the ball’s direction.

Material

Shafts can either be steel or graphite. Steel shafts are forgiving and offer better control. Graphite shafts provide farther distances as they allow you to swing the club faster due to the lighter weight.

So how Do I hit my driver further?

We all want to drop bombs and hit long straight drives! To do this you should tee the ball high and position it just inside of your leading foot.

Widen your stance and tilt your shoulders at an attacking angle. Adjust your leg weight. This will allow a better launch angle. Keep a nice and firm grip. Make sure your arms are nice and relaxed during the backswing. Keep a good balance during your swing, without closing your clubface.

Then swing through the ball trying to hit upwards at impact, launching the ball as far as you can down the fairway!

How do I hit my Irons Better?

To hit pure and controlled iron shots, the ball should generally be more towards the center for mid and shorter irons.

Tilt your shoulders at an attacking angle. Adjust your leg weight more on the leading foot. This will allow a better launch angle. Keep a nice and firm grip.

Again, try and have your arms relaxed during the backswing. Then make a full turn through the ball, making sure the hips turn through the ball with the belt buckle pointing towards your target after impact.

Should I hit my Iron or Driver Off the Tee?

If you’re like me and hit your irons better than your driver you might be debating which to hit from the tee?

The driver will provide a long distance off the tee, which naturally makes the game easier as your approach shot to the green will be much closer.

Drivers though are more likely to hit hooks or slices. Longer irons from the tee provide straighter shots with optimum distance, and if you feel more confident hitting them, it can provide better accuracy.

Irons are more likely to hit fairways in regulation, however, the obvious downside is that you’ll have a longer shot to the green putting more pressure on your second shot. I tend to use my longer irons on the holes which require better accuracy from the tee, and that doesn’t require a huge drive.

Best 3 Drivers to Improve Your Golf

In my research, I found that the drivers below are the top 3 easiest and most forgiving on the market.

  • Ping G425 Max – this is a very forgiving club that has a very large sweet spot and can make even off-center shots perform well.
  • Titleist TSi2 – Another very forgiving driver, this has a low center of gravity which makes it very easy to hit and doesn’t compromise on distance due to its unique aerospace titanium-designed clubhead.
  • TaylorMade Stealth – one of the newest drivers on the market, TaylorMade uses a carbon wood material in the clubface, which is designed to increase ball speed, and therefore distances.

Best 3 Irons to Improve Your Golf

Following are the top 3 easiest and most forgiving iron sets in 2022

  • TaylorMade Stealth Irons – A modern cavity back golf iron that is designed to suit low and high handicap golfers. It used ‘cap’ technology to produce a clubface that is not only more forgiving but also produces more ball speed and better distance. This is an excellent new iron to the market and well worth checking out.
  • Ping G425 Irons – These are irons that will improve your game if you haven’t upgraded your irons for a while. Through their technology and clubface design, they offer more forgiveness and consistency with a straighter flight.
  • Callaway Golf Mavrik Irons – These irons come in three different models to suit golfers of all abilities. The Mavrik, Mavrik Pro, and the Mavrik Max are all excellent irons to improve your game. The Mavrik irons are designed to launch the ball higher with low spin and more forgiveness. They look great in the satin chrome finish and feel great to hit.

Conclusion

So I hope you have enjoyed me sharing what I have learned about the main differences between golf irons and drivers. I still feel more comfortable hitting my longer irons from the tee, but I can now understand that I have some swing changes to make to hit my driver well from the tee.

I will probably now look to get a lesson from a golf coach to see if they can advise on the best way to improve my swing plane and angle of attack when hitting the ball with my driver.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this be sure to check out our other articles to help you improve your golf further such as whether low spin golf ball can help your golf.