How and When to Hit A 7 Iron: 5 Easy Steps
Meet Jake
Jake was a competitive golfer for over a decade dating back to the days of being the Captain of his high school golf team. He has played more than 200 courses across 32 different states in the US. Now semi-retired, Jake continues to golf 3-4 days a week with a current 2 handicap, gives golf lessons to his friends and family, and provides a wealth of knowledge to Golf Circuit from his competitive playing days. Jake combines practical expertise with technical knowledge to create golfing strategies and training techniques for both beginners and scratch golfers.
During the beginning stages of learning how to play golf, chances are someone has told you that you should start practicing and playing with a 7 iron.
The 7 iron is the universal “easy club to hit.”
If a golfer can learn how to play a 7 iron, it seems as though they are ready to move on to a wedge, a hybrid, and even a driver.
If you are ready to learn how to hit a 7 iron and when to use it, we have you covered.
In our comprehensive guide will help you with all the necessary steps involved in hitting a 7 iron and why it is such an important golf club in the bag.
What Is A 7 iron?
A 7 iron is considered a mid iron with anywhere from 30 to 34 degrees of loft.
With a 7 iron in your hand, you should be able to get quite a bit of launch, forgiveness, and enough stopping power to land the ball on the green and have it stop.
it tends to be a favorite club for many golfers because it is relatively easy to hit but will still fly a long way.
If you get into trouble on a hole, chances are a 7 iron can get you out. Golfers that can learn to trust and rely on it will eventually learn to score well.
The key to hitting a great 7 iron shot is learning the steps involved with the process and what it takes to get the distance and ball flight you are looking for.
Take the time to practice with a 7 iron as it will often help you become a better all around player.
How To Hit A 7 iron
A 7 iron is not the most difficult club in the bag to hit, but you must have the proper fundamentals in place if you are going to hit this shot properly.
In our guide on how to hit a 7 iron, you will have to check all areas of the swing and experiment with the one that you have in your golf set.
Not all 7 irons will have the same loft or offset, and therefore it is essential to adjust as needed for your own game.
However, these steps can help any golfer ensure that they have the basics of hitting with this club.
Step 1: Proper Grip and Setup
The most important part of hitting any golf shot is ensuring a stable base to hit from.
With the 7 iron, the setup and grip are relatively simple and can really be used as a standard for all of the other shots in your game.
For a 7 iron shot, you will want to have your feet about shoulder-width apart.
When they are this far apart, expect to get a good amount of stability without feeling as though you will lose control or balance in your swing.
The hips, feel, and shoulder line should all be square to the target when trying to hit a straight shot.
In addition, the grip should be neutral with the left hand and right hand in a neutral and centered position.
The ball position should be in the middle of your stance.
Many golfers will choose to use a stronger grip for the driver because it will help eliminate a slice, but for the most part, golfers that are hitting a 7 iron shot should not be worried about the side spin quite as much as you need to worry with the driver in your hands.
Step 2: Start The Swing
The takeaway is the next part of the golf swing.
When you have the 7 iron in your hand, you will want to ensure that your takeaway starts with a slight turn back of the hips while the club starts to rotate towards that position where it is parallel to the ground.
When you get the club to about hip level, you should see that the iron shaft is parallel to the ground, and the toe of the iron head is pointing towards the sky.
At this point, some of your weight should have also transferred back to your right side (for a right-handed player).
The takeaway can help ensure that your golf swing ends up fitting into position and that you are right on track throughout the entire process.
Essentially starting the swing properly will help the impact position be better.
Step 3: Complete Back Swing
The top of the backswing with your seven iron is very important. This is where the club will need to be parallel to the ground, and you should be in a very stable and balanced position.
In addition, you will notice that the club will be pointing straight down the line, and there will be no angle to the left or right of the target.
At the top of the backswing, golfers should also notice that their hips and shoulders have rotated, and it is not simply just the hands and wrists that brought the club to the top of the swing.
Step 4: Impact Position & Divot
The impact position with a seven iron will have the hands slightly forward and a little bit of a forward lean in the golf shaft.
Golfers will need to make sure that weight transfers towards the front foot and that the clubface is square.
With a 7 iron, you will need to ensure that you hit down and through the ball and take a slight divot.
The divot helps ensure that the golf ball gets some excellent ball flight and the spin that it needs to stop on the green.
Never try to lift a 7 iron golf shot up into the air, instead of swing down and through and watch it fly high.
Step 5: High and Complete Finish
Last but certainly not least, you will need to ensure that you swing through to a high and complete finish in your swing.
This will involve a transfer of weight to the left side and a full rotation of the body. Having your body facing your target completely is exactly where you will want it to be.
You should have your hands finished up high by your ear, and the club should be completely released and rotated.
Your grip pressure should also not be too firm, causing you to feel like your hands controlled the entire shot.
The finish position being correct is a good sign that the fundamentals of the swing were also correct. Once you get it right, it can be so addicting.
When To Hit A 7 iron
Now that you know how to hit a 7 iron let’s take a look at when you should be using this shot.
The most common areas for a golfer to use the 7 iron are an approach shot on a par 4, a par 3 from the tee, chipping from the fringe, and a layup on a par 5.
Approach Shot
Golfers will use the 7 iron as an approach shot to a par four. The average golfer can hit a 7 iron about 130-150 yards with modern technology.
With a par for being in the 325-400 yard range, there is a good chance that an average player could end up with an approach shot that calls for a 7 iron.
Par 3
Similar to an approach shot, there are many times when a par 3 yardage is going to line up perfectly to the distance that you can hit your 7 iron.
When this happens, it is important to follow our steps for how to hit a 7 iron and try and get the ball as close to the hole as possible.
With a par 3 shot, golfers should ensure that they think about the entire green and trouble behind and in front of the pin.
Don’t only think about the distance to the pin, as this will not always be enough to help you get the results you need.
Chipping From Fringe
As we mentioned, the 7 iron can have anywhere from around 30 to about 34 degrees of loft.
This is not an ideal golf club for chipping; however, for many golfers, the 7 iron can work as a good bump and run type shot.
When you are chipping from the short grass around the green, simply grip down on the club, take a putting stroke type swing, and hit a small shot onto the golf green.
The ball will roll quite a bit, but it should end up near the hole.
Layup On A Par 5
Many golfers think their second shot on a par 5 needs to be a long-distance club like a 3 wood or a 3 hybrid.
Luckily for most par 5’s, the idea is more about the placement of a shot than the distance you can hit it.
For most golfers, it does not make sense to hit a golf ball as far as they possibly can to be left with just 70 yards left into the green.
It may make more sense to hit two perfect 7 iron shots and land in the center of the golf green.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learning how to hit a 7 iron can be a bit of a learning curve for golfers.
However, once you have it down, this will be a club that you continue to rely on time and time again.
Here are a few questions that golfers often ask about hitting a 7 iron.
Is a 7 iron hard to hit?
A 7 iron is not hard to hit as long as you have the proper setup and you don’t try and overdue the golf swing.
There are times when players try a bit too hard to get distance and power from a club that is more about consistency and solid performance.
Where do you hit a 7 iron?
A 7 iron is mostly used as an approach shot to the green, but most golfers will also find that it is a good fit for a par 3 hole and even a layup on a par 5 golf hole.
With the 7 iron having a very average loft and plenty of forgiveness, the options for using the club are quite broad.
How long should you hit a 7 iron?
The distance you hit a 7 iron will depend on your club head speed. The average golfer can typically hit a 7 iron anywhere from 130 to 150 yards.
Some tour professionals can hit a 7 iron over 170 yards, but this is simply because their swing speed is considerably higher than the average player.
Conclusion
We hope that you now feel as though you can hit a 7 iron golf shot with complete confidence.
As golfers that have been around the game almost our entire lives, we can tell you that this is a club you will want to get good with.
If you can learn to be confident with your 7 iron and hit shots that you know will land on the green, your overall scores will drop.
Take the process step by step and learn each part of the golf swing individually.
When you put everything together and perfect this sequence, you will be so happy with the end results.
Overall a 7 iron is a favorite golf club for many players, don’t delay; get out there and start incorporating the 7 iron into your game.
