BPeterson8256:
Fist2k8:
10th hole bethage black driver of tee with ordinary ball left 190 yds 1 Oclock headwind 7/9mph 1 yd uphill I hit 197yds hit the line ball goes 183 yds.
Any suggestions why this should happen appreciated.
It is impossible to tell what you did wrong with so little information. Exactly what club was used? What is the spin rate for that club? Exactly what ball was used? What is the spin rate for that ball? How much spin did you put on the shot? How hard did you swing (exact % of swing) If you don't understand how much each of those things can drastically effect the shot, especially into a headwind, then this probably/ most certainly doesn't belong in "bug report" category.
When you say you "hit 197yds and the ball goes 183 yds", you have already completely misread what happened. It should be written that I tried to hit 197, but it only went 183, followed by what did I do wrong. Then if you include all of the precise information, someone may be able to help you understand how to play better.
I couldn't agree more, but somehow from the information provided, we can still deduce what he did wrong.
Firstly, 1 oclock is not a headwind but a tailwind. Perhaps you meant 7 oclock?
Secondly, if your 5 iron goes at 195 (nominal distance) and you hit 197, that means you used the 4 iron playing around 94%.
Now...couple of things to keep in mind.
When you hit a shot less than 98% - 97%, the distance does not work analogically. Yes, 90% of your PW (120) is 108 mathematically, but the ball won't reach that distance if you hit 90% or if you hit 85% the ball won't reach 102 yds.
The reason behind that is due to 4 factors:
Club
Spin
Apex
Wind
Let me elaborate a bit:
Club: On wgt, the lighter clubs have a higher trajectory, while the heavy ones have a lower trajectory.
Spin-apex: As you probably already know, the more back spin you use, the more loft (apex) you gonna have. The less you use (let's say full top spin), the less loft you gonna have.
Wind: Tailwinds push the ball down (lower trajectory). Facewinds lift the ball up (higher trajectory). You can find side winds somewhere in the middle.
Now...combine all the above with the 94% you hit on a heavy iron and you have your answer. I will make an example to make you understand better:
Let's say (with whatever wind conditions) i hit a 100% power shot with full back spin and a 98% power with full back spin again. The difference in apex (trajectory) up into the air can be as much as 10 feet!!!! We are talking about 3 meters less with only 2%. Now, you can imagine how much apex you have lost by hitting a heavy iron at 94%.