nolongerlonger:A lt to work on and think about. Just finished a round and my distances are messed up on irons and putting.
Heh, you've only scratched the surface. Instead of trying to learn your clubs and what they can do under various game conditions, do yourself a favor and head out to the back 9 of BPB. 10, 11 and 12 have long fairways that are suitable to hitting up and down on.
Set up a practice round with low wind, get just in the fairway as close to the tee as you can to give yourself the most fairway to look at and then start hitting up and down that fairway. Use the reverse green view to aim backwards. After you hit the ball, watch the yardage indicator and listen for the thump of the ball landing. That is the carry distance. Hit each iron 3-4 times and you will know what you can do with each one. Note the way each one rolls out after landing. Chrisironsbones has an outstanding chart on his profile-take a look at it and substitute your Raptures.
Once you're comfortable with the carry of each club, experiment with the spin to see how it affects the distance. Know that the spin increases deviation with missed hits. Ultimately you will be able to look at a shot, know where it's supposed to land and then you can factor in what happens after the landing.
I'm not sure I understand your thinking in the example with the 8i but on the wedges, depending on the ball you use-yes, the ball can back up and often does. Check where its landing and use top spin to stop it if you have to.
Learning what your clubs actually do (as opposed to trusting what the specs say they can do) is the best thing you can do for yourself. It's why Icon was so successful-he knew them. You can, too. GL. :-)