1.  when  hitting 7,8,9,wedges do you ever hit full power.

2.  is it possible to loose distance over 2-3 months.  I have not played much over the winter (obviously) I have not been to the driving range much either.  i played yesterday and was continually hitting my shots short.

1.  Yes 

2.   It's the cold weather Jon..I'm the same

Hi Jon,

 I just posted this on a different section. I have been having the same debate with myself the last few weeks (the other post was about how far a 7 iron should go)#

It's a difficult one for sure as not all 7 irons are the same. They can very in degrees and shaft length which are a factor. I used to play with mizunos with tournament lofts (1-2 degrees stronger) and an inch more on the shafts. My new set are callaways and I decided not to tinker with them. The loft is 34 degrees whereas my old 7 was 32 degrees. That's half a club right away. Then as another 6ft 5 forum member suggested there is the length of the club. The longer it is, the further it will go if hit properly.

I am unsure how temperature exactly affects distance but my own estimate is 2 clubs. This means if I hit my 7 iron 140 yards now I will hit it 160 in summer. At the moment I have to take a 5 iron to hit it 160. I agree a lot of people beind the club down to deloft it and will smash it with little regard for accuracy. A pulled ball will always go further also. If a par 3 is 150 yards and you swipe it 15 yards over the back left, that does not mean you should have hit an 8 or a 9 as some people will storm into the clubhouse saying.

With regards pros, well there equipment is spot on as as their bodies and swings generally. They follow the sun where the ball goes further too. Us scots playing in minus 2 on muddy winter courses cannot be judged on a level playing field.

Accuracy is key as is hitting fairways and good chipping and putting.

Thanks. I hope its the weather. Cant afford to loose any distance

I have seen several people post the same thing on the site so am sure it is the weather. Also take into consideration you are cold yourself, I find by the end of a practice session I am hitting further. You are wrapped up in several layers of clothes too. The club is cold, the ball is cold as is the air. This is not conjucive to long hitting. Keep me posted on how this progresses.

Air becomes denser the colder it gets, in fact between air at 0°C is 7.5% denser than at 20°C and assuming a rough correlation between density and distance means your steady 150yd 7 iron will only go 139yds.  Interestingly, air with mositure is less dense than without, but the water molecules act as a physical barrier.

God, that's a bit dull..

You need to change your avatar to Brains from Thunderbirds!

Yep, that's Tim after a tipple of something rather stronger than H2O! ( that's water Tim)