Ball trajectory with irons

Would like to know what's your typical ball trajectory with say the 7i? Does the ball shoot out straight from the club, then rise a bit towards the end before dropping? My ball usually just flies up and then drops, without the straight launch and and slight rise. I realise that all this while, I might not have been hitting the ball square and that might explain why it never goes beyond 110yds. Could this be because my swing plane is incorrect coming down, as I feel like I might be slicing all my balls while trying to "hit down on it"...

Here's a quick way to see whatthe loft of an iron would be. Turn the club over so that the cavity is lying on the ground, turn the butt end towards the target and then stand on the face. The butt end will lift up and that's the loft you should ge from the iron. It's an old trick from the days I played on tour!

Typically a 7-iron should just loft up, peak and then drop down back to the ground. Only realy hard hitters ofthe golf ball generate enough initial velocity for the golf ball to fly low before it starts to gain elevation.

Na,I wouldn't say the swing plane has anything to with the lack of distance. Swing plane affects a lot of things but not distance really. I'd say you're losing power by:
1. an early release
2. not enough club head speed
3. too much loft. Check the loft of your 7-iron. Often they can be way out from the standard spec. I tested a 6-iron from a cheap-ish set and it was 3 degrees weak (more loft) that it should have.

This info doesn't solve your problem per se but I hope it'll give you some ideas. If you need more help, post again.

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

Simon

Do you take divots? I wonder if youre casting and scooping the ball off the floor instead of compressing it with the hands leading the club into impact?

Thanks Graham. These are precisely the answers which I'm trying to find. I still don't feel as if I'm really 'slapping' the ball well, so I wonder if I'm wasting a lot of impact on slicing or spinning the ball. The other day I did hit a shot where the ball did seem to start of low and then rose after a while - but perhaps that was due to the wind or something afterall

pnearn : I guess that's the disadvantage of playing off the mat. I can't really tell what kind of divot I am taking. I know I'm supposed to and thought I have been "hitting down" on the ball all this while, but now I'm beginning to question whether I am even getting that concept right. Then again, is it really possible for me to scoop 110yds with the 7i? I have seen people scooping the balls in the range, these typically go around 60-80yds I think. My shots do fly high and nice (and straight), but I am just lacking that extra 20-40yds which I am aiming for. I only recently managed to get my backwing looking decent and on plane (specifically to keep my left wrist straight and not cupped - I've had a lot of problems with that), but now the downswing has become a whole new ballgame for me