8-iron — 2026-03-25

Your ball speed jumped to 105 mph average, up from 100 mph on 3/24 and even surpassing the 103 mph from the calmer 3/21 session. Carry went from 114 to 135 yards. Some of that is 6 warmer degrees and a crosswind instead of a headwind, but the speed gain is real and suggests your swing is getting more efficient as the season progresses. Shot 10 was your fastest at 111 mph and 148 carry -- your best single strike across all three sessions.

Your miss pattern has shifted. On 3/24, everything went right. Today you're missing both ways: 5 shots left of 3 yards (pulls on shots 1, 4, 5, 7, 9) and 4 shots right of 3 yards (fades on shots 15, 18, 19, and the big one at 15). The 11 shots within 3 yards of center is actually good -- 55% straight -- but the left misses are new. Shots 4 and 5 went L20 and L23. Both had left curve (draw) which you rarely produce. When you draw it, you're losing control of start line.

First 10 shots averaged 140 carry at 106 mph. Last 10 dropped to 129 carry at 105 mph. The speed only dropped 1 mph but carry fell 11 yards. The culprit is contact quality -- shots 11, 13, 15, 18 all came in under 126 yards with higher curve numbers (R5 to R13). Your swing speed held up but the strike got less centered. Shot 15 is the tell: 107 mph ball speed (good) but only 126 carry with 15-degree launch and R13 curve. That's a toe hit that spun right and launched low.

Three shots curved left (L1, L3, L11) instead of your typical right fade. Shot 5 was the most dramatic: L11 curve, L23 offline, 147 carry at 109 mph. That's a strong draw that started left and kept going. Shot 4 was similar: L3 curve, L20 offline. These are face-closed-to-path swings. The carry on both was elite (146-147), which means when you close the face you're delofting and compressing well. But you can't control the start line. The draw is a power move that needs a different aim point if you're going to use it on the course.

Average landing angle of 46 degrees with only 2.8 yards of rollout. These are holding greens. Consistent with your previous sessions. Even the low-launch shots (8 at 17 degrees, 15 at 15 degrees) only rolled 6 yards. Your ball flight is steep enough that distance control is carry-based, not total-based. In today's conditions (64 degrees, 13 mph crosswind), plan for 135 carry. On a calm, warm day, expect 142-145.

3/21 (68 degrees, 5 mph): 142 carry, 103 mph. 3/24 (58 degrees, 11 mph headwind): 114 carry, 100 mph. 3/25 (64 degrees, 13 mph crosswind): 135 carry, 105 mph. The 3/24 session was a headwind penalty -- today's crosswind didn't kill distance the same way. Your ball speed is actually trending up session over session (103, 100, 105). The 3/24 dip was cold + headwind, not a swing issue. Your true no-wind 8-iron carry is likely 142-145 based on the 3/21 data and your improving ball speed. Today's 135 in a 13 mph crosswind at 64 degrees is a conditions-adjusted number -- expect 7-10 more yards on a calm, warm day.

1. The two-way miss needs attention. If you're going to play a fade, commit to it -- the draw misses at L20-L23 are bigger penalties than the fade misses at R12-R13. 2. Watch for contact fade in the second half of a session. After shot 10, carry dropped 11 yards. Shorter, more focused sessions might be better than grinding through 20 balls. 3. Your carry numbers: 142-145 in calm/warm conditions, 135 in moderate wind at 64 degrees, 114 in cold headwind. Adjust club selection accordingly. 4. Shot 10 (148 carry, 111 mph) shows ceiling. The gap between your best and average is 13 yards -- closing that is about consistency, not swing changes.