For reference, I carry my 31d 6 iron upper 140s off a tee, and a hair less off the ground.
My AZ course has 9 holes I should be able approach with a 9 iron or shorter.
Then 3 holes approaches are around 150,
3 holes at 165 (5 hybrid), and
3 holes at 180 (5 wood or 3 hybrid).
Obviously the 4's and 5's all assume an average but good tee shot, plus good layups on par 5's.
The short holes are the scoring ones.
The 3 at 180 are bogey/ option par. Safety first.
The 150-165 holes, I feel I should hit the fat of the green or miss in a good spot.
So this all tells me I need to become deadly with 9, PW, GW, SW. And that I should treat them, and the 8 iron too, as a different set from my 7-6- and sometimes 5 irons. I know some guys play combos of two head styles with one shaft, but I'm thinking more different than that. Make the short ones all about control. Heavier shafts, shorter lengths. More like a bigger set of wedges down to 39 degrees, than a set of irons.
Separately, when I include layups, I have 7 shots of 180 yards, and they all require some precision. On a good ball striking day, that is 7 out of 36 full swings with the one club. So it's important too. The rough here is just lightly dormant-grassed dirt, meaning I have to stay in the fairway with a layup. If I fail, it's a mental error IMO. So I'm going to figure out the best accurate club for 180. Accuracy trumps height. Balls run here. On the three 180 approaches, I can play short and roll on. Heck, it might even be a Pinhawk 20 degree hybrid at 37.5 inches.
Comments, experiences?