Definition

Noun: 1. A type of golf club: A short iron is a golf club with a relatively short shaft and a clubhead (the "iron") that has a sharply angled, or "pitched," face. This design is specifically intended for hitting golf shots that travel a short distance but with a high trajectory, typically used when the ball is close to the green.

Usage

The term "short iron" is used to categorize and refer to a specific class of golf clubs within a player's set. It is used by golfers and commentators when discussing club selection for a particular shot. * For his approach shot, he selected a short iron to get the ball to stop quickly on the green. * The pitching wedge and sand wedge are common examples of short irons.

Advanced Usage

• In technical golf discussions, "short iron" can be contrasted with "mid-iron" and "long iron," which have progressively longer shafts and less loft, designed for longer-distance shots with a lower ball flight.
• The phrase is often used in the plural to refer to this category of clubs:

Variants and Related Words

• Pitching Wedge (PW): A specific type of short iron, often the most lofted club in a standard iron set before specialty wedges.
• Sand Wedge (SW): A short iron designed with extra weight and bounce to help extract the ball from sand bunkers.
• Gap Wedge (GW) / Approach Wedge (AW): A short iron with loft between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge.
• Lob Wedge (LW): A highly lofted short iron used for hitting very high, short shots that land softly.

Synonyms

• Lofted iron: (A more technical synonym emphasizing the club's high angle of loft.)
• Wedge: (A common, slightly less precise synonym, as all wedges are short irons, but not all short irons in a traditional set are labeled as wedges.)

Related Phrases

• To hit a short iron: The action of using this club.
  • She hit a perfect short iron to within three feet of the hole.

Noun

1. an iron with a short shaft and pitched face; for hitting short high shots