I used to be so accurate with my irons, I was forced to be because of all the errant tee shots. Then I straightened out my drive, and the accuracy with my irons faded. During both times of struggling, I worked tirelessly on my short game which helped compensate. Finally, all 3 aspects left me at once. It was a combination of getting older, getting fatter, and finding a new hobby. I haven't picked up a club in 5 years, and I have exactly the same number of grey hairs as I did 5 years ago.