Golf Tips Irons - Middle of The Green - Golf Iron Tips
Golf Tips Irons - Get the Ball in the Air - Golf Tips Irons When trying to get the ball airborne, hit down and through it. By allowing the clubs loft to do the work, you will achieve good contact, resulting in a natural flight path. Remember, golf clubs have loft for a reason--use it to your advantage!
Golf Tips Irons - Loose Wrist - Golf Tips Irons Hold the club firmly. It is the wrists that must be free and loose.
Golf Tips Irons - Balance - Golf Tips Irons One of the major keys to consistency in ball striking is balance. It is very difficult to repetitively swing in balance without being in balance at address. Here are two tests to ensure proper balance: The right balance at address means your weight is evenly distributed. To check for this, take your address position and ask someone, such as your playing partner, to try to push you off balance from behind and also from in front. If you remain relatively stable, you are in a balanced position. The second test is for balance in motion. Take a normal swing, and after you have hit the ball, hold your finish position until the ball lands. If this is difficult, adjust your swing to a pace that will allow you to hold the finish position. This will lead to better balance and more consistent ball striking.
Golf Tips Irons - Check Divots During Practice - Golf Tips Irons A fat iron shot is the result of the club hitting the ground before the ball. To make a good golf shot, the clubface must strike the ball first. When an accomplished player takes a divot, he or she has hit the ball first with a descending blow, and then the club goes into the ground at the bottom of the swing arc. If your tendency is to hit fat iron shots, you might be trying to help the ball into the air, rather than letting the loft of the clubface do the work for you. Here is a drill to try on the practice range to help you cure this swing fault: Stick a tee in the ground, in front of and even with the ball. Take your normal swing and notice the location of your divot. If the divot is behind the tee, the bottom of your swing arc is not far enough forward. Remember, the clubface must strike the ball first, then the ground.
Golf Tips Irons - Swing Slower For Less Spin - Golf Tips Irons The two key elements that make the ball go high in the air are backspin and clubface loft. However, there are many times that you will need to hit a low shot, such as into the wind or under a tree branch. To hit the ball low, play the ball back in your stance -- toward the right foot for a right-handed player. This places the shaft at a forward angle and delofts the clubface. To decrease the backspin on the ball, swing slower. Most players swing faster to try to punch the ball down into the wind. But the more clubhead speed that is created in the swing, the more you will add backspin to the ball. Take more club and swing at about 25 percent of your maximum speed. It should feel like you are swinging in slow motion. You will be surprised at how low the ball will go and still travel a considerable distance. Do not slow down at impact. Keep the slow-motion speed consistent from the top of the backswing all the way to the follow-through. Practice it a few times and you will see how much this shot can help your game.
Golf Tips Irons - Do Not Under Club On Approaches - Golf Tips Irons Most high-handicap players come up short of the green on approach shots far more frequently than they are long. One of the reasons for this is that many shots are poorly hit. But more often, the problem is under-clubbing. Most players, especially the mid-to- high-handicappers, have an unrealistic idea of how far they can hit the ball. They believe they hit the ball much farther than they actually can. They under-club, then swing extra-hard, which results in miss-hit shots that almost always come up short. If you fall into this category, take an extra club on those approach shots. This will allow you to make a much smoother swing, resulting in more solid contact and shots that probably will finish closer to the hole. Even if you are a bit long, the trouble on most holes is short and to the sides of the greens. If it's your ego that makes you under-club, think about this: It is more impressive to take plenty of club, make a controlled swing, and knock the ball close to the hole, no matter what club is used. That's what good players do, and it is good advice for everyone.
Golf Tips Irons - No Room Use a Punch Shot - Golf Tips Irons If you play most of your golf on a course that has a lot of brush and trees, eventually you will hit an errant drive and will be faced with a shot that calls for an abbreviated backswing. Typically, the goal here is to advance the ball as far up the fairway as possible to give yourself the best opportunity to save par. Taking a full swing is not recommended, because even if you are able to plow your way through some branches, chances are high that your swing plane will be thrown off, and you will hit another errant shot. And the last thing you would want to do at that point is turn one mistake into two. The best solution is a punch shot with an abbreviated backswing, and the key is a lower and shorter swing. To do this, take a very wide stance, as you might if you were standing on the edge of a bunker while your ball was in the bunker. Play the ball in the middle of your stance and deloft the club by positioning your hands ahead of the ball. Choke way down on the club; your right hand might even be past the bottom of the grip. Bring your hands back to about waist-high, hinge your wrists and strike the ball with a hard, descending blow. A higher iron is the best club for this type of shot as there will be less loft and the ball is likely to travel farther.
Golf Tips Irons - Try High, Soft Wedge Shots - Golf Tips Irons One of the best "trouble shots" that can be learned with a little practice is a high-flying wedge shot. This shot is useful when there is a tree directly in your path to the green; when you have about 80 yards or less to the green; and when low branches prevent you from hitting a punch shot under the tree. Distance is easier to control on a high-flying wedge shot than a punch shot, so with a little practice you might find that you prefer to go over trees rather than under them. The key to this shot is to get the ball climbing immediately at a steep angle. Use the most lofted club in your bag, and when practicing, experiment with the position of the clubface. For example, try keeping the club parallel to the target line from 80 yards away, and gradually open the clubface for less distance. Play the ball off your front foot. Your swing will need to be more upright than usual, and it is absolutely necessary that you take a hearty swipe at the ball. Release the club aggressively through the ball. Once you develop this shot you will be able to use it in other situations, such as hitting over sand or water to a tight pin. The higher you hit the ball the less it will roll.
Golf Tips Irons - How To Hit From a Divot - Golf Tips Irons One of the most frustrating things on a golf course is to hit a perfect drive, only to have it finish in a divot that has been left by a careless golfer. The shot you are facing is not as daunting as it might appear. Pulling it off successfully is mostly a matter of applying the proper technique. That includes a positive outlook instead of bemoaning the fact that you've just been dealt a bad break. A few simple tips for hitting a good shot out of a divot: Play the ball in the center of your stance. Place your hands ahead of clubface, and keep them there. Put the weight on your left side to encourage firm, descending contact. This shot is not about weight shift as much as it's about hitting down on the ball. Do not try to help the ball into the air. Accept that it will not fly as high as usual, but that is OK. Finally, do not try to overdo it. Accept your fate. If that means hitting a middle iron that might come up just short of the green, but in the fairway, that is better than forcing a harder-to-hit club and complicating the issue even further by getting into more trouble.
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