Hitting Irons

Hi, I am a beginner and i have problems hitting irons off the fairway.I am generally good off the tee but my second shot off the fairway is difficult for me. I can't seem to get the ball off the ground and in the air. I tend to hit the ball very flat. Can anyone assist.

thank you.

Hi ramotar2005,

When you are hitting your irons you need to make a desending blow on the ball. Simply, hit the ball before you reach the lowest point in your throughswing. You need to make contact with the ball first, then the ground. Your irons are designed to hit this way and it will not hurt your clubs at all if you hit the ground. Just make sure you are hitting the ball first! If you find you are reaching excessively or that you are hitting the ground first, try moving the ball a bit further back in your stance.

Keep us updated on your progress!!!

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Gord is right. One of the biggest mistakes a beginner will make is think that the club is designed to help lift the ball up, so you swing thinking that if you help the club do this lifting up thing, it will be even better...when the exact opposite is true. To make the ball go up, you have to hit down on it. Newton’s law: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The angle at which the club descends on the ball is the angle that the ball will leave (plus and minus the club being used).

What scares a beginner the most is the feeling of pain in the hands you get in a missed hit...either the ball missing the center of the face shattering the shaft and grip, or the feeling of the club smashing into the ground.

This comes with time hitting the right spot enough times to know how far can you release the club down. Not enough and it is thin, too much and it's fat. There is no way I can tell you exactly how much is too much or not enough. You have to just experience it and remember the feelings.

Simple drills help facilitate this feeling: The short 3-9 drill. Where you take the club to the 3 o'clock position back and only swing it to 9 o'clock. The ball will not go far, but you will be more apt to make good contact and get the positive feedback you will need to begin a fuller swing. Trying to swing full too early and not have the feeling yet will create negative results. Also practice on tees. I know you don't get them on the course, except from the tee box, but this starts at the beginning stages and gets you past this first issue of making solid contact first. Then you can lower the tee a little each time to build on until you won't need it anymore.

Hand position is critical for proper impact: They have to be slightly ahead of the ball...period. Anything less and you will have the club beating the hands to the ball and you have just reduced the mass at impact significantly which results in any miss (ball on face or club on ground) being exaggerated dramatically...F=ma (Force = Mass x Acceleration). If only the club face is being accelerated onto the ball and you do not add the mass of the hands, arms and even some of your shoulders (if you get those around enough), then you are cheating yourself of effortless force. All solved by keeping your hands a little ahead of the ball...very simple thing to a huge problem. It's also the solution to perfect chipping. No more chilly-dipping.

Thank You guys for the advice. I will certainly try all what you suggested. Thank You. I will let you know the progress.


thank you

Thank you guys for the advice. i am getting the ball little off the ground, but not as much as i want to. I guess i need more practice. Thank you.

Take a practice swing. Take note of where your divot is.

As you address the ball, put the ball at the beginning of the divot (the part of the divot furthest from the target).

This will promote hitting the ball at the bottom of your swing.

hey im a girl off 31... i would like to gain dinstance an a better feel when i hit the ball...i would like more consistacy with every shot and more control. i can hit the ball fairly decent i would just like a better feel so that i can loose some stroke and lower my handicap. any tips and practice advive and drills would be very much apprectaited xo

This is for danielle and others. If you bought your equipment off the shelf in a store, you need to take it all to a clubfitter. Here's why: a good fitter can check your swing then measure you and check the lie angle of the irons and the flex in the club shafts for all clubs. While your swing probably needs the help of a good teacher, a common problem among amateurs is their equipment is wrong for them.
Shafts may be too long or short. The flex may be regular when for girls it should start out much less stiff until they get swing speed up to normal. The lie angle of the irons may be too upright or too flat which affects the trajectory and direction.
One more thing: When using an iron, make really sure your hands are always ahead of the clubhead, commonly beginners don't place the hands ahead and as a consequence they are hitting the ball with no lag which is impossible to get the ball in the air.
Step one: Take your equipment to a good club fitter
Step Two: Take your swing to a good teacher and learn the fundamentals
Step Three: Practice at least 3 times a week
All of this will shorten your learning and frustration curve and you will find the enjoyment this game is meant to give.

Hi Danielle,

The best way to gain consistancy is to practice, practice, practice. Unfortunately there is mo substitute for this in golf. Just make sure you are practicing the right things when you are at the range. If you are practicing an incorrect swing, all you will have is a really consistant, bad swing.

If you would like to gain distance, work on your strength and flexability. The best way to gain distance is by first having the correct technique. If you are hitting the ball square with proper weight transfer and your swing is technically strong, you will be able to hit a nice straight ball. The second thing you need is flexability which will help most in your turn in your backswing. The more you can coil and build resistance, the better you can uncoil delivering the built up power directly to the ball. The third element is strength. Your muscles in your lower body are used to increase the power of your swing and the upper body muscles are used to keep the club head under control.

If you wish to lower you handicap, work relentlessly on your short game (under 100 yrds). This is where most of your shots are during a round and the easiest way to shave strokes off your score card. When I am at the range I usually spend about 30 min - 1 hour hitting balls and about 2 hours pitching, chipping and putting. This area of your game is dependant on your feel and judgement, so the more practice you have the better.

If there is a specific area in which you need some help, let us know!

Keep us updated on your success!

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

I'll second the vote to practice short game. If you can put it tight to the pin consistently from inside 100 yards, you'll have much, much more fun.

I played a round today with a lady golfer who was deadly from 50 yards in.

She went 13-for-13, dropping the ball close enough to pick up, from inside 50 yards.

It was awesome to watch.

Thanx guys for your advice... i have decided that i will go out for a practice 2morro and work on what you have advised. hopefully i will have dropped enough strokes when i play comp on sunday to lower my handicap, i guess patience is the key! aswell as a lot of hard work. ill keep you updated on how its goin bye for now xo

Yikes!!! You are supposed to hit the ball before taking a divot.... I am new to the game and this goes a long way towards explaing my problems. I was aware that you ought not try and "scoop" the ball - but I didin't relaize that I should be striking the ball first! I appreciate reading all of your posts. I find when I use my irons my shots are consistently going to the right - I suppose my problem has to do with ball contact at address - my alignment seems fine....



Since I am new to the game I bought a Medicus 5 Iron - think it was worth the investment - I don;t want to entrench too many bad habits. I will be looking for some lessons in the Toronto area once the summer is here.



I also purcahsed the Speed Stick - I can tell you that it works. When I first go it my sp was consitently 104mph - with a little practise and tweaking I can consistently swing at 115mph and I have had a few over 120mph. The good thing is you can try diferent kinds of swings and look at the results - I found when I moved my weight to the balls of my feet and used my legs a little my sp went up. By using the spped stick, I get my ya yas out (an old Stones album) and by the time I go to the driving range I can settle down and practise other shots.