do you forward press your irons?

**DJYoshi** · March 20, 2009

I've never been a big fan of the forward press..I guess it's b/c when i learned how to swing...they just taught me how to setup, and the importance of shoulders, swing plane and a straight arm.

I've been experimenting at the range lately, and i've noticed a bunch that forward press....but i've only seen them hit fat shots when they press.

i think the only time i really deloft the club is when i'm trying to keep the ball extra low to stay under a hanging branch.

so my question... what does the forward press really do? and if you press forward...are you playing your irons like that at all times for majority of your shots in your 6 iron to wedges?

**anthonykim3** · March 20, 2009

what do you mean by forward press?

**st0wgolf08** · March 20, 2009

what do you mean by forward press?

Like where how far forward your hands are in your swing. I'll pots my swing later, my hands are usually 1-2 inches in front of the ball.

**kafka01** · March 20, 2009

...

By forward press you probably mean having the hands well in front of your clubhead at setup - which isnt necessarily true when it comes to impact.

If you watch players at the range you never really know what goes through their head or what they are working on. They just might have snapped up a swing thought on TV or in some magazine, telling them to "pinch the ball more into the ground" - and here we go, you see a bunch of guys trying to accomplish this by "forward pressing" probably taking huge divots, having a pretty low ball flight and not necessarily getting proper distance from the clubs they are just holding. Just because the majority of players comes more or less over the top doesnt make it right... My general rule of thumb is, the shorter the club the more i have my hands in front, just to prevent the clubhead outracing my hands - but i´m not doing this to deloft or hit a low shot. If i want less loft, then i simply take another club, and if want to hit it low, i just take Tigers advice keeping the back of the left hand pointed to the ground as long as possible and having a low finish. BTW - as i was going to PGA Tour Swingplex a couple weeks ago i found this odd setup of Henrik Stenson with his driver where his hands are really well in front of his clubhead - but he seems to be the only one doing this, i havent found anybody else in these vids doing this - http://www.pgatour.com/swingplex/02/15/28/index.html

kgeorge78 · March 21, 2009

I know exaclty what you mean by forward pressing.

Kinda closing the club by having your hands very forward at address.

I Used to do this - before my lesson! usually hit a draw / hook or a fat shot.

I do forward press my putter a bit and most chip shots are pressed - especially when I want to punch it low or just roll it up.

**beachbreak** · March 21, 2009

I do a small one on all clubs even on my putter like Phil Mickelson does. For me, it allows me to smoothly start the backswing. Kind of like a mini-running start. I don't like to start from a static position.

**Quinn07** · March 22, 2009

Like beachbreak I use a slight forward press to start my backswing. I do it for my irons and my putter, but not the driver.

**Fourputt** · March 23, 2009

The forward press is essentially a swing trigger for me, nothing more. I set up with my hands a bit back of what I want to be my impact position, then I trigger the swing with a forward press of about an inch, which puts me in position to start my backswing.

With the irons the hands SHOULD lead the clubhead through the impact area. I visualize it as "trapping" the ball, and contrary to an earlier opinion, it leads to fewer fat shots, not more of them. If anything, I have to beware of a higher tendency to hit the ball on the thin side.

**st0wgolf08** · March 23, 2009

I know exaclty what you mean by forward pressing.

actually the forward press opens the club face if done right.

**tterrag** · March 23, 2009

When i setup to the ball, i try to have a forward press so that it looks like its just ahead for mid irons, even with on long irons, and about an inch or so on short irons, but when i look at my swing on tape, i hardly have that much. So i guess what im saying is to feel like you have more forward press than you think or feel like is right when your first working on this. For me, doing this helped improve my ball striking.

***iacas*** · March 23, 2009

actually the forward press opens the club face if done right.

I would suggest instead that that's NOT doing it right. Most people who forward press don't seem to change their aim (of the clubface) in either direction.

**Chief Broom** · March 23, 2009

The forward press was never something I've done, but lately I've been hitting my irons fat. A pro I'm seeing for lessons had me move the ball farther back in my stance and that forced me into a forward press. It's not something that feels entirely comfortable to me, but it has helped with the fat shots...

**bogeymike** · March 23, 2009

I'm not sure if you guys are talking about doing this at address or at impact. If you're talking about impact you want your hands to be ahead of the ball. The only way to have the center (equator) of the golf ball strike the center (sweetspot) of the club is to have your hands ahead of the ball. I know this sounds funny but try holding a club and ball at eye level. You'll have to tilt the shaft forward in order to have the two centers meet. Look at great iron players like Johnny Miller. His hands are way ahead of the ball at impact. If the club were straight up and down at impact it would either be fat or thin.

bcavery · March 23, 2009

Foward press is usually use as a swing trigger (as stated earlier) and/or to preset the hands to a degree. As a swing trigger a foward press is as good as any other as long as you dont have other movements going on before the swing. But to preset the hand? Ive never really like that and I can only think of one golfer who has done this to any degree of success and that's Mark Mcumber. Im sure there are others but not many i bet.

**DJYoshi** · March 25, 2009

I'm not sure if you guys are talking about doing this at address or at impact. If you're talking about impact you want your hands to be ahead of the ball. The only way to have the center (equator) of the golf ball strike the center (sweetspot) of the club is to have your hands ahead of the ball. I know this sounds funny but try holding a club and ball at eye level. You'll have to tilt the shaft forward in order to have the two centers meet. Look at great iron players like Johnny Miller. His hands are way ahead of the ball at impact. If the club were straight up and down at impact it would either be fat or thin.

niceeeeee... i was actually talking about pre-take away. definitely have the hands in front of my irons..... i don't do it with my hybrid, wood and driver... but someone told me I should play the ball in the middle of my stance for my hybrid instad of towards the front like I do.... i'm a sweeper so it's hard for me to hit a hybrid at the center of my stance.. the most I can bring long clubs back in stance is 1 ball.....

**whit53** · March 25, 2009

actually the forward press opens the club face if done right.

Nice to see that someone got it right......... Most players, myself included, that play with a "stronger grip", will tend to close the club-face slight at address. A little bump of the hands [aka: forward press], can serve as both a trigger and effective means of opening the face for impact. Definitely a "trappers" move..... IMO

**misty_mountainhop** · March 26, 2009

I do a small one on all clubs even on my putter like Phil Mickelson does. For me,

The forward press is

Ditto. I don't always do it but if I'm not swinging smoothly I'll use it. Anecdotal, but I tend to find I get a crisper iron strike with this but if I'm not careful I'll introduce a push right.

actually the forward press opens the club face if done right.

Nice to see that someone got it right......... Most players, myself included, that play with a "stronger grip", will tend to close the club-face slight at address. A little bump of the hands [aka: forward press], can serve as both a trigger and effective means of opening the face for impact. Definitely a "trappers" move..... IMO

Why on Earth would you set up with a closed face? A forward press, IMO, isn't for a "two wrongs make a right" kind of thing. The problem with a forward press

is that you'll open the face by accident. If you're closed and use this to counteract and it works for you then that's great but I doubt this is something to recommend.

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do you forward press your irons?

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