Trouble with irons

I haven't played a round in a while, just been trying to tune my game on the range and practice green.

I've straightened out my drive considerably, improved my chips and putts, and can hit my wood alright.

Just lately though, I can barely hit my irons. I flubb it, shank it, top it, hit it fat, hit it thin, push it, pull it, you name it, I'm having problems with my full shots with 3, 4, 5, 6 , 7, 8, 9 irons.

I should note that I flub about 7 shots per round, so if i just fixed those stupid little mistakes, my scores would be lowered quite a bit.

If you practice on grass, find a artificial surface to practice on and get some confidence. If you are already on the fake stuff, just relax and try to swing the right way, and not hit the ball. If you have hit your irons well in the past, there is no doubt you can do it again and the biggest problem with your swing is inbetween your ears.

Ya I'm beginning to think it may be all mental (or mostly). I'm going away for a few days, and will be playing so I'll think positive, trust my swing and see how it goes...

I am going to go out on a limb here and say ball position.

If you spend a lot of time working on your driver and you are comfortable and used to seeing the ball forward of your setup close to your front foot then you might make the mistake of liking it there when hitting your irons.

Although the driver swing and iron swing are very similar and some might even say that they should be the same, regardless of that the fact remains that whats more important is that they impact the ball at a different time in the path of the swing.

The driver swing contacts the ball on the upswing, that is why you tee it up for driver, where as with irons the ball is contacted on the downswing, that is why you take a divot with irons.

If you ever see the super slow-mo of the tour players when they hit driver, their club does not touch the ground before impact, it just brushes the tops of the grass and the hits the ball as the club is going up.

As for irons, the secret to good solid, crisp iron shots is hit the ball first, then the ground. If you hit the ground then the ball, there is a very good chance that the grass/ground will alter not only the path of the club but the club face angle right before impact.

For 5I-LW, I play the ball pretty much right in the middle of my stance, give that a try and if you are having problem with hitting it thin and putting big smilie faces on your ball then try looking at a spot just in front of the ball. I know it sounds like that is the oposite thing to do but the reality is the reason you hit it thin is because your swing has bottomed out before getting to the ball and now you are hitting the ball while the club is traveling up. If you look passed the ball your swing will bottom out after the ball which is how irons should be hit.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-...ect-golf-swing
this video is one of the best instructionals i've seen.
also lining up the ball near the heel of the club will help promote an inside-out swing path.
good luck w/ your irons...

i would reccomend getting a momentus or other weighted swing trainer to help groove your swing so atleast you can make a consistent mistake and then go from there. making a consistent mistake isn't as bad as it sounds. they are pretty easy to fix and it shows that you can have a repeating swing. this method worked for me about 2years ago and now my momentus never leaves my bag(unless i'm walking, cause its heavy as ass)

-matt

I was terrible with my irons for 4 years.... so.... i bought new Irons... Taylormade RAC OS (Oversized)... they are very forgiving and my contact has improved to the point where its saved me 6-8 shots per round. From the low 90's to the mid 80's... consistently.

Sometimes its the equipment.

i had the same issue a couple weeks ago. go to the range and SLOW down your swing until your ball striking comes back. worked for me. turns out i was just swinging way to fast and raising my head and all kinds of other problems. im hitting my irons better than i have all year cause my swing is slower.

Wow, that's a tough one. I would concentrate on several things: Proper fundamentals- check your grip before every shot, use some clubs to make sure your alignment is good. Proper impact- work to make sure you have a flat left wrist at impact, your divot begins AFTER impact and that your divots bottom out 4" past the ball. It's not sexy. It's not a cure all swing tip but I'll tell you this, if you can make those things automatic, you will become one heck of a ball striker!