I also posted this in Golf Talk, but I figured I may get some better responses here.
So I've been on a vacation with my family to the Hammock Beach Golf Resort in St. Augustine, FL. I have been playing golf for about 2 and a half months, and about a week ago I got my first real set of irons, a 6-PW Cleveland Mashie set with 4 and 5 hybrids. While I am at the range, I usually hit my iron shots DECENTLY, though they are always fat or thing, and my 6 iron always slices about 30 yards off target. I can hit it about 130-150 yds. I played the Ocean course Thursday and Friday, I had a bit of fun, but I shot a 122. I had to take 2-3 shots off the tees for half of the holes, as I kept slicing into oblivion or hitting the ball like 50 yards. On the off occasion that I hit a 220yd drive or a 200 yd hybrid shot, I would immediately chunk the ball about 20 yards with my irons. I had about 5 good iron shots throughout my whole round. My pitches would either fly over the green and into a bunker, or go about 10 yards from the spot I pitched it. My chips are ALWAYS shots that barely even get off the ground, and would roll to the end of the fringe. It was VERY frustrating. Today I played the conservatory course, planning to play all 18 holes in one morning. I was shooting 50 through 7 holes, and I couldn't even get ANY of my iron shots off of the ground. Well, on the eighth hole (a par 3) I hit 2 balls into the water, and gave up. I hit about 10 shots on the final par 4 of the back 9, and I gave up and went home, utterly disappointed and even considering giving up golf.
My swing sequence seems to be pretty decent, but I almost always end up hitting the ground about an inch behind the ball whenever I play on the course. I focus on rolling my left forearm back during the back swing, and rolling my wrists and arm forward during my downswing (if I don't do this, my shots go nowhere). I try to follow through well, but my club digs into the ground and I am unable to follow through. NOTHING irritates me more than when I chunk the ball 10-20 yards. I just drop the club and beat myself up on the inside.
If anyone has any tips to help a beginner golf like myself, I would really appreciate it. I have gotten 4 lessons since I started, and I watch how-to videos on youtube all the time. Any reading or video series that could help my problems with my irons would be a life saver for me.