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Hi All,

 

long time lurker but first time poster.  I realize a video would be helpful but any tips would be much appreciated.  I have a very consistent driver(about 250and mostly in the fairway) but can’t hit irons for the life of me.  It’s usually a heel stroke or a dribbler or a right fade.   I can do punch shots/half shots and chips well.  I have stock graphite irons from several years back and am scheduled for a fitting but if I can’t even strike the irons consistently I’m doubting the usefulness of the fitting.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!


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  On 5/24/2021 at 6:31 PM, bonsaiguy32 said:

Hi All,

 

long time lurker but first time poster.  I realize a video would be helpful but any tips would be much appreciated.  I have a very consistent driver(about 250and mostly in the fairway) but can’t hit irons for the life of me.  It’s usually a heel stroke or a dribbler or a right fade.   I can do punch shots/half shots and chips well.  I have stock graphite irons from several years back and am scheduled for a fitting but if I can’t even strike the irons consistently I’m doubting the usefulness of the fitting.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

Expand  

Without more information about your game, your experience, etc., the only thing I can say is if your irons are a really bad fit for you, it’s entirely possible that you’ll struggle to hit them with your stock swing.

It’s also possible that you have a swing flaw and a compensation that works better with the ball teed up than with it on the ground. I’ve seen guys who swing fast and flip hit the driver well but struggle with just getting solid contact with their irons.

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

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I’ve been playing for years but am almost ready to quit.  Past several years can’t hit irons consistently.  If I do a smooth half swing I get center center contact for the most part but for a full swing with irons I take it back too far inside, according to instructor.  No instructor has been able to translate driver swing to irons.  Very frustrating.


  • Moderator
  On 5/24/2021 at 6:43 PM, bonsaiguy32 said:

I’ve been playing for years but am almost ready to quit.  Past several years can’t hit irons consistently.  If I do a smooth half swing I get center center contact for the most part but for a full swing with irons I take it back too far inside, according to instructor.  No instructor has been able to translate driver swing to irons.  Very frustrating.

Expand  

I’m going to guess it’s the latter from my previous post. Film yourself and start a member swing thread, then we might be able to help you better.

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

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  On 5/24/2021 at 6:43 PM, bonsaiguy32 said:

I’ve been playing for years but am almost ready to quit.  Past several years can’t hit irons consistently.  If I do a smooth half swing I get center center contact for the most part but for a full swing with irons I take it back too far inside, according to instructor.  No instructor has been able to translate driver swing to irons.  Very frustrating.

Expand  

Let me ask a question.  With a half swing are you getting the same distance as you would if you got good contact with a full swing.  If so, why try a full swing.  There are pro's who have a half swing and are good with it

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  • Moderator
  On 5/24/2021 at 6:43 PM, bonsaiguy32 said:

I’ve been playing for years but am almost ready to quit.  Past several years can’t hit irons consistently.  If I do a smooth half swing I get center center contact for the most part but for a full swing with irons I take it back too far inside, according to instructor.  No instructor has been able to translate driver swing to irons.  Very frustrating.

Expand  

Without seeing the swing I’d guess you flip it (clubhead pass hands before impact) while the weight doesn’t quite get to the left side. Thus why a punch or 3/4 swing works better and the driver goes well. I’d guess you should work on getting more weight to your lead side by impact. 

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  On 5/24/2021 at 7:00 PM, pganapathy said:

There are pro's who have a half swing and are good with it

Expand  

There are also plenty of people whose “half” swings are actually full swings.

Bill

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Ya I’ve thought about that in the past but it just takes the fun away from the game for me.  7 iron half swing 145 but full swing used to be 160s.  I almost never hit a full swing well these days. 


  On 5/24/2021 at 7:03 PM, billchao said:

There are also plenty of people whose “half” swings are actually full swings.

Expand  

Provided you can generate clubhead speed from whatever length of backswing you use, that is enough.  Jim Furyk is a perfect example of this

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(edited)
  On 5/24/2021 at 6:31 PM, bonsaiguy32 said:

 

 I have a very consistent driver(about 250and mostly in the fairway)

but can’t hit irons for the life of me.  

Expand  

I would be prepared to bet any amount of money that the first line I have quoted above is not even close to being accurate if you want us to assume that the second line is true. 

Stray by not lying to yourself.

The truth is more likely " Sometimes I connect pretty well with my driver but am hopeless with irons."

If you are hitting it consistently 250 and mostly in the fairway you are one of the best drivers around.

 

Edited by Shorty

In the race of life, always back self-interest. At least you know it's trying.

 

 


  • Moderator
  On 5/24/2021 at 7:03 PM, bonsaiguy32 said:

Ya I’ve thought about that in the past but it just takes the fun away from the game for me.  7 iron half swing 145 but full swing used to be 160s.  I almost never hit a full swing well these days. 

Expand  

Hmm. It’s no fun to play half swings that go 145, so you’d rather take full swings that go 45 and leave you feeling incredibly frustrated about the game? If you can’t tell, I’m just busting your chops.

But seriously, golf is about getting the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. Play with the swing that can accomplish the task best, work on improving your full swing during practice.

  On 5/24/2021 at 7:05 PM, pganapathy said:

Provided you can generate clubhead speed from whatever length of backswing you use, that is enough.  Jim Furyk is a perfect example of this

Expand  

No, I mean some people take the club back too far and they swing past the point where they’re “fully loaded” in the backswing.

Guys like me need to swing short of a full range of motion.

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

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Thanks so much for all the input.  I’ll video my driver, full iron, and 3/4 shots and post them in the member area.  From some reading I’ve done, an inside takeaway is ok for a driver since it’s a flatter swing plane but doesn’t do well with irons.  I bought the orange whip around the same time this issue started and am wondering if that may be the culprit.  I’ve tinkered endlessly with setup and stance to no avail.  

  On 5/24/2021 at 7:19 PM, Shorty said:

I would be prepared to bet any amount of money that the first line I have quoted above is not even close to being accurate if you want us to assume that the second line is true. 

Stray by not lying to yourself.

The truth is more likely " Sometimes I connect pretty well with my driver but am hopeless with irons."

If you are hitting it consistently 250 and mostly in the fairway you are one of the best drivers around.

 

Expand  

I hit most fairways and usually at least 240 but can’t hit irons.  Hence the incredible frustration.  Of course I’ll have bad driver days but I usually know how to correct.  With irons I just feel hopeless.


  On 5/24/2021 at 7:23 PM, billchao said:

Play with the swing that can accomplish the task best, work on improving your full swing during practice.

Expand  

This is such excellent advice but, oh so difficult for some of to do!


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  On 5/25/2021 at 1:52 AM, Zippo said:

This is such excellent advice but, oh so difficult for some of to do!

Expand  

Oh trust me, it’s taken me years to get to this point.

Sometimes your “A” swing just isn’t on the course with you and you’re out there playing golf, you just need to do whatever you can to get that ball in the hole.

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Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

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I can only tell you what works for me with my irons, also my woods and driver. 

1. very slow back swing, keeping eye on the ball, left arm straight

2. start the down swing with the feeling that I'm pulling the heal of the club first, down at the ball.

3. don't forget to turn through the strike so your belt buckle is facing the target when complete

Good luck


  On 5/30/2021 at 4:31 PM, cooke119 said:

I'm pulling the heal of the club first,

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If I do that I will, with deadly precision and unparalleled consistency, hit the ball with the heel. And we all know what that means….

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  On 5/24/2021 at 7:02 PM, phillyk said:

Without seeing the swing I’d guess you flip it (clubhead pass hands before impact) while the weight doesn’t quite get to the left side. Thus why a punch or 3/4 swing works better and the driver goes well. I’d guess you should work on getting more weight to your lead side by impact. 

Expand  

Based on not having video, I vote for this theory. I too have had the same issue crop up. The driver can be hit best IMO by having some spine tilt to the rear side and hitting up on the ball. That does not work for any other club. Before @iacas helped me with a lesson last summer my driver was about the best ever and my irons shots the worst. Some flipping was going on. I struggled to get the club face square on irons and I am sure my weight could have been a little more forward at impact. Doing much better this year.

Post some swings and don't lose heart.

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I'm going through this right now. I am absolutely crushing my driver. I cured my slice with it and everything, I'm even hitting my fairway woods well. But my iron game? Not so good. In my case it's that I'm not getting through the shot. You can see it in where the divots are. This is the root cause of my distance loss this year. I'm hitting my irons slightly heavy.... well sometimes really heavy. But where do you play your driver? Forward. Your FW? Forward. You're forced to drive your body through the shots. Your irons are played more center of stance so maybe we get a little lazy and don't drive forward enough? Also when I do that I tend to hook my irons. When I drive through they go straight. I can't really say this is you because I haven't seen your swing. This is what I do.  When I start doing this, I do a little drill at the driving range with my irons and put the ball about 4" further forward than normal. It forces me to drive forward with my weight shift instead of being lazy and hanging back. I need to do this again.

Julia

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