What is your routine for your irons?

[Uthinkso]

I have a great routine for the tee box, and it works well and more importantly keeps my mind on the shot. Same goes for the putter.

My irons on my other hand are hit or miss. When I hit the ball I hit it well, but I feel like there something I do right before contact that is throwing me off. Not sure if I'm pulling out of it or what the case may be.

So that being said, what is your pre-shot routine and do you feel it helps you keep your head in the game?

[Smallville]

After the point where I put the ball on the tee for my drive, my pre-shot routine is the same for my woods and my irons (on full shots). After I get to the ball I stand beside it and look to see the lie, and of course to identify it. Then I walk back 3 steps. I stand behind my ball down the line of where I am aiming (not necessarily where I want the ball to go but where I want it to start). Then I take one lage step to the side (how large depends on the club I am using) and pick the target down this new line, parallel to my previous target line, and take 3 steps forward, keeping my eye on my new target. After 3 steps I turn my right foot 90 degrees (to keep square) then I look down and square up my left foot and adjust my feet position to the ball. Then I take a practice swing (two, if the first didn't feel good), then step up to the ball, hover or ground the club as appropriate and hit. I do check the wind but I don't throw grass or anything, and where I aim may be dependent on the wind also. Chips shots around the green are easier for me to line up square, I stand behind the ball, move forward and to the side at the same time, take a couple practice swings and hit it.

My full shot routine I changed to this year, and it helps me hit the ball straight for the first time ever. I can still make it slice or fade when I want (sometimes, when I don't want) but I haven't mastered hitting a draw yet. Although I sometimes now hit it left, but it's just left of the target, not a draw or hook. It helps me keep my head in the game because I am doing the exact same thing, shot after shot. I hardly think about it any more and it took a while to figure out exactly what I do so I could type it down. I don't change my routine from woods to irons.

[ks8829]

use your regular pre-iron shot routine and trust your swing. how are you hitting your irons when you are off?

[jambalaya]

Lately it is comfortable open stance, ball near middle of stance, check target, smooth backswing, hit the ball fat, utter profanities, slam club back into bag.

[pjsnyc]

My pre-shot routine for irons is similar to my pre-putt routine. Stand behind ball looking at target while taking graduated waggles just to get a feel for how the club head goes through the zone/lie. I take an extra few swipes if in the rough...and even try to replicate the feel of the grain + direction of grain in thick rough. I start small, then graduate towards a full swing (or whatever swing I'm trying - punch, pitch, whatever). Usually takes me about 4 or 5 quick sways back and forth.

After that, all thats left is to hit it!

[TinCupTampa]

Spend about 4 minutes looking for my ball... to no avail. Then I take a drop closer to the hole by 20 yards, make sure I fluff the lie. Take a practice swing, fluff lie a little more then proceed to hit another wayward shot.

Just kidding.

[Uthinkso]

use your regular pre-iron shot routine and trust your swing. how are you hitting your irons when you are off?

When I've been off lately the ball will fail to take flight and go 30yds. I feel like I'm topping it is my guess. I'm not sure if I'm taking the club back far enough in my swing.

[wichitapenguin]

stand about 5 yards behind ball and run up to it and swing.

[Wannabe Paper Tiger]

If anything I really try to visualize the shot and not thinking about anything... i line myself up, plus i waggle the club to loosen my grip a bit. thas it...

[FortAsel]

I keep it has simple has I possibly can:

1) Check the yardadge (when hitting a long shot), to chose the correct club
2) Check out how the conditions (weather, lie, score, type of shot that I need to hit, etc.)
3) See the shot
4) Make 2 practice swings
5) Take my stance
6) Hit the shot

If anything blows my concentration away, like some guys talking, birds singing, not being sure of the yardagde... I restart my pre-shot routine.

When playing, you have got to stick to a pre-shot routine for every shot, and therefor, keep it has simple has you possible can. If you have to make 10 swings in order to feel confortable, do it, but make sure you do it every singe shot.

You should practice this when you are hitting balls at the driving range, it will make you practice better, but be sure to have a target for every shot.

[chingali]

I'm very quick at summing up yardages and required shot type and choosing a club and I always go with my first decision, I do my best to never second guess and fart around because it causes doubt and it slows everyone up. In most cases I'll have already made up my mind what I am going to do and have a club out and ready well before my playing partners have even taken a club from their bag let alone finished their shots.

My routine is the same for woods, irons and wedges and it never varies.

1. Stand behind ball and take one loose practice swing while trying to replicate the feeling I want to have during my shot to produce the ball flight I am intending - it's usually based around hand position through impact
2. Mentally draw a line through the ball to my aiming point and pick something a few feet in front of the ball on the target line as an alignment reference
3. Move in to the ball and with my right hand align clubface squarely to the aiming reference point
4. Left hand goes on to club and feet are placed together with ball inbetween heels
5. Left foot is moved forward in to position depending upon club
6. Right foot is moved back in to position
7. Look at target for a second
8. Waggle twice taking club back along intended takeaway line and with a little bounce by flexing the knees
9. Club settles in behind the ball
10. Right knee kicks in an inch towards the target as a trigger point and I'm away

All up it takes me just over 20 seconds to complete the routine (I've timed it quite a few times while watching video of me playing and practicing) and it never varies for any full shot. From the point of beginning the routine through to beginning my takeaway I am constantly moving slightly but with a slow rhythm, I worked out 20 years ago that I have problems if I stand still over the ball for more than a second or so. I pretty much never back off once I start, you could drop a bomb and I'd still keep going.

The routine is slightly different for chipping and bunker shots, I look at the hole then the spot I want to land the ball then the hole again and instead of kicking my knee in as a trigger I use a slight forward press with my hands.

Putting is slightly different again, I have three loose practice strokes while looking at the hole without ever really getting in to an address position, it's sort of a loose thing to get a feel for the speed and again I use a little forwrd press to get me moving.

I reckon that what you do in your preshot routine is pretty unimportant, but repeating it every single time no matter what is. You also need to do it while hitting practice balls, it must always be the same. From the point where you have decided what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and what you are using to achieve it then the preshot routine is just you on autopilot. No point in working on your swing, all of that stuff should have been done on the practice fairway and you are just trusting all of the work you have put in already. If you have no trust in what you are doing, time to have some lessons and practice some more!

[CG031]

1. Stand behind the ball and take a few practice swings for "rhythem."
2. Pick a target on the ground that aligns with my target in the distance (ex. a leaf, previous divot, etc.)
3. Make one slow practice swing, I've been working on getting a proper wrist hinge at the top, and swinging inside-out.


That's all I do. I'm one of the fastest players you'd ever play with if you guys played with me.

[jaggy13]

1. aim shot and pick a spot after my ball (spot aiming)
2. take one swing at about 10% slow motion and focus on release and following my target line.
3. visualize the shot
4. one full speed swing
5. step into shot and "let it fly"

[$2 Nassau]

-Stand directly behind ball, in line with intended target.
-Mentally draw line from ball to target, then pick out intermediate target 2-3 feet in front of the ball.
-Address ball and line myself up to the intermediate target. After that is complete, immediately forget about that intermediate target and start focusing on actual target
-Swing

Usually don't take any practices swing, maybe one.

[Uthinkso]

stand about 5 yards behind ball and run up to it and swing.

Ah yes the patented "Gilmore" I have never attempted that.

[Uthinkso]

1. aim shot and pick a spot after my ball (spot aiming)

This is a good one, this goes into practice now and hopefully by the end of the year I'm onto something

[jaggy13]

This is a good one, this goes into practice now and hopefully by the end of the year I'm onto something

I hope it works for you! The other thing I do that really is just as important for me is; as I address the ball I smile and tell myself to "enjoy hitting this golf shot".

First seeing the posative outcome in my mind then allowing myself to swing freely without worry of negative results.

[Uthinkso]

Well I'm a little late to reply. HOLY ^&* I can't believe the difference. I've always had this wandering feeling at address that I fealt was costing me strokes and power. I hit my irons dead straight and for the first time hit my hybrid well out of the fairway. Seeing that imaginary line is HUGE. I also took a deep breath just before I walked up on the ball from behind it. Kind of my way to say "its show time", and show I did. I turned in an 84 which is my lowest score of the year by five strokes.

Thank you all for the great advice and for taking my game to a new level. I'm so happy I found this site, my game has changed in every dimension this year and I owe a majority of it to the advice I've read here. I've also practiced 2-3 days a week, but its what I've done when I've practiced that has made the impact.