Irons too short

[mnshooter]

I hit my driver anywhere from 225-250 normally with occasional ones going up to about 275. My natural shot is a pull or a slight fade. My problem is my irons go way high and short. My 6 iron has the flight of a 9 iron and about the same distance. If I hit harder the ball goes higher but no further.

Here are my average distances
Driver 250
3 wood 200
3H 175
4 160
5 145
6 130
7 120
8 110
9 95
PW 80
SW 50



Here's a youtube video and some stills with a 6 iron from a recent lesson
I think I should be hitting my 7 at least 140. I see others hitting their 7 iron 150+ and I can drive farther than they do. It doesn't make any sense. Any help would be appreciated.

[Kingfisher]

I'm no pro, but here are a couple of things I see:

i) your position at the top looks quite flat and should be a bit more upright. it may be that you're bringing the club inside during the take away, rather than on plane. This will encourage an out-to=in swing path, which combined with an open clubface = high, weak fade with no distance

ii) Also at the top, you club face appears to be open, juding from the way it seems to point down. Maybe you're fanning the face open during the takeaway?

iii) Impact position is weak, with the club ahead of the hands, like you're scooping the ball into the air. On the impact image, you can see the different launch angles of your ball vs the pro.

I think all of these factors are contributing to your short distances. Like a I said, not a pro, but I've seen enough of these faults before to recognise that they are a problem!

[mnshooter]

Thanks for the response. Yeah the instructor had me close the clubface at the top along with a whole list of other things. I'm also working on keeping my hands ahead of the club at impact but I'm still not gaining any distance. Maybe I just need to get used to the new swing. It's funny how hard it is to make little changes.

[McGolf-Doggie]

Take this with a pinch of salt, since I'm a high 'capper, but...

Your swing looks pretty smooth to me.

I'm just wondering, if you are hitting the driver long, but not your irons, are you a bit of a slider like me? I also hit the irons high and higher. I have worked on an inside to out 7-to-1 swingpath, and definitely draw (and unfortunately hook) the ball more, which can contribute to very long roll-outs. (I don't always use it, as I find right now I've been fighting a hook/pull)

I practice on mats a lot and I think that encourages me to be a slider, which is not necessarily so good. It's is a matter of where my swing is bottoming out. It probably needs to bottom out a little more in front of where it's bottoming now. Personally, I need to work on taking a little more of a divot (don;t ask me how, I'm not sure but I'll ask my pro about it), and that would alter the angle the face makes contact with the ball, thereby strengthening the loft.

If not that, maybe look at the lofts on your irons and shaft stiffness and how that's working for you. Some manufacturers err toward stronger lofts. Maybe irons with stronger lofts or slightly stiffer shafts would work.

[iacas]

Third attachment... flip much? There's a big huge part of your problem. I wouldn't work on anything before you ironed out your impact position.

[shortstop20]

I'm no pro by any means either but here's some things that catch my eye.

You are releasing the club too early like iacas said. Work with your pro on extending the lag time on the downswing and you should see a nice distance increase, especially if you get the face square at impact.

Your takeaway looks good at waist height, it's covering your hands(you don't want it any further inside than that) and the toe is up, so the face is square. Past that point you get a little inside but at the top you're not in a bad position. You're a bit too flat for my taste at the top but once again, I'm no teacher so don't take my critiques as gospel.

The clubface is open slightly at the top of your backswing and also slightly open on your downswing(at waist height). Get your wrist a little flatter at the top(inline with your forearm) and you will get rid of that open clubface. It will make your impact position better. There are two ways that I know of to imagine this to get that feeling, left wrist flat(inline) with your forearm) or that your right wrist is cupped in such a way that you could balance a try of drinks on your right palm at the top of the backswing, I prefer the latter. Personal preference though.

If you shortened your backswing slightly I bet you would also see straighter and lower shots as well. Since your clubface gets open towards the top of the backswing, if you shorten the backswing that will lessen the amount that the clubface opens, or possibly even bring it back to square. I recently shortened my backswing with my irons, once my left arm is parallel with the ground I go just a little bit further, that's it. Never very close to parallel(you are just short of parallel). Many of the pro's use this method as well(most notably Tiger). Since I have done this my shots have gone straighter AND longer. It goes against instinct to think a shorter swing will make the ball go further but for many people swinging to parallel is un-necessary and only gives them problems. I hit my 7 iron about 160 with this method.

[iacas]

IYour takeaway looks good at waist height, it's covering your hands(you don't want it any further inside than that) and the toe is up, so the face is square. ... The clubface is open slightly at the top of your backswing and also slightly open on your downswing(at waist height).

Toe up at that point in the backswing is open. The leading edge should match your spine angle (or be close to it). Perhaps that's why it's open thereafter - because it's open at that point, too.

[NotAStick]

iron distance that can't match driver distance is almost always a result of "scooping".

If you're hitting an ascending blow on the ball, your driver will fly just fine, but your irons will be weak and often thin or fat. I bet your best iron shots don't take any divot, right?

You have to strike a descending blow on the ball with your irons and have your hands slightly in front of the ball. That requires more hip turn through contact and driving the club into the ball.

[alf174]

Baseball player? That left elbow breaks down just like you were setting up to hit a baseball. Can be a hard habit to break.

Left wrist cupping.

[Zeph]

Toe up at that point in the backswing is open. The leading edge should match your spine angle (or be close to it). Perhaps that's why it's open thereafter - because it's open at that point, too.

The leading wrist is flat, so a weak grip might be the cause. The grip is weak, clubface open and he's got to flip the hands in order to get the clubface square. Only problem is it's difficult to do, he's overdoing it and it results in pulling and hooking the ball.

[shortstop20]

Toe up at that point in the backswing is open. The leading edge should match your spine angle (or be close to it). Perhaps that's why it's open thereafter - because it's open at that point, too.

Thanks for the info, I did not know that.

[Slim 11]

I paused the video right at the moment of impact. Pretty much what everyone else sees....

Hands are not out in front, right shoulder is dropped, hips are not turning out of the way. Your impact position looks like your address position. Mostly need to get the hands out front and get that descending blow on the ball, you are essentially increasing the loft of your clubs.

By the way....nice video. I need to do this. I bet I have the same problems and more than I just said I see in your swing. Good Luck!

[Slim 11]

Was just looking again... you also break your left elbow a lot on your takeaway. I didn't really look at that at first because I was trying to diagnose the height/distance issue. If you set up with your hands out front and concentrate on that elbow, it will help you get back to the same position with your hands out front.