Long Iron Problems

[Nayfac]

I can hit my long irons (3-5) perfectly from the tee. From the turf I can hit them at all. If I can get them airborne they are either going left or right and not on line... any tips to help will be appreciated.

[bjw181]

Cant say without a video...Generic answer = slow down. I like to feel like gravity takes the club from the top to the finish. I also like to feel like my body weight is my swing's power supply, not my arms and hands. You will be surprised how much FASTER your swing will be simply by keeping a smooth tempo! Also, an on-plane takeaway is a must.

Bottom line, I bet you are just tensing up due to the ball being on the ground.

[wedge player]

I can hit my long irons (3-5) perfectly from the tee. From the turf I can hit them at all. If I can get them airborne they are either going left or right and not on line... any tips to help will be appreciated.

sounds like you are catching them thin,you hit good off a tee because they are off the ground a lil.just my opinion though

[ks8829]

Its your set up and backswing thats causing the problem. practice hitting PW, 9, 8, 7, 6 irons only taking the club back hip high and focus on making first making solid contact then on direction with each club then slowly start taking the club back further to 3/4 and then to full each time taking the club back further only after successfully make solid contact and then working on direction. you are practicing a mini version of your full swing and you can diagnosis any problems and correct them with this simple drill.

Finally after hitting your 6 irons move up to your 5, 4, and finally your 3 iron with the above drill.

[ArrrrJay]

Most people try to hit their 9 iron around 110 yards, not too far, so they take a controlled smooth swing, like they should.

Then you hand them a 3 iron, and they start thinking "well, i have to hit this 190 yards now." So what do they do? They make a violent, uncontrolled, 150% swing.

This is not the way, do not try to swing your yardage. Make some smooth swings with your short and mid irons, just focusing on contact, then do the same with the long irons, 75% power, get a good feel for them.

When you do try to take a full swing, don't over do it, just make the same swing as you would with a 9.

[lumpuckeroo]

Most people try to hit their 9 iron around 110 yards, not too far, so they take a controlled smooth swing, like they should.

Great advice, I actually try and swing easier with long irons then I do with a 9 iron. 7 iron down I attack the pin and will make aggressive swings, not so with a 3 iron, i'm looking to advance the ball in a possitive manner, which means middle of the green or next to the green.

[wrx_junki]

Get rid of those problems by replacing them with hybrids.

[Captain Hook]

Not to Hijack your thread, But i to have a problem with my irons as well, in the fairway also, Off the tee iam golden! It becomes a mental thing, i always here pinch the ball, as iam not real sure what they mean by that phrase, then i find myself trying to lift the ball, instead of letting the club do the work. I spent the day yesterday at the range hitting my Irons, and think iam getting better, just need to hit about 100,000 more balls.... I do think range work helps alot, but find myself wanting to play golf instead of praticeing at the Range......

[PiKapp23]

I won't go into swing advice simply because I do not know your swing or your overall game, however I would highly recommend you look into a hybrid or 2. A few years ago I finally sucked in my ego and bought a hybrid to replace my 2 iron and was blown away how much easier it was to hit. Then I bought a 4H and now I even carry a 5H. They are longer off the tee than irons with a higher trajectory (and easier to control) and they are not even worth comparing to irons off turf as they are so much easier to hit well consistently.

One other thing I have done is replace my Mizuno MP-60 long irons (2-4)with hybrids and for my 5 and 6 irons I am using MX-900 irons, which are much more forgiving and easier to hit.