how to strike the ball with my irons????

[John Mark]

ok guys im new to golf been playing since this past summer.

ive got my drive down around 200 yards straight... light fade...

my chipping is getting better with lots of practice .. same with my putting...

i can hit a nice pitching wedge from 40-50 yards out..

now for my question....

i can hit my irons straight as an arrow however they are sooooo short...

my seven iron is lucky to go 100 yards.....

so my buddy are telling my to club down but my six iron goes even shorter and i can hit the ball farther with my pitching wedge then my 5 iron.....

i am thinking that i am hitting the ball square on and not down compressing the ball.... could this be the reason why i can hit straight but NOT far?

my buddies can take a nice easy smooth swing and hit their PW as far or farther then my 7 iron???? any help tips or drills would be awesome

thanks for the help in advance!

JD

[sk golf]

Make sure your weight is forward and your handle is forward at impact

[mvmac]

Weight forward and handle forward at set-up as well

This would be a great drill for you to do, notice the head is centered but the hips, hands and weight are forward

[slabm7]

Getting good distance with irons is all about impact. Do you take a divot with your irons? If your not taking a divot then you are hitting it wrong. I used to be a sweeper and flipper. This causes a very high and short ball flight. My 9 iron was my 100 yard club. A friend and I went and watched a Pro event and it changed the way I play golf. I was amazed at how light they swing yet how far the ball flies. My 6 iron had the flight of a pros 9 iron. So after seeing them play I completely changed my swing and started hitting down on it. What a difference. My 9 iron is now my 140-145 club and I only hit about 1 shank a year. I used to hit 5-6 shanks a round when I would sweep at the ball. Now my biggest problem is an out to in swing but ball striking is no longer a worry. The one book that helped me was the Stack and Tilt. It teaches you how to consistently get good contact.

[John Mark]

Thanks guys ive heard of the stack and tilt and i think that i am going to buy that book... i know that im not hitting down on the ball rather im sweeping at it... lol work great for a soft 50 yard pitch to the green but after my drive i want a nice 7 iron at least getting up and going further then 100 yards.... thing is i hit them so dead straight its hard to change while playing a round ... i think its time to take some lessons ... prob well worth the 50 to 75 bucks an hour

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by John Mark

Thanks guys ive heard of the stack and tilt and i think that i am going to buy that book... i know that im not hitting down on the ball rather im sweeping at it... lol work great for a soft 50 yard pitch to the green but after my drive i want a nice 7 iron at least getting up and going further then 100 yards.... thing is i hit them so dead straight its hard to change while playing a round ... i think its time to take some lessons ... prob well worth the 50 to 75 bucks an hour

Great, and just want to clarify that having the weight forward and handle forward at impact is not exclusive to S&T; Just how the clubs are designed to be hit properly.

Also let you know about Evolvr http://evolvr.thegolfevolution.com/ a good affordable option for this kind of information

[ditter]

Get lessons from a PGA pro. Most have group lessons or you can buy a block of 5 lessons and go back every other week. And definitely get yourself on video so you can see yourself versus a pro swing. Agree with the poster above about a pro swing. I went to a Nationwide event a couple months back and I go to Doral every year. When you see the pros swing up close, they barely swing.

[BallStriker]

all the above stuff is good, but you need to start with thought no. 1.........hit down on the ball......if needed, move the ball a bit back in teh stance until you get the feeling of down through the ball and then work on moving it forward.....GL and just keep swinging it.

[BallStriker]

thought no. 2 ......flat left wrist at impact.....just do it....and never quit swinging

[sk golf]

If you still struggling with the hands further forward, weight forward, and being able to get a divot I definitely recommend the video from a great instructor below...

[sk golf]

Originally Posted by mvmac

Great, and just want to clarify that having the weight forward and handle forward at impact is not exclusive to S&T;   Just how the clubs are designed to be hit properly.

Also let you know about Evolvr http://evolvr.thegolfevolution.com/ a good affordable option for this kind of information

Mike is right, not only do S & T ers have weight forward and handle forward, but so do the rest of the best players in the world.  Whenever making big changes in your swing (especially around p7, impact) start with either really short swings or really slow swings, or both because it is really difficult. Think about it like this, if it hard for you to get weight forward, handle forward, and get a divot from a waist high to waist, then you probably can't do it going full swing full throttle.  So whenever making changes, start out slow and work your way up.  :)

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by sk golf

Mike is right, not only do S & T ers have weight forward and handle forward, but so do the rest of the best players in the world.  Whenever making big changes in your swing (especially around p7, impact) start with either really short swings or really slow swings, or both because it is really difficult. Think about it like this, if it hard for you to get weight forward, handle forward, and get a divot from a waist high to waist, then you probably can't do it going full swing full throttle.  So whenever making changes, start out slow and work your way up.  :)

You can put your weight forward at both address and even further forward at impact, sure.  Just make sure that it's not so far forward at address that you can't push with your right leg without hurting your left knee.  Not only is it important that the hips be forward at impact, it's important that they move there.  They can't move anywhere laterally if they are already as far forward as you need them to be at impact.  The net result is that you will be forced to spin from the top, which is going to make it nearly impossible to get forward shaft lean.  You are also far more likely to injur the ligaments in the knee this way.  I don't have hard numbers, but for me it feels like I'm 55/45 at address and 70/30 at impact.  The head stays still and upper center stays fixed mind you.  This is what I came to after some recent minor left knee injuries from putting the weight too far forward at address and then having too much left knee bowing and pressing the hips too far forward in the downswing.  It's all great advice, but be careful not to overdo it.  Your body is designed to stand on two legs, so they each need a job to do.  You also get more power if both legs can jump some.  This requires that they both feel ground pressure, not just the forward one.  This post is probably a little like feeding steak to a baby (no insult intended), so I'd take the previous suggestion and just get on evolvr and work from there.

[HeadGolfool]

I have used Stack & Tilt since it first came out and I swear by it, I dropped from a 7 to a 2 in less than 4 weeks.  If you are having trouble getting over to your left side and not making solid contact it will help you immensely.  I have worked with some of my friends with it and they all saw immediate results.  I would buy the book not the video.

Good luck

[John Mark]

thanks guys i know how all my buddies that are scratch golfers look like they are not even swinging!!!!!!!!!! ticks me off lol

anyways i bought the S&T; book

and im taking lessons starting in 2 weeks

thanks for all the help guys!

[mymizunosrock]

Originally Posted by John Mark

thanks guys i know how all my buddies that are scratch golfers look like they are not even swinging!!!!!!!!!! ticks me off lol

Lag gives the impression the player is not swinging hard.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by mymizunosrock

Lag gives the impression the player is not swinging hard.

More than that, I'd say balance and efficiency give the appearance the player isn't swinging hard. I think a lot of people would be surprised at how little "lag" some players have on the PGA Tour.

[swadders]

Thank you for the video you sent me for setting up with my irons, I feel I'm standing up more now.I will be trying this out at the weekend, hopefully I will be able to hit crisp iron shots.