I'm embarking on a quest to become a superior ball-striker...

[hurley9192]

I struggle with iron play as well. One thing that has helped is to take an extra club everytime and hit a 3/4 knockdown...you will see amazing results. I went to Scotland for 3 weeks and didn't take my odd numbered clubs. It taught me how to hit more knockdowns and be creative with club selection.

[DM4UGA]

I've decided to take a similar approach. I want to slow my swing down a bit and make it smoother. I'm only 21 years old so I find myself swinging entirely too hard some times. I can generate club head speeds close to 115 mph if I want to, but 75% of the time, it's not a straight shot. When I make a smoother swing, I hit the ball on my target line and only lose a couple of yards. I can't justify trying to push a 9-iron 160yds when I can hit a smooth 8 and carry the same distance on a straighter line.

You and me both brotha, I just try to be the 21 yr old hotshot who can hit the ball 3 miles. Gotta learn some control. I've been playing a par-3 course lately to try and work on hitting the greens... and i've saw a little improvement last time, i didn't miss the greens by as MUCH, and I even hit 2 or 3 greens!

[scotton]

Not to be captain obvious here, but if you can't make par if you miss a green, sounds like chipping is your problem. Unless you are missing the green by 50 yards. I used to play a game with some of my buddies where we would play $2 a hole, but it cost you $1 if you hit the fairway and $1 if you hit the green in reg. It's funny how often you hit the green when you are trying to hit the fringe.

The problem with hitting a 9 iron 160 yards is that you then hit your PW 150 yards, and your GW 140, and your SW 130. I spend a lot of time between 130 and 80 yards, and I like having 3 or 4 clubs that I can hit in that range. You might also think about having your lofts adjusted up a couple of degrees to give you more range.

[Chilidipper]

Just say no to hitting off of mats!

[PensacolaWahoo]

Just say no to hitting off of mats!

Best suggestion ever! My game has improved drastically since I got away from the mats. Never could understand how I could pepper a 100 yard green at the range and then miss the same shot over and over at the course. I have to pay $1 extra per bucket for the grass, but it's been a sound investment.

[golfchief]

Off the mats your club will bounce into the ball and still produce a good hit, hitting off the grass a bad swing will dig into the ground = a chunk or worse.

[$2 Nassau]

I've made some progress in the "quest" but only with my woods. Iron play is still horrific. Strange how I feel so comfortable with a driver or 3w in my hand and can make a nice smooth swing, but you put a 9i in my hands and it's like I've never picked up a club before.

[elivate]

I've made some progress in the "quest" but only with my woods. Iron play is still horrific. Strange how I feel so comfortable with a driver or 3w in my hand and can make a nice smooth swing, but you put a 9i in my hands and it's like I've never picked up a club before.

I know how you feel, I am going through the exact same thing right now, my driver has never been better but my irons are hurting a bit to say the least...

[scotton]

When I'm having iron issues, my swing keys are to use a 3/4 backswing, hit the ball crisp and finish the shot.

[elivate]

When I'm having iron issues, my swing keys are to use a 3/4 backswing, hit the ball crisp and finish the shot.

I agree, that is a good way to practice and try to iron out the issues (is that a pun?)

Anyway, another tip I read in Golf Digest - this one is from Zach Johnson - is to try not to focus on a spot on the ball, but almost let the ball blur somewhat in your vision and then just hit the ball. In the past I was trying to hit the back of the ball and I would focus on it so much that I would really chunk a lot of shots... So for tee shots try to set the ball on the tee so that all white is visible, do not have the logo or marking showing... And from the fairway try to ignore any markings you can see on the ball and "blur" it... I still do not hit my shots perfectly crisp, but I do not chunk them as badly anymore, so it is a useful tip... And off the tee I have seen an even better improvement...

[scotton]

Nothing jacks my swing up more than reading swing instruction in golf magazines. I think they are intended to provide the top 100 teachers with plenty of students.

[elivate]

Nothing jacks my swing up more than reading swing instruction in golf magazines. I think they are intended to provide the top 100 teachers with plenty of students.

I rarely try any of the more complicated tips and drills to be honest, I find that these quick little hint type tips are very useful for me right now...

Like a long time ago I was told to hover the driver on tee shots... A simple little tip that helped me improve my driving... The "blur the ball" tip is similar and is something that is so easy to try... If it helps you will keep using it and not even think about it... I cant even imagine grounding my driver now...

[$2 Nassau]

I been struggling with making crisp contact with my irons. I would kill to have that feeling of a solid, pure iron shot. It happens every once in a while but they are few and far between. Just can't seem to hit down and through the ball consistently.

[scotton]

I'm no instructor (and my handicap is a bazillion, but it's an honest bazillion), but most of the time when I'm having contact issues with irons it's due to tempo/timing (getting too quick) or too much body movement. See if you can hit your 7 iron 100 yards instead of 160. Don't just try to swing easy, literally try to hit it 100 yards. It should feel a lot better and you can slowly ramp it up from there until you feel yourself getting out of control again.
Another thing I do in a round if I start having tempo issues is practice swing as hard and fast as I can about 3 times in a row. Then I try to swing half that speed. Don't hurt yourself and blame me, though.

[gus orviston]

I hear a lot about tempo and agree.. and many talk distance.. but to be a good striker I assume accuracy is what you are really after? or does that just come with good contact with the ball. I took it as the previous.. accuracy.

In order for me to improve I need a specific measurable goal.. my coach gave me his lesson plan - but we both agree it is too advanced for me right now.. the lesson plan is for an emerging scratch player and I am 20 HC now. So we are working less agressive accuracy.

He has it broken down into putting, pitching, chipping, irons and driver play. Focusing on accuracy.

He has a distances and dispersion for each club. Not setting the distance, but the radius that is success. I want to know what different HC should be. Example he has a 5 iron requirement of 30 diamter, 15 feet +/- long/short/left/right. it gets tighter going down the club range.

Putting is like x out of 5 at each month, and a range of distances.

So what is your HC, and what is your accuracy out of 5, or 10 that you hit the green, or say 20 yard diameter. etc..

Or did I just segway off the intent of just hitting the ball crisply

[Mhinderaker]

For me, when I am going through tough times either chunking the ball or hitting it really thin, I try to get to a driving range and exagerate the other way if that makes sense (for example if I'm chunking it really badly I'll try to blade a few really hard). After this I can usually figure out what it is that is so different between the swings and come to somewhat of a middle ground.

[mjbartow]

My new trademarked phrase when it comes to iron play, don't steal it:

"Don't thin it. . . MAKE A DIVOT!"

[jmhunter]

Amen!!!!
I just read the top two posts on this thread and am responding!

I felt exactly this way tonight. I was running a late game it was about 8:30pm (sundown was about 10 mins before) and was on the 17th with my 3 hybrid trying to chop this 511 yd par 5 in half. I kept topping it and moving about 25 yards at a time...

I then got a call from my wife. During this time something reset for me. After the call was done I was less frustrated, and then got the 210 yard launch I needed out of the damn ball.

I am a hacker, I've never had a lesson, I probably, almost certainly need one, I but I enjoy the adventure of just trying to figure this crap out.

I have found that breathing, and focussing on it, more than anything else has improved my scores.