How to hit 2-iron?

[mvmac]

  inthecup said:

The average person trying to hit a long shot tends to rip from the top and give away all their lag.  Swinging hard is not swinging fast.

Swinging slower does not create more lag. Ok, now back on topic

[misty_mountainhop]

  mvmac said:

Swinging slower does not create more lag.  Ok, now back on topic

Hang on a minute. Many players know what is meant here - I imagine. What I think he's saying is that often the longer irons are hit too hard from the top (because we all know they're meant to go a long way, right?), primarily via impetus from the hands/arms/shoulders instead of generating impetus from an initial weight shift/hip slide. Trying to hit long irons, by hitting from the top like this is, IMO, very difficult, very unreliable, likely to lead to OTT moves, casting and all sorts of other problems.

It's not a literal 'slow' that's being meant here. Anyone who's hit a perfect shot would, I suspect, comment that it feels effortless and that they had no feeling of swinging 'fast'. I guess it's about timing, rhythm and correct sequencing.

[inthecup]

  mvmac said:

Swinging slower does not create more lag.  Ok, now back on topic

Adding to sarcastic and mocking you are going with dismissive, interesting.  You are quite the businessman.  So are you trying to intimidate people into not participating.  How does that further your cause.  If you say something the moderator doesn't agree with they insult you?

You know what I am talking about.  You are playing a game of semantics.

[iacas]

  inthecup said:

Adding to sarcastic and mocking you are going with dismissive, interesting.  You are quite the businessman.  So are you trying to intimidate people into not participating.  How does that further your cause.  If you say something the moderator doesn't agree with they insult you?

You know what I am talking about.  You are playing a game of semantics.

And now that you've had your say in public and in private, I encourage you to talk about the topic at hand, either by responding to Mike or ignoring him. Also, semantics are often important.

[saevel25]

I don't think most amateurs think they need to swing hard with longer irons compared to other clubs. I think most amateurs swing hard for all their clubs because their swing isn't that good. I play with a ton of golfers who are 15-40+ handicaps. None of them swing easy for short irons, and suddenly decide they need to swing hard for longer irons. They all have basically the same bad tempo for all their swings. The problem is, longer irons are not forgiving at all. This is why Hybrids have helps so many amateurs, because of the high MOI, the clubhead design, the longer sole.

[inthecup]

  iacas said:

And now that you've had your say in public and in private, I encourage you to talk about the topic at hand, either by responding to Mike or ignoring him. Also, semantics are often important.

Thanks for your reply.  I'll just move on and take all that has been said with a positive spin.  I am certainly not always right nor do I always explain myself well so I am guilty but I am not the only one with fault in this case in my opinion.

[mvmac]

  inthecup said:

Thanks for your reply.  I'll just move on and take all that has been said with a positive spin.  I am certainly not always right nor do I always explain myself well so I am guilty but I am not the only one with fault in this case in my opinion.

inthecup, sorry about all this, didn't realize at the time how my post might sound.

Ok getting back on topic, common mistake I see players make with a long iron is to play the ball too far back with a long iron which leads to them having to tip back to try and get it in the air.  Players would have a better chance if they played it just inside the left heel and had the weight go forward with the head steady.  Not the head moving back, just centered.

[saevel25]

I agree 100% with MVMAC

I was at the range last night hitting 6 irons, I couldn't figure out what was my problem hitting the iron slightly heavy, almost like I was spanking the ground. I noticed the ball was in the middle of my stance. So I moved it forward, it caused me to move my hands forward more, tilt my right shoulder slightly more, and keep my head behind the ball. From there I was able to hit with a shallower angle, and hit the ball with a nice ball flight.

[Sam612]

  marvin said:

I know that 2-iron is quickly become extinct. For mid-high handicappers, hybrid is a much better alternative indeed. However, I particularly interested in learning and mastering 2-iron. I believe that I can hit them purely, then hitting any other club shouldn't be a problem.

So, what are the fundamentals of hitting 2-iron? Grips, setup, stance, posture? Does it have to be very quick on the downswing? Comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Life is too short to learn how to hit a 3 or 4 iron, much less a 2.

.

A 4 hybrid is the highest "iron" I have.

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I wouldn't waste my time trying to hit 2 iron. But, if you must, good luck.

[Skenny]

Sorry if someone has already offered this, and allowing that the approach may be different for some of the better golfers..... But for an "average to below' hacker like me, here are the fundamentals of hitting a 2-iron:

- Grip the two iron with your dominant hand (Right for Righty, Left for Lefty).

- Position yourself, back to target.

- Begin counterclockwise spins (clockwise for Lefty) in the fashion of an Olympic hammer throw.

- Make sure you are positioned on the edge of a steep, high cliff.

- After approximately 2.5 rotations, release the club over the edge of the cliff.

- Assuming a floor of rocks, water, hard dirt, etc., the resulting hit of the 2-iron upon such surface will be most satisfactory.

[nevets88]

I dunno, shouldn't one not try and adjust to hit a 2 iron but improve one's swing so that hitting a 2 iron w/o adjustments is no problem?

[Golfingdad]

  Skenny said:

Sorry if someone has already offered this, and allowing that the approach may be different for some of the better golfers..... But for an "average to below' hacker like me, here are the fundamentals of hitting a 2-iron:

- Grip the two iron with your dominant hand (Right for Righty, Left for Lefty).

- Position yourself, back to target.

- Begin counterclockwise spins (clockwise for Lefty) in the fashion of an Olympic hammer throw.

- Make sure you are positioned on the edge of a steep, high cliff.

- After approximately 2.5 rotations, release the club over the edge of the cliff.

- Assuming a floor of rocks, water, hard dirt, etc., the resulting hit of the 2-iron upon such surface will be most satisfactory.

I disagree.  If you position yourself facing the target you'd get an extra half turn in, so that would just add to the power, no?

[mvmac]

  nevets88 said:

I dunno, shouldn't one not try and adjust to hit a 2 iron but improve one's swing so that hitting a 2 iron w/o adjustments is no problem?

That's one way to think about it. The reality is hybrids and high lofted fairway woods are just much easier to hit higher and farther. Most golfers don't have enough time to practice and get better, some don't even care about getting better. Even if your "average" golfer does improve their low point control enough to hit a 2 iron, they probably don't have the speed to launch it high enough.

A well struck 2 iron is going to launch lower, carry shorter, than a hybrid. One of the reasons it's kind of become extinct, even on tour. I'd much rather hit a hybrid 215 in the air, have it land and stop on the green rather than carry a 2 iron 210 yards and hope it doesn't run off the back of the green.

[FooFader]

  mvmac said:

That's one way to think about it. The reality is hybrids and high lofted fairway woods are just much easier to hit higher and farther. Most golfers don't have enough time to practice and get better, some don't even care about getting better. Even if your "average" golfer does improve their low point control enough to hit a 2 iron, they probably don't have the speed to launch it high enough.

A well struck 2 iron is going to launch lower, carry shorter, than a hybrid. One of the reasons it's kind of become extinct, even on tour. I'd much rather hit a hybrid 215 in the air, have it land and stop on the green rather than carry a 2 iron 210 yards and hope it doesn't run off the back of the green.

Question for you just out of interest: say you were playing a typical scottish links course where playing the ball low and out of the wind is crucial would you still take the hybrid over the 2-iron? i know a lot of the pro's switch out their hybrids for the Open as they like the lower flight of the iron. But would do the same or keep the easier to hit hybrid but just try to lower the flight?

[mvmac]

  FooFader said:

Question for you just out of interest: say you were playing a typical scottish links course where playing the ball low and out of the wind is crucial would you still take the hybrid over the 2-iron? i know a lot of the pro's switch out their hybrids for the Open as they like the lower flight of the iron. But would do the same or keep the easier to hit hybrid but just try to lower the flight?

Not sure what you mean, when I was in Scotland last summer it was warm with a light breeze

Regarding pros switching to long irons instead of hybrids for the Open

- I think the idea is but overdone. I remember watching Louis Oosthuizen hit plenty of 5 woods at St. Andrews.

- The guys that are making a change aren't going to a "true" 2 iron, more something like the Titleist 712U or Callaway X Utility.

- They are switching to these clubs because they'll be using them mostly off the tee. My last post was dealing more with shots from the fairway.

So I would say it depends. If you can hit a 2 iron solid and prefer the lower ball flight for a links style course, the great. Again 2 irons are hard to hit, 3 irons are now 20-21 degrees of loft, not much room for error with a 2 iron. So even though you're keeping it out of the wind, you're not really advancing the ball that far because contact sucks. To me, an average shot with a hybrid or a utility iron is going to advance the ball farther than a 2 iron which you maybe hit one good shot once every ten swings.

For a more skilled golfer, I would agree in windy conditions it would be best not to go with a standard hybrid and more of a "pro" hybrid or a utility iron because you have the ability to hit those lower when you need to.

[nevets88]

Couldn't a less skilled player use a hybrid with less loft? Or put the ball back in the stance/stay in flexion and hit it lower?

[mvmac]

  nevets88 said:

Or put the ball back in the stance/stay in flexion and hit it lower?

They already do that

  nevets88 said:

Couldn't a less skilled player use a hybrid with less loft?

Sure but then instead of going a 2 iron distance it's going a 1 iron/5 wood distance and could run into a gaping problem. Obviously you could ditch the 3 wood and go with 16* hybrid and then a 19 or 20. Or keep the 3-wood and go with an 18* hybrid and 21* or something like that. Tough to answer because I don't know the set makeup.

[FooFader]

  mvmac said:

Not sure what you mean, when I was in Scotland last summer it was warm with a light breeze

Regarding pros switching to long irons instead of hybrids for the Open

- I think the idea is but overdone. I remember watching Louis Oosthuizen hit plenty of 5 woods at St. Andrews.

- The guys that are making a change aren't going to a "true" 2 iron, more something like the Titleist 712U or Callaway X Utility.

- They are switching to these clubs because they'll be using them mostly off the tee. My last post was dealing more with shots from the fairway.

So I would say it depends. If you can hit a 2 iron solid and prefer the lower ball flight for a links style course, the great. Again 2 irons are hard to hit, 3 irons are now 20-21 degrees of loft, not much room for error with a 2 iron. So even though you're keeping it out of the wind, you're not really advancing the ball that far because contact sucks. To me, an average shot with a hybrid or a utility iron is going to advance the ball farther than a 2 iron which you maybe hit one good shot once every ten swings.

For a more skilled golfer, I would agree in windy conditions it would be best not to go with a standard hybrid and more of a "pro" hybrid or a utility iron because you have the ability to hit those lower when you need to.

Thanks, your answer was pretty much what i was thinking. I know i certainly would never swap my hybrid for a long iron, i saw ian poulter somewhere on youtube talking about swapping out his hybrid for a 2 iron bend to 16 ^o i seem to remember which to me seems ridiculous! I know many people have more loft on their 3 wood (or 4 wood etc) because a standard 15 ^o is too difficult to hit.