I can´t hit my irons

[lugonza_2001]

Hello everybody,

today i got really frustrated at the golf course. I can´t stop hitting it fat with my irons.

I hit my driver / fairway woods pretty well, but when i grip an iron disaster is about to happen.

I guess i don´t transfer weight to the left properly during the downswing, or i just lower my right shoulder.... anyway i can´t continue playing like this; i am also struggling with my putting (3-putted 6 holes today for a total of 40 putts).

Any tip to fix this?

Thank you for your help.

[chip n run]

Ahh - the good 'ol fat shot. I battle it too.  Nothing like hitting a perfect drive right down the middle and then a fat iron short of the green.  Let out a big scream with me - AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!     OK, now let me tell you what's been workin' for me ...............

RELAX - everything, Especially the grip. I know I was too tense from the start   Relax !

Downswing - 3 things I have to do.........1) Yes, move your weight to left foot.  What helps me is to make sure my belt buckle points                                                                   at the target line at the finish.

2) Right elbow must come back in very near body.

3) Retain wrist angle - This is my biggest fault. Try holding your left arm out straight with back                                                               of hand pointing up.  Make a fist.  Now bring arm down and add right hand like your                                                                           gripping the club.  That's the angle you have to retain as long as possible.  I don't worry                                                                     about rolling my wrists over - that seems to take care of itself.  But if I break the angle                                                                       early, I hit it fat.

As for putting, what's helped me is to go to the practice green and really get the feeling of how much to swing for certain distances. I will putt from the same distance until my mind has recorded how hard to swing.  On practice swings I make sure to have that same      feeling of force. Make sure to follow-thru - I miss shorter putts from not keeping putter on line thru ball.

Let me know if any of this helped...............Tom.

[Mr. Desmond]

Fats - you've got to be active about getting on the front foot at the beginning of the downswing -

You might try some drills -

swing with only the front leg (rear leg is off the ground, i.e. swing one legged - ball not needed)

swing with rear foot behind you

short game swing in which all your weight is on front foot at impact

Be aggressive  about getting the weight forward

[Mr. Desmond]

I might add that you should review the 5SK Video Thread for weight forward drills.

[Odogesq]

Hi, you may want to try moving the ball position back in your stance. It sounds like your swing is bottoming out before it hits the ball on the irons. I play my irons with ball in center of stance and even a bit behind that for wedges.

[Hitdog042]

Try not looking at the ball. Instead look 1-2 inches in front of it. This is in Clampetts book and it works for me. Naturally delays your release without thinking about it. Give it a try.

[iacas]

Hi, you may want to try moving the ball position back in your stance. It sounds like your swing is bottoming out before it hits the ball on the irons. I play my irons with ball in center of stance and even a bit behind that for wedges.

Be careful of that. Virtually no good golfers play their irons back of center (except specialty shots). It can work in a pinch as a quick fix, but I'd caution against using it as more than that.

Often we'll see a student with the ball back and know that they have trouble getting their weight forward properly (Key #2). This often starts a vicious cycle wherein they want to get the ball airborne, so they tip back more on the downswing, and then start hitting it fat. So they move the ball back again, hit the ball low again, and then want to hit it higher so they tip back even more, hitting the ball fat again.

End result - they keep moving the ball back which only further inhibits their ability to go forward.

Real solution: learn to get better at Key #2.

[mvmac]

Be careful of that. Virtually no good golfers play their irons back of center (except specialty shots). It can work in a pinch as a quick fix, but I'd caution against using it as more than that.

Often we'll see a student with the ball back and know that they have trouble getting their weight forward properly (Key #2). This often starts a vicious cycle wherein they want to get the ball airborne, so they tip back more on the downswing, and then start hitting it fat. So they move the ball back again, hit the ball low again, and then want to hit it higher so they tip back even more, hitting the ball fat again.

End result - they keep moving the ball back which only further inhibits their ability to go forward.

Real solution: learn to get better at Key #2.

Yep, this

http://thesandtrap.com/t/61376/5sk-video-thread#post_791160

http://thesandtrap.com/t/61376/5sk-video-thread/90#post_836200

[lugonza_2001]

Thank you all for your tips and comments. I will give them a try and let you know if i progress.

[mvmac]

Thank you all for your tips and comments. I will give them a try and let you know if i progress.

Even if it feels weird or awkward at the beginning, stick with it, things will improve.

[waldo1324]

i shall also try this advice,just broke my junker 8 iron trying to swing under that ball.  youd think i was mining for ore.

[lugonza_2001]

Hit some nice irons yesterday. At stance i tried to play the ball just left from center for middle irons and during the swing i got good impacts trying not to flip my left wrist at impact. Still a lot of work to do but finally i hit decent shots from the fairway.