Irons -getting them off the ground

[Kevin04]

Hi Folks,

I'm pretty new to the forum and greetings to everyone on here, I've finally started playing golf again quite regular and focussing on the game for the first time in around 8-10 years (I'm 24) but used to play as a kid but didn't ever take it serious the sport but just for fun but now after 2-3 months of playing again and getting back into it and looking and how to improve my game and make vital shots.

I only played a round as a last minute plan with some friends who were going golfing and me being off I thought sure i'll go round with them and hit a few shots and made a few bad shots and didn't score well maybe 124 or so but was hitting some good ones at times too and thought "yes i like this game" and always enjoyed watching it.

So once getting into things, I realised I was hitting alot of my drives to the right and everything seemed good about them apart from the direction they took and realised that I was standing with my legs wide apart and the ball right in the middle instead of the ball being near the left side of the ankle of the feet and thus has improved but I was wondering for a few tips if possible.

I'm hitting my irons reasonably well and they'll often trickle, roll and bounce along the fairway and go quite the distance but I'd love to be able to get some real height on them, my swing at the moment is a 3/4 swing for Irons and a fullswing for Driver, somehow something doesn't feel right when I attempt the fullswing on the Irons and i think the shaft/face will move as well often if I tried that, one thing at a time...
can anyone help with that?

I was also wondering what type of progress I am making? I started playing the same course around 2months ago or so and have been going out 2-3 times a week recently and my first round was 129 on a 72course but recently last week I shot a 101 and 104, I'm still trying things with my game but mainly my Irons I'd love to get some height and I think i'd improve, we usually play matchplay amongst ourselves and so far i've beaten one of my friends and my dad in one-off games but i'm just delighted that i've found a game that I enjoy and hope to practise as much as I can and maybe in a year or so I can have a real go at a Handicap.

Cheers for reading
kevin

[Andrew]

If you are at the range tee up all your iron shots.
It will make you comfterble with your swing and it wont make you feel as if you are pulling the ball up.

[jcrew]

for irons, hit down on the ball, do NOT try to scoop them up and actually help them up in the air because it does the opposite.

really trap the ball with your club and the ground and obviously try to make ball first contact

[Prodigy]

for irons, hit down on the ball, do NOT try to scoop them up and actually help them up in the air because it does the opposite.

this is very true if you do this correctly your irons will fly high and land very soft and should have some spin

[Kevin04]

hi Guys,

Thanks for your help. I'm out on the range tomorrow and the 9hole golf course and I'll give this a try, I went down to the practise area today (but it was only for a short time -15mins as I forgot I had made plans before) but I hit a few Iron shots mostly long irons (3, 4, 6) and the height was improving but they are pulling to the left for some reason.

Kind regards

kevin

[ChvyKc]

hi Guys,

My suggestion would be to go buy some of those cheap whiffle golf balls at a sporting goods store. The ONLY reason I am able to shoot lower rounds is because I am very strong with my irons. I get a lot of loft on the ball and a lot of distance if needed. The way that I got like this was getting out in the front yard with my irons and hitting whiffle balls back and forth. This may not work for you, but it really helped me with my irons.

I was able to work on my swing without having to worry about breaking a window and it is something that you can do if you have fifteen minutes of spare time. This really helped me build confidence in my swing and I could focus on making sure that the club head was where I wanted it at the bottom of my swing. If I could just get my drives down now I could really lower my handicap. Oh, and it seems like you are making amazing progess. If you have lowered your score by 20 strokes in just two-three months then you are doing a very good job. I am in the same boat as you, I'm 24 and played when I was younger but just took the sport back up recently.

[sonicblue]

"It's like taking your medicine. A few aspirin will probably cure what ails you, but the whole bottle might just kill you." - Harvey Penick

I wouldn't advise you to "really trap the ball," that's very drastic. It's very likely you are pulling your head up, probably hanging on your back foot, and hitting the ball very low on the clubface, with a flat or slightly upward strike.

Keep the ball in the middle of your stance, with your hands slightly ahead of the ball at address. Concentrate on a quiet lower body, a purposeful, yet very subtle weight shift, making sure your weight gets to your front foot. This will keep your swing plane consistent and, if you had a good position at address, should yield an impact position with your hands still slightly ahead of the ball, leading to a slightly downward strike of the ball. Couple this with consistent contact on the clubface (i.e.,not on the heel or toe), and you'll really start to see the ball get up in the air with lift, with more predictable distance, and softer landing with less roll.

[Golf4life]

Here is a visua l of Tiger Woods coming down through impact with his irons. This is a fudemental rule to have the ball jump off your irons.

[ChvyKc]

Here is a

Also, if you notice how far ahead he gets his weight when he starts his downswing. That always made a big difference for me. If I could focus on doing that then my hands just follow my body and I end up making the correct contact with the ball.

[sonicblue]

Also, if you notice how far ahead he gets his weight when he starts his downswing. That always made a big difference for me. If I could focus on doing that then my hands just follow my body and I end up making the correct contact with the ball.

That's exactly the point. I doubt any good ball-striker would tell you that they "hit with their hands." It's the alignment and balance of all your bigger muscles that lead to a square, solid hit.

[Golf4life]

Also, if you notice how far ahead he gets his weight when he starts his downswing. That always made a big difference for me. If I could focus on doing that then my hands just follow my body and I end up making the correct contact with the ball.

Correct. Your power is generated from your lower body, Why do you think the pro's hit it so effortless and FAAAR, that's why.

[gbk56]

If you are not getting proper loft, your swing is probably a little too shallow. You need to get your hands up higher so that you can swing down more on the ball. Try visualizing putting your right thumb in your right ear. This may help in getting you on a better angle of attack.