Where to hit the ball on the face of an iron

[mmoan2]

I've always assumed that the correct answer to this question is right in the center of the club face. However, I saw an ad in Golf Digest for Taylor Made RS1 irons that showed Sergio Garcia's impact zone being much further toward the toe. Is the ad saying that "even Sergio misses the sweet spot some times, but RS1 clubs have his back", or is that where you are supposed to hit the ball? It got me to wondering why irons are shaped that way - much lower near the hosel, continuing to grow longer toward the toe. If irons were meant to be hit perfectly square, why wouldn't they be shaped more like a putter with a huge face? - fairly consistently the same height across the entire club face.

Aside from all the technology musings, where is the proper place to hit the ball - directly in the center of the club face, or maybe a half inch closer to the toe?

[saevel25]

Aside from all the technology musings, where is the proper place to hit the ball - directly in the center of the club face, or maybe a half inch closer to the toe?

Because you strike with a descending blow, the impact position is usually the 2nd-3rd groove from the bottom and in the center of the clubface.

Hitting it out on the toe is not ideal.

[dbuck]

Hold the club by the shaft in front of you with the face toward you with the thumb and foreginger of your non-dominant hand about 4 inches. Poke the face of the club with your dominant forefinger so the club swings away from you like a pendulum. The point on the face where your dominant finger strikes the club and the club moves straight back with no twisting of the face is the spot where you should strike the ball. In most modern clubs this will be as someone said 2-3 grooves up and near the center of the face. In older clubs it will be slightly closer to the heel.