New guy, help with irons

[Ribber]

New to the site and fairly new to golf (less than a year).

Never really played much, but got started (somewhat) after my daughter started playing golf in middle school. So, I've been playing with her and a few guys from work here and there. I bought $100 set from Academy Sports and have been playing with them, hoping to upgrade at some point once I've 'mastered' these. I did buy a secondhand Nike driver, Mizuno 3 iron, and sand wedge.

My problem:

Other than the occasional hack, I can generally hit my driver pure, and I'm fair with my wedges. But, I have not figured out how to get any distance with my irons (6-9).

I have to bend my knees too much or place ball further back in my stance to keep from topping the ball, which is what I tend to do with irons. If I bend and shorten my back swing, I can hit the ball straight every time. But, there's no distance and it doesn't 'feel right', like I'm hindered. I have watched so many videos, read lots of articles, and tried so many different approaches that I'm getting frustrated. Nothing seems to work for me. I tried blaming the cheap irons, but a guy I played with hit a beautiful 150-175 yard shot with my 6 iron

Would extending them help? Maybe a swing flaw? I'm a big guy (ok I'm fat about 275 lbs), 6'2" and 41 years old, so I'm not in my best shape. But, I was athletic when I was younger, and generally good at any sport I played. But, this golf stuff is tough. If I post of video, could someone point out my flaws?

[Shindig]

3 minutes ago, Ribber said:

New to the site and fairly new to golf (less than a year).

Welcome to the Sand Trap!  And to golf.  

3 minutes ago, Ribber said:

If I post of video, could someone point out my flaws?

Yes.  Check out these links:

https://thesandtrap.com/forums/forum/13-member-swings/

And in particular this post:

When I started posting video, I moved from a 19.x to 13.0 at my best;  it's been climbing a little bit lately due to not having played much since last October, but I'm working on improving that.  Hopefully we can help you out. 

[RandallT]

Welcome!

My thoughts:

1. You've picked a good place to join, if you want to start getting serious (as opposed to YouTube hunting for tips)
2. As @Shindig wrote above, to really start to benefit from the site, consider creating a Member Swing thread for yourself. 
3. In the meantime, check out this thread to get a sense of the instructional content that the advice you get typically stays consistent with. 
4. It's likely not the clubs, as you suspected. There are fundamentals you're just going to have to learn and practice. In the link above, you'll find tips on practicing that are eye opening. Don't just whack balls. Find out your priority and go change that! Lots of guidance above on how to change the picture and the swing thread can help you figure out your priority.  

Sorry that's not not an easy answer but I think it's realistically your best path to make some progress. You've tried the YouTube hunt method, and it's time to be more focused about it all. Join the club! 

Welcome again!

[dennyjones]

Welcome from Michigan.   

[Odogesq]

Hi, and welcome! As some may point out, it is going to be difficult to give you good feedback without posting a video of your swing. That said, best course of action to get better is to invest in some golf lessons at a local course and stick with them for an extended period of time. Although you will have to spend some money, i guarantee you will improve and not regret spending the lessons. Without feedback from someone who know what they are doing watching your swing, you will forever be guessing at what you should be doing, regardless of the amount of reading you do on the internet.