The Perfect Iron Swing

In golf, the driver gets a lot of attention—and for good reason. Who doesn’t love crushing a long drive right down the middle of the fairway? There is nothing wrong with working on your driver, but that work should not come at the expense of your irons. Whether just hitting balls on the range or using a launch monitor to fine-tune your performance, improving your iron play is essential in the quest for lower scores.

A Proper Setup for Iron Shots

All swings should begin with a proper address position, and iron shots are certainly no different. Start with your shoulder, hips, and feet square to the target, then focus on rotating your chest back and through. This can only happen if you address the ball properly. Concentrate on these three keys as you work on your address position:

1. Use plenty of knee flex to provide a solid base for your swing.

2. Keep your chin up to allow for a free shoulder turn in the backswing.

3. Allow your arms to hang freely from your shoulders by tilting forward from your hips.

Hit Down to Go Up

One of the key concepts in the game of golf that gives beginning golfers trouble is the idea that you need to hit down on your irons to get the ball to go up. This may not make sense at first, but it is true nonetheless. To send the ball skyward, you’ll want to hit down through impact aggressively with your iron shots. This can be accomplished by maintaining proper balance and making sure your hands are in front of the clubface at impact.

Don’t Forget the Follow Through

A proper iron swing is going to wind up in a full finish, with your body facing the target and your back heel up off the ground. If you give up on your swing prematurely, you won’t be able to maximize your swing speed through impact, and you will fall short of a full finish. On the range during your practice sessions, be sure to pay attention to the finish position you reach after each swing. As long as you are finishing through on your front side, you can feel good about your follow through.

Common Mistakes When Hitting Irons

To continue working toward a proper iron swing, it can be helpful to be aware of some of the common mistakes golfers make in this area. Three frequently seen errors are listed below.

1. Swinging too hard.

Countless players simply swing too hard when hitting iron shots, and they struggle to make clean contact as a result.

2. Ignoring the lie.

The lie of the ball has a major impact on what kinds of shots you can hit in a given situation. Understand the situation and only attempt shots that are realistic given the way the ball is resting.

3. Going too far back.

You don’t need to have an extremely long backswing when hitting irons. Stay under control and focus on balance above all else.

Foresight Sports can help you work toward an improved iron game, thanks to the line of high-quality, accurate launch monitors we offer. Contact us today for more information.