How to Hit Irons, 7 Tips To Get You Started Right!
Back to our series on Golf Essentials For Beginners, we’re going to be sharing with you 7 tips on how to hit irons!
Pushing yourself to do better, to improve, is what separates the real players from those just playing. In every sport, there are skills developed and traits gained that only come with practice and hard work overtime. But at some points, even professionals hit a wall it’s especially hard to break.
For beginners, that wall is often how hit with irons, effectively. Something that looks easier than it is, many players often struggle with developing this particle aspect of the game.
If you’re one of these players, then don’t worry.
How to Hit Irons, 7 Simple Tips To Get Started
We have compiled a list of 7 tips to help you get out of that hole and become better at hitting with irons.
1. Proper Ball Positioning
Though probably the simplest advice, it is also one that can fix most beginners’ golfing errors. Many golfers, including some veterans, struggle with hitting the ball simply because the ball is positioned differently from their stance.
Whether it’s too far from you are too close, ensuring you and the ball are in the right position can greatly increase your chances of making contact with an iron.
The proper position the ball should be in when you’re trying to hit it with iron is at the center of your stance.
For more reading on this, here’s a helpful article on the proper positioning for irons, or check out this video from Youtube.
2. Develop Your Iron Swing
Many players make the mistake of using the same type of posture and stance for both drivers and iron swings. This is a mistake that’ll get you nowhere.
The golf ball should be positioned at the center of your stance for iron swings. But when making a stroke with a driver, the position of the golf ball should be on the inside of your lead foot. Slightly forward in your stance.
Though this might feel a bit awkward at first, using this method can lead you to see an increase in flight and distance for your driver swings.
3. Don’t Pull On The Handle
Though this one might take a little experience and self-awareness to notice, eliminating it can improve your game. This tip relies on the concept of lag – the practice of releasing your clubhead late in the downswing to kick more speed into the clubhead at impact.
A lot of amateur players attempt to perform lag the way pro golfers do but end up pulling on the handle instead.
This means that in the transition at the top of your swing a player would pull straight down on the handle instead of allowing the club to swing outwards naturally. Though this does create a lot of lag, there is a reason why the top players of the sport avoid using this technique.
Pulling the handle makes distance control very difficult whereas the distance is more predictable with a proper lag technique.
Top 3 Irons For All Skill Levels
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | DETAILS | |
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GREAT FOR THE PRICE Callaway Apex Pro Irons |
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USED BY PROS Titleist T100 Irons |
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BEST FOR BEGINNERS Callaway Big Bertha Irons |
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4. Weight On The Feet
As part of proper posture, many golfers forget to shift their weight from foot to foot when making swings.
Ideally, you would start with your weight on the lead foot and shift the weight to the back foot along with your backswing. When you begin to swing at the ball, your weight should shift back to your lead foot.
Oftentimes, golfers forget about that last necessary shift in weight. This shift releases the momentum built up by the first two shifts and adds force to your swings.
If your feet are just planted on the ground and not doing anything, your arms are doing all the work of swinging as opposed to your whole body.
5. Always Keep Posture In Mind
Keep your arms fairly straight on the takeaway at the beginning of each stroke. When you begin to attempt a swing, use the shifts in weight we told you about earlier and turn your hips. Make room for your swing and let gravity do the rest.
With the right kind of posture, you can be certain of contact every time you make a swing. This is only something that is developed over time with a conscious effort to maintain. But with proper posture, you would already have an advantage over most golfers.
6. Hit The Ball. Don’t Help It Up
This is a rule that many beginners have a hard time remembering. Players would hit the ball and try to help it into the air, often resulting in fading shots.
To avoid this score-hurting practice, experts recommend that players keep everything moving forward through impact using their weight, hands, arms, and the grip end of the club.
Related: How Golf Scoring Works
Attempt hit the ball with the back of your left hand facing the target. Try to feel like you’re backhanding the ball with the iron club. This will allow you to deliver the club with the correct loft. With this in mind, you’re sure to hit more greens.
7. Take More Clubs Than You Need.
Though skill and experience are important, you can’t play golf without golf clubs. It’s a fairly common occurrence that players neglect to bring enough clubs to the game. Either that or they select the wrong club in relation to the distance they need to achieve.
That’s why we always suggest players bring more clubs than they think they’ll need. It’s better to be safe than sorry. And as for knowing which is the right club to use to achieve a certain distance, this is something that you can learn naturally in your lessons or practicing with each of the clubs.
You can also learn more about it here: How To Choose Golf Irons, or here: 10 Best Golf Irons.
Bottom Line…
And those were the tips we compiled to help you learn how to hit irons. Though far from a simple walk in the part, there’s nothing more satisfying for a golfer than to know that she or he can confidently swing at a ball and not think twice about it.
Building up this level of muscle memory gives you an edge at games. Through practice, hard work, and serious love for the game, you can eventually reach the heights of the golfers you look up to.