Golf Tips 
Instruction Iron Play: Lessons Master Your Iron Play
Instruction Iron Play: Lessons Master Your Iron Play
Master Your Iron PlayAugusta National places demands on the iron game more than any championship venue. Here’s what it takes from The Masters. |
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| By Brady Riggs, PGA, with Mike Chwasky, Instruction Photography by Warren Keating | |
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Mastering the Downhill Lie: The main challenge faced by a player with a downhill lie is to make solid contact. The tendency here is to hit the ball both fat and thin, with the majority of misses heading to the right of the target. Ensuring solid contact begins in the setup: Aim slightly left of the target to allow for a ball position that’s more back in the stance and make sure your shoulders are angled parallel to the slope.Many players try to fight the natural tendency of this shot, which is to fly on a lower-than-normal trajectory, by attempting to hit up on the ball. Don’t do this unless you’re hoping for a mis-hit. Instead, the forwardswing should be made with the intention of swinging the club down the slope, along your shoulder line. This will promote the proper ball-first contact and produce more consistent results. Keep in mind that it’s very difficult to hit solid shots off a downslope with a swing path that’s excessively inside out. Therefore, avoid trying to hit a draw off this slope and instead visualize a slight fade (aim slightly left to accommodate). This should eliminate any tendency to attack the ball too much from the inside. Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images Tweener Amen corner ends with one of the most difficult short par-3s in all of golf, the 12th. Due to the relatively short distance and swirling wind conditions, players are forced to hit a “tweener” shot that flies less than full distance for the club chosen. Mastering the Tweener: The tweener shot is played with a slightly shorter backswing than normal, and the tendency is to slow down both the body and club through impact, which generally leads to a huge pull to the left. Instead the focus should be on keeping the arms and club trailing the body as the body works toward a full finish, even if the club doesn’t. This helps the club “trap” the ball on the face, driving it out low and keeping the effect of the wind down to a minimum. Also, by leading the arms and club with the body, you’ll be forced to maintain acceleration through impact, which is the best possible way to avoid over-the-top pulls and hooks. 
Sidehill Lie #2The 2nd hole is a reachable par-5, providing the tee shot finds the fairway. If the fairway is missed, the approach shot becomes a short wedge to the green, where the real fun begins at Augusta. On Sunday, the pin is placed behind a huge bunker with only 20 feet of green between it and the back edge. As a result, the short approach must be played from an awkward sidehill lie and with perfect distance control in order to capitalize on what at first appears to be a relatively easy birdie hole. Mastering the Sidehill Lie: A common problem from this lie is a loss of balance, resulting in a move toward the ball during the swing. This forces the body to become upright in an attempt to keep from falling over, changing the original spine angle. Adjust your setup position by increasing the bend in the knees and moving more weight toward the heels to compensate for the tendency of the slope to force your body weight out over your toes. The focus should be on keeping your backside back against the slope. This will effectively counteract the forces of gravity. Also, this lie promotes a slice, which you need to compensate for by aiming slightly left of the target. As is the case with the downhill lie, an excessively inside-out attack makes achieving solid contact much more difficult. Instead of fighting the slope by trying to hit a draw, picture a shot that moves from left to right. This image will promote a slightly steeper swing path, making the shot easier to execute. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images |
